Keira sat on the riverbank, wearing Wade's extra-large t-shirt, staring at her reflection. The sun had begun to set in the sky, casting long shadows. Wade had stayed with Sabelina for many hours until she felt calm enough to shift back and hand over the reins to Keira.
Since Wade had been heading to morning training, he had brought a bag with a change of clothes. Seeing Sabelina ready to shift into her human form, Wade hurried off to find his bag. He had offered Keria his clothes to wear until she was ready to head back to the pack house.
Sabelina wasn't ready to confront Donovan or Nolan, so Keira decided to stay a bit longer. It wasn't as if she was doing anything important in the pack; they wouldn't miss her. Donovan had made it clear that all he needed Keira for was to stabilize his pack.
Keira scowled and turned her head away from her reflection. Hearing heavy feet approach, Keirs stiffened and became alert. Something told her that it wasn't Wade approaching.
Catching the scent, Keira snarled. It was Donovan's scent she had scented. He was approaching.
'What the hell does he want?' Keira wondered.
Keira watched as the massive black wolf slowly made its way through the heavy brush; their head was lower as if looking guilty.
'That must be Nolan,' Keira thought, not taking her eyes off of him. 'No way Donovan would ever approach like that.'
"Keira," Nolan greeted softly.
"Nolan," Keira said.
Silence filled the air between them.
"I want to apologize for Donovan's behavior," he began.
"I don't want to hear it," Keira interrupted him before he continued. "Your apology doesn't mean anything to Sabelina or to me. It's not you who should be apologizing; it's Donovan, and I highly doubt he would ever do that."
"Keira, please," Nolan pleaded. "Things are not how you think they are."
Keira narrowed her eyes at him. "So Victoria wasn't naked in the same bed as Donovan? You're telling me Donovan wasn't naked either?"
"That part is true," Nolan admitted. "But nothing happened between them. Donovan was asleep after taking a shower. Donovan was still sleeping when Victoria came into the room. As soon as Donovan realized it wasn't you, he stopped Victoria. She was the one who wanted to force a mating."
Sabelina slowly raised her head, hearing Nolan's explanation.
"Donovan rejected her advances, and that's when you walked into the room," Nolan said. "Victoria even sneaked into the packhouse, and Donovan threw her out. Although we did promise to make Victoria our mate, things have changed. You're our mate, Keira. Donovan is stupid and blind; he doesn't see what he has in front of him, but I'm not like that.
"I've accepted you and Sabelina as my mate. No one else."
Keira looked away and stared into the distance. The sun's warmth could no longer be felt. It would be night soon.
"He's telling the truth," Sabelina stated quietly.
"I know he is," Keira replied.
"Sabelina," Nolan said. "I'm sorry. Victoria will be exiled from the pack as soon as she recovers. What she did is unforgivable. I know you can't forgive me right now, but please know that I never meant for this to happen."
Keira nodded and watched as Nolan slowly walked away. Once he was gone, Sabelina broke down crying.
"I might have overreacted!" Sabelina wailed loudly. "I was just so angry."
"You didn't overreact," Keira reminded her gently. "Your reactions were justified."
"What do you want to do, now?" Keira asked, needing to know.
"We should go back and help our pack," Sabelina replied, sniffing. "I'm angry and hurt, but I'm glad Nolan explained what happened."
"Ok," Keira said, standing up. "Let's go back."
Keira was getting ready to shift when Wade pounced through the overgrown brush. His medium-sized brown wolf shattered bits of dirt as he landed.
"Captain," he greeted, panting. "I saw Alpha Donovan leave a few minutes ago, and I didn't want to interrupt."
"Thanks, Wade," Keira replied, giving him a small smile.
Wade looked away, embarrassed. "Are you heading back?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Would you like a ride?" Wade asked, uncertainly. "It'll be dark when we get back. The pack doesn't have patrol way out here by the river."
"Won't the pack get the wrong impression?" Keira questioned. "What of your mate?"
Wade pouted and looked away. "I don't have one. I can take you as far as the forest, then we can walk the rest of the way."
"Sabelina?" Keira asked. She wanted to know if that was acceptable to her.
"It's fine," Sabelina agreed.
"Alright," Keira agreed.
