Taken by my mate

Covyn

I went after her. Of course I did. I hadn’t meant to hit her, it was that stupid cat…. That only reacted because I grabbed her and yelled.

At the door to our bedroom, which I could tell she had gone in, I hesitated. An excuse about meaning to hit her cat wasn’t enough and was clearly why she stepped in the way. I didn’t like my men thinking I was a woman abuser, but I hated that I hurt her more.

I instead went to my office for some quiet and time to think, but no sooner had I sat down did Ellion bust in.

“You hit her?! What the fuck has gotten into you!?” He demanded, wisely closing the door first.

“I didn’t mean to,” I growled but he was still staring at me, waiting on an explanation. “Though I’m a little curious as to how this got to you so quickly when it’s clearly /my business.”

“I’m a little surprised that you think no one would tell me. I was outside running drills, and I was about to discipline some of the men for being late when they told me they were dawdling out front to make sure you and the Luna were ok.” He was shaking his head at me in disappointment. “Imagine my surprise to hear why they were concerned.”

“I yelled at her and that stupid cat bit me. I went to smack it and she got between us,” I groaned.

He didn’t stop. “Doesn’t make it better. I’ve got Daley checking up on her now, but I’m assuming because you are here and not taking her to the doctor that she’s fine?” He eyed me carefully, accusingly, and I deserved it all. “She’ll check it out anyway, and take her down to Tina if needed. You, however, have a few rumours going around.”

His warning was enough to make me nervous. “What kinds of rumours?”

“Aside from being a wife beater ?” He by mocked, still clearly pissed and checking his phone. “Daley said she’s fine by the way. They’re cuddling with the cat in your bed.”

I groaned again. “She had to have a cat.”

“Not a cat person?” He joked but as I eyed him he got serious again. “Get over it. You’ve already blown it in more than a few ways with your mate and I don’t think that’s a fight you would ever win. I heard you yelled at her in the warehouse too.”

I rubbed my face. “Is everyone reporting to you now? Maybe you should just take my job now, and me and Evadiene can go take our chances with her local mob threats.”

He smirked. “I’m quite happy with my current position, keeping your ass in line, now about those rumours. Troops are worried you’re going to be one of those Alphas that completely changes when they find their mate, ‘lose their Godamn minds’ I believe is the wording I heard.” Ellion had come over to sit in a chair in front of my desk but didn’t look much happier with me as he kicked both feet on top of it.

If anyone else had spoken to me the way he did, they would never be able to speak again. But Ellion had been there in ways no one else could when my parents died, in ways I could never pay back. Only he could call me on my shit.

“Is there anything else?” I knew I’d regret asking but also suspected what was coming.

“When Evadiene was trying to sneak out she mentioned, very vaguely, about a strip club and the stories followed. Some of them are quite inventive.” Ellion was back on his phone. “Evadiene says hey.”

He turned the phone to me and it was a photo of Evadiene flipping off the camera with a big grin on her face like the girls had been laughing. It was good to see her smile, even if I could see the split in her cheek from my ring.

I took the ring off and dropped it in my desk drawer. “Send it to me.”

“What? The photo? Why?”

“I like it.” I set the photo as my unlocked screens background and returned my attention to Ellion. “What do you suggest?”

“Depends if you plan on lying. I personally think you should let her hit you back at dinner in front of everyone, but you know you’ll have a problem with the stripper bit. She doesn’t give a fuck if people know… but you should know…”

I groaned. “Of course there would be more.”

“… There is a video. She did a contest a while months back.. she won if that helps -hey” I threw my pen at him and got him in the ear.

“That is absolutely not helpful,” I groaned.

I wasn’t exactly thrilled that more people than those on the East side had seen my mate. I was even less thrilled that they could continue to see her now or could look her up in the future, but I also wanted to see this award winning performance.

—

Evadiene

I was more surprised than I let on that Daley was the one to knock on the bedroom door. Somehow I knew she believed me too, because she forgot not everyone had an incredible senses of smelling and hearing.

