Marked Against Her Will

Chapter 6 – Reluctance

“I would say that’s a good idea. You’ll be assured that he won’t be able to do anything inappropriate against you.” Sab spoke when the others didn’t.

Clyde stared at the older man, who seemed to be contemplating for quite a while now.

“Let Jared stay here for a while. It’s the least he can do. If they decide to move forward with their relationship, Polly is going to move into your pack. A short period of staying here is nothing compared to spending the rest of her life there, a place completely unknown to her.” He voiced out his suggestion, backing her thought.

Polly sighed in relief; thankful they understood what she wanted to happen.

Alpha Wade grimaced before quickly changing his expression. He looked very serious. “Consider it done. I’ll have him stay here for a while.”

He’s beginning to lose hope that Jared would still change for the better. With him temporarily gone from Blood Moon, he can reorganize his pack and give more responsibilities to James. See if the people would prefer his leadership.

“How long?” Sab asked for specifics, turning to Polly.

See, she’s not very greedy. “Can we remain here for at least a month?”

As the next alpha, she understands he may have a lot of responsibilities he would be unwilling to neglect.

“Alright.” Wade could use a month for the betterment of his own pack. Jared hasn’t improved in the last few years and he really became worse in the last year. Adding in a mate, he can’t be sure if it would have a good effect on his son. He can only hope but he won’t be relying much on it.

Polly took a deep breath, not expecting he would be agreeable. But then again, Jared may not. She could only imagine his scary expression as he refuses her request. She glanced at her parents and she saw her mother nod.

“This Jared, I would like to speak with him before he meets my daughter. He won’t be staying at our house so he better find a place of his own.” Her father’s statements made her feel protected and it made her less afraid.

“I understand. I’ll discuss the arrangement with your alpha.”

Clyde thought they could easily discuss it now. “We do have vacant houses within the territory, for anyone who eventually wants to have their own place. The cost needs to be paid, though, so we can build another.”

“We’ll take one for Jared, then. I can’t be sure when he’ll be . . . right now, he’s still acting . . . a bit possessive because of the bond. When he’s better, I’ll send him straight to you.” He nodded towards Polly’s father, who returned it with a grunt.

Well, that’s all settled then. She’s feeling sleepy again so she leaned back on the bed as her eyes slowly closed. She may have unwittingly slept while they’re still present. She couldn’t remember anything beyond that.

They were understanding, though. When Sab noticed her, they all decided to convene again after the conference, allowing Polly to get a much-needed rest.

The next day, Wade was glad to see Jared’s countenance has gotten better.

“Are you in control now? Or is the bond still controlling you?”

Jared merely glared at him. He’s still tied up.

“The woman is willing to give you a chance, but she has conditions. Given how you acted, I agreed to everything she requested. Are you listening? Or should I come back later?” He directly informed him of the important details.

Wade watched as his son clearly relaxed.

“She’s willing?” That became Jared’s focus. In a way, he thought it would be difficult for the woman to do so. He’s not entirely unaware of the possible consequences of his actions. He knew them, but he’s more concerned about ensuring the woman would be his and that she won’t be with another, so he did what he did. He doesn’t regret that.

“She has conditions.” Wade firmly repeated, letting him know the seriousness of it.

Jared snorted before rolling his eyes, “What conditions?”

His father squinted at him. “If only you acted properly, the progression of your relationship might have been better. But alas, you can only make amends. Tell me, how do you plan to treat the girl? You can’t just ignore her and use her for whatever purpose you have in mind. She’s your mate, not your slave. She’s certainly not one of your men.”

He smirked at recalling her expression that day, “What progression? She was going to reject me. If I allowed her do that, I wouldn’t have a mate. You do know how rare third chances are, no?”

Wade couldn’t help sighing, “You’re not one bit remorseful, are you? Are you not feeling apologetic towards the girl?”

“Why would I? I only did what I should have done. She’s mine.”

They stared at one another and Wade’s heart sank. He seemed like a lost cause now. He couldn’t even acknowledge that what he did was wrong.

“Her father wanted to speak with you before you will be allowed to meet her. Her father. Do you understand?” He wanted to emphasize it, unsure if his son knows how to respect older men when he doesn’t even respect the elders from their territory.

Jade grunted again, without airing a complaint. Here comes the part he may be disagreeable with.

“She wanted to stay here for a month before moving to Blood Moon.”

His son’s expression darkened and before he can say anything, he quickly added, “And they want you to accompany her. You have to build a relationship together and her parents wanted to make sure you will be treating her right. For a month, they will be observing you. Take this time to get to know each other. Make her like you. Make her trust you. Make her understand what kind of person you are. As for you, you have to learn how to treasure a woman. You have to care for her. It’s not as if you don’t know what women want in a relationship. You can’t keep glaring like that. You can’t yell all the time. You can’t order her around. Because of what you did, it’s most likely that she dislikes you, if she doesn’t hate you yet. And you certainly lost her trust. You have to earn her trust if you want a loyal mate. I’m sure she’s feeling resentful, since you took away her choice. You have to make it up to her. You have a month, Jared.”

Even before he finished, his son is already shaking his head. “You know I can’t do that. I’m needed at the pack.”

It was Wade’s turn to shake his head. “You need to take a break. Cool off your head. Your temper has gotten worse. Being away from the pack for a month would do you some good. You might learn to be more understanding of others, to be patient. Do you want your mate or not? You have a month to charm her. You should be grateful she doesn’t despise you yet.”

Jared’s smirk infuriated his father. He realized his son probably anticipated what the girl’s reaction would be. Being given a chance would have a higher probability and that’s the situation now.

“I don’t need a break. There’s a lot going on at the pack. I need to be there to oversee things.”

“No, you don’t need to. I’m still the alpha. I’m ordering you to stay here and spend time with your mate and her family. Maybe your temper will become better. You have to be considerate with your words and actions. This is Snow Mountain, not Blood Moon.” This time, Wade used an authoritative voice and his sharp gaze showed the matter is not open for negotiation.

Jared tightened his jaw in irritation, glaring at his father.