Page 3 of His Mate's Curves

Chapter Three

“It’s time!” Lydia shouted from the cave.

Distraught, Darya sauntered over to her mother, “I can’t do it. I’m too angry with him. I don’t think I should go.”

“You have to go. You’re required to by the council. We are to support the packs with their new alphas, one of them being Andreas. It’s a part of your job. The job that you’ve loved for years don’t let it be ruined by one man who can’t seem to decide who he wants to mate.”

Darya didn’t want to believe it. The man she loved had forsaken her and their relationship. She didn’t want to look at him, and now she had to go to the ball created to celebrate him. It didn’t sit right with her. It had been almost an entire day since she saw him kissing someone else. It was still fresh in her mind, that halfbreed coming after the man she once knew. He felt like a stranger now.

“Fine. You’re right. Let’s go see the man who broke my heart.”

Her mother nudged her neck and kissed her forehead. Darya couldn’t help but smile at the attempt to cheer her up. She always knew how to make her feel better. Plus, she would be at the party, able to be a buffer between the two females. Hanalei was lucky that the lunar cycle was in her wolf phase during his ceremony, though it was unlucky for Darya.

“Tell me again what happened,” Lukas asked him.

“Hanalei told me to go into the woods with her because she had something to tell me. So I went with her, and she basically told me she wants to be with me. She told me she wants me to pick her, and then she kissed me. I saw… Darya runs away.”

“Darya? Like the best eligible mate, Darya? The girl on the counsel for the pack next door?”

“Yep.”

Lukas shook his head, laughing, “You’re screwed.”

“I know. I just don’t know what to do.”

“Who do you love? Who do you want to mate with for the rest of your life?”

“That’s the problem, I don’t know. I don’t know who I want to mate. I want Darya. She’s the best in the state. She’s smart, she’s beautiful and strong. She knows who she is and what she wants. But every time I see Hanalei, it’s like I don’t know what to do. She’s in love with me, I obviously care about her, and I saved her, made her one of us. I have connections to them both.”

Lukas tried his best to support his best friend, “Look, you can pick who you want. But everyone, including you, expected you to wed a highly admired woman from another pack. Will you be disappointed if you end up with a half blood?”

“You’re right. I should really talk to Darya. I want her. She’s what’s best for me, for the pack, for our lives. Her passion and devotion is unmatched. I can’t imagine not being with her. I’ve dreamed of her since we met.”

“That’s what I thought. Let’s get you out to your celebration. People are here to celebrate you.”

The crowd cheered as he strutted out into the celebration. He could see Hanalei smiling at him on the side, pawing at him, asking him to come to her. With a sad look, he ignored her demands. He knew that he couldn’t be with her. Deep down, it was telling her that was the hardest part. She wouldn’t take it well.

Hanalei turned around to find Darya and her mother entering the party. Strutting over to them, she slowly bumped into Darya, hard and clearly on purpose.

“Oh my. I didn’t see you there,” she giggled with a sarcastic look.

“Very funny. Now, if you’d gladly move out of our way, we have a few packs to celebrate.”

“Oh, I’m sure you do. But let me tell you, there’s one person who probably doesn’t want your congratulations.”

“I’m here to do my job, so whenever you’re done making a fool of yourself, please get out of our way.”

With a smirk on her face, she asked, “Tell me, Darya, when you kissed him, was it as good as it was for me? I just feel like you trained him so well, and now I get to have him.”

Lydia intervened, “Listen here, you small child. I have had enough of your foul mouth talking to my daughter that way. You don’t have to be rude to Darya just because you got a minute with an eligible bachelor in town. You are a half-breed, with nothing, no rank, no mate, and no future here if you keep talking to other packs like that. You will speak to the other council members with respect. Do you understand?”

Reluctantly, she answered, “Yes, I understand. I hope you know that I’m not going anywhere.”

“How unfortunate for us all,” Darya snapped as they walked past her at last.

The two of them walked into the party, unphased by the obnoxious Darya, who walked over to stand by Lukas. He was trying not to laugh at the remarks they made. He may have liked Hanalei, but they really had some good punches in there.

“Don’t let it get to you,” he said to her.

---