KENDRICK
The silence at the graveyard was almost crippling, and so were the memories, the haunting shadows that would never let me rest. I opened my eyes again, and looked at the grave of my parents. Then I zoned out, and remembered the fallen Pack, the people I'd failed. They were slaughtered without mercy- Men, women and children alike.
I needed the answers, but they never came. Someone had betrayed us by leading those monsters and beats to my door. But when I carried Bridgette back into the Pack night after beating those rogues who'd tried to assault her to a pulp, something changed. She was my mate and for some strange reason, I'd bonded with her child right after I'd saved her. Strange was too weak a word to describe how it felt. But not just that, she was like a puzzle piece I didn't know I was missing, like the answer I'd been looking for. Yet every time I tried to fit her into my plans, she slipped through my fingers.
She was close to me, yes, but I didn't do it out of kindness but because there was a mystery about her, and I wanted the truth. I whipped my head around when I heard movement behind me. It was Ace.
"Alpha..." he started but as soon as he realised I was paying respect to the dead, he turned. "We'll talk once you're done. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I just finished."
He turned and nodded, then his face which was smitten with penitence turned serious. "I came to talk about her, Bridgette. You're letting her stay here- why is that? She is a lot of trouble."
My eyes narrowed. "I don't think I need to explain myself to you."
The last thing I expected him to do was back off. I was right. He was a leech when matters like this came up.
"I am your Beta, Kendrick. I know you. I know you're not thinking clearly and that has me wondering if you're under some kind of spell. She's playing you and you're clearly letting your guard down." I smirked before walking past him towards the exit of the cemetery. "You think I'd let her stay if I didn't have a reason. I thought you said you know me. Clearly, you don't."
"And what's your reason?"
"It's complicated. And I don't intend on sharing it with anyone until I find what it is. Trust me, this isn't random. I think I'm close to discovering something groundbreaking."
He gave me a nod. "Does it have to do with the Genocide?"
My heart twisted painfully when he said that. For a split second, I remembered the way they had us surrounded, how they killed everyone, and raped the women, how… The blood beat in my brain at my gory thoughts.
"I don't know yet, so I can't tell you."
The next morning, I spotted Bridgette at the garden and asked if she could take a walk with me. "I thought you might join me for a walk."
She hesitated and replied bluntly. "I have a son to care for."
I forced a smile, but refused to let her dismiss me so easily. "Bring him along if you wish."
She subtly rolled her eyes, but that was the least of my concerns right now. "Fine."
She groaned. The truth was that I didn't know what to talk about, my mind was blank and I just wanted her close to me, thanks to my nagging wolf that wouldn't let me rest because of her. She kept her distance during the walk, and even when I tried to close the gap, she took a step away. I was forced to stop before things got awkward.
"You're quiet, you seem to have a lot on your mind." I asked.
She had a guarded look on her face. "Just focusing on my son, Kendrick. That's all."
I chuckled softly and stopped. "I don't believe that. There's more to you than just being a mother."
I didn't expect her to stiffen immediately. "If you’re trying to charm me, it won't work. I'm not here for your games, I just wanted to take care of my son."
"And who said it was a game?" I scoffed, before taking a step towards her. All she did was look away, clutching her son even closer. I did my best to keep her close over the next few days while still testing her boundaries, and peeling the boundaries she'd wrapped around herself.
She resisted, but it wasn't long before the mate bond began to do its work. One night, I found it so hard to keep resisting the way my wolf kept making it clear that he wanted her. I left my Chambers for hers, dismissing the guards for the night. When I walked into her room that night and closed the door, she was wide awake.
And at that moment, the push and pull- everything came to a head. I was a mess of desire and frustration and so was she. I ended up in her bed that night but by the next morning, it didn't even seem like anything had changed. She acted as if nothing had happened.
"Good morning," I said, kissing her before getting out of the bed.
She didn't even spare me a glance. "Alpha." My jaw clenched. Was this how she wanted to play it?
"Doesn't it mean anything to you? Are you just going to sound this cold after last night?" All I saw when she looked up at me was that same infuriating calmness. I hated it.
"You started it. What happened doesn't change anything, right?"
I scoffed and paused. "I see. So you're going to pretend it never happened."
She looked up at me briefly, but then looked away almost immediately. "It meant nothing to me, Kendrick."
My wolf exploded in anger, and so did I. I hadn't expected her words to hit that hard. And a flash of anger immediately sparked inside me.
"Really? Is this what you really want?"
She didn't say anything.
"If that's how you want it then I have other ways of making sure you understand your place."
Leaving her room, I called in my Beta and had her assigned to work with the disabled. That was going to teach her some humility and considering that it was frustrating as well, I knew it wouldn't be long before she learnt her lesson.
Since she wanted to act like I was nothing, I would make sure she saw what it was like to be nothing in my world.