I invited her in and came baring the gift of an ice pack. Apparently Ellion had been told about what happened and was now going to yell at Covyn.

That brought a smile to my face, but I told Daley it wasn’t necessary. I knew he hadn’t meant to hit me, and though hitting Sequoia wouldn’t have been better, I also accepted he was an animal.

His strength was inherent, and his reaction to physical pain was immediate and defensive. I couldn’t expect him to ignore his basic instincts anymore than he could expect me to ignore mine, and though I would still discuss it with him, I wasn’t going to build a wall over it.

Daley wanted to meet this cat that Spencer was so scared of, and her and Sequoia became fast friends. We all ended up in the bed, curled up together, and talking about.. nothing really.

Daley didn’t train with the others because she had been abused by her previous pack’s alpha. The trauma left her with a lot of mental handicaps when it came to fighting back.

When Ellion found her, she was away on business and before she could return home he convinced her to leave her pack for theirs. Covyn had even given her special permission to use his last name over the alpha title because the word often gave her anxiety attacks.

I tried to tell her as little as possible about me. I din’t need to give away as much as she had to be honest.

Instead I told her about my mom, and how she had taught me about our culture growing up. How I loved my family but hadn’t seen them in a while. We had drifted apart for a while after mom died, but when we reconnected it was like I had never left, but nothing could ever stay perfect with me. It felt like no time at all later when another rift formed and I hadn’t seen them since.

Apparently her and Ellion had found a video of me online at a competition. I had done very well, and though I had only gone for fun, I wasn’t surprised when I won. It did unfortunately bring me a lot of attention at the bar, which at the time I hadn’t minded but I also hadn’t expected it to blow up online. Everything had gotten more difficult since the boom of the internet.

I wasn’t supposed to tell Covyn, but they had watched it five times and agreed I was the one to win, even though Ellion tried to find someone better among my competitors.

“I’m honoured he thinks of me enough at all to think so lowly of me,” I laughed.

She rolled her eyes at me. “It’s not like that at all. He’s just not sure how to tell Mr. Durem that you’re the number one pole dancer.”

I smirked cruelly. “I’d like to think it would be the same if I was the number one badminton player, or catcher.. or porn star.”

She snorted a laugh. “The last two haha i get, but badminton?”

I lifted my chin slightly. “Shuttlecock-“ raising my eyebrow I continued, “-go ahead, try and say it and tell me it doesn’t sound like a word belonging in a porno.”

She laughed, and I decided I liked Daley. She was more relaxed without the boys around and Sequoia trusted her enough to go to sleep.

I liked her almost as much as Spencer, for what it was worth I didn’t believe he was capable of lying. I had the distinct feeling he would always tell me the truth, where Ellion would try and protect me, evident in him sending Daley while he went to yell at Covyn, Spencer would tell me the truth even when it hurt.

“Any updates on Ellion yelling at Covyn?” I laughed, “I’d pay to be a fly on the wall.”

She pulled her phone out. “He laid it out pretty good. Apparently rumours are spreading pretty quick about you, and Mr. Durem is anxious. Why don’t you show him you’re okay to calm him down?”

Pointing her phone at me she brought her other hand up to zoom the viewer.

“For sure, I’ll remind him he’s my number one,” I laughed, flipping the camera my middle finger.

She laughed but shook her head. “I can’t send this.”

“Let me see?” I took her phone and looked at the photo, sending it before she could stop me. “It’s fantastic! I love it.”

She groaned audibly. “Hope that doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass..”

“I’m sure you have Ellion around your finger enough that he won’t care, and if Covyn dare you just call me.”

She barked an amazing laugh. “So new as a marked female and yet so confident in your womanly powers.” she commended.

I winked with a grin. “Please, I don’t need Covyn to tell me I’m hot to know I can sway him. I made enough at that club to buy a house in the country with cash.” Daley gaped, and I reached for my cell. “Don’t believe? I can show you… Oh right, no sim no data.”

“Covyn has the internet password, why don’t you ask him,” she suggested but as I was about to make some cheeky response when there was a knock at the door.