Never Leave, A Human Mate - (Book 2 The Mist Series)

~Chapter 24 - Love in the Raine~

~Louise~

Elder Alba’s gaze felt like a tangible force, holding me captive where I sat on the threadbare rug. It tugged, insistent and undeniable, dragging my focus away from the joyous chaos of the triplets’ playful shrieks and laughter that filled this space. The evening sun danced through the open window behind me, making her blue eyes sparkle with an intensity that would make any person take pause. This was a stare that commanded not just attention, but reverence, a stare that could make even the most confident soul falter. It was no surprise Alba was an Elder.

Across the room, Elder Darius, usually a picture of calm and playful authority, was locked in a tense video call on the laptop. His brow furrowed as he conversed with Alpha Silas, Alpha Hugo, and Alpha Zhan. The topic of conversation was clear, even over the conversation in my mind—more missing delta warriors from all the packs. Joseph, Tyrone, Elder Adelaris, and Alpha George stood nearby and listened intently. Their stances radiated a controlled tension that spoke volumes of the severity of the situation.

Their meeting was a serious matter, one that weighed heavily on all our minds, but it was Elder Alba’s gaze, and the profound telepathic conversation she was having with Faith, my wolf’s soul, that held me utterly captive. I could feel Elder Alba gently probing, not with force, but with understanding, unravelling threads of agony that Faith had kept tightly knotted for centuries. My wolf had admitted years ago that the subject of her siblings had been a pain she wasn’t ready to face. But now that Freya had returned to us, it seemed Alba knew the right words to make my wolf open up

“There was a fire…” Faith sighed, her voice tight. “These men from the local village had been after Freya’s hand in marriage… but our father only wanted the best for his daughters and rejected them.” There was a slight pause before she continued. “And one night, the broke into our cabin. Fenrir hid Freya and me under a trapdoor, but he stayed to fight with our father. But…” she trailed off.

Her pain ran through my body, making all the hairs stand on edge. Alba’s eyes seemed to intensity at her words. I swallowed a nervous breath. Meanwhile, the triplets were blissfully ignorant of the heavy secrets swirling around them. Charlotte, with the focused intensity of a tiny architect, would meticulously construct the tower, each block placed with deliberate care. Then, Carter, a whirlwind of pure chaos, would gleefully obliterate it, sending the brightly coloured pieces scattering across the floor. Celeste, ever the observer, sat perched on my lap, her eyes wide and intelligent as she watched her fathers.

“Freya helped me escape when the men set our cabin on fire,” Faith continued. “But what she doesn’t know is that those men found me…”

“No…” I breathed, horrified whisper escaping my lips. My hand flew to my mouth in order to muffle the shock.

Faith exhaled a trembling breath. “They did some unspeakable things to me. Things I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Then, they left me for dead, broken and bleeding in the forest. I reached out to anyone, anything, for a lifeline, for an end to the agony… and that’s when the Moon Goddess appeared. She offered me life, a new beginning, a purpose. And with her aid, I returned to the cabin, to the ashes, and I helped rescue Fenrir and Freya’s bodies from the smouldering ruins. They were gone, but their essence lingered.”

“And she saved them… turned them into werewolves.” Elder Alba added, her voice a soft hum, her eyes finally relaxing, the intense focus replaced by a profound understanding that seemed to reach into the very core of my soul. But her shoulders remained tense.

“Yes,” Faith snorted, a bitter, hollow sound that echoed in my mind. “But Freya doesn’t see it that way. She feels like I stole her death from her, like I denied her peace. She believes I snatched her from the embrace of the Afterlife because of my own selfishness…”

“Oh, Faith…” I sighed, the words a gentle caress in my mind, pressing my hand more firmly to my heart, willing the ache in her ancient spirit to lessen. “I highly doubt she thinks that. You saved her. You rescued her. She was suffering, dying, and you gave her a second chance…”

With a wordless mental command, Alba shifted from where she was seated, breaking the mind link with Faith smoothly. Both Faith and I watched her as she stood, her movements graceful and fluid, and turned to face Elder Darius.

I glanced at him and saw why. Something was unsettlingly different about him. His usual composed posture was gone, replaced by a rigidness. The recent threat of Maddison, Salista, and Josephine had been terrible—an external menace. But this was something else entirely. He was agitated, his eyes wide with a primal alertness, a feral glint I’d never seen before, that sent shivers of unease down my spine.

“Darius?” Alba’s voice cut through the tension in the room, her attention snapping to him with the speed of a predator. She could sense the unsettling shift.

He rolled his broad shoulders, a deep, guttural sound rumbling in his chest, attempting to soothe the beast within, but the effort was futile. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, his nails digging crescent moons into his palms.

