36. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

**XANDER**

I briefly returned to my room when Maeve seemed deep in her sleep. Or so I thought. Before I could grab my phone from the nightstand, she tugged my hand. Her heavy eyelids lifted to gaze at me with dreamy eyes.
"Who was it?"
"Blaize." I said. "He…um…came to inform me about some stuff."
Her fuller lips protruded like a child's pout. "Then why do you look so worried?"
It was hard to concentrate on anything other than her intoxicated eyes and flushed skin. The sun was already up, and the light was forcing its way into the room that illuminated her skin.
Lazily, I slid off the covers and got into the bed beside her. I tucked her to my side, bundling her closer to my beating her, and kissed the forehead. Slowly and fondly. "I am worried I won't be able to spend time with you in the evening. Something came up that needs my attention."
"Hmm." Maeve nodded thoughtfully and suddenly looked at me with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "You can always make up for it in the night, Alpha Xander." Her tone was salacious.
Little mix.
Reaching out, I tweaked her nipples. "I don't know if you wish to be spanked again or fucked."
"What if I want both?" She winked and laughed in my arms.
Fates, she was beautiful beyond measure.
And she was mine now.
Seeing her smile satisfied everything inside of me. Every day's wait for her to come into my life was worth it. Every full moon, I waited and wondered how it would feel to have a mating urge, to find that one female I'd share my years with. And the Goddess chose the most unconventional, yet priceless, one for me.
I was grateful and ecstatic.
Is that the reason Sedona came back, that she could not bear the pain of staying away from her mate?
*Oh, Fates. Please give me the strength to deal with this tonight*.

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Finally, Maeve and I managed to abandon the bed and put on clothes after catching an hour of sleep. When she had asked me about the evening, I carefully steered away from the conversation before letting her know that I would not be available around.
There were still some aspects of our lifestyle unknown to her, and exposing the naked truths would be hurtful. Our laws were not at par with the humans, edging on the harsh reality of our tribe and existence. But it was still too early for Maeve to accept the practice.
Stalking out of the packhouse, I made my way into the woods where the house was located. We often used this place for the pack's meetings or strategic decisions as my father preferred to keep the politics separate.
"Sedona."
She was already there, along with Dylan, to her left and a few other members of the pack.
My eyes scanned her face and immediately drew a comparison from a year ago when she up and left.
"Alpha Xander." She acknowledged softly with a hint of surprise in her voice. "I have come back to rejoin the pack. So, I beg of your forgiveness and mercy."
My expressions remained blank. "Have you met Dylan?"
Her eyes locked with her mate as a silent regret passed between both. "I did, Alpha," she whispered.
If it would have been a few months ago, I would have understood what they felt for each other in the most profound sense, but now I did. I could easily read the pain in Dylan's eyes even though his face was as hard as a rock. He has lived long without her, and if I denied Sedona, it would be a painful blow to Dylan as well.
I slowly shook my head and sighed. "Sedona, I hope you are aware of the consequences. You abandoned your mate without a rejection, you deserted your pack and now after all this while, you want to come back to us."
Sedona's gaze was sad. "I made a mistake," she confessed without reservations. "But, I realise that now. Please, I want to come back to my mate."
I turned my eyes on Dylan with a pointed look. "Are you ready to accept her as your mate?"
I wanted to make sure Sedona understood that her place in the pack depends upon him. The only way she would come back would be as Dylan's mate. Therefore, his acceptance or rejection was crucial.
And Dylan only confirmed her biggest relief. "I do, Alpha."
I nodded. "In that case, I won't stand in your way. But Sedona will have to take her punishment as the Old Laws states. And it will be tonight."
An inaudible gasp passed her lips as her fingers tightened around Dylan. "Tonight?"
"Yes," I confirmed. "Sooner we get this over with, the better for you.And Dylan" Turning to Blaize, I quickly issued the commands. "Inform Grecia that it is her responsibility now to make sure that you have the rogue prepared for penance. It must be done by the dusk."
"Yes, Alpha," Blaize corroborated.
Behind my brother was the six-feet, dusty blonde enforcer of the Night Pride. "Garett, you will make sure the pups and females stay indoors. I do not want an unnecessary audience." This would ensure that Maeve was far from sight.
"It will be done, Alpha."
And that was the end of the matter for then. They began to disperse as I looked at Dylan. "I want to have a word with you. In private."
A slight hesitation flitted before he kissed Sedona lightly on the cheek and mouthed. "Go ahead."
Only when we were entirely alone in the woods, I asked him point-blank. "Did you know she was going to come back? And before you answer, I should remind you that you will not lie to me."
He was only a couple of years older than me as we ran across the thick forests and cliffs under the silver moonlight. One day, he braved into the territory of another pack, and that was when he came across Sedona. It took him less than a minute to realize that red-headed, blazing beauty was his mate and even lesser to kiss her.
The rest of their story was equally beautiful and tragic.
Dylan regarded me carefully before a wry smile tilted up the corner of his mouth. "Are you asking as an old friend or as my Alpha?"
"I am asking as both," I said. "The penance of a rogue wolf back into the pack is not an easy path. And yet you did not flinch for once. Would you care to elaborate?"
The mask slowly fell off his face as he grimaced. "The wolves…the rouges would kill her. You know how the outlaws are. She got herself mixed in some very bad situations."
"You have been tracking Sedona…" I trailed off.
"She is my mate, Xander." Frustration and anger lanced through him like a spear. Dylan was split between his loyalty for the pack and his devotion to his mate. "Yes, she made a mistake and she has paid a price already. We could not stay away from each other anymore. The mating pull…the fever…it was killing me. I was burning for her, Xander."
"I understand," I sighed, patting his back. "But as your friend, it is my duty to let you know that the path you both have chosen is a tough one. As an Alpha, I will pass the sentence, but it is you who have to execute it. Are you ready?"
No, he wasn't. And yet he replied in a croaked voice, "I am."
It was clear that he was stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea.

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