Mated to you

Chapter 3 - Here but far

Reign stood at the head of the table; a glass of red wine held before him like a seal of power. The hall had quieted, the weight of tradition pressing into every polished surface. He raised his glass, voice smooth and commanding.

“To legacy and power. May our strength never waver, and…” His gaze cut toward Viktor. “May our loyalty hold.” Viktor didn’t flinch, didn’t look away. Then a chorus of lifted glasses shattered the tension. Reign drank, the wine bold and familiar on his tongue. But as he took another sip, the doors opened. A hush fell. The air shifted as she stepped through.

Thea.

His mate. His undoing. He wasn’t sure if she would come but her arrival was every bit a Velmirian Luna.

She moved like a goddess, her silk gown flowing behind her like smoke spun from moonlight. The midnight colours of Velmira clung to her skin and the daring plunge of her dress sent his pulse into overdrive. She didn’t walk, she descended, a moon goddess in mortal form. Every eye in the room bowed to her presence.

Reign’s throat tightened. The wine lingered, forgotten. He watched her in slow motion, each step a rupture in his composure. She hadn’t looked at him yet, maybe she was still mad.

He remembered her hike from earlier, though he hadn’t been there, he’d imagined it anyway. The way Viktor would have walked beside her, offering his stupid human warmth to comfort her, and saying things Reign never had the courage to. Then her accepting his clothes. Wearing it to what, punish him? Unlock the evil he buried inside himself, for her?

She finally reached him. He exhaled, the breath he’d been holding since she appeared. “You look beautiful.” He said, voice low, meant for her alone.

She nodded. No smile. He stepped closer to her, pulling her chair out. She sat. He didn’t touch her. Didn’t dare. But gods, he wanted to carry her away. She was his. She just didn’t know it anymore.

“Are you okay?” He asked, voice gentled for her alone.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” She drained her glass, set it down, tapped for another. The waiter rushed to fill it with their finest wine.

"We got into it a bit." He was treading lightly, but he wanted to know if she was truly okay, especially after their heated argument.

“Well, lets get over it. We can’t keep getting jealous over one another, we aren’t in a romantic relationship anymore. We need to focus on the bigger picture, the pack and Velmira.” She said, draining her glass again. Viktor glanced over, only for a moment. His eyes on the wine she was drinking. It frustrated him on how little Reign knew about humans.

Before Reign could reply to Thea, she rose to her feet, making her way round the room. She seemed to impress the other Luna’s who were finding her very amusing. It may have had a lot to do with the red wine she was drinking.

She moved through the room with perfect grace, as if she were made for this. But an hour in and something shifted. A falter in her step.

Reign saw it. Felt it. But he hesitated and in that breath of hesitation, Viktor was already beside her. His arm steadied hers, guiding her toward a quieter corner. She tried to pull away, but he didn’t let go.

“Viktor,” she said, voice tight.

“Just come with me, Thea, you're either going to pass out, be sick or both,” he replied, glancing at the wine in her hand. “You haven’t eaten all night." Her brows furrowed at the last part. "And gods know how many of those you’ve had. It’s not good for humans.”

He reached into his pocket and handed her something. “Here.” He said.

“Chocolate?” she asked, amused despite herself.

“Yes. Eat it. It’ll help. Trust me.”

She was about to argue, but the room had begun to sway. So, she took the bar and ate it quickly, swallowing down pride with sugar.

“I need to get out of here,” she murmured. “I can’t have anyone see me like this.”

“Okay, I can take you home,” Viktor said, already moving.

“No. I will.”

Reign’s voice cut through from behind him. His gaze pierced through Viktor. He hated this guy. Everyone respected Viktor, the perfect wolf, highly decorated soldier, commander and Alpha. What was more to like about him, and now his human hands wanted his mate, and of course Thea would find better qualities in Viktor verse him, for he was the feared Alpha, the evil villain in the story.

Viktor nodded. Disappointment twisted into his features. “This is why humans don’t belong with full’s,” he said, leaving a quietly furious Reign to fester on the insult.

She turned; his hand was already waiting for hers. He would deal with Viktor later. She was more important.

Thea knew, leaving with Reign was the best way to silence speculation. So, she took his hand.

He led her out, the crowd parting like shadows before him.

“I’m sorry,” Reign said, voice low as the car hummed through the quiet streets.

“Why?” Thea murmured, her head heavy against the seat.

“I should’ve known… that the wine wasn’t good for you.” His jaw tightened; disappointment etched into every word.

She didn’t respond. Her eyes fluttered once, then closed. She’d passed out, quietly, completely, in his arms.

He looked down at her, heart sinking. He couldn’t take her back to the hotel. Didn’t trust it. Didn’t trust Viktor or anyone.

So, she was going back with him. Where she’d be safe. The Western Estate.

He carried her in himself, arms steady despite the ache in his chest. Laid her gently on his bed, removing her heels for a bit of comfort. She didn’t stir.

He stood there for a moment, watching her breathe. Then turned away, taking the couch at the end of the bed.

He lay there; eyes fixed on the ceiling. Sleep wouldn’t claim him tonight.

Not with her so close. And not with knowing that another man had known how to care for her more than he did tonight.

It was more failure than jealousy now that he thought about it.

He was an Alpha of a country. One of the largest and strongest packs in the world, yet he failed to care for his mate.

The thought hollowed him.

What else had she been exposed to? What had she endured in silence, without complaint, without him?

The question clawed at him, and it sent him mad.