Chapter 13: Secrets

Rhys’s P.O.V:
I stood behind and watched as two female soldiers pushed Zyane into the same dungeon cell we were first put into and shut the gate in his face but not before strapping on the silver handcuffs.
He was still growling and struggling against them, but the soldiers seemed to be unaffected by it. They simply dragged and shoved him into the cell like he was a ragdoll and not 200 pounds of muscle, clawing and scratching at anything he could get his hands on. After they had secured the lock and left, I came forward and stood in front of his cell.
"Are you really that desperate, Zyane?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest. “Do you have any idea what you were about to do? That girl, your mate, is a child! She’s not even eighteen yet and you’re thirty two. Not only is she underaged and un-transformed, her wolf doesn’t recognize you at her mate! What you were trying to do was nothing short of rape.”
Zyane’s growl filled the entire dungeon but I remained unflinching. His wolf had taken over and Zyane had given into it quiet easily. We all caved in to the call of the wolf sometimes, when it got too violent and started clawing inside our minds. But giving in to the wolf was a weakness. It made us no better than a rogue who let its wolf control even the human side of its nature. If only I’d know Zyane was this close to losing it, I would’ve kept a better watch on him.
"I should’ve been more cautious of you. You’re my second, my beta and I wasn’t able to guess at your violent outbursts. It’s my fault, a huge mistake on my part as an Alpha." I sighed, shaking my head. "You deserve to be here and I am going to let Mikalya decide your punishment. Maybe staying here in the cold without any food and water will help you regain some of your senses."
Zyane growled a wolf’s growl and tried to break free from his shackles once again, but these silver cuffs seem to have been made for the sole purpose of holding down violent wolves. Good. I was glad for it.
I left Zyane to struggle out of his madness and went straight to my room. I couldn’t go to see Mikalya or Aya, no matter how much I wanted to. Aya was her pack member and it was Mikalya’s duty to soothe her. Poor girl must be traumatized.
I had never in a million years expected such a loss of control from Zyane. I knew he’d been searching for his mate for some time now but so have I. As the Alpha, I was much closer to my wolf than Zyane could ever have been and yet he was the one losing control. It really was my failure as an Alpha for not having detected his temperaments earlier. He’d been acting violently ever since he got here. And today’s events just showed how bad things had gotten out of hand.
Zyane needed the seclusion. He deserved it. He was already on the way to turning rogue and if I didn’t stop him now, it might be too late. I’ll visit him soon, but for now, I needed some space for myself. Everything was making me weary and I didn’t want anyone to be on the receiving end of my temper. So I went to my room, locked the door and got some much needed shut eye.

****

Mikalya’s P.O.V:
I watched over Aya as she slept in her bed, my thoughts clouded.
I had nearly failed to protect Aya, the same person I’d promised to protect forever from any hardships that the world might throw at her. Aya was all I had left, the only bond that remained of him. And yet…
I shook my head to clear it from the image of Aya being forced to submit by Zyane. Rhys had acted just in time. If he hadn’t, I would’ve torn him to shreds and that could be seen as a possibly violent move against an Alpha. I hated shifter politics with a vengeance. It was the same politics that had resulted in a war eighteen years ago and it just might result in one now.
"Maa!” Aya’s startled cry snapped my entire attention to her.
“It’s alright baby girl, I’m here.” I took her hands in mine and gave them a light squeeze. “Go back to sleep, you’re safe now.”
"Will you come lay with me?" She whispered hoarsely, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
"Of course, baby girl." I agreed at once, rising from her chair and stretching out on the bed beside Aya. She instantly turned to me and cuddled close to my chest, using my hand as her pillow. She then wrapped her arms around me tightly and I returned the embrace, holding her close to my chest.
"Were you thinking about him?" Aya asked quietly.
"Yes," I sighed, knowing who Aya was talking about. "It's hard not to. You look so much like him..."
"Does that upset you? That I look like dad?" Aya asked me, a slight tremor to her voice.
I tightened my grip on her. "No,” I kissed the top of her head. "It makes me happy that I will always remember him through you."
"Will you tell him about it?" Aya asked quietly. It didn't take a genius to figure out who the ‘him’ was that Aya was referring to.
"No. We're potential mates and I don't-"
"What’s a mate?" Aya asked cutting me off. “Zyane kept calling me his mate and telling me to submit to him. Everyone in the pack talks about mates but none of you ever tell me what it is. Please tell me, I want to know.”
I sighed once again. Aya needed to know the truth. “Shifters, be it any kind, have something called a Potential mate. They are like our other halves, our partners. Each shifter has one, sometimes even more than one.”
“There are more?”
“Yes,” I told her. “Not every potential mate lives for the entire duration of a shifters lifespan. Some of us are paired with humans or sometimes accidents occur. Which is why Earth Mother has given us several partners to choose from. Mates are specially made for us, but both the people in the pair have to accept each other as mates to become true mates.” I tried to make Aya understand my point. “Also, shifters can have children only with their mates and no one else.”
“Eww!” Aya groaned. “I’m too young to be thinking about children.”
“That you are.” I agreed. “Don’t ever change the way you are, Aya. You’re no less than anyone and you deserve only the best. You’re a strong girl and you’ll only get stronger. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” I added.
The men in Rhys’s pack were all full of themselves and I didn’t want Aya to become a part of that pack. She was still growing in strength and she will grow even stronger. I had faith that someday, she could step into my shoes and become the next Alpha. I didn’t want her to think that having a mate and doing everything he demanded of her was all there was to do in her life. Aya was meant for bigger things, greater things. And someday I would like to see her become her own person.
As I told Aya about potential mates, my heart began it ache. I couldn't deny that my wolf was lonely, has been lonely for the past eighteen years. It longed for the comfort that only a mate could provide. I wanted to trust Rhys, but I would also need to make him realize that I wasn't going to be some trophy wife who stayed at home all day and whose only work were to cook and pop out puppies. I’m an Alpha too and the sooner he realized that, the better.
But I also had a past that Rhys was unaware of, a past that I couldn’t keep hidden forever. I had never shied away from who I was but not everyone was going to be understanding. Alphas usually like to beat their chest in macho pride and announce to the world that they had taken a virgin, but I was far from everyone’s expectations. If only, everyone was like my-
"Will you and Rhys become a couple?" Aya asked out of the blue, her voice drowsy with sleep.
"What made you think that?”I asked surprised.
“You said that he’s your potential mate,” Aya yawned before continuing. “Aren’t mates made for each other?”
“Not always.” I told her truthfully so that she doesn’t feel any obligations towards anyone. “We choose which mate we want to stay with and for me, nothing matters more in this world than you. I’ll always be here for you, baby girl. I promise you that.”
"Thank....you....m...." I smiled as I saw that Aya had fallen asleep already.
Placing my head on top of Aya's and wrapping my arms and the blanket tightly around us both, I let myself fall into a dreamless slumber. But not before whispering to Aya:
"Goodnight....meri pyaari beti".