Her Alpha Mate 46

Zack:

I felt empty. Emptiness.

It was as if someone had ripped out my heart and broken it into little pieces that no one could ever put back together.

I stared at the two fish swimming in the lake. Even those fish had someone to be with!

And who did I've? No one. The only person who could stand by me for the rest of my life was gone.

My wolf whimpered again and curled up into a little ball. He'd been lying on his side since we learned Freya was missing.

We were both broken.

It had been two days now and there was no sign of her. It was as if she'd disappeared from the face of the earth.

I stared at the crumpled hoodie in my hands and sniffed it again, trying to calm myself with her scent. Her scent was the only thing keeping me sane at the moment, and that was absolutely vital at that moment.

The threat hadn't disappeared. The griffins were still there, and they could attack at any moment.

I knew that if Freya was here, she'd want me to protect the pack at all costs, whether she was there or not.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the tree I was sitting against.
I could still see her when I closed my eyes.
Her image haunted me.

Her beautiful brown eyes that sparkled mischievously when she decided to roast me. Her cute button nose that twitched when she didn't like something or when she tried to lie. Her beautiful hair that I'd have loved to run my fingers through when it shone in the sunlight. Her pretty mouth from which came the sweetest and funniest things I'd ever heard in my life. God, did I miss her.

"Zack."

I slowly opened my eyes and saw my father staring at me with a sad expression on his face. I gave him a weak smile, "Well, old man? You still put up a good fight. I saw you tear through at least four griffins." he chuckled and sat down on the grass in front of me, overlooking the lake.

"I thought I'd check up on you, considering you've only been in your house and office."
I sighed, "Well, I've to keep everything going. I'm not the only one feeling the loss.
The pack lost its Luna, too."

He was silent for a few seconds before changing the subject.

"You know, when your ma and I first met, we absolutely hated each other."

"You hated your own mate?"

"I didn't know she was my mate then. We've known each other since we were puppies. I went to school with your mother.
I sat right behind her and tugged on her pigtails until she snapped at me."

I chuckled softly, "I guess that trait runs in the family."

"She was such a prig and I hated that. I wanted to see her lose control. Little did I know that underneath her well-behaved facade, she was a bit of a hothead. She still insults me today just as she did then."

"How cute," I said sarcastically, trying to ignore the ache in my heart as my thoughts drifted back to Freya, "Why does it matter so much now?"

"Alright, I'll fast forward to when your mother was pregnant with Xavier. She was taken by a rival pack when she was about to give birth. I don't know if you remember that, but I doubt it. You were about two years old at the time."

My eyes flew open as curiosity got the better of me, "Who kidnapped her?"

He snorted, "If I told you that, you'd probably kill his son."

"His son?"

He sighed, "Peter's father kidnapped your mother."

I almost choked on my spit, "Are you serious? And you're okay with Peter now?"

"Just because his dad was a jerk doesn't mean he's. He's a good guy, his dad wasn't. His father wanted the power. Thank the moon goddess, Peter took after his mother and not his father. That's one of the reasons our packs are allies. Peter wanted to make sure there was no bad blood between us after his father died."

"That fits. But why is that so important?" I asked impatiently.

"Patience is a virtue, Zack," my father said, amused.

I squinted as a wave of pain spread through my chest at his words. "But procrastination is a bitch," I muttered, quoting Freya with a sigh.

I heard a soft snort before he continued his story, "Well, I was sure your mother was dead. Peter's father had even sent me a fake body to make it look like she was really dead. But after a while I realized I never felt her leave my heart. The bond didn't break, Zack. That's how I knew she was still there. That she was still waiting for me."

He turned his head to me, "Zack, do you still feel her?"

I closed my eyes as I felt the mating bond. It was there, but it was just out of reach.

"It's there, but I can't get a hold of it. It's like something is blocking it."

He nodded, "You'd be in even more pain if the ligament broke, Zack."

"I can't imagine that at all."

My father stood up and broke away, "Don't lose hope, Zack. She'll come back. There must be a good reason why she disappeared."

I stood up as well and stared up at the moon slowly making its way into the sky, "I hope so. I will keep waiting, even if it takes an eternity."

He smiled sadly and patted me on the back, "I can't believe all my children have grown up. I remember running around the house trying to teach you how to potty train."

I stared at him slightly aghast, "Too much information, Dad."

Just as he was about to retort something, I was mind-linked, 'Alpha, it's been reported that a griffin has been spotted. Should we keep watch?'

You've got to be kidding me.

'Stay on guard, Hunter. I'll be there soon. Reece will assign warriors to each border line. When there's a clear report, you'll send all the warriors of the pack to the border through which the Griffins are trying to enter.'

