Forced smile

Shawn stared at me for a moment, then a grin spread across his face. “Oh.. you sneaky little minx,” he whispered, knowing just as well as I did that married couples could not be exiled within the first two months of their mating. It was a law in our park that newlyweds had to be allowed to stay within the protection of the pack territory while acclimating to married life. He took my hand, and more loudly, Shawn said, “I accept.”

Without knowing it. I gave him a wide, genuine smile.

Except, then I realized, when he said it, he was looking behind me,

I turned around and saw Hale standing at my back. I jumped.

“Let Go. Of. My. Mate.” Hale’s growl shook the entire training field.

Shawn didn’t let go of me, which shocked me down to my toes. More shocking was his cheeky response. “You rejected her.

She’s mine now.”

“Miline…” rumbled out of Hale’s chest. He gripped my wrist and snatched my hand away from Shawn. The mate bond tingled up my arm and made my heart pound.

“Not after the ceremony,” Shawn snarked.

Hale’s growl became a roar.

Shawn puffed up.

I questioned his sanity.

Quickly, I jumped between the two of them and put a hand on each chest. “Alpha, Shawn, please don’t fight. Especially not

over me.”

H

“Why not over you?” Shawn asked archly.

Now, I was truly convinced my friend had lost his mind. “Because I’m a traitor’s child.”

“So am I. Seems we’re well–suited,” Shawn grinned, “Unlike well. SOME people.”

“Shawn!” I mouthed, incredulous.

“You’re heading the right way for a death sentence, Norman,” Hale snarled.

“You gonna

do that yourself or sit back and have someone else carry that out like the cow-

I slapped my hands over Shawn’s mouth, giving Hale the space he needed to crowd right in. I was squeezed between them as the men stood nose–to–nose.

“You go too far, Norman,” Hale said. “Our previous relationship does not give you the right to speak to me this way. Especially not after what your parents did.”

“You’re not as intimidating as you think,” Shawn stated, once he’d wrenched my hands away. What are you going to do? Send me out on a spearhead team? That’s the way I was going to go anyway.”

Hale grabbed my hands from Shawn. “Don’t you touch her.”

“You gonna stop me?” Shawn breathed.

“GUYS!” I hissed, noting we were drawing a crowd. “Please, stop!”

“Guys?” Hale repeated, frowning at me.

“Er… Alpha. Sorry, I gulped.

Hale shook his head. “There is an epidemic of being suicidal going on around here.”

“Can you blame us?” Shawn asked. “Big Alpha you are, making kids suffer for the sins of their fath-”

“Please, ignore him,” I said quickly, tugging Hale away from Shawn. “He’s not in his right mind”

Although I agreed with Shawn, I didn’t want to cause more commotion than we already had, so the safest thing to do was separate the two. I used to drag Hale away like this when we were children whenever he was in a situation that made him angry or annoyed.

I guess old habits die hard.

“Clearly.” Hale glared balefully at Shawn from across the training center. “He’s insulted my honor.”

“He… I cast about for some sort of explanation.

“I’ll spare him, on one condition,” Hale said.

“Sure, okay, whatever you want,” I replied, thinking worriedly about my friend.

“ANYTHING I want,” Hale repeated

I nodded vigorously, watching as Shawn began stalking our way.

“Say it,” Hale said.

“I promise. Anything you want.” I felt sweat creeping over my b*dy as Shawn reached my side.

“What’s the matter? Can’t-“Shawn began.

Hale looked at Shawn like he wanted to punch him, and if I hadn’t been standing between them, I think he would have… Wheeling around. I shouted “Shawn, you big dumb idiot!” His eyes widened as he took me in. “Let me handle this, please? Stay back!” I’d asked him for help, but instead, he was just making everything worse…

Hale dragged me up by my arm and marched me away while a guffawing crowd of traitors‘ children surrounded Shawn, probably to congratulate him for standing up to the Alpha, which wasn’t something I wanted to be associated with.

“I didn’t mean for that to happen,” I said by way of an apology

Hale looked at me tersely over his shoulder but kept walking.

“I

*I suppose I should be glad you didn’t kill him.” I started to jog to keep pace with Hale.

“You should be,” Hale agreed. “Just because he beat me that one time in a foot race, he thinks he’s better than me.” He shook his head. “We were mere children then! I could beat him in a race now, that’s for damn sure!”

I almost laughed. There was just something about the way two men would always find a way to puff their chests out at one another that was so absurd. The foot race he was talking about had happened so long ago, I hardly remembered it

We were children back then–and all three of us were friends. So much had changed. I had thought asking Shawn to marry me would help the situation, but clearly it had only made things worse.

As I continued to follow Hale, I muttered under my breath, not sure whether or not to ask him the question.

But then, I found it sl*pping through my l*ps, desperation in my voice as I needed answers.

“What is it you wanted, Alpha?” I asked as we arrived back at the mansion proper.

-Hale stopped, and I would have crashed into him if he hadn’t caught me.

“Oh, Kora…” he whispered, and suddenly his arms around me were the only things keeping me upright. “So many… many things.

We stood that way for what seemed like ages. I had no idea what he was getting at, but the way he was looking at me made it difficult to meet his eyes. I swallowed hard, ‘not sure what he was about to say.

He ran a hand through his head and then, the space between is seemed to close as I could feel his warm breath fanning my face. My bottom l*p quivered. His eyes were so deep, I felt like I was being sucked into him.

Was this just the mate bond messing with me, or was it something else?

“Wh–what do you want?” I asked as the grip he had around my wrist tightened slightly. He was pulling me even closer.

Then, he shifted slightly, and the energy between us dissipated just enough so that I could fill my lungs entirely with air.

“I want.. a smile.”

My eyebrows arched as1 considered what he’d said. “A smile?” I asked.

He nodded, only once, and I thought it was the strangest request anyone had ever made of me

But I complied. Bowing my head in respect, I pulled my l*ps up into a forced smile, hoping it would suffice.

Hale let out a deep breath and muttered something under his breath as he released me and walked away.

Confused, I turned and looked after him. Did this mean he would leave Shawn alone? I’d done what he asked, after all. Even if it was a forced smile.

Even if I hadn’t meant it….

What was there to be happy about anyway?