Not My Mate - Finished

Chapter Twenty One - Mages

I woke in a bed. Confused, I opened my eyes to see an unfamiliar room. As promised, I wasn't hurt. The bed was comfortable, but I didn't know where I was. I remembered the strange interaction with the man in the house, and began to get afraid.

A young girl, maybe 14, entered the room with a plate in her hands. “Are you hungry, Alpha?” She asked. I nodded.

“Where am I?” I asked.

“I can't tell you the location, but we are not with a pack.” She said. “Eat. Things will be explained soon. Can I get you anything else?”

“No, thank you.” I said. She nodded and left. I was afraid, again. I took a few bites of food, but my stomach tossed quickly and I became sick, throwing up over the side of the bed.

“You'll have to forgive me. I was unaware of your condition before you arrived.” A calm voice said. A woman entered the room. She had icy white hair, fair skin, and striking blue eyes. She wore purple robes.

A high priestess. The most advanced of mages. Mages were a race. They were not werewolves, they did magic. Their powers were beyond belief and they spent years training in academies. They also ran The High Counsel, a group of individuals from many races who helped keep the peace between races.

“Who are you?” I asked. “Where am I?”

“My name is Erika. I am a high priestess. I was asked by the Air Moon pack to investigate your situation with your Alpha. If I have been correctly informed, you were separated from your mate to marry an Alpha of a rival pack to create an alliance between the packs. Is this correct?” She asked.

“That is correct. I am from Earth Moon. My father is the Alpha. My mate was Seth, the Beta of Earth Moon. Kayne's mate was a human, she died in childbirth. He offered alliance to my father in exchange for my hand in marriage. I left Seth and married Kayne, he's the Alpha of the fire moon pack. It was scary, at first, but Kayne and I are very happy. We have a son, Luka, and a new baby on the way. Seth, my mate, remarried as well, to Makayla. Her mate, Dylan, was taken for the same reason to Spirit Moon.” I explained to her.

“With all due respect, sweet girl, that is just not natural. There has been a lot of concern within the Counsel on whether we can allow this kind of thing to happen in the future. Mates are decided by the Goddesses and the Three Maidens of Fate. There is no separating mates. If your mate dies, you do not have a mate. There is no borrowing or trading. This is disrupting the natural flow of fate and the universe.” She said.

“We're all happy, ma'am. I know it seems hard to understand.” I said.

“The universe is not happy. The Goddesses are not happy. Our prophet has seen so. She has been greatly distressed. We cannot allow this.” She said. A prophet was a special type of mage who was in tune with the other world... the world of the Gods.

“Okay... maybe. Why did you kidnap me, though? There wasn't a more civil way to get me here?” I asked.

“My apologies, Bria. Air Moon and Spirit Moon are rival packs with Fire Moon. They needed to create a distraction for your Alpha so I could bring you in quietly. I mean no harm to you, but I would rather keep you here while we investigate. Disruption of fate such as this may be punishable by death. Your father and your husband would both be responsible.”

“No.” I growled. “They didn't know. The Elders didn't say. Please. You can't kill them. They didn't know.”

“No need to get upset, Bria. I will ensure we take all evidence into consideration.” She said. She stepped toward the bed. “May I? It won't hurt the child.” She extended a hand to my belly.

“Sure.” I said shortly.

She placed a hand on my belly and went quiet, closing her eyes and leaning her head forward.

“This is not your Alpha's baby. I sense it.” She said, raising an eyebrow. Mages were almost completely all-knowing.

“No. It's Seth's. My mates.” I said. “Kayne didn't want me to be unhappy. He allowed me to continue my relationship with my mate. I'm carrying my mate's child.” 

“Your son, he will belong to Earth Moon, then?”

“If he's a boy.”

“It is a boy.” She assured. My heart dropped.

“Then yes, he will be their Beta.”

“This changes things. Hang tight, Bria. Please do let someone know if you need anything.” She said. 

She exited the room. My head was spinning. I had never interacted with mages before, but I knew about them from what we learned in school. This was terrifying. 

My breasts ached from fullness. I thought about Luka and realized I didn't have my phone. I prayed he was safe. I called for someone who brought me a breastpump to relieve my discomfort. The girl assured me Luka was safe with my mother and would not be harmed.