“Darius?” Elder Adelaris repeated. A worry deepened the lines around his eyes. He reached out, his hand extending towards his fellow Elder, but the moment his finger brushed Darius’s arm, he recoiled as if burned. He pulled his hand back sharply, hissing under his breath. “That’s odd…”

“Is it something Salista or Josephine might have done?” I asked, trying to inject a dose of normalcy into the bizarre. I carefully placed Celeste with her siblings, who had momentarily paused their game, sensing the shift in the adult atmosphere, then pushed myself to my feet, my muscles stiff from sitting. “Elder Darius, do you feel okay?”

Tyrone let out a half-laugh, shaking his head with a knowing look. “I think Elder Darius might have sensed his mate?”

The air in the room thickened. Every breath was held captive, suspended in the sudden, shocking silence. Even the alphas on the laptop, who had been muttering their concerns just moments before, had gone silent, their images frozen on the screen like startled deer.

Elder Alba circled Darius then, a silent grace in her light steps. She studied him from head to toe. Her movements were slow, deliberate, as if she were assessing a wild animal trapped in a cage. For some reason, Elder Darius was wrestling with himself, fighting a force only he could feel. She stopped before him, her wolf instinct reading his, understanding the tumultuous storm inside him. A laugh, soft, filled with an innocent playfulness that belied the building tension, bubbled from her throat. It was a sound of recognition. She tilted her head, her eyes sparkling, and turned towards the door, her expression expectant.

Even before the knock, the sweet, comforting scent of Raine filled my nostrils, a wave of familiar warmth that somehow intensified the knot of dread forming in my stomach. No, this couldn’t be happening. My dear, playful Lorraine, who saw the world in vibrant hues, the one who always knew how to make me laugh, the one who dreamt of a quiet life, was Elder Darius’s mate? The thought was absurd, terrifying.

“Louise,” she called through the door, her voice a warm melody of concern that made Elder Darius snap his head towards the sound, his ears twitching, his eyes widening further. “I thought you might need a sweet treat… I made those pecan tarts you like.” Her voice trailed off, a hint of uncertainty creeping in as she sensed the strange stillness within the room.

No! My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat of fear and disbelief.

“No!” Faith echoed, her fear as ripe as mine.

Tyrone and Joseph, sensing my escalating fear, sensing the primal shift in Darius, instinctively moved. With synchronised grace, they positioned themselves, one on either side of the door, placing their bodies between the entrance and Elder Darius.

In our casual conversations with the endlessly entertaining Elder, we had gleaned snippets about the mating ritual of Elders, a process far more intense and potentially dangerous than that of the average werewolf. It was an ancient, powerful bond, capable of immense devastation or unparalleled creation. It was the reason he had always dreaded finding his mate, the reason he had lived a solitary life for centuries, fearing the uncontrollable power it unleashed.

And it was the very reason I was suddenly terrified for my dear friend.

“Mate!” Raine’s voice boomed from behind the door, the playful, sweet lilt completely gone. It was a guttural growl, with a primal possessiveness that echoed Darius’s own shifted state. A clatter echoed immediately after—the sharp sound of ceramic shattering against polished wood, as whatever sweet offering she had held crashed to the floor.

Elder Darius took a single, deliberate step forward, then froze, his face a mask of internal conflict so profound it twisted his features. His eyes, usually warm, had shifted to an eerie, metallic black, a swirling void that made Faith growl deep within my mind. It was a warning, a desperate surge of protective instinct from her. We hadn’t seen his wolf form yet, not truly, but judging by Faith’s reaction, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

“We must let nature play its course,” Elder Alba declared, her voice resonating with an ancient wisdom, her eyes gleaming with genuine amusement. She clapped her hands together once, a sharp sound in the tense silence, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

Elder Adelaris simply nodded, his arms still crossed over his chest. His face remained cynical, unmoving, as if he’d witnessed this bonding spectacle a thousand times before and found it mildly tiresome.

I knew better than to stand between a werewolf and its mate, especially an Elder. The repercussions could be catastrophic. But this was Raine—my sweet, innocent, adorable Raine. The thought of her caught in the crossfire of whatever primal urge was consuming Darius sent a wave of protectiveness surging through me.

Faith, sensing my apprehension, sensing the danger, pushed to the forefront of my mind, her immense power humming beneath my skin, almost visible as an aura. I edged closer to the visibly tormented Elder, my own instinct to defend overriding good sense.

He rolled his shoulders again, a motion that seemed to physically wrench him, the effort to suppress his instincts requiring willpower. He was battling a force that could tear lesser men apart. “Luna Louise…” His voice was strained, barely a whisper, ragged at the edges.

“Wait!” I blurted out, pointing a clawed finger at him, the sharp obsidian nail glinting in the office light. He didn’t react with anger, didn’t lash out, didn’t even flinch, which only heightened my unease. His restraint was more unsettling than any outburst. “Lorraine means more to me than anything, and if you—”

“—Louise,” he interrupted, his voice suddenly clearer, though still laced with desperation. With a swift motion, he tore off his heavy coat, letting it fall forgotten to the floor, and dropped to his knees, a posture of desperate submission. He was like a man fighting an invisible, overwhelming enemy, battling the very core of his being, a silent war raging behind his black eyes.

