Mated To The Cold Hearted Alpha – Chapter 24

LEANDER’S POV

I’d paced a path through the carpet in my office, anxiety running rampant through my body. Hycinth was in good hands with Ever, but it didn’t stop me from stressing, particularly after her interaction with Sydney this morning. I cringed. Of all the shit conversations to have, my little mouse had somehow convinced me to give her a list of my past lovers! I cursed myself again and again for allowing that to happen. Nothing good would come of it.

Of course, I hadn’t expected Sydney to come off with that level of aggression. That part surprised me. Maybe it shouldn’t have. Sydney hadn’t been pleased when I broke it off with her three years ago. Truthfully she’d been relatively relentless in trying to change my mind over the years, but I couldn’t do it.

er collar during her session with Sydney and her team of she-wolves because I’d been sure a fight would break out. I’d even thought about attending the session myself, trying to head off the problem, but if I did that, it would only make Hycinth look weak, so I’d stayed away.

hand-to-hand combat and I was seriously impressed at the way she’d handled herself. She was definitely ballsy. But on the other hand, I worried at the greater truth. Maybe they hadn’t been able to rile her up because she didn’t think I was worth fighting for. That thought made my stomach turn and made me wonder if she and I would ever work.

……….

, four weeks later.

er.

han the Claiming Ceremony.

g all of the time we spent together, a shocking revelation hit me.

t.

just in the ‘she’s my ma

ked her.

d sexy with a killer sense of humor. She didn’t take shit from anyone, inc

’d remember.

e years ago.

vel. There were too many times when we’d gotten closer. But it just wasn’t happening. We hadn’t made any actual progress in the four weeks she’d been here.

had a decision to make.

placing my mark?

lity of the situation was pretty clear.

internal conflict. “Why don’t you just tell he

exhaled heavily. I’d asked myself that same question so many times and always came to the same damn answer. I just stared off into space, swirling the Bourbon in the bottom of my glass. There was only o

change over the last four weeks. Do you love her?”

groaned,

the damn truth!”

“You don’t think I’ve played it in my head a thousand times? I

ushed his face red. “I dare anyone, anyone, to hear that story, to know those details, and then disagree that he needed to die! The bastard needed to die! Both of them needed to die. They were equally complicit!”

only it were that easy.”

he did that day. I’ve been through a lot of wars and seen a lot of things, but what he did was evil…it was f****d

e, growling, “Don’t f*****g say it! Don’t you say another f*****g word!”

ying to forget the details of that day, what I’d seen. My chest hurt with a familiar ache, the pain intense, it felt like I was drowning.

to the side. He wiped the blood from his lip under his sleeve. “I think another f*****g word need

ll mark her one way or the other.”

ny?” he yelled, exasperated, and threw his hands in the air. “You think my priority is a pup I’ll probably never have when I’m

n my throat and sighed heavily, “Okay, here’s a thought. Say I did tell her, walked her through e

e part of me was thankful she was never exposed to those horrible truths, but it sure as hell sucked for me right now.