Chapter 31
The defiant mate by Fennifer Francis
Nathan POV Nathan sat in his motherâs private plane staring at nothing in particular. He was calm, Havoc was calm, just speaking with his children cheered them up completely, and knowing that Jay-la, although distressed and in need of her Mateâs comfort, had not bolted from the pack with her children the minute she had woken up also kept them calm.
They were just a few hours away now, they would not be waiting til morning to meet her, they would be headed to wherever Jackson reported she was, they would not wait another minute for her to know what they were to her.
He would wake her from sleep, he honestly didnât care if she would be grumpy with him, he was going to stand and watch her, watch as even in her sleep some part of her would register his scent and Kora would likely wake her itching for her Mate, the minute she scented him out.
He had no idea how it was actually going to go. They certainly had issues to work through, but she had known him for 20 years that would surely come into play. Surely, somewhere inside her fear-riddled body, there would be a part of her that would be happy it was him. Trying to convince Havoc not to launch himself at her might be a bigger issue. He heard Havoc chortle at him. He was also happy, inside Nathanâs mind, knowing he would be with his Mate had put him in a good mood. Not often that happened.
Nathan stared down at the text message heâd just gotten from his Beta, Jackson, a deep frown marring his handsome face âJay-la is locked in the Luna Suite. Sorry boss had too.â and his calm and happiness, gone just like that, replaced by exasperation and worry for his Mate.
The last call he had received from his Beta, everything had been fine. Jay-la was having a late dinner with her father and the triplets.
Everything seemed okay. She had not tried to take them and run off, even though she knew he would be back at some point. Jay-la had even asked when he was going to be back. Jackson had bluffed her off with an unknown eta, although he knew that Nathan was on his way and only a few hours out, and she had not questioned it. Just seemed a bit relieved by the answer.
He hit the call button only to have it rejected, which was something you just donât do. No one dismissed an alphaâs phone cal.
Well, with the exception of Jay-la, he thought, she definitely would, but she had other reasons, fear-
filled reasons which he had to talk to her about, make sure she knew that there was nothing to fear, that he meant her no harm, but he knew he could not address her fears until he came face to face with her.
A text came through in short order âsorry boss, donât need her knowing how close you are. Already angry and losing it.â
For the love of the goddess, he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. What the hell had happened in the last hour or so? He was still in the air a couple of hours away âwhat happened?â he texted back.
How much can possibly happen in an hour and this late at night, with snow falling on the pack, most of the pack members would be in their homes by now. Staying out of the cold.
âKora let loose on Abbey. And Kora..well, boss a lot bigger than she used to be. Almost as large as Apollo is.â
Kora was larger, and almost as big as Apollo. That was an utter shock, she had been such a cute tiny wolf, barely reached Havocs chest when they had stood side by side. She almost always looked like a pup of a wolf, it was so cute, it had always amused him to no end, something they had all teased her about, how such a tiny wolf could have such a fierce human counterpart. Now it appeared Kora was not only just as feirce, but also had the build to go with it.
He could feel HavOC wagging his tail in his mind. He was happy with the news.
âMate strong.â
Nathan already knew that, perhaps it was why his mother and father hadnât wanted a fight between them. Perhaps his father was right in the thought that even Storm didnât want to fight her, she was different than before.
âWhy at Abbey?â he asked, though his gut was telling him he already knew the answer to it.
âSmelled Abbey on Veraâs wounds, I believe.â
âAbbey still alive? Her pup?â
âInjured, as is Johnny, both in the pack hospital, Ethan is with them.â
He sighed, I guess Jay-la taught Abbey a lesson, one she really did need to learn, he supposed. He hoped that her unborn pup was alright. But his power-crazed sister had better have realised that she canât just go around unchecked and do as she pleased. Better have learned her lesson, she had put her unborn pup at risk and hadnât even known it at the time. Perhaps this would make her learn a desperately needed lesson.
