Chapter Nine

Alpha River's P.O.V

(The morning that Chaos found out the truth)

I walked into our bedroom only to find my mate's clothes scattered around the room. With a chuckle, I bent down and picked them up.

I deposited them into the laundry basket and that was when I heard the shower going on in the bathroom.

Grabbing my clothes, boxers and shoes I walked out of the room and into the one adjacent to ours to take a quick shower.

I was done showering and dressed in a couple of minutes. I walked out to go talk to my mate only to be met with a smiling Tricia.

She's the only woman I have bedded and still wanted around. I care deeply for her and I know I was developing feelings for her.2

I had given myself a year that if I still didn't find my mate, I would choose her.

But then luck was not on our side because I went for an alliance meeting only to return with a mate I never dreamt of.

I felt the power of the mate bond as soon as we made human contact but I guess I would have to find a solution to this problem.

Flashing Tricia a smile in return, I pulled her into my arms and after dropping a quick kiss on her forehead, I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the pack's dining hall.5

I took a seat at the head and allowed her to settle on my lap.

"We need to talk" I said softly

"I know. I heard you found your mate" she replied sadly

"Yes Trish I did. She's the daughter of Alpha Chaos of the Midnight Chaos Pack"

"Oh I heard she was a spoilt brat."

"But they are all false honey... she's the exact opposite and just like her mother. Cold, unforgiving and fierce"

"Oh really?"

"Yes and I would recommend you stay out of her way. We may mean so much to each other but don't forget she's my mate and she will be Luna..."

"I know... I Know I don't want her position. I just want you"

"And you have me Tricia"18

Tricia smiled brightly before making herself on my lap. I knew she had the intention of not getting up anytime soon.

"You know you would have to get up before my mate returns right?" I asked Tricia seriously

"But we use to do this all the time and you didn't complain honey?" she said with a frown on her face

"Yeah I know and I still don't have a problem with it but my mate is here and I don't want her to see this?"

"Fine I understand but you won't stop sleeping with me right. We've come so far to stop now baby"

Chuckling softly at her antics, I said "Yeah I know. I never said we were stopping, did I? Now give me a kiss"

We were locked in a rather passionate kiss when my mother entered the room. I was not bothered because she already knew about us and loved Tricia like her very own daughter.8

With a small smile on my mother's face, she said "You two know how to put a smile on my face. When will this fling end huh? Tricia, you know his mate is up there right?"

"I know Mama River. But for one, we aren't ending this anytime soon... Jay Bear said so and two, what she doesn't know won't hurt her" Tricia said with a smug smirk on her face.1

I was trying to stifle my laughter when I felt a foreign presence behind me. It felt familiar but I couldn't pin point where I have felt it before.

I tried to smell the presence out but before I could find anything concrete it was gone.

I sat there trying to make out what had just happened only to be interrupted by a spooked Matthews entering the hall. He kept turning around to watch his back before settling in his seat.

After exchanging pleasantries with all of us, I went straight ahead to ask him what was wrong.

"Um... Luna is on her way down" he said shakily

"Damn it!" I cussed before lifting Tricia off of me and rushing into the living room to grab some documents I left there last night

I walked back to the hall with the documents only to find Tricia standing in the kitchen doorway and my mother making herself busy in the kitchen.

I looked at Matthews only to find him also busy with his phone. Taking a deep breath, I settled back down in my seat and spread the documents in front of me.

It was a couple of minutes later before I smelt my mate. I focused on my documents as she made her way into the dining hall.

I felt her heading towards me before backtracking and making her way into the kitchen.

I sneaked a glance in her direction and saw the moment that Tricia tense before relaxing when she realized my mate wasn't after her.

I strained my ears and frowned when I heard my mate asking for her food and the reply she gave my mother when she asked her why she was eating alone in the kitchen.

My frown deepened when she asked for Matthew and I guess Matthews was just as confused as I was too with the surprised look on his face when my mother came to fetch him.

I sat back in my seat and tried to find a reason as to why my mate was so cold all of a sudden.2

I knew it wasn't about Tricia and me because from the little I have seen from her, I knew she would have raised hell as soon as she had found out. I sat there thinking before getting up.13

I walked into the kitchen and asked her where she was going with Matthews and why she didn't ask me to take her out when she wanted to go out.

Her reply was cold and blunt as she told me, she was going into town and didn't ask me because she saw I was busy when she entered the dining hall and didn't want to disturb me.

