CHAPTER 3: HE'S GOT A MATE???!!!
SOPHIE POV
I couldn't believe what I had just heard—even after my brother roared, turned on his heel, and slammed the heavy oak door so hard the stone walls seemed to tremble. The vibration of that slam still echoed in my chest, a physical reminder of the storm currently brewing in our Alpha's blood.
I looked at the council members. Usually, these men were the pillars of our pack—stoic, unshakable, and arrogant. Now, they just stared back at me, looking as stunned as if they'd seen a ghost rise from the floorboards. No one spoke. No one moved. The silence was thick, tasting of old dust and new fear.
Wow.
My brother had a mate.
And not just any wolf—a Thornblood. The last of them… or at least, that was what we had all been led to believe for twelve long years.
A strange, electric curiosity surged through me, successfully pushing aside the initial shock. I needed to see her. I needed to know what kind of girl could possibly be the fated match for a man as intense and hardened as Caleb. And more importantly… what would happen next? The political fallout alone would be enough to tear this pack apart.
I'd heard the stories, of course. Everyone had. I grew up on whispered horrors of the Thornblood betrayal, the anger, and the blood. But I had been young when the massacre happened—too young to truly carry the same hatred that was carved into the bones of the elders.
Unlike my brother. Unlike the council.
"Don't question the Goddess, love. It's not wise," my wolf, Jazmin, murmured softly in my mind. Her voice was a calm, steadying weight against my racing thoughts. "We aren't seeing things clearly yet. Maybe the stories we've been told have been wrong all along."
Yeah… I don't think so, Jaz, I countered, adjusting my posture. The Thornbloods did what they did. History doesn't just disappear because a bond is formed. But still… a curiosity was gnawing at me.
How about we go find this mate and ask her some questions ourselves? I proposed.
"I agree," Jazmin replied, a hint of predatory excitement coloring her tone. "From what I can feel through the pack bond… and I think we'll find out soon… she's going to be great."
Yeah, yeah. We'll see about that.
I stepped out of the council chamber, the heavy doors closing behind me with a dull, final thud. The palace halls stretched out before me, long and eerily quiet, with torchlight flickering rhythmically against the cold stone walls. Every step I took echoed, mirroring the way my mind was racing.
Where would my brother have taken a "prisoner" who also happened to be his mate? Definitely not the dungeon. Even Caleb, with all his brooding Alpha rage, wouldn't be that cruel to his own fated match… right? He had said she was attacked. That she was injured.
The hospital. That had to be it.
I made my way toward the west wing, my boots clicking sharply on the floor. I pushed open the heavy double doors of the infirmary, and the sharp, clean scent of antiseptic and dried herbs hit me instantly.
Healers were moving like ghosts between the rows of beds, their hands occasionally glowing with the soft, golden light of healing energy. I ignored the low hum of magic and scanned every corner, every bed, and every face. I was looking for someone who looked like a survivor—someone with the legendary Red Wolf fire.
But the beds were mostly empty or occupied by warriors recovering from border scrapes. She wasn't here.
My curiosity twisted into a knot of mild frustration. Great. My first lead was a total dead end.
I spotted Varrin, one of our most senior and trusted healers, sorting through a tray of glass vials. I smoothed my expression and approached her.
"Varrin? The girl the Alpha brought in earlier... is she still here?"
Varrin didn't even look up from her work. "Oh, the Alpha took her once we'd cleaned up her wounds and stopped the bleeding," she said, her voice clinical. "He didn't seem inclined to let her out of his sight."
I see.
"Thank you," I replied, offering a quick, polite smile before turning on my heel.
So, not the hospital. I headed back toward the main palace hub, my pace quickening. I stopped a few servants along the way, asking if they'd seen a guest, but all I got were shrugs and confused, downward glances. No one knew anything. Or more likely, Caleb had put the fear of the Goddess into them to keep their mouths shut.
I was just about ready to give up and start sniffing at doors when I spotted a familiar, broad-shouldered figure standing down the corridor.
