Chapter 22

Sorin held his tongue, aware that any words he uttered would only land him in more trouble. Ylenia was the one doing the talking, trying to reason with their alpha. There was no valid reason for Colette to be denied visitors, but Alpha Dancescu seemed to enjoy making things difficult.

From the way the alpha had always talked about mates, Sorin had assumed he didn’t believe in them. But now, the truth was becoming painfully clear.

Alpha Dancescu wanted to be the center of everyone’s world. If people had mates, he would lose his place of importance.

All Sorin wanted was to be locked away with his mate, but he knew any act of defiance would only result in him being thrown into a cell alone, not with his beloved. He longed to comfort her, to stroke her soft, black hair.

He needed to discuss with Ylenia what the ritual would entail and how long Colette would be confined. The thought of being separated from her was unbearable.

“She needs human contact. You can’t keep her locked up alone for three weeks,” Ylenia argued. She hadn’t known Colette for long, but she-wolves stuck together. Even Shemika had stood up for Colette. Shemika had been immediately whisked away to the alpha’s private quarters to face her own punishment.

Sorin’s eyes widened in shock at the news. Colette was to be locked up for three weeks. The few hours they’d been apart already felt like an eternity.

Dancescu sneered. “I can do whatever I want, ~witch~,” he spat.

Ylenia took a deep breath and tried a different approach. “If she does have a wolf form, she’ll be allowed to join the pack. If we can see her, we can prepare her for how she can best serve you,” she said, her voice soft and persuasive.

Dancescu considered this. “How often would you need to visit her?”

“Every day. As long as the sun is up,” she replied. Before he could interrupt, she continued. “Colette knows nothing about Lycans or pack politics. She’ll be a danger to us if she remains ignorant. She has years of learning to catch up on. We can get ahead of this and have a model member of our society before she leaves the cell,” she concluded.

Dancescu grimaced, turning his attention to Sorin. “I see a logical reason for Ylenia and the other women to visit, but I’m still struggling to find a reason why you should see her,” he said, his voice dripping with condescension.

Sorin wanted to lash out at him but remained silent, letting Ylenia respond.

“Sir, if Colette is Sorin’s destined mate, keeping them apart goes against the will of Mother Luna,” she warned.

Dancescu rolled his eyes. He had never been one to believe in her, but if he challenged her on this, Ylenia would bring Selene into it.

The news that a pair of mates had found each other would ignite a spark in the usually indifferent woman. He had to know that, and there was no silencing Selene. She acted on behalf of Mother Luna.

Dancescu scowled, his jaw jutting out in frustration. “I see. Here’s my decision: you ladies may visit the woman as long as it doesn’t interfere with your pack duties.” He turned to Sorin. “You can visit as long as you can still monitor the neutral territory.”

Sorin’s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists. “Yes, sir.”

He understood perfectly, and the rule was relatively fair, but Sorin intended to tell Selene. If she knew, she could oversee Colette’s treatment and ensure it was fair.

“Starting tomorrow morning.” Alpha Dancescu grinned maliciously. He wanted to torment Sorin as long as possible.

Sorin felt a muscle in his jaw twitch as he clenched his teeth. Dancescu was probably trying to provoke him, hoping to have a reason to lock him up too, but Sorin remained silent.

Ylenia took his arm and led him out of the room, leaving Dancescu smirking at his desk. “I’m so sorry, Sorin,” she murmured, patting his arm.

He pulled away from her as they left the building. He was filled with a desperate urge to lash out, but Colette’s welfare was his main concern.

He didn’t want to talk to Ylenia. In fact, being near her made his skin crawl. He’d done things with her that he now couldn’t imagine doing with anyone but Colette.

“Sorin, please slow down,” she pleaded, hurrying after him.

He was heading for the temple. People usually only went there on days of worship or when they felt the need to seek Mother Luna’s blessing.

“At least let me tell you what happened while you were with the alpha,” she begged, almost running to keep up with him.

“What are you talking about?” he called over his shoulder, but he didn’t slow his pace.

“We went to your house,” she said.

Sorin stopped abruptly and spun around to face her. “Why did you go to my house?” he demanded. “How did you know about her? I was careful.”

Suddenly intimidated by a man she’d never feared before, Ylenia nervously twisted her fingers together. “Shemika heard from Nelu.”

He was going to have to kill that man.

“And I felt her presence cross my borders,” she added.

Sorin had done him a favor, and yet the man had still told Shemika about Colette. “Why did you go? You still haven’t answered,” he growled.

Ylenia shivered at his thunderous voice. She’d never been to his house. They’d had sex many times but never at ~his~ house. He’d always come to her in the dead of night, as if she were some common whore.

“We wanted to make sure she was okay and find out who she was,” she explained.

Anger surged in his chest. “So you put my Colette in danger out of…curiosity?” he snarled.

~His~ Colette. Ylenia had once believed she held some importance to him, that she was more than just a midnight distraction. But now, it was painfully clear that Colette had become more significant to him in a few days than she had in years.

“No, Sorin. We spoke to her. We soothed her. We wanted her to know that we’d be there for her.”

Sorin was fuming. “She doesn’t need you. She has me.”

That was likely just his wolf side speaking. “Sorin,” she managed to utter, but Sorin was already storming off again. Just like that, Sorin was no longer hers.

He belonged to Colette now.