âWill the pup survive?â
âShould do, she screamed she was pregnant, thatâs what made Kora stop, mostly took hits to her arms and chest area, so it should be fineâ
âSo Jay-la is locked in the Luna Suite because?â
âAnger rolling off of her, might rival Havocâs boss, in that department. It took Stephen to bring her down and fully submit using all his Gamma Charm ability, then Ethan and I, to get her up here, but the minute he stopped using it, angry again.â
Goddess help us both, he thought absently, if the two of them went toe to toe when they meet up.
âNeverâ Havoc huffed at him Iâm telling you Kora will want me.
âSo much faith you have Havocâ
âShe was made for me, supposed to be strongâ.
âOur Mate is supposed to even us out buddy, not match your anger issues.â
âIs she still angry?â he texted Jackson.
âYes, currently throwing furniture around the Luna Suite, itâll be destroyed likely by the time you get hereâ
âStay there with her, what is the weather doing now?â
âSnowing hard, you might not get to land local.â
Just bloody great, but heâd already heard as much from the pilot. He was just hoping the storm would blow over and they could land.
The storm, it seemed, was moving faster than expected and it might calm down or move away before they got to the landing trip.
âKeep me up to date and let me know when she calms down.â
âWill do, boss, just get here asap.â
Nathan leanded back in his seat. Nothing it appeared, was ever easy for the two of them, one set back after another. He truly hoped that Havoc was right, that Kora would want him right away. It will go along way to Jay-la wanting him as well.
His eyes fell on his mother and father. They were watching him trouble son?â his father asked through the mind-link. They couldnât risk a wolfen conversation with Rae-Rae on the plane even if she was currently sleeping, against her Mate.
âYes, Jay-la and Kora found out Abbey was the one to hurt her mother. You can imagine the fall out after your encounter with an angry Kora.â
âAbbey?â his mother asked right away, worried about her baby girl.
âInjured, and her mate. Both are going to be fine. You might want to call your wayward daughter,â his mother nodded.
He got to listen to the call with his wolf hearing. Abbey was crying and sobbing the whole time. She stated she couldnt believe what Jay-la had done to her. He watched as both his parentsâ eyes had fallen on him and he shot through the mind-link âwhat the hell did she think was going to happen?
Nothing at all?
He heard his father verbally rep-remand her for her actions, which was what landed her in her current situation. That she had to learn she couldnât just go about doing whatever she felt like and expect to get away with it.
Sheâd stopped crying and retorted with anger that she was an Alpha, that she answered to no one.
Nathan sighed more with annoyance than anything. So that was what she actually believed.
Well, she did answer to someone, to him in fact, and she had, without his permission, laid hands on her future Lunaâs mother.
Hearing her words pissed him right off and he finally understood there was only one punishment that was going to put his power-crazed, power-hungry driven sister in her place, and he intended to act on it whether his parents liked it or not.
He held out his hand for the phone, âAbbey, you will report to me first thing in the morningâ¦because you answer to MEâ he grated out âI will relay to you your punishment directly. What you did was utterly without conscious thought to yourself, your unborn pup, your mate and to how Jay-la, your future Luna might feel or react to it.
Not to mention, you actually convinced a pack member to allow you to nearly kill her. That alone is punishable by years in the cells. Your injuries, as far as I am concerned, are your own fault.â
Abbey, for once, did not say anything at all. He handed the phone back. He could feel another set of eyes on him and turned to find Micheal staring at him, a concerned look on his face at what he had just said to his sister. He knew he had stated things aloud which Rae-Rae might have heard but the girl would find out soon enough anyway.
His parents were staring at him too, he simply turned to them and raised an eyebrow. He had not spoken out of place, he was the Alpha, not them, he had no intention of imprisoning his sister.
Let them all wait for the consequences of her actions. Be damned, he didnât need to ask permission.
She was his sister, but she was also a pack member and the girl was about to fall inline whether she liked it or not.
A text came from Jackson around half an hour later âshe has calmed down, tantrum over.â
âGoodâ he sent back, âI want Abbey in my office first thing in the morningâ
âYes, boss.â
âAnd Hayden and his snow-plow waiting at the strip, to assist my arrival.â
âAlready there, boss, I sent him the minute l thought youâd get caught in the storm.â
âThat is why youâre my Beta. Thank you Jackson.â
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