Mated to One, Wanted by Two

CHAPTER 5

The man turned to face me, his eyes wide with surprise reflecting my own. As adrenaline surged through my veins, I dropped into a defensive stance, a low, warning growl rumbling deep in my throat.

Instantly, he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, palms facing me as if to show he meant no harm.

“Whoa. I’m not here to hurt you, I swear,” he implored, sincerity etched across his face.

“Who the hell are you?”

“My name is Elijah. I know your mother.”

“That doesn’t give you the right to just waltz into our house.”

“You’re right. It doesn’t,” he replied, an edge of nervousness in his voice. “I thought your mother was here. I swear.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “How do you know her?” I asked, trying to keep my tone steady despite my growing unease.

“I think it’s best if she explains,” he insisted, glancing away.

A bitter smile crept onto my lips. “My mother has been pretty shitty at explaining things to me lately. So why don’t you give it a go?”

He swallowed hard, the sound echoing in the tense silence, and placed his half-empty beer bottle on the counter, his fingers lingering on the glass as he struggled to meet my gaze. I stood rigid, my body instinctively tensed in a protective stance, acutely aware of the stranger who had just barged into my home and helped himself to whatever he pleased from the fridge.

“Well, I really think your mother should be the one to tell you this,” he said, each word deliberate, as if he were stepping carefully on fragile ground. “But I’m your mother’s mate.”

“What?” I yelled, my voice slicing through the charged atmosphere like a knife.

“I am really sorry,” he replied, his eyes downcast. Feeling a surge of urgency, I pulled my phone from my pocket and quickly dialed my mother’s number.

“Ivy. Can I call you back? I’m with the Alpha right now,” she answered, her tone clipped and professional.

“There’s a strange man standing in our kitchen.”

“What?” .

“Yeah. I believe you already know him. Elijah,” I said, letting the name hang heavy in the air.

“I’ll be home as soon as possible,” she promised, her tone shifting to urgency.

I took a deep breath, attempting to shake off the tension that had built up inside me. With a newfound sense of calm, I stepped into the room, feeling the cool air against my skin. My stomach growled, reminding me of my hunger, so I made my way to the fridge and crafted a simple sandwich, the bread soft and fresh beneath my fingertips.

Once seated at the table, I warily eyed Elijah, who was still standing near the counter, his presence both imposing and intriguing. I took a measured bite of my sandwich, trying to gauge his reaction. After a moment, I decided to indulge in a cold beer from the fridge, the crisp can refreshing against my palm as I plopped back down at the table.

“Are you allowed to drink?” Elijah inquired, his voice steady but edged with concern.

“Are you my f*****g father?” I shot back, my tone sharper than I intended. The challenge hung in the air, and he fell silent, a hint of surprise flickering across his features. He shifted uncomfortably, glancing between the counter and me as if caught in a no-man's land.

Just then, the front door burst open, and my mom hurried back inside, her hair slightly tousled as she surveyed the scene. She paused in the doorway, her eyes darting between Elijah and me, a flicker of unease crossing her face.

“I guess you’ve left out a lot more than you were letting on,” I remarked.

“This is Elijah,” Mom said, her voice steadying. “He’s the head warrior here. He’s also my mate.”

My heart raced at the revelation, the weight of her words settling like a stone in my gut. “And how long have you known that your mate has been in this pack?”

“I had been working here for about four months before we actually met,” she replied, her gaze shifting to Elijah, a softness in her eyes.

“So, you’ve known him for about three years. I mean, that’s how long you’ve been coming here for, isn’t it?” I probed further, the pieces of the puzzle slowly fitting together in my mind, but still feeling so far from understanding the full picture. "Who the hell are you? We don’t keep secrets, yet here you are, wrapped in this veil of mystery, living a whole other life that I had no idea existed.” My words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of betrayal.

“I’m truly sorry, Ivy,” she said, her voice trembling with remorse. “There have been so many moments when I wanted to share this with you, but I’ve always hesitated. I know how deeply you feel about packs.”

“Does he live here?”

“Yeah. He moved in the moment the house was completed. It’s been about a month now,” she replied, her eyes cast downward, avoiding my gaze.

I gazed at my mother for a few heavy moments, her words swirling in my mind like leaves caught in a windstorm. Finally, I rose from my seat, the cold condensation from my beer bottle leaving a damp mark on my palm. I made my way out of the room, heavy steps leading me upstairs to the sanctuary of my room.

Once inside, I sank into the built-in chair by the window, its wooden frame cool against my skin. The darkness outside enveloped the landscape, with only the silvery moonlight casting an ethereal glow over the dense forest. I felt my thoughts swirl, an unrelenting tide of confusion and fury that I struggled to push away. The anger churned within me, refusing to fade, a relentless storm that mirrored the tempest outside. Not yet, anyway.

As I sat motionless by the window, I could hear the soft murmur of my mom and Elijah’s voices trailing up from downstairs. Their footsteps echoed gently on the wooden stairs, and soon they disappeared into my mother’s room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Outside, the world slowly transformed as the sun began its ascent over the forest, casting a warm glow that painted the sky in breathtaking hues of orange, pink, and gold. The beauty of it was mesmerizing, and for a moment, I felt a flicker of hope watching the colors dance across the horizon.

Yet, beneath that fleeting beauty, a sense of dread twisted in my stomach. I couldn't shake the gnawing anxiety about the life I was being thrust into here. What would this new pack be like? How different would it be from the one I had known before? The uncertainty coiled around my heart, squeezing tighter with each thought.