Page 1 of Challenged Mate
One
My forehead restedagainst the plane’s small oval window, staring at the sun as it rose and imparted its pink and orange glow on the delicate, white clouds below. Forty-eight hours had passed since leaving Montana, and this was the first peaceful moment I’d found since walking away from my shattered dreams.
I wouldn’t say I was resigned to my fate, but two days of traveling in silence had given me time to process everything.
I’d wallowed in self-pity and mourned the loss of my pack and the future I’d envisioned as their leader.
I’d seethed in anger, feeling the constant burn of betrayal when I thought about how my father had all but handed me over to the Wilds Pack, condemning me to mate a male I’d never met and separating me from everyone I’d ever known.
I’d also experienced a mix of denial, dismissal, and reluctant acceptance when I thought about the devastating realization my mother wasn’t who I thought she was. Apparently, she was a sorceress—a powerful sorceress, at that—and the fact I was her daughter marked me as an enemy to a group of rogue sorcerers.
I understood my father’s desire to protect me, but it wasn’t easy to accept. Part of me wished I had demanded more of an explanation from him before leaving with the Wilds Pack, but I had been too overwhelmed to think clearly. I considered calling him once I had a moment away from my current travel companions, but I wasn’t sure when that would be… or what I would say.
As if reading my mind, the pilot’s voice crackled in my headset, “We’re approximately sixty miles out. We will begin our descent shortly.”
I sat up and adjusted the bulky aviation headset over my ears, grateful for their protection. I’d never ridden in a small airplane before and was surprised by how loud the cabin was.
Chase leaned towards me. He sat on the other side of the very narrow walkway. “You feeling okay? Need water or anything?”
“I’m fine.”I replied into the mouthpiece.
Chase nodded, then sat back against his seat.
In the beginning of our trip, Chase had tried to make small talk, but after hour two of silence, he’d abandoned the plan and stuck to only asking me if I was hungry, thirsty, or needed to use the restroom.
We’d driven through Alberta, crossing into British Columbia, before finally reaching a dingy airfield in the Yukon and boarding this small, four-person plane in silence. Not even Asher and Chase spoke to one another.
I’d assumed the Wilds shifters used their pack’s unique ability to communicate in skins. They wouldn’t have spent the entire trip without speaking. They had too much to discuss. Namely, what to do with me and the bridge they just burned with the Coastal Pack by killing their alpha heir.
My stomach dropped as the plane began to descend. My eyes traveled to the front of the plane, landing on the dark-haired male who elicited equally disconcerting flips in my stomach.
Asher hadn’t said a word to me since we drove off Badlands’ territory, and I couldn’t deny his silence hurt. After everything that had been thrown my way, I’d hoped he—of all people—would feel a desire to console me.
Or offer an explanation.
Or say he was sorry.
Something.
But no.
Asher might as well be a stranger with how he ignored me.
Forget the fact we shared a fated mate bond, he barely even looked at me. Asher’s duty was to win the Alpha Games and bring me home to mate his alpha, and he seemed resigned to fulfill that duty.
No matter what it meant for us and our bond…
The plane vibrated with turbulence. I gripped the armrests on instinct. Chase spared me a reassuring smile.
I breathed in and out as the plane continued its descent. Within twenty minutes, it touched down on a runway flanked by untamed wilderness. I pressed myself back as the pilot hit the brakes. The plane shook as it slowed, then came to a stop.
Chase removed his headset and unbuckled his seatbelt. He stood, hunched over, and leaned over to open the cabin door. He exited the plane. I threw off my headset and followed.
When my feet touched solid ground, I sighed in relief. I wasn’t scared of flying, but I’d be lying if I said flying in the small plane hadn’t unnerved me.
Chase moved to the back of the plane and opened a small hatch holding our luggage. I walked over and grabbed my lone duffle bag, clutching it to me. I shivered as a crisp, fall breeze blew across the landing strip.
From the corner of my eye, I watched Asher exit the plane. Seeing Chase had retrieved our luggage, he turned back to the pilot and told him he was good to go. I was surprised the pilot wouldn’t be staying. I’d assumed he was a member of the Wilds Pack. And maybe he was. But a quick glance at my surroundings revealed no hangers to store the small plane. It seemed the airfield was only a drop-off or pick-up location.
