Page 15 of Sold Bullied Mate

“But…” Kellen finally manages, blustering a bit, his hands flying, eyes darting around the room as though he’s looking for a reason, “…why?”

I take a moment to try and figure out what to say. I can’t tell them the truth—because Kira is, and always will be, my mate. No matter the declarations I made as an eighteen-year-old. No matter how long she’s been gone, my body yearns for her, and her alone.

Telling them that I regret my cruelty to her, that I want to make up for all the things I’ve done, all the pain I have caused her—it isn’t the right thing. And besides, it’s not them I need to tell. It’s Kira.

So, finally, I settle on the one thing that might actually make strategic sense. Something that could explain why, despite our pack’s history with this woman, I would make the choice to purchase her at the market.

“Because,” I say, raising my chin, using my most authoritative tone. “I believe she does have a gift and that she could be of great use to our pack.”

“What?” Kellen practically laughs, bringing his hand to his forehead and pushing back what meager hair he still has. “No, sir, we’ve already seen proof that—”

Kellen thinks the incident years ago was proof that Kira was lying. I think it’s just proof that she didn’t understand her gift. That she was a teenager, jumping to conclusions because she was young and inexperienced.

“Kira wasn’t doing it on purpose,” Emin says softly. “She just … I think she wanted to fit in. She didn’t understand what lying might do.”

“She was not—” Kellen turns to his son, clearly frustrated. “Kira is a liar, Emin. We’ve known this for years, and her behavior led to the death of an”—he lowers his voice, glancing at me in deference—“alpha.”

“My grandfather was eighty years old when he died,” I interrupt. “And we all told him not to engage. Kira is not a liar—she is clairaudience, and will be a huge asset to this pack if I can convince her to stay.”

“Sir, this is just—” Kellen starts, at the same time two other council members start to speak. Some of them start to murmur among themselves, and the noise volume, along with the borderline disrespect from Kellen Argent, is really starting to piss me off.

Especially given the fact that I don’t even want to be standing here right now. I want to be upstairs, talking to Kira, apologizing.

The word bursts out of me before I know that it’s happening.

“Enough!”

Without meaning to, I’ve compelled them, invoking the power I have as alpha, and every single person in the room falls completely and utterly silent, their bodies still, their heads bowed to me. I’m breathing hard, trying to reel myself in.

In a barely controlled, breathy voice, I say, “This meeting is adjourned. You are not to share any of the information you have learned today with the other pack members until I give explicit consent, understand?”

Nods go around the room.

“We’re done here,” I say, and when nobody moves, I sigh. “You can all go.”

They rise quickly, filtering out like the building is on fire. The last one to go is Emin, who pauses, looking me in the eye and putting his hand on my shoulder.

There’s something in his eye that tells me he knows this is about more than her gift, but he doesn’t press it, just squeezes once, nods, and continues on his way out the door.

Chapter 10 - Kira

My heart is beating so hard it rocks my entire body. I can practically feel the blood, thick and hot, running through my veins.

I’m standing at the top of the stairs, hands shaking, still reeling from what I’ve just heard. I came out here to eavesdrop, to try and figure out how I can get out of this house without him noticing, but now I’m rendered still, unable to move from the shock.

Dorian defended me to the council. He defended me to my father, to my brother—but why? I remember all those years ago, when I’d turned to him, pleading with him as the new alpha after the death of his grandfather.

I’d let slip what I’d known for a long time—that he was my mate.

Once again, his furious face, twisted with rage, appears in my mind’s eye.

“You are not my mate, Kira. And if you ever say something so blatantly false again, I’ll kill you myself.”

It was that night that I left, crying so hard I couldn’t see as I packed my bag and climbed from the room in my window. I missed high school graduation, missed Dorian’s official acceptance as alpha of the pack.

I’m fairly sure my brother and parents heard me leaving that night, and they did nothing to stop me. Emin was more than furious with me, I knew. According to everyone in the pack, it was my actions and mine alone that led to the death of Dorian’s grandfather.

My insistence that my premonition was right, leading all our fighters to the northern borders when the attack occurred on the west.

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