h4Chapter 91: She Already Has A Mate/h4

    strongLucian’s POV/strong

    Jason and Rafe stood in front of Roman to block Kaizan’s view of Eira, while Kael and I stood facing him.

    The shameless bastard smirked and indeed stood there unaffected. Not sure where that smugness came from.

    "Wasn’t the warning inside the council hall enough to put your mind in ce?" Kael’s voice was edged with threat. "If not, I won’t hesitate to refresh your memory of what it felt like to be crushed under my aura—like an insect beneath my boot."

    But Kaizan’s grin did not falter. "Alpha Kael," he drawled, "I came here to offer a peace deal, and you bare your fangs at me already. Will it really harm you to be calm for once—and hear what I have to say?"

    "You won’t get any bitch from our pack. Search for one somewhere else," I told him this time.

    Kaizan’s smile widened, dark amusement glinting in his eyes. "Hmm. I was about to offer you something good in exchange for that bitch my brother fucked. How about some secrets sharing?" he leaned closer, his voice like a pretentious whispers." I might let you know some inside information of what’s going against your pack and your she-wolf. All you have to do is hand that bitch over to me, who’s nothing but a traitor to your pack."

    I finally decided to ask. "Why are you so obsessed with her? Is she your mate by chance, or what?"

    Kaizan’sughter rang out, mocking, cruel. "What a wild imagination you have. But, all you need to know is that I want that bitch. At any cost." His head tilted, tried to pierce past Jason and Rafe to look at Eira. His smirk grew sharper, colder, as he said, "Or you might truly lose this one for sure."

    "Kaizan,st fucking warning." I stepped forward, closing the distance between us until we stood face to face. My voice was cold and final. "It’d be smarter not to fuck with us—or you’ll end up like Patric. And mind your filthy tongue. She’s our mate now."

    "And I am not interested in her," Kaizan said loud and clear, facing me closely. "Moreover, brs are not my type. I prefer blonds, so you can keep this one for yourself. I am giving you a week’s time to hand me over the bitch I want."

    Only if the bastard knew the bitch he was talking about was standing just a few steps away from him.

    "You can dream on. Now fuck off," I snapped.

    Just then, a sleek ck car rolled up and halted at a distance. Its door opened, and a tall figure stepped out, draped in dark clothes. His gaze locked on us instantly, sharp and scrutinizing. Even across the distance, I felt the weight of his eyes.

    "Another dog came sniffing your pureblood," Kaizan’s lips curved into an amused smirk. "And this one is not an ordinary dog."

    The neer was the Alpha of the Ravenw pack—top tier, like Kael. The air shifted at once, heavy with Kael’s hostility as his stare burned into the man.

    "We should leave," I said, not willing to keep Eira here for long.

    Jason put his hand on Kael’s shoulder. "Let’s go."

    Kael hummed, his gaze never leaving that neer.

    First, we made Roman sit in the car, and then we climbed in.

    "Remember my offer," Kaizan’s voice was heard as we left.

    Through the rearview mirror, I caught sight of him and the Ravenw Alpha walking toward each other. What they intended to conspire, I couldn’t guess. But one thing was certain—we needed to be more careful about Eira’s safety.

    The ride back to the estate was tense and silent. Roman held Eira in hisp the entire way, her unconscious form curled against his chest. He had not spoken a single word since he announced her as our mate before the council.

    "She’s only unconscious because of the marking," I said, trying to ease the shadow in his eyes. "It’s natural. She’ll wake soon, and we’ll show her to Liam."

    Roman only gave a faint hum in response, his gaze never leaving her face.

    iWhat’s wrong with this guy?/i

    We reached home. By that time, the workers had fixed all the rooms inside the house.Roman, still silent, carried Eira to his own room.

    We four looked at each other, wondering what upset him. Kael signaled me to go after him, and I did.

    I saw him cing Eira on his bed gently, and then he sat by her side at the edge of the bed. His unusually quiet gaze stuck on her frail face as he brushed her scattered hair away. His gaze held tenderness, but at the same time, something was off.

    He continued to sit there, his hand moving to the almost fading mark on her neck where he had marked her. His fingertips gently caressed the red and swollen ce.

    Considering it was his intimate moment with his mate after marking her, I left. Perhaps, the day when I mark her, I would be the same.

    Once back in the drawing room, Jason asked, "Everything alright with him?"

    "Just an emotional thing after marking his mate," I said, though unsure inside if that was the case.

    We settled on the sofa and decided to talk.

    "Now Roman marked her, and he will mate with her toplete a bond," I said. "It should be enough to buy some more time against whatever wicked ns they have against us."

    "How about I take a break tonight and go on a nice blood feast?" Rafe asked as hezed on the sofa. "It’s been a while since I hunted some pureblood bastards."

    "You are not going anywhere," Kael told him with a warning. "You are not allowed to act without my permission, did you get it?"

    Rafe sighed. "Alright!"

    We knew the consequences if Rafe was caught or even fell under their suspicion. His punishment would be death, as werewolves hated vampires—even a half-werewolf like Rafe. They just needed a reason to implicate him.

    "For now, just look forward to having Romanplete his bond with her," Kael said.

    "There won’t be any bond."

    We heard Roman’s voice as he came to the drawing room. And he didn’t look like he was joking.

    "What do you mean?" I asked, while Kael said, "I know it came as a surprise for you when I asked you to mark her. But we had no other option..."

    "I’m not talking about that," Roman said, settling heavily onto the sofa. His voice was low, but firm. "What I mean is—even if I mate with her, the chances of aplete bond forming might not be possible."

    "What?" I frowned, and the others mirrored my confusion.

    Roman’s gaze moved slowly across us. "When I marked her, I felt... resistance. Something was there, blocking it. My wolf couldn’t connect with her fully. And from what I know, that only happens when a she-wolf already has a mate—when she still carries his bond."

    The words struck like ws across my chest. "What the fuck are you saying?" I snarled, furycing my voice.

    The others stiffened, their expressions hardening with the same mix of rage and disbelief.

    Here we were, nning to make her ours—our mate—and the bitch already had one? Why hadn’t she told us?

    Roman’s jaw clenched. "And worse—I think her mate is someone strong. Strong enough that even my mark couldn’t shake it."

    "This can’t be," Jason snapped. "If she had a powerful mate, then she’d be with him now. Breeding for him. You must have been mistaken."

    Rafe leaned back with a bitterugh. "Or what if she already bred for him—and he threw her aside when he realized the kind of traitorous bitch she is? Wouldn’t surprise me. She must have found him while she was fucking around during those six years."

    The air in the room grew heavy. Kael hadn’t said a word, but his face darkened, his expression cold and murderous, like a predator ready to strike.

    "Kael," I asked carefully, "what do you think?"

    His voice was cold. "Call Liam. He’ll know for sure. If she truly has another mate—then we’ll find him. And once we do, we’ll end him. Only by killing him can we break their bond."

    We all agreed to it. Time to make Liam talk now. That bastard was sure hiding something from us.