486 A Seekerâs Dilemma
âWhen⦠Oh, you mean the backstabbing? Hmm, thatâs a difficult question,â he responded thoughtfully as he visibly wrestled in search of an answer to this question.
To Madeline, this answer shouldnât have been too difficult, possibly because she expected him to simply say âyes.â
âLuna Katie told me to forget about it and move on. Helping her with the future she intends to bring upon this world⦠but itâs not as easy as it sounds,â Kyle, who almost always acted on impulse, was suddenly thoughtful.
âBut thatâs beside the point. I donât know if I can say I had the chance to regret what I did. Luna Katie⦠sort of robbed that opportunity from me and skipped straight to forgiveness and redeeming part.â
Madeline tried to understand his words but there seemed to be something missing. Kyle wasnât saying he regretted what he did. She sensed no malice coming from him⦠but she also couldnât understand how someone switches sides without feeling regret for the actions they took while on the enemyâs side.
âPerhaps you donât understand the question. When you think back to that time, do you⦠cringe or feel bad about what you did?â Madeline asked.
âHmm, would it make you more comfortable if I said that I did?â Kyle gave her a weak smile.
âMaybeâ¦â she sighed.
âI can offer an explanation for what I did and I can admit I was making the worst mistakes in my life but I would say I regret what I did. Back then, I was one of the Rogue Kingâs most trusted spies.
.....
I had power⦠and I even had the protection of the most dangerous werewolf in the world. I was born a rogue, trained to be a spy and sent on an assignment. To me, nothing I did was wrong.
I wonât force myself to feel regret for something I thought was right at the time. But I wonât deny the fact that I made mistakes.â
âOh! You⦠grew up as a rogue?â Madeline asked suddenly.
Kyle smirked, âYes⦠yes, I did. And I must say, Iâm glad to have kept myself alive until this moment.â
âOh, have you found worth living for?â
This brought Kyle a bit of confusion, âIâve found you. What else?â
âHuh!â Madeline suddenly panicked, âWhat do you mean? Noâdonât tell me.â
âYou canât feel it, can you? The mate bond?â Kyle asked, crestfallen. He must have suspected it since Madeline hadnât shown any signs before.
The colour drained from the girlâs face and she froze as Kyle studied her, âMate bond? What mate bond?â
The Seeker felt something invade her mind⦠a consciousness sheâd never felt. It wasnât hostile but its presence did not go unnoticed.
âHmm⦠Your wolf doesnât even acknowledge it. But she wonât deny it either. Am I missing something here?â Kyle asked.
âYes⦠you are. Youâre missing a lot. I canât sense my mate⦠At least, not until Iâm marked by them,â Madeline replied, taking a step back. Kyle quickly closed the gap.
âWell then, letâs get on withâ¦â Kyle held the girl by her shoulders. His words were drowned out by her yelling and squirmingâ¦
His motions were swift but gentle. But when she struggled, he wouldnât feel her resistance. Almost like she was barely resisting him⦠and yet the vein pulsing down her forehead spoke a different language. Madeline was indeed struggling against him.
âSheâs so⦠weak and frail.â
âStay away from me,â Madeline fought against the manâs iron grip. Despite his firm grip on her shoulders, he didnât hurt her like her instincts said he would.
âHey, stop struggling. Youâll hurt yourââ
âStep away from her,â a cold feminine voice interrupted Kyle, freezing the two of them. Standing a few steps above them was an emerald-eyed delta. Crysta looked like she could kill Kyle with her glare.
âThis isnât what it looks like,â Kyle started.
âYou heard what Madeline said. She asked you to stay away from her and thatâs what you will do,â Crysta replied with the same cold tone.
Kyle turned to face the girl in his arms. She had indeed asked him to stay away from him. Whether it was because she feared his touch or simply because she got caught in the moment was beyond his comprehension.
And staying away from her was the last thing he wanted to do. This wasnât looking good for him.
How could he start explaining something that was so one-sided? While he held her, sparks flared where their skin touched and he felt the urge to hold her in his arms even moreâ¦
But those emotions and urges werenât reflected in her eyes. He came off as someone who was harassing her instead⦠and he could see that.
âThis sucks!â
The beta alpha gently let the frightened Seeker go and bowed slightly, âIâm sorry if I frightened you.â
âN-no, itâs fine. You justââ
âCome with me, Mady,â Crysta interrupted the girl and pulled her away from the beta alpha. To Kyle, she yelled, âAnd you! Just stay away from her if you know whatâs good for you.â
Kyle merely clenched his fist and suppressed a frustrated growl. A delta was telling him what to do. Ordering to stay away from his mate who couldnât even feel the mate bond. How was he supposed to get around these circumstances?
Since becoming a beta alpha, this was the first time Kyle had found something he wanted⦠something he wanted for himself. So close⦠and yet out of reach.
This was his second attempt at talking to Madeline⦠and it had ended in failure. Each time, he was met with more mysteries. She couldnât feel the same pull that drove him to such lengths as he did⦠and she had the most beautiful grey eyes heâd ever seen in a wolf.
âWas a wolf even supposed to have grey eyes?â he wondered to himself. Then again, heâd also never heard of a wolf that couldnât feel the mate bond. For some reason, he believed her⦠and not because the mate bond was wrong⦠but for reasons he wanted to find out from Madeline herself.
