Bound by Fate (Moon Bound Series Book 1) (29 page)

A scuffle up ahead – trampled twigs, cracked branches – alerted Beth to her prey.  She quickly caught up to the wolf and nipped her hind-quarters in a small reprimand.  The caramel wolf snapped viciously at Beth’s muzzle and tried to leap ahead.  Beth had had enough.  This was not how she would be treated as Alpha.  Clamping down tightly on the errant wolf’s back leg, Beth brought her to a jolting halt.  Fortunately, the other wolf gave up the fight after a series of angry growls from Beth, and she lay exhausted amid the tangled roots of the trees.

A moment later the shimmer began and Beth, so as not to make the other wolf feel any more threatened, shimmered herself.  Soon, there were two naked females lying amongst the trees.  The other was Felicity.  “What is going on?”

“
I just wanted to be left alone,” the woman said, curling her long legs underneath her.  She fiddled with a golden lock of hair, twirling it nervously around and around.  “I just needed time to myself.”

“
I get that, I truly do, but all you had to do was say.  What’s with the snapping jaws?”  Still mildly annoyed, Beth sat up straight, confronting the apprentice head-on.  “I am your Alpha.  I deserve respect.”

“
Of course, I apologize.”  The blonde’s entire demeanor changed to one of contrition and subservience, and Beth felt guilty.  Who was she to demand anything of these people?  She’d only just arrived and shaken things up here.

“
My…mate and I had a disagreement,” she went on.  “He’s decided to see someone else.  I’m sorry if I was aggressive with you.”

“
Oh, God, no I’m sorry.  I had no idea.”  How could she know?  And who else but her would understand how devastated Felicity must be.

“
It’s quite alright.  We weren’t Bound so…”  She let the sentence trail off, and suddenly Beth began to wonder.  “Felicity?” 

“
Yes?” the girl seemed wary, as if she knew what the next question was.

“
Who was your…mate?”

“
I think we both know who he was, don’t we?”  The girl changed her expression so quickly, Beth was sure she misinterpreted the split second of sheer hatred.  “Bradley was my mate.  And now he’s yours.”

This place keeps getting better, and better,
Beth thought to herself savagely as she tromped through the village.  Just as she was about to turn onto the path for the Great House, she heard furtive steps, as if someone were following her. 
Nothing new there,
she thought.  But when she turned around it was Marybell standing there holding a measuring tape.  “Come now, Beth, we need to get your measurements.”  The look Marybell gave her conveyed everything but measurements.  Beth followed her to the cottage, where Margo was busy stirring a pot of tea, and munching on a bunch of grapes.

“
Sit,” the older woman told her as soon as the door closed.  “Explain.”

“
Explain what?”

“
How your plans are coming along?  Did you manage to get Donovan on your side?  I saw you leave the Common House soon after him yesterday.”

Beth refused the offering of grapes and shook her head sadly.  “There is no plan,” she looked from Margo, who had stopped stirring, to Marybell who was sitting on the edge of her stool with a glazed over expression.

“Excuse me?” said Margo.  “Of course there’s a plan, I was here when it was conceived.  I was here when a great many things were conceived but that’s another story.  What do you mean?”

“
I mean no, I didn’t convince Donovan to help me escape – God I must have been mad to think I could in the first place.  And I mean there is no plan, because I’ve abandoned it.”

She told them everything.  About not even asking Donovan because she could never put him in that position.  About the dinner and the not-so-veiled threats Bradley had issued.  Even about her secret meeting with Gareth.

Marybell cleared her throat in the silence and Margo sat down heavily, her bones creaking almost as much as the stool.  “You mean to tell me,” she began, scornfully.  “That your Bonded traveled all the way here, through enemy territory, with no back up, and offered to rescue you…and you refused to be rescued?  Is that what you’re saying?”

“
It was more complicated than that.”  She ignored Marybell and Margo snorting derisively in unison.  “But…yes.”

“
That was a bit foolish, no?” Marybell asked, all wide-eyed innocence.

“
Foolish?  It was downright–”

“
Necessary,” Beth cut her off.  “You were both here when Lissa done the same thing with her lover.  Can you imagine what would happen to the pair who betrayed him for the second time?”

“
I see your conundrum.”  The old woman’s reluctant admission was not very soothing.  “But, you could have tried, dear.  You know what your life will be like here, now.”

“
I know,” she whispered.  “But it’s life.  I’ll have a home, and children, and friends like you to help me see it through.”

“
Friendship isn’t enough,” Marybell stated flatly.  “It never is.”

“
Correct.  What if you get to feeling the same as Lissa after a year, or ten years?  What then?  Even if Bradley doesn’t Bond you, your Bonded may have broken his Bond and both of you could live to regret that.”  The elder leaned forward conspiratorially.  “You’re young, and if I believe all the gossip you’re fast and near impossible to track.  You could make it.”

“
And I might not.”

“
But isn’t it worth a try?”  Marybell asked excitedly.  “For love?”

“
My love is gone.  I told you the things I said to him.  I’m surprised he hasn’t broken the Bond already.”

“
Love is stronger than hurt.  But, if you’re determined to live out your life in misery, we’d better show you how to brew your own special tea, so that at least you can smile from time to time.”  That was all the old woman would say on the subject.

“It’s so good to see you, my mate.”

Beth froze as she opened the front door.  It seemed that Bradley had been waiting for her in the hallway.  What was going on? 

“I gather you had a little conversation with Felicity earlier.  Don’t worry, she won’t bother you again.”

“
She didn’t bother me to begin with.”