I lowered my arm, the defiant gesture superseded by the sheer, raw vulnerability he displayed. He peered up at me, his body trembling violently, a fine sheen of sweat breaking out on his brow. The memories of the moment I realised Tyrone and Joseph were my mates came flooding back—the irresistible pull, the burning hunger, the intoxicating pain of connection.

Tyrone’s hand landed on my shoulder, a familiar, grounding presence. His breath whispered in my ear. “It’s the werewolf’s mate bond, Louise. We need to let it happen.”

“But Tye, it’s Raine,” I said defensively, my voice tight with worry. “She’s a gamma, she’s not… she’s not built for this kind of power.”

“And she’s tough enough to handle it,” Joseph said, his voice surprisingly calm amidst the chaos. He reached for my hand, his strong fingers intertwining with mine. “I trust her… and I trust Darius. More than you know.” The unspoken history between him and the Elder hung in the air.

“Please?” Darius pleaded again, his eyes desperate, looking more like a lost and vulnerable man than a powerful Elder.

I sighed, the fight draining out of me. I nodded my head reluctantly, taking a step aside. “Fine. But if you hurt her…”

A genuine grin, the first I’d seen since this whole mess started, spread across his face. “Then I’ll let Faith kill me…”

“Fine!” I repeated, my voice laced with resignation. The image of Faith happily tearing Darius limb from limb flashed through my mind, offering a small, twisted comfort.

He rose to his feet, his movements suddenly fluid and purposeful. He stepped towards the door, his hand hovering over the knob. Taking a deep breath, he cautiously pulled it open. “Mate!” The growl ripped from his throat, a sound of pure, unadulterated need as Raine’s face came into view.

Raine stood there, a vision in a ruffled apron and chocolate stains, her usually bright eyes blazing with an intensity I’d never seen before. The sugary casualties from her plate were scattered around her feet like fallen soldiers. The air crackled with an energy that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

“Elder Darius,” she breathed, her voice a husky whisper that sent another shiver down my spine. She took a hesitant step forward, her gaze locked on him, her nostrils flaring as she inhaled his scent. “You’re my mate? But you’re an elder!”

Darius didn’t answer. He simply stood there, a monument to raw desire and barely contained power, his eyes still a disconcerting shade of black. The silence stretched, thick and heavy, punctuated only by the soft whimpers of the triplets in the playpen. They too seemed to sense the change in the atmosphere, their usual playful energy replaced with a quiet apprehension.

“Mate,” Raine repeated, this time with more certainty, more conviction. A flicker of understanding crossed her face, followed by a surge of something that looked suspiciously like excitement. My stomach churned. This was really happening. My sweet Raine had found her mate!

Without another word, she launched herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck as her legs wound around his waist. Darius instinctively caught her, his grip tightening around her small frame. A low growl rumbled in his chest, a sound that vibrated through the room.

And then they kissed.

It wasn’t a gentle, chaste kiss. It was raw, passionate claiming, a desperate merging of souls that sent sparks flying. I averted my eyes, feeling like I was intruding on something incredibly private and intensely powerful.

Tyrone squeezed my hand, a silent reassurance. “Lorraine will be fine. She’s a tough cookie.”

Elder Alba chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Well, that’s that, then,” she declared, clapping her hands together. “An elder has finally found a mate. I’m so happy!”

Darius broke the kiss, his breathing ragged, his eyes regaining a semblance of their usual blue, though still flecked with dark intensity. He held Raine close, his forehead resting against hers.

“I’ve waited so long for you, little wolf,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “So long.”

Raine looked up at him, her eyes shining with a mixture of awe and trepidation. “I can’t believe this!”

Darius took a deep breath. “You’re the one I’ve been waiting for. I won’t hurt you. I will protect you with my life.”

Raine’s face flushed, her eyes sparkling with a newfound strength. Could she really handle this? Could she adapt to this new reality, this powerful connection with an Elder?

“Darius, I trust you,” she said, her voice firm. “Mate!”

He grinned, a genuine, heartfelt smile that eased some of my worry. “Are you ready? Do you accept me?”

Raine took a deep breath, her chin lifting in a defiant gesture. “As I’ll ever be,” she said. “I accept you, Darius!”

“The guest house is yours,” Joseph offered, a wry chuckle in his voice, already anticipating their need for privacy.

“Thank you,” Raine murmured, already pulling Darius closer.

With a final, possessive look at us, Darius carried Raine down the stairs and out of sight, leaving behind a lingering scent of primal desire.

I looked at Tyrone and Joseph, my heart still pounding in my chest. “What do we do now?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. “We still have this war to discuss?”

Elder Alderis stepped forward and uncrossed his arms. “I’ll fill Darius’s place until he returns.”

Elder Alba laughed a rich, knowing sound. “That might be a while.”