.......
âMady, are you alright? Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?â Crysta asked the girl once they were back in the Sirius common room, checking her over for any signs of injury.
Honour sighed and dropped into the sofa, grabbing her book once more and turning to the page sheâd stopped at.
Bree closed the door behind them and stared in silence.
âIâm fine, Crysta. He didnât mean to hurt me,â Madeline shook her head feverishly.
âThen what happened out there? You seemed panicked,â Crysta asked, worry etched on her face.
âIâm fine, Crysta. He just caught me off-guard is all,â Madeline tried.
âIf he makes you feel uncomfortable, we can make sureâ¦â
âNo, Crysta. Itâs fine. I can handle myself around him,â Madeline cut her off.
âThen why was he forcefully holding you when we found you? You were already panicking before. He looked like he was about to harass you,â Bree stepped in.
âWell⦠That could have been sort of⦠my fault,â Madeline turned a light shade of red.
Crysta stopped in her tracks, confused by this statement. Something wasnât right here. She also noticed that she hadnât really paid attention to the last thing Mady had said, âDid you say you could handle yourself around him?â
âI think you should let Madeline explain whatâs happening,â Honour sighed. The delta nodded in agreement and allowed the Seeker to relax, taking a seat before she started explaining.
âKyle thinks that⦠I could be his mate,â Madeline admitted with a tinge of red on her cheeks.
Crystaâs jaw nearly dropped. She didnât know much about Kyle, to begin with. He was a very powerful beta alpha capable of a lot. She also knew about his former transgressions. But she didnât know what kind of person he was now.
Alpha Cole seemed to trust him and he hadnât conducted himself in any questionable manner yet. When sheâd seen Madeline struggling against him, sheâd jumped to the worst conclusions.
Despite the staggering difference in their power, he respected her wishes and let go of Madeline without much resistance.
âIs he?â
âI donât know. Seekers canât feel the mate bond of their own mates,â Madeline replied.
âCanât you just check who his mate is and figure out if thatâs you?â Honour suddenly asked.
âThatâs a good idea⦠but itâs happened more than once for the Seeker to see nothing when they try finding out who someoneâs mate is. Sometimes, itâs simply because that personâs mate is still too young or probably unconscious at that time, so finding them becomes harder.
So even if I tried to check him, I might come up with nothing.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âOr, you could come up with his true mateâs face and guide him to the right person thatâs definitely not you,â Honour suggested.
âYeah, that would be nice,â something about this suggestion didnât sit well with Madeline. What if Kyle wasnât her mate after all? What then?
âBut you forget one thing⦠I donât know how to use those powers yet,â she hurriedly defended.
âOh yeah⦠Thatâs right. You need to test it out on someone and figure out how it works. Try checking who Crystaâs mate is,â Honour suddenly threw her book away and stared at her friend in childish anticipation.
Madeline and Crysta turned a deep shade of red. Crystaâs somewhat military facade suddenly crumbled, âH-Honour⦠can we stop getting these wild ideas?â
âOh, come on, Crysta. You must be curious. Youâre twenty years old already. Two years too old,â Honour shook her head like a disappointed elder, âThat just wonât do.â
âWhat about you? She could try it on you,â Crysta rushed, pointing fingers.
âI know my mate. Itâs Drake. You, on the other hand, shouldâ¦â Honour stopped speaking when she noticed the room had gone deathly quiet.
The three girls were all staring at herâlike hungry wolves that had found their prey.
âOops!â
The storm beganâ¦
âHow long have you known?â
âWho revealed it first?â
âHave you guys kissed yet?â
âHas he marked you?â
âWhy hadnât you said anything?â
âHow far have you guys gone?â
âArenât you mad that he didnât say goodbye this morning?â
.....
Honour was covering her ears trying to block out their questions. At once, she yelled at them, âOne at a time, please!â
âI have an idea. We should take turns, starting with meâ¦â
âNo fair! I want to go first.â
âMadeline first, then Crysta and finally Bree. Iâll only allow one question each,â Honour ordered.
Madeline sat back, thinking over her question for a moment, âWhen did you find out?â
âAre you crazy, girl? You were supposed to ask her how she found out. We need the juicy details,â Crysta whined, shaking Bree in disappointment.
Honour stared at her friends dumbfounded.
How was she supposed to answer this question⦠or any of their questions at that? Sheâd wondered the same exact thing herself. She knew Drake was her mate. But when was it that she had actually come to this realisation?
This answer eluded her, âIâm not sure. I guess as we spent more time together, it became more and more obvious.â
âBut youâre not eighteen yet,â Bree pointed out, keeping Crysta at an armâs length as she massaged her temples.
âI know⦠but Iâm not a normal werewolf either,â she sighed.
Bree was right⦠she wasnât eighteen yet. For some unknown reason, the goddess kept the definite pull of the mate bond away from the werewolves until their eighteenth birthday.
However, it wasnât unheard of for two wolves who got along so well to turn out to be mates once they were of age. Sometimes the connection between two people was so powerful that it was undeniable that they would end up as matesâ¦
And most times, it would come trueâ¦
Most times.
And besides, she had plenty of mystical ways to prove Drake was her mate⦠âMystical ways indeed! When did life get so complicated?â