“
Just the same.”  His smile was shark-like, all long teeth and no mirth.  He looked like the Big Bad Wolf everybody spoke about.  She wondered if he’d eaten Felicity.  And then she had to stifle a grin, at the images that produced.  Right on the heels of that, were the images that weren’t so funny after all.  She really began to wonder then.

“
What did you do to her?”  Trying to sound casual when you’re anything but was a mean feat for anyone, but when you factored in the scents of rising panic and disgust, you failed before you even began.

“
I?”  He seemed honestly offended.  “I did nothing.  I just had a word with her, that’s all.”

“
Okay, so…she’s alright?”  Beth cleared her throat awkwardly.  “I mean, she was pretty upset earlier, and I hate to see anyone upset and so…”

“
And so you are worried.”  He beamed his shark-grin at her again.  “She is fine, I promise.” 

Nodding, Beth moved toward the stairs, but her soon-to-be-mate stepped in front of her.  “We never got to finish saying good night, last night.  So I’ve come all the way home from my busy meeting schedule just to say good afternoon.”  He was so close she could smell the eggs he’d had for breakfast.

“Good afternoon,” she squeaked, trying once again to get around him to the stairs.  The safest room in the house was her room, and even that wasn’t as safe as she wanted.  She longed to be alone for a while before the evening’s festivities began.

“
Mmh,” he grunted, and backed her up against the wall.  “Tonight, my dear, you won’t be able to refuse my attentions.”  He rubbed her shoulders, making her skin want to slough off.  “When we are officially mated, you will take your rightful place in my bed.”

Beth simultaneously wanted to both vomit and run, but stood there, frozen, unable to do either.  His attentions were unimaginably creepy.  Why, out of all the she-wolves in the pack, even over Felicity, did he want her?  She really didn’t understand.  If it were just her pure-breed status, that would explain it, but she sensed that Felicity was pure-bred too, and more than willing to give him cubs.  If it were to cement a truce between their two packs she could understand that, too, but Bradley didn’t seem to want a truce, so much as he wanted all out war.  She wasn’t particularly special in any other way. 

Sure, she could track and hunt, and she was swift in her wolf-form, but she wasn’t as beautiful as Felicity, nor as talented as Alanna, nor even as accommodating as September.  What did he want of her?  Fumbling for an excuse, she muttered something about wanting to take a nap before the ceremony.

“
Oh yes, do find some rest,” he told her slowly.  “It’s going to be a long night.”  With a rumbling laugh that made Beth feel queasy, Bradley sauntered toward the door.  “I’m looking forward to it, Beth.”

As soon as the door closed behind him, Beth slid down the wall to perch herself on the stairs.  How was she going to do this?  She had been so full of bluster earlier in the weaver’s cottage, telling them about how she would love her children, and how she would get through it, but the bigger picture was, she would be mated to an almost certainly abusive male, whom she despised the very thought of bedding, which she would have to do, as often as he wished, until the day one of them died, putting aside her true mate in the process.  She wasn’t so sure, anymore.  She wasn’t sure at all.

She needed to speak to Donovan.  There was something she needed to know.

Not knowing where to find him, since he hadn’t been staying in the Great House since Bradley had taken over her mating rights, she roamed the village in the hopes that he would find her, as he had the day before.  As luck would have it, she found him sitting by the fire in the Common House.  “May I sit?”  She noticed that every other pack member had drifted out of the room when she entered.  To give them privacy, she hoped, not to tattle to Bradley. 

“
You can if you wish,” he replied quietly, not even bothering to raise his eyes. 

As she folded herself to a mat beside him, he moved away, and Beth felt torn between wanting to comfort him, and wishing she’d never met him.  “I need to know if he’s still here.”

“Why?  What good would it do you?”  He did look at her then.  “Are you…?” he shook his head violently.  “No, I don’t want to know.”

“
Donovan!”  She gripped his wrist tightly.  “Please, just tell me if he’s still here.”

“
He’s gone,” he replied, removing his wrist from her grip.  “He left not long after you returned yesterday.  I guess you warned him well enough.”

With her world bottoming out, Beth managed a nod.  “Good, I…it’s good that he’s gone.”

“It’s good for him.”  He repositioned himself closer to her and whispered, “not so good for you, though, huh?”

“
I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied.

“
Sure you do.  You were hoping to give Father the slip, weren’t you?”  He smiled, but it was a sad smile.  “I can’t say that I blame you overmuch, but you must know that only folly lies in that direction.”

“
I do know.”  And she did.  But she was really hoping to give it a try. 
For love, like Marybell said.  For a chance.

“
I’m so very sorry, Beth.  If I’d known how this would all turn out, I would have left you in your territory without a backward glance.  But,” he sighed.  “It seems hindsight is twenty-twenty and so we must live with regret.”

“
I’m not sorry I met you,” she said, but even she didn’t completely believe that.

“
You will be…”

“
What’s that supposed to mean?”

“
I’ve been doing a bit of digging, Beth.  Talking to people who would rather not be named.”  He glanced around to make sure they truly were alone before continuing.  “It seems my mother may not have died of a fever after all.  And it also seems that my father had himself another secret lover all along.  A secret lover with an interest in herbs, that is.”

“
Felicity,” she shook her head.  “But she’s only an apprentice.  She wouldn’t have had any idea how to harm someone with herbs and get away with it way back then, would she?”

Donovan nodded.  “She’s only an apprentice because our Healer is still with us.  She was qualified fifteen years ago, so yes, she would have been far enough into her training to know some pretty major stuff.”

Oh, God this was all just too much.  “What’s going on with this pack?”  Beth wasn’t aware that she’d spoken aloud until Donovan answered her question.