“She isn't going anywhere. I will drag her back here,” I snarled, thinking about all her camping gear on the mountain. “She is my mate.”
I pushed her to the side, bolting down the wooden stairs and sniffing the air until I caught her scent.
“Would you risk her losing your children?”
I stopped in my tracks, and my head snapped back to Shaya. Her forehead was wrinkled from her scowl, and her eyes were narrowed. I knew she had a different kind of vision from us. Her predictions had never been wrong.
“Children? As in plural?” I asked, torn between taking off and waiting to listen to the wise old witch.
“Two. They will be the strongest, surpassing any other,” she said with a nod as her face relaxed.
“Twins,” I whispered.
“They are not identical twins. They will have their differences, but together, they could take down the entire pack.”
I raised an eyebrow at her, sceptical of her prediction.
“You doubt me?”
“It sounds a little far-fetched,” I said, running my hand through my hair with frustration. “I am the strongest, the Alpha and no one could take me down.”
She smiled before she replied. “Time changes many things.”
Shayamal had been around for longer than anyone in the compound realised. Her appearance suggested the late sixties, but I knew she was over a hundred. She had lived through the British Raj era in India.
“What am I supposed to do, Shaya? Let her walk away with my kids?” I said as I began to pace and raised my hands in the air at the thought of our mate going through the pregnancy on her own.
“You bit her, and she is pregnant. She will be going through many changes, and it will be extremely stressful for her if you turn up at her door. You can keep an eye on her from a distance.”
Valor was furious at me for losing her, but his anger was now aimed at Shaya. He had his time with our mate. Shaya was right, if I turned up at our mate’s door, she could react badly, and I could risk harming our pups. I needed to get to the campsite, and with any luck, no one would have found her camping gear. All I needed was to get rid of the evidence and get her personal items. It would lead me straight to her and my precious cargo.
???
Had I known it would be so difficult to restrain myself from being with Mercy, I would never have followed Shaya’s advice. The only good news was that Mercy kicked her boyfriend out, but the idiot kept returning.
“Mercy, open this door or I swear to God—” he said, pounding on her front door until she yanked it open.
My lips parted and my dick instantly twitched when I saw her standing in the doorway holding a very large kitchen knife. Liam stumbled down the step, but unfortunately didn't fall.
“I am recording everything, and I will file for a restraining order if you continue to harass me. We are over Liam. I have told you a million times. Move on,” she said, lowering the knife.
She had a camera doorbell installed last week, so everything was recorded. My gaze dropped to her belly, and I gritted my teeth. I knew what she hid beneath her oversized T-shirt. She didn't need this stress, so I started the car and drove in the direction of the apartment where he was couch surfing.
My patience was at an end. For her sake, I’d given him three weeks.
???
I stood at the top of the cement staircase, flicking through all the photos of Mercy on my phone—mementoes of my time in her town. She was a passionate woman with strong emotions, which the pregnancy seemed to have exacerbated. I smiled in the darkness. The stairwell had no lighting since I smashed it to pieces.
His foul stench came first, followed by footsteps. I waited until he was close enough before leaping out, gripping his head, twisting it until I heard the satisfying crunching sound. His lifeless body was a dead weight. I pushed him down the stairs and watched him tumble until he hit the lower landing before I stepped over him to get back to Mercy.
He was given a merciful death, Valor wanted me to torture him. Now we could trail her for the next two months in peace.
Chapter 6
Mercy
It still dumbfounded me that the old witch had let me escape. She gave me directions on how to reach the main road, and the beast hadn’t pursued me. Then there was the ash she had smeared over my forehead and hair. Gross. The woman continued to unnerve me. Instinct told me that I wasn't safe.
