My Arrogant Mate
Chapter 39

"We only have-"

Before I could even finish my sentence, Silvan hit Bene's face so hard that he immediately fell sideways onto the forest floor.

My heart almost jumped out of my chest and I watched wide-eyed as he pounded on him over and over like a maniac.

"Stop it!", I screamed desperately and wanted to pull him away from him by his white shirt, but Igor immediately grabbed me and held me captive with a tight grip.

Even as a human he was stronger than I was in human form and no matter how I felt about Silvan, I couldn't stand by and watch him beat him to death.

A menacing growl emanated from the depths of my throat while my whole body started to tremble and when Igor realized what was happening to me, he immediately let go of me for his own good. Angry and with a racing heart, I endured the transformation, felt the beautiful dress tear and immediately jumped between Silvan and Bene to confront my mate, growling.

"Jade! Get out of the way!" he yelled at me expressionlessly, but I didn't think about it at all.

HE DID NOTHING WRONG! I yelled at him over the mate line, hoping he'd just drop it and listen to me.

The smell of blood hung everywhere in the air and it gave me an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach when I just heard Bene panting weakly behind me.

Such a damn shit!!!

"Done nothing!?!? At the party you two talk alone, exchange some secrets and then I find you here in the middle of the forest, far away from everyone else, doing what exactly!? Explain to me!"

I saw the desperation in his dark eyes only too well and I even understood his hatred because I had to admit that it all looked really suspicious...

But I was marked and he should know that no wolf would be interested in me anymore, when his intense scent encapsulated everything about me.

THERE IS SOMETHING BENE TOLD ME AND IT IS NOT MY RIGHT TO TALK ABOUT HIS SECRETS, NOR DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BEAT HIM HALF DEAD!

Breathing heavily, Silvan ran his hands through his hair, looked back and forth between me and Igor, completely taken aback, and then wiped his bloody hands on his suit trousers.

"Igor," he then turned to the bald guy, who looked in rather startled. "Take Bene to the doctor and don't leave his side until I get there."

When Igor then just nodded silently and carefully lifted the injured Bene into his arms, we watched the two of them until we couldn't see them anymore.

"Transform back, now!" he ordered in a trembling voice, bending down to pick up the torn remains of my dress. He picked up my underwear, looked at me intently, and then waited for me to slide back into human form, completely naked.

He only looked me in the eye, even though I felt that it was difficult for him, and then handed me my panties so that at least I didn't feel completely naked, and then handed me his shirt, which he had unbuttoned during my transformation. "Now tell me what's up with Bene," he then demanded as I put on his shirt and then wrapped it around me, while my gaze briefly fell on his bare chest, which distracted me far too much.

"I can't. It's-"

"You can!" he interrupted me loudly and got so close to me that our lips almost touched. "And you will! I realize that nothing happened between you, but Bene has already screwed up enough and I would have expected loyalty from you at least!"

I swallowed hard, already feeling the tree against my back as I watched its irises dart across my face in anger.

So he wasn't at all jealous that Bene had hit on me, but rather disappointed that I wasn't telling him something...

"Why is it more important to you to be loyal to him than to me!?" he suddenly growled and when I didn't know an answer to his question, he immediately grabbed my chin, causing me to gasp.

"Silvan! Are you serious?!" I glared at him angrily and then slapped his hand away.

"What's all this? You don't know each other at all! Why should you have secrets with him?!" he asked angrily and at the same time completely confused and slowly I had no choice but to tell him the truth, because I wanted to no longer that he thought so badly of me. After all, he was right. We were soul mates and my total loyalty should be to him alone...

"He's gay, Silvan," I said softly, and I resolved to keep the hunter to myself for the time being. After this heated situation, I wanted to add as little fuel to the fire as possible.

"What are you saying?"

Silvan looked at me and just shook his head as if he couldn't believe what I was saying.

"Why do you invent something like that?" he then asked and I rolled my eyes in annoyance, which immediately brought his hand back to my chin.

"Don't you believe me? It's the truth... He's gay and he only confided in me out of fear that you would cast him out or kill him for it," I explained calmly, cupping my hands on his cheeks while he looked at me speechless. I wanted to try to calm him down because I hated seeing the anger in his eyes.

"My father must never know," he breathed suddenly and I didn't know at the moment whether this sentence was addressed to me or to himself, but what I fortunately knew was that it would also remain his secret and he didn't want it to come out either. "He was just scared and I'm sorry. I just wanted to keep his secret and not make you feel betrayed by me," I whispered, and suddenly a load fell off my shoulders, bringing tears to my eyes hunted.

"Talk to me, Jade. I know there are rules and laws, but I'm not a brute. I don't want people to be afraid of me, let alone that you feel that way."