The Gamma. Daniel.
Perfect. He was standing near one of the tall, arched windows, golden sunlight spilling across his frame. His posture looked relaxed, leaning against the stone, but I knew better—Daniel was the Gamma for a reason. He was always alert, always watching the shadows, always calculating the next move.
Getting information out of him was going to require… strategy.
I put on my best "innocent sister" face. You know what they say—make small talk, touch the arm, smile coquettishly, blink slowly while tilting your head… it works like a charm. Well, it had always worked for me when I wanted something from the pack's higher-ups.
"Hi! Good day, Dan. What's up?" I said, my voice bright and airy as I glided toward him.
He jumped slightly, his head snapping toward me. "Hi, Lo—Sophie," he stammered, his face instantly flushing a delicious shade of pink. "How's… how's everything? How're you doing? Where are you headed? Do—do you need an escort?"
He fired off the questions so fast I almost laughed. Sigh. This was going to be even more amusing than I thought.
"Daniel, relax. I don't bite," I said, letting a little chuckle escape. "Besides, you're the Gamma—you outrank me, so breathe. Everything's great. I was actually looking for Hazel Thornblood. My brother asked me to keep her company and ask a few questions, but he stormed off before telling me where she is. Now I'm just walking around like a lost creature. Jeez."
He scratched the back of his neck, his gaze drifting away toward the ceiling. I saw that familiar focus in his eyes—he was about to mind-link someone.
Oh no. I knew that look. He was trying to confirm my story with the Alpha. Damn. I thought he trusted me more than that. I thought he liked me. If he linked my brother and Caleb found out I was hunting for his mate, I was dead meat before I even reached the door.
Think, Sophie. Think. I needed a distraction. Something quick, something physical, something so convincing he'd forget all about his mental link.
I pretended to trip over my own feet. But I didn't just stumble; I put my whole heart into it. I lunged forward with just enough force to make it believable, and I "accidentally" collided straight into his chest.
The impact was solid. We both went down. Hard.
I landed right on top of him, my hands splayed across his chest. I felt his breath hitch, the air leaving his lungs in a sharp whoosh. And just like that—his ears turned a bright, vivid red that matched his blush.
Sometimes I really wondered how someone this adorable—this shy, flustered, and soft—ended up being the fierce Gamma of the Blackmoor pack. It didn't add up at all, but I wasn't complaining.
I chuckled softly, lifting my head just enough to look directly into his eyes. And wow. Up close, they were… distracting. Very, very, very distracting. My gaze drifted down to his lips for a split second. Dayum. They looked… edible. Like a forbidden snack.
When I looked back into his eyes, the color had shifted. A darker, deeper blue. His wolf was clawing at the surface, reacting to the proximity. Oops. I quickly scrambled off him, smoothing my clothes, and offered him my hand to help him up.
"I'm sorry!" I said quickly, my heart doing a little dance. "I'm kind of in a rush. Ben will be mad if I don't do what he asked. Please, Dan… do you know where Hazel is?"
He looked down at our hands—our fingers were still intertwined as he stood up—and he blushed even harder, his grip tightening for just a fraction of a second before he realized what he was doing.
"Uhm… yeah… yes," he stuttered, his voice an octave higher than usual. "She's in the Alpha's room."
The Alpha's room?
Of course. The most obvious place in the entire palace. Stupid, stupid me. I should've checked there first. Caleb wouldn't put his mate in a guest room; he'd put her in his sanctuary, where he could guard the door himself.
"Kay, thanks, Dan. Byeeeee!" I called over my shoulder, already halfway down the hall before he could even find his voice to reply.
My heart was racing now, a mix of the adrenaline from the fall and the anticipation of what was coming. I made my way toward the Alpha's private quarters, the air growing heavier with Caleb's scent the closer I got.
It was time to finally meet her. Time to see the girl who managed to break through my brother's icy exterior and claim a spot as his mate.
Time to find out if she was truly worthy of being my sister-in-law—or if I'd have to be the one to protect my brother from his own fate.