She went on to add that our pack members and pack duties were our top priority and the double meaning of that simple sentence had me tensing up.

My mother and Tricia must have heard it too because they also tensed up too. I was in so much shock that I couldn't answer her question.

But thankfully my mother answered for me. Before I could recover fully from my temporal shock, my mate was already out of the kitchen and out of the door with Matthews trailing after me.

The three of us stood there in tense silence and only snapped out of our stupor when we heard Matthews's car peeling out of the pack compound.

I let out a deep breath before walking back into the dining hall and slumping into my seat.

"Do you think she knows?" My mother asked worriedly

"I think she does" Tricia answered quietly

"She doesn't know." I tried to reassure them and myself

"Are you sure?" Tricia asked shakily

"Yes... if she had known you would have been hurt or dead right now" I said bluntly

"Yeesh such comforting words" Tricia replied sarcastically

"Well it's the truth Tricia. We have to be careful next time. This was close. Way too close for comfort"5

"I know Jay bear and you were right, she didn't look like the kind of person you messed with. The tattoos on her arms were cool but the dead look in her eyes accompanied by her stone cold tone will give me nightmares for a while"

"I know Trish. She's different like that"

"And also beautiful"1

"Don't go insecure on me now Tricia. She's her and you are you... don't go comparing yourself to her now. It wouldn't end well"5

"Okay... I'm going to the clinic to help out. I will see you later"

"Sure take care"

Tricia left as if something or say someone was after her and I knew meeting Chaos had ruffled her feathers or say her fur.

I know I told them that Chaos didn't know but the more I think about it, the more uncertain I become about that fact. But I guess I would have to wait and find out.4

**********************

I spent the rest of the day in my office working till it was time for the daily meeting with my high ranked members and Matthews and my mate were still not back.

I entered the conference room and smiled when I found them chatting and making fun of each other. They can be childish at times but that's just who they were.1

I settled in my seat and as soon as I had made myself comfortable, my gamma Richard Davidson asked the whereabouts of Matthews. Drawing the attention of the others in the room

"He's taken my mate to town" I replied

"Your mate?" He asked with surprise

"Yep Richie. I found her on the day you left for the Blue Moon Pack"

"How come nobody told me?" he shrieked in outrage. For a man, he sure knew how to be dramatic

Jeremiah rolled his eyes before cutting in, "You just arrived idiot and before we could welcome you, you were going on and on about all the women you fucked at the blue moon pack"

The rest of the men in the room laughed whiles Richie tried so hard not to flush with embarrassment.

They were going at it when the door to the conference room opened and my mate walked in with all her cold glory.2

But the person behind her was what caught my attention. A young beautiful woman with a cold mask matching Chaos's on her face. I watched silently as they all entered with Matthews at the end.2

My mate walked to the other end of the table whiles Matthews grabbed the hand of the lady they came with and after pulling a seat for her to sit down, he pulled another beside her and settled down.

I turned back to face my mate only to find her already staring intensely at me.

I held her gaze and tried to get a reading on her but as usual I came up empty because she had her lovely blank mask on her face. As I watched her, I couldn't help but wonder if she knew about Tricia.

I don't know why but I couldn't help but feel that she knew. Kaeden has been unusually quite since morning and I know it's because of the guilt he feels from caring about Tricia just like I do.25

He had despised her at first but just like me he had grown to like her and now our mate was with us and he couldn't help but feel guilty.

Our staring match was interrupted by my mate clearing her throat. She looked like she wanted to say something and after taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to speak.

The words that left her mouth next had me dropping my jaw in shock.

She wanted our mating ceremony to be tomorrow that is if I would allow it. Hell yeah I would. I chuckled when my immature friends started hollering with excitement.5

I looked at her face to check if she was just pulling my legs only to get a small smile in return that had my pants tightening.

After I had giving my approval, she went on to pack business and I couldn't be more proud that she already saw my pack as her own.1

I listened tentatively with the rest as she proposed a different training technique for the wolves that didn't favor hand to hand combat and gruesome blood shedding but still wanted to be helpful in times of war and even when they needed to defend themselves.

I was a tad bit surprised when she said her mother had trained her in swordsmanship, archery and dagger throwing. My mate was more dangerous than I thought her to be.22

But I am glad she has decided to share her knowledge for the better our pack. She will make a great Luna and I know my men agree to that from the respect and pride that shone from their eyes.