My father rubbed his face, "When will this end? Why are they so desperate to be immortal?"

"I'm ready to end this today, once and for all," I said, racing toward the fields.

When I got there, the warriors were gathering their weapons and preparing to attack. Reece barked orders, and Chance took a picture of all the warriors on the field.

"Where was the sighting?" I snapped at them both.

Chance gave me a quick look, "Southern border. I guess they decided to change tactics. But they're still on foot. I've no idea why they're not flying in."

I turned to Juilet with a pointed look, and she shrugged, "Don't look at me. I've no idea either. My friend just called me that they're on foot and will be here in about a half hour."

Reece grunted at the word 'friend', and
I rolled my eyes. Obviously, this friend of
Friend of Juilet was a guy.

"Well, let's head to the southern border, shall we?"




***




I leaned against a tree and waited patiently with my warriors. A group had already gone ahead to see where the griffins were.

The griffins were smarter this time and took the path that offered more cover. It would be much harder to track them if they were climbing rocks and going around trees.

'Alpha, they're getting closer. They should be with you in about a minute.'

I looked at my warriors and nodded, whereupon they all stood up and readied their weapons. Chance and Reece stood at the head of the group, arms folded and grim expressions on their faces. Peter leaned against the tree across from me and grinned when he noticed my gaze. I returned his gaze and shook my head - he was far too excited for this.

Suddenly I heard the faint rustling of leaves and the cracking of branches.

'Looks like our visitors are here.'

Peter and I straightened up and walked to the center, where we could see the branches moving as the griffins came closer.

And finally they came into view.

The man in front of the group, who I assumed was Douglas Kane, stopped frozen at the sight of us. He seemed surprised to see us standing where we were casually waiting for him.

I raised an eyebrow, "Don't just stand there.
Only cowards run from their enemies."

Douglas laughed out loud, "Look at that. The alpha has guts. You won't be laughing when we're all immortal and crush you under our feet. We'll make y'all run away with your tails between your legs.

"You're making fun of me. My tail doesn't even fit between my legs," Peter muttered softly to himself. He'd lost part of his tail during a fight when a wolf had cut it off with a silver knife.

I glanced at him and turned my attention back to Douglas, "You don't seem to have come here to attack."

He nodded, "I thought we could come to a... compromise."

I raised an eyebrow, "Uh huh. What kind of compromise?"

"I clearly understand that the Blessed One is your mate. So in exchange for Freya, I'll give you my half-sister once I find her."

Was he talking about Juilet? This man was really stupid.

"Once you find her?" I asked curiously.

Peter coughed into his fist to stifle his laughter.

"Juilet went to pick up her sister. But when she returns, I'm sure she'll be sufficient to meet your needs. You don't need the Blessed One when you can have Juilet. She's a real looker, you know."

I looked behind me at Reece, whose face was slowly turning dark red.

'Calm down, Reece. He doesn't know the truth about her. Just calm down.'

"So, what do you say?" asked Douglas, staring at me expectantly.

"Well, I say you're crazy," Juilet said, stepping out from the group of warriors surrounding her.

Douglas' face was funny. Peter couldn't help laughing and started laughing hysterically while the Griffins stared at Juilet in shock.

"You... you... fucking traitor!" exclaimed Douglas, stepping towards her. I quickly shoved him back, "What kind of compromise do you've to offer me?"

He glared at me, "None. Hand over the
Blessed One out or say goodbye to your pack and family."

"Fine," I said, crossing my arms.

His eyes narrowed and he took a step forward until he was standing directly in front of me. I stared at him blankly, not at all intimidated by his gaze.

"Listen, wolf. You don't want to know what I can do to you and your pack. I'm going to make you beg for mercy," he spat.

I rolled my eyes, "Even if you tortured my pack, you wouldn't find the Blessed One anyway, trust me. She's not here."

Douglas scoffed, "As if I'd fall for that trick. What do you take me for? Stupid?"

"Pretty much," Peter shrugged.

Douglas' face turned murderous, "Surrender the Blessed One. And do it now. Or I'll blow up your pack on the spot."

"I told you she wasn't here," I said impatiently, resisting the urge to wring his neck.

"She's to be here! Where else would she be?" he almost yelled over the growls of my warriors.

"I don't know. Maybe over here?"

My heart almost stopped when I heard that familiar, sweet voice. My knees suddenly felt much weaker than before.

I slowly turned my head to the right and my eyes widened as I took in the sight before me.

That chocolate brown eyes landed on me, sending my heart into a frenzy and Dickson howling with happiness.

A stunning smile formed on her face and tears filled her eyes, "I love you, you son of a bitch."