Marked Against Her Will

Chapter 8 – Irksome

His expression remained cold and unyielding. He was escorted into the conference room. He was the first to arrive and he waited half an hour before two men entered the room.

Clyde’s lip twitched. Jared didn’t even stand to greet them, not even a nod or a hello. Polly’s father pursed his lips in annoyance. He doesn’t like the demeanor of this bastard. He’s clearly a proud one and most likely arrogant.

Clyde cleared his throat before taking a seat, “This is Patrick, Polly’s dad. Patrick, this is Jared, Alpha Wade’s eldest son.”

Jared’s not sure what to say. He squinted before nodding in acknowledgement.

Clyde could only sigh. Man, they’re expecting the guy to immediately apologize for what he did, but here we are . . . the man has no words to say and he doesn’t look sorry at all. A couple more minutes of silence ensued before Patrick huffed in disbelief. He let out a short laugh in a mocking tone. Jared didn’t like the sound of that.

“Come on, Jared. What do you have to say?” Clyde raised an eyebrow, soliciting the start of a conversation.

“I’m here to get your permission to take your daughter, my mate, into Blood Moon’s territory.” There. Short, simple and direct.

He’s hopeless, Clyde thought while exchanging a glance with Patrick. The older man narrowed his eyes on Jared.

“Do you think I would permit such a thing? You sit here, not even apologetic of what you’ve done to my daughter, and you calmly ask for my permission? You should do better than that, boy. You may be an alpha’s son, but I’m the father of the girl you disrespected. You have no honor. How can you take away my daughter’s freedom and innocence in such a way? I can tell you’re an arrogant bastard. Huh! From what I’ve already seen, I won’t be assured if I let my daughter go with you. I won’t permit it.” In his anger, he already stood up to look down on the bastard. The expression on his face was irksome.

Clyde stared at Jared. Did his father forget to coach him or something? He shook his head. No. He’s old enough to know better. Maybe Wade thought he would do the right thing, but no. He sighed before standing between the two men. He noted there was no change in Jared’s expression despite Patrick’s outburst.

“This won’t do.” He turned to Patrick, “I need you to go into my office for a while and calm down. I’ll call you once we’re ready here.”

Somehow, Patrick wasn’t convinced. He wondered how their alpha can talk some sense into this jerk.

Once he left, Clyde faced Jared who actually smirked at the closed door.

“You think that’s funny? You’ve simply worsened your chances. He now has half a mind to reject you.”

“He’s not my mate. He can’t reject me.”

“No, but he is her father. Do you know what would happen if you don’t get on his good side? If you continue to anger him, what do you think he would decide to do?”

There was a moment of silence and Clyde wondered if Jared could speak more than a few annoying sentences.

“I still haven’t forgotten how you tried to mark my mate. You don’t exactly have a good track record here in Snow Mountain. Polly respects her father and she knows he’s only protecting her from harm. If he thinks you won’t be treating his daughter preciously, he won’t allow her to leave with you. What you did was against her wishes. You didn’t ask for her consent. That’s enough reason for everyone in my territory to despise you. And to protect her from further harm, we can impose a ban on your presence. If they request it, you will not be allowed to set foot on Snow Mountain ever again. You won’t be allowed to see her.”

A low growl emanated from Jared as his gaze turned sharp. He’s not liking Clyde’s words at all.

“I don’t know how you deal with your own pack, but things are different here in Snow Mountain. We protect our own. You’re being given a chance here. The least you can do is to act like a proper person and speak amicably. What Patrick wants is your assurance that Polly will be treated properly. So, tell him. Talk to him in the same way you would talk to your mate. How would you speak with Polly? You can’t be grumpy. You can’t raise your voice. You should show your gentle side, though I doubt you have one.”

Jared rolled his eyes at him. “If I do have one, I will only show that to my mate.”

“Except we won’t allow you to be with your mate unless you can show us how you would treat her. So, show us. If Patrick is satisfied, you will be allowed to see Polly. But not alone. Patrick and I would be there to mediate and supervise. You should be able to control yourself around her. You can’t touch here in an inappropriate manner.”

Jared grunted, still annoyed, “And after that? When will we be leaving for Blood Moon?”

“After that? You can spend some time with Polly as she does her usual activities within the pack. There will be people around who can monitor your actions. One wrong move and you’ll be kicked out of here.”

Jared chuckled, “Does you pack usually meddle with the private affairs of your members?”

“Of course not. You’re a special case. If you haven’t done what you did, we wouldn’t give you much attention.” His tone was stern. He’s angry, too. He’s merely trying to remain calm so his thoughts would be rational.

“Can you talk like a normal person? Should I call Patrick back here?”

Jared sighed, “Fine. I can talk.”

“I don’t believe you. What are you going to tell Patrick?”

“I will tell him that I will treat her daughter right. She is my mate. I’ll treasure her.”

“What’s your definition of treating her right? How do you plan to treasure her?”

Jared glared at him. Why does he ask so many questions?

“If I don’t intervene, your chance will soon be nil. I can tell you’re used to ordering your men around. You can’t do that to your mate. Sure, you’re probably not used to it, but you might as well start imagining it. When you’re home with her, how are you going to treat her? Will you demand to be served with meals? Your bath to be prepared? For her to keep the house clean? That’s quite traditional, but here in Snow Mountain, we’ve given the women more choices and options. Will you let her continue with her training? What other things is she allowed to do? How are you going to care for her? When it’s just the two of you? Would you help her with the house chores? Would you take her out for some relaxation? Would you bring her gifts? Would you cook her favorite meals? You should be more specific with your statements. That’s how we know you actually considered them. Do you need time to think them through?”