Wade crouched lower, waiting for Keira to mount him. Keira walked over, turned, and sat; she got on side-saddle. Keira grabbed hold of some of Wade's fur as he slowly stood and began making his way back to the packhouse.
Keira was grateful for the silence. She took this time to look around. The forest was full of life, birds chirped, and insects hummed and flew by. Keira was so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed that Wade had stopped walking.
"Alpha Donovan," Wade greeted.
Keira blinked a few times and focused on the dark figure in front of them. Donovan stood next to an oak tree; the shadows of the forest bathed him in darkness. As the shadows moved, Keira realized that Donovan was naked.
"He must have been waiting for us," Sabelina concluded.
"Keira," Donovan said. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"
Keira ran her tongue over her top teeth before nodding. She patted Wade's back, signaling that she wanted to be put down. Wade slowly crouched and waited for Keira to dismount. She slowly stood and pulled down her shirt.
"Be careful on the way back," Wade called out before rushing away.
Keira waited for Donovan to speak.
"Why were you riding him?" Donovan asked. "Don't you know that's forbidden if you're mated. A she-wolf is only ever meant to ride her mate."
"Is that all you have to say?" Keira asked, ignoring his question. "Is your reputation all you care about?"
"I care about your reputation," Donovan growled softly. "What would the rest of the pack think if they saw you just now?"
Keira scoffed and rolled her eyes. "If you cared about my reputation, like you claim you do, you would have gotten rid of Victoria the moment you realized I was your mate."
"I do car-"
"Don't lie," Keira interrupted. "You only care about your promise to Victoria's parents. News flash, genius, her parents have been dead for over 10 years. My parents took Victoria in when she was 5 years old after rogues killed her parents.
"I don't know which parents you made your promises to, but I can assure you, those aren't her real parents. Victoria left with Jason after the ceremony. She went to join his pack."
Keira ran her fingers through her hair. 'I can't believe this idiot is my mate.'
"You need to figure out what it is you want," Keira continued. "Your duty is to your mate and your pack, not some women to whom you made promises."
Keira took a second to look at him. Donovan simply watched her, his gaze unwavering. With that, Keira turned, intending to walk past him. She wanted to put distance between them.
Suddenly, a hand shot out, unyielding, gripping the fabric of Wade's t-shirt. Before Keira could react, a swift, powerful tug ripped through the material. The shirt tore with a sharp, rending sound, and in an instant, the oversized shirt was gone, leaving Keira standing in the cool forest air, as exposed as Donovan himself.
A gasp escaped her lips, quickly followed by a blush that crept up her neck and face. Her eyes, wide with shock, met his. Without thinking, fueled by a primal surge of anger and humiliation, her hand flew, connecting with a sharp crack against his cheek.
Donovan flinched, but a slow smirk spread across his lips. He didn't seem to care about the sting or the insult. His gaze was fixed on Keira.
"I don't like you wearing Wade's clothes," he said, his voice a low growl. "I brought some for you."
Donovan gestured with his chin towards a small, neatly folded pile of fabric lying on the mossy ground a few feet away. Keira growled. She snatched the torn remnants of the t-shirt, trying to cover herself, and began to stalk away again.
But Donovan was too fast. In a blur, he was behind her, his naked form pressing against her back. His arms wrapped around her waist, pinning her to him. The warmth of his skin, the hard planes of his muscles, the unmistakable scent of him – it all flooded her senses.
"You're not going anywhere," he murmured, his voice rumbling against her ear, "without any clothes on."
His grip tightened, pulling her flush against his body, the contact sending a shiver down her spine.
"Let go," Keira warned.
"No," Donovan breathed in her ear. "I don't want you wearing his clothes. You can only wear mine. You're my mate, not his."
"Oh, now you know I'm your mate," Keira sneered. "Donovan, let go."
"My mate," Donovan repeated. "No one else."
Sabelina was happy to hear his declaration.
"Just put the clothes on," Sabelina pleaded. "Otherwise, I'll take over and ride him."
Keira huffed. "Alright, I'll put something else on."
Donovan slowly released her before going to pick up the pile of clothes. He handed her a blank shirt. Keira quickly dressed as Donovan slipped his shorts on.
"Let's go," Donovan said. "We'll miss dinner at this point."
Keira slightly nodded and walked alongside him. Neither of them spoke.