Denied by Destiny: Trapped in the Shadows of the Mate Bond



I move towards Callie wrapping my arms around her shoulders and placing a kiss on the top of her head.

She was mine, I had to act like she was mine.

The distant ringing of the telephone from the Alpha office is heard, Mum leaving the kitchen to answer it. Her soft joyful tones at the caller no longer audible as she closes the door.

"Drink?" Josie asks me, gaining my full attention...a soft smile entering on to her lips.

"I.." I take a step towards her but she places her hand out, stopping me.

"Jace, it's fine."

"No, it's not fine Josie. None of it was fine."

"No, but I'm alright. Auntie Rosa got to me in time."

"Rosa?"

"Yes, she and..." She pauses her eyes changing suddenly sad. Knox is by her side within seconds, his hand wrapped around her waist, his nose pressed into the nook of her neck.

"Red?"

"I'm fine.." She whispers back, turning into his hold as she inhales his scent. The mate bond of theirs getting to work as he soothes her, her body yet again melting into his.

I hadn't had the chance to find out how Knox was an alpha, how he kept that from us. But when the dust from my return has settled, I plan to find out. "I'm sorry Josie, I'm sorry I left you like that."

"You're back, that's what matters...." She turns to me, her hand reaching out for mine. There's a moment between us, a silent understanding that she didn't want to dwell on the past. That she was willing to move on.

"...and with your Luna...so when are we expecting you to mark one another?"

"Well that would depend on a few factors." I respond, passing a hot drink to Callie.

“Such as?" Dad asks out as he turns a page if his morning pack report from Riley. I may have been gone for a year but something's never change. "Whether my parents want to be present." Callie sighs out before taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Why wouldn't they?" Josie presses as she also sits at the table.

"I didn't exactly leave on good terms." Callie answers, only for Mum to walk into the kitchen...flipping the telephone in her hand.noveldrama

"Well that was odd." Mum states out gaining all of our attention.

"What was odd?" Dad looks up from his report, his eyes glued onto Mum.

"That was Rosa..."

"Rosa?" Callie asks out.

"The Luna of the Red Thorn pack, we are Rosa's family pack. They are close allies of ours." Jaxon responds on my behalf. "Everything okay?" Josie turns in her chair, her hot drink clasped within her hands. As if her hands were cold, again something's never change. She may have her wolf now, but some habits were hard to shake.

"I'm not sure. I told her the news of your return and she accepted our invite to celebrate with us...but she's just called to say they can't make it now." "Why is that weird, perhaps something has come up within the pack and they just need to cancel." Josie shrugs out.

"That's the thing, they never cancel." Mum shakes her head, placing the telephone down in the kitchen side.

"Well Cleo already knew Jace was home.” Jaxon states out...my breath catching in the back of my throat. For a number of reasons...the mention of her name and that she already knew.

How is it possible that Jaxon knows that she knew.

"What do you mean?" I try to sound uninterested but the slight rumble in my chest isn't missed by my brother.

"She was here." Jaxon's eyes are on me, watching me intensely

"When?"

"Yesterday afternoon...you didn't see her?" Jaxon raises an eyebrow at me.

"No, I didn't know she was here." I respond, I had told her to come but she never showed up.

"I missed Cleo?" Josie moans out as she sips back on her hot drink, her attention also landing on me as if I knew more than I was letting on. "Excuse me." I hear Jaxon excuse himself from the kitchen table, my eyes burning into the back of his head as he discreetly moves into the hallway.

I take careful steps to follow him out into the hallway, watching his hands take a set of car keys off the sideboard...before he leaves through the front door.