He wiped my tears from my cheek and looked at me so lovingly that I felt like I could open myself completely to him, so I just let out everything else that was between us to finally be in tune with him.

"I want you to think very hard about what you just said," I began and only got an irritated look from him. "His mate... well, Bene, he has a mate... and... well, he's one of the hunters."

Oops...

****

SILVAN

I caught my breath and somehow tried to deal with what she was saying, but I thought I had misheard it because it all had to be a lie.

"Silvan?" she spoke to me softly and wanted to take my hand, but I turned away from her, clutched my heart that was aching with sorrow and then took several deep breaths with my eyes closed.

In this silence of the gloomy forest, I finally realized why Bene didn't want to be my beta, even though we'd known each other for so long. His rejection drove a wedge between us and my pride would never again allow us to just clean it up. Now and here I realized that he just didn't want it because he had to carry this secret with him and as a homosexual my father would have beheaded him without batting an eyelid.

"Fuuuuuuck!", I yelled my anger beyond everything and heard Jade behind me gasp in shock, but I had to come to terms with myself before I threatened to go completely insane.

Worst of all, he was dating some hunter... One of those people who'd killed wolves from my pack... who almost killed Jade... This one The thought almost tore my heart apart. With chaos in my mind, I turned to her and looked into her beautiful green eyes.

She knew, so she hadn't told me. Something so important... how long had she known?

I watched her without expression, catching my irises on my bite, which was easily visible under my white shirt on the crook of her neck.

"I-" she started, but I held up my hand and she stopped, only to look down in embarrassment.

I immediately felt sorry for interrupting her like that because I couldn't see her sad. It tore me from the inside out and I realized that no matter what she knew, no matter what she hadn't told me, and no matter how many secrets she still held, I would always forgive her...because she just wanted to protect others with me her secrecy.

That made her, in my eyes, the most amazing person I'd ever met, because no matter how scared she was of my reaction, she wanted to protect Bene and that's exactly what I should do now.

"Listen to me," I then turned to her and immediately she looked up at me shyly while biting her lower lip.

Damned! She drove me crazy!

"What you just told me, no one can know, okay?"

Even as I looked at her questioningly, I felt totally idiotic. She of all people had proved enough that a secret was safe with her.

"Of course," she answered immediately and then sought my proximity.

She snuggled up against my bare chest and put her delicate hands on my back while I pulled her even closer and rested my head on her shoulder.

Her hug alone felt so good that I couldn't feel any hate at all.

"I'll talk to Bene and despite everything, I don't want you or him to go into the forest anymore. Humans don't have strong mate bonds, if they have any, and I don't trust any of them. Please do me this favor."

She didn't say anything, but the nod against my chest was confirmation enough that she understood me.

"Come with me. I'll take you home and then drive straight to Bene's," I said in a whisper when everything in me had calmed down to some extent and led her out of the forest by my hand to leave her standing there for a moment.

"Where are you going?" she asked when I had already disappeared a few meters between the cars and I immediately stopped to turn around to face her.

"Do you think I'll let you walk around here in your shirt and panties among the people?" I smiled at her and raised an eyebrow, which colored her cheeks slightly red. "I'm just going to get the car."

She just nodded in embarrassment and I quickly dug the key of the SUV out of my pocket to unlock the car at the other end of the parking lot, but my father suddenly angrily blocked my way.

"Where have you been?" he asked pissed off and then looked me up and down. He noticed the blood on my hands and his gaze became even more intense.

"On the way," I replied annoyed and hoped he would let it go, which of course he didn't do.

"Silla!" he growled warningly and grabbed my wrist, which made me so angry that I immediately snatched my hand away from him and started to growl too.

"I have something to do!" I explained in a dark voice, but he made no move to avoid me.

"Boy, you're completely out of control! These are the celebrations where an Alpha needs to be there for his pack," he said, gesturing behind him toward the gym. "But you're not yourself anymore. I hear things. Things that disappoint me and make me doubt if I made the right decision to make you an Alpha!"

"What things?" I asked immediately, feeling my hands shaking slightly with anger. "That I've gone soft? That I'd rather fix things than always banging my head against the wall like you showed me???" I almost screamed, building myself up in front of him. "Exactly! An Alpha doesn't fix things! He doesn't punish or forgive anyone even once! This girl has no idea how to act as Luna, much less how to make you a good Alpha. Such a stupid-" Before he could finish his sentence, I shoved him aside and scrambled into the car before ripping his larynx out.

He thought I was weak? He had no idea, because true strength isn't found in strength or in suppressing others, but in making the best possible use of hopeless situations.

Jade made me better even if he didn't see it and then when I started the car, pulled around the parking lot and she got in, I knew right away that she was going to be the perfect Luna. A Luna that needs this torn world, because violence has been around long enough. It was time for compromises and solutions.