Page 25 of Targeted By Temptation
I wasn’t marked, and I still understood all the reasons why I shouldn’t be yet. His questioning had me wondering if that had been a mistake, one that was going to make this bad situation a million times worse.
“I’m his mate.” I barely forced the words out.
“Hmm. But you’re not mated.” Victor squinted as he looked in my eyes. What was he hoping to see? “Explain. Why aren’t you mated?”
It felt personal, personal in a way I didn’t want to discuss. And that was partly because in my head, mating and sex went together, and I’d barely had my first time… and my second, and my third. But that didn’t matter, it was still new to me, and thinking about that when answering a question made me want to hide in a hole.
“You need to explain, omega.”
Funny how when Ezra called me omega, I felt on top of the world. I was valued and important and revered. But whenhesaid it, I felt dirty and gross and like nothing more than property.
“I’m not marked out of respect for the agreement you had with my father. It needs to… we need it terminated first, otherwise it’s nothing more than a slap in your face because I have a true mate.”
“I see.”
There was something about those two words that really irked me. “I see.” Was thatI understand, orI heard your words and you’re full of garbage, orI see, and it doesn’t matter? There were so many ways to translate it, but before I could say another word, one that might get me the clarification I needed, my father interrupted the conversation.
Knowing him, he was going to make the entire situation worse. Which, given he created it in the first place, was saying something.
“The arrangement will not be terminated. My son is yours, just as promised. The marriage is going on as planned. Don’t listen to what he has to say. He’s my son, and he will obey.”
“Ezra is my mate.” This time when I said it, I was loud and forceful. Ezra was mine, and marrying anyone else was so far off the table it was in another country.
The Alpha walked around me, getting between my father and me. “That’s not how this works, human.”
Human came out like a dirty word. Or maybe that was just the disdain he had for my father. It was something we had in common, mine growing by the second.
There were audible gasps, and I wasn’t even sure from who… Both sides, I think.
“Your son is Ezra Grey’s true mate. There’s no denying that. He belongs with Ezra, and as distasteful as that is to me, and unfortunate for you, that’s the way it is. There aren’t many I will cower to, but fate… fate is one. The other has long since left this plane. Messing with fate destroys your own. I know better, and even as a human, you should know better, too.”
This was good. This wasverygood. I was going to be okay. I was going to mate with my mate, live my happy life. Although, as much as I wanted that, I knew it could never be as easy as that. Viktor wasn’t doing this out of kindness. He felt cornered into the decision. There was no way he wasn’t going to want something in return.
“You still owe me a replacement,” he said to my father.
And there it was.
My father went to argue, and Viktor’s hand went to his gun.
“You heard me, human. You owe me a replacement, one that meets all the criteria your son does. Understood?”
What criteria was that? A college education? A shitty father? A nice ass? It could be anything.
My father didn’t reply, just stood there, looking like he wanted to rip the Alpha’s neck out.
“And to make sure you follow through, he stays with me until you provide one.”
A growl ripped from my mate’s chest. This was not going to end well.
The question was—for who?
13
EZRA
"That's not happening."
The words were out of my mouth before Viktor finished speaking. Stay with him? Like hell. Reign wasn't going anywhere near the Stravon compound, replacement or no replacement.
