Chapter 5
1134 Words
Chapter 5
Landon's POV
I can't afford to show my weakness before the elders and certainly not before Mason. I can't look weak and shallow in front of him.
“What? You thought she was your mate?” His lips curved into a wicked grin, one I was dying to wipe away from his face.
What confused me further was that she was his mate. I was so sure that she was my mate. In fact, I knew she was my mate. She is my mate. Was I weak? Did I feel attraction towards her because of our encounter? Was that why I called her my mate without even checking?
“But… but…” Alivia stuttered and Mason glared at her.
“Would you be a darling and keep your lips together, my dear? We can put those pretty lips to good use later, if you know what I mean” he winked at her and maybe what he said was a chemical because it called for a reaction from pretty gentle Alivia.
“Well, putting my pretty lips to use involves me telling you that whatever happened now” she waved her hands between them “ wasn't a mate thing because the goddess doesn't make mistakes. Layton is my mate.”
“Landon” I corrected her and she stared at me blankly. Usually, prince charming duties should be done by the man but I do not mind being Cinderella if she's going to be my princess charming. As a very domineering man, I thought my type would be a submissive woman who does as she's told but Alicia proved me wrong.
“That's what I said, London” she rolled her eyes and faced her next victim: Mason. His initial smirk was gone I to the wind, something she beat me to wiping off his face.
“Landon. Lan-don” I spelt it out to her and she smiled.
“Okay babe. Whatever you say.”
“Now, you. We aren't mates. Whatever we felt and whatever I said was probably not true. Let's forget that, shall we.” She gave him a smile and walked back to my side.
“What do you say, Landon, we go back to our room and put my oh so pretty and cute lips to good use, huh?” She spoke with such boldness and authority. She wasn't shy. She wasn't timid. She was refreshing, something I never knew I'd need, someone I never could imagine that I would need.
“I'd love to but I have some unfinished business with the elders and your mate.” I teased her and she glared at me. I raised my hand in surrender.
**-**
“What the actual hell, Landon?” Mason snarled at me and I, in return, gave him a smirk.
“I don't know what you mean.” I said with all seriousness when in fact, it was all a lie. I wasn't serious.
“She's mine. Mine alone. Mine!” He growled and mu face contorted into a frown. The thought of Alivia's child calling him ‘dad’ pissed me off to no length.
“Well, you heard her. All decisions lie in her hands.”
“So now what? You're alpha?” He laughed. “ A bastard is alpha? You weren't even born out of love….”
“Is that why your father didn't acknowledge you as heir and instead, crowned this ‘bastard’ as alpha?” I cut his speech half way and his anger grew. He's a full blooded werewolf and the son of an alpha so he has a chance, when it comes to a duel between us both but I would never give him the satisfaction.
“Enough, Landon” Felix, Mason's uncle stopped me, in fear that I might kill Mason but I wasn't even a threat.
“So we can all now agree that I am capable of being Alpha, yes?” I asked the elders, which included Felix but I got no response.
“What? Cat got your tongues?”
“Well, considering that you both felt the mate bond with the same girl, I suggest you compete for her hand in marriage.” A voice pierced through the silence and it turned out to be Elder Garrett's voice.
“Sweet. Not only do I compete with a bastard for the throne, I also have to prove that I'm deserving of my mates love by competing with him?” Mason's very annoying voice was louder than the murmurs that erupted after Elder Garret made his opinion known.
“You could all hear when she said she was my mate so of course, there's no fighting or competing. She's my mate and Mason should sit this one out.” I silenced their opinion and left the palace. Bold of them to assume that I'd leave my mate or even participate in a duel with Mason when the answer is clear.
*_*_*_*
“Really?” Alicia giggled so loudly, I couldn't hold in my own laugh.
“That's their decision. I'll make mine. No one can tell me what to do, unless I agree to it.”
“So you'd agree to the duel? The Mason I saw back there doesn't look like someone who would be comfortable with losing. He might even resort to undue means to win.” Alivia sounded worried and I felt the urge to calm her down. I have less than two months more. Can I really allow myself to love her? Can I allow myself to feel this thing called ‘mate bond’ with her? What if I just release her to Mason? Seeing how my wolf reacted after I heard that mate balderdash, I think I know the answer.
“Calm down, babe” I teased her and she wasn't having it.
“Babe? BABE? Come on, don't play around now. It's a serious time and you should be serious too. We can't be playing around. You have to win this duel and I have to help you win. You're pumpkin’s dad.”
“Pumpkin? Is that our baby's nickname?”
“When I cane back here, I was imagining a Cinderella scenario and one of the thoughts that came to mind was finding my own pumpkin and at that moment, I felt my baby turn in me. I talked about pumpkin with the guard and the baby turned once more. When I said you're pumpkin's dad and when you waskecif pumpkin was our baby's nickname, the baby turned in me at all these times. Even now, the baby gmturbs at the thought and hearing of pumpkin.”
Pumpkin. Maybe she'd be a redhead with green eyes. I'm not much of an emotionally attached person but Alivia made me one.
- Writer
