"Who is her mate and which pack does he belong to?" He asks furiously.
Even though I knew he would be angry, I was not expecting him to be this angry.
"I'm glad something happened that stopped you from going through with the act..." I say instead. I ignored his question because I wanted him to focus on the good side. Even though Victoria was wrong, he didn't need to be that worked up since they didn't go through with the act.
"I know what she did was wrong, Thor. Although I'm also angry with her, to some extent, I understand her reasons and..."
"You understand her reasons, huh?..." He turned to ask me with surprise. "I see– why don't you tell me, what reason can excuse the fact that she tried to pitch me against another Alpha and cause war between our two packs?
And what if as retribution, her mate demanded from me something ridiculous and unattainable?... Perhaps you want me to remind you about the old Alpha who demanded ten virgin she-wolves or go to war as retribution from the Alpha that fucked his young son's mate?"
"I know man. I remember the Alpha that asked for ten virgins, I just...
"Tell me then, will my pack members refer to me as a good Alpha if I was put in a position where another Alpha demands to pick virgin she-wolves from my pack?" He interrupts. "Will they applaud me if I make my warriors fight and die in a war that is not beneficial to the pack just because their Alpha fuck another Alpha's mate!?" He demands furiously
I loudly exhale. We look at each other for a while before I finally answer his questions.
"They will not be happy with you, I know that but... God! I don't believe I'm saying this myself! We know Victoria is a good person from the little time we've spent in this pack..."
"Is she really?..." He interrupts me again.
"Yes, Thor! She is a good girl who cares for the well-being of this pack and the people living in it. And I know for a fact that she made that irrational decision because she probably didn't think things through. She panicked because of the kind of person she's mated to..."
"Who is she mated to and which pack did he belong to? I asked you that question before but it seems you're an expert in sidelining questions you don't wish to answer."
I chuckle
"I didn't sideline the question. I just wanted you to focus on the good side and be thankful that you weren't able to go through with having sex with her. I know she seemed irresponsible and selfish. That's because she's scared. She's mated to the bastard hybrid that almost killed me. The Rogue King."
His face darkens with renewed anger
"The Rogue King! That bastard is Alpha!? I don't understand, he's a rogue. How come he's a rogue if he's Alpha? Are you sure you're not mistaken because you were probably delirious with pain?"
"No, I wasn't delirious with pain! His venom is different. It's not like the vampire venom we trained with. When he bit me, I only felt slight pain around the veins on my neck before I became paralyzed and couldn't move any part of my body. Then I lost my ability to speak, followed by my sense of hearing... With what I saw of his face, I'm sure he is a pure-blooded Alpha, Thor. I saw his eyes, they were deep red just like yours."
"Well, vampires also have deep red eyes. Depends on which creature's neck they've been sinking their fangs into for blood."
"Yes, I know. But vampire's irises don't turn dark when they're angry or about to feed. They glint with silver. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about."
"Do you know how they met?"
"One moment, I was talking with him, trying to bid for time. The next he was behind me with his fangs deep in my neck. It was when he was about to sink his fangs in my neck for the second time that I clearly heard him growled 'Mate!'... He pushed me away then.
I couldn't see anything from the ground he pushed me to but I heard him suddenly let out a growl and immediately started cursing her for stabbing him with a stake. Then I heard Victoria say she will never accept him as her mate."
"Oh, now I understand... It didn't make sense to me before but I understand now." He says and chuckles coldly
"What do you understand? Why are you laughing?" I ask, curious to know what he found funny
"She will never accept him as her mate yet she refused to kill him. What a joke!" He replies, going back to his chair to sit down
"You know I watched the CCTV feed placed by the gate over and over again and wondered why she had the opportunity to kill the rogue that attacked her pack's Beta but didn't take it. She had a gun, Eric! She was presented with a perfect opportunity to blow this bastard's fucking head off, yet she didn't kill him. She chose to get closer to him instead and staked him at the back! Who does that!?"
"She couldn't kill him," I said in realization
"Damn right, she couldn't! Even if he's the Rogue King and the most despicable creature on earth, he is still her mate after all."
I sigh deeply
"Yes, he's her mate!" I agree with him on that. "But what she did or didn't do still doesn't change the fact that she saved my life, Thor! If not for her, I would have probably been dead right there in front of the gate before you arrived..."
"Yeah, for that I'm grateful to her but..."
"Since you didn't end up having sex with her then can you please, please overlook her foolishness just this once and forgive her for my sake?"
We look at each other for a while before he breaks the silence
"I don't see how all this explains the pain I felt after she kissed me. I want an explanation for that if she wants my forgiveness."
"No, it doesn't..." I agreed, wondering how I would explain to him that the pain he felt was a result of him cheating on the mate he doesn't remember.
"But when I questioned her, she swore to me she didn't do anything to you... Of course, I'm not saying I trust her. Maybe you should try harder to remember. You said you first heard a soft voice crying. A she-wolf and her wolf. Do you remember anything else? A face to go with the voice maybe?..." I probe, who knows, maybe he will remember the beautiful girl with hair the color of golden wheat field that he talked about while he was in pain
"No, I don't remember..." He replies, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. After a while, he opens them and shakes his head. "I don't remember anything else..."
"Well, I can tell you what you were muttering while you were in pain and half-conscious. Maybe that would help?"
He raised a brow questioningly at me then nods his head for me to continue
"You said and I quote...
'I don't know her...
The beautiful girl with hair the color of golden wheat field...
I don't know her...
But– she's sad and– she's angry...
She's crying...
They're crying...
It hurts so much...
Their wailing hurts so much...
Please make it stop!'
"Do you remember saying those words?" I ask. I deliberately held back the part where he kept saying...
'Mate!...
Our mates...
You're hurting our mates!'
That would be letting out too much information and if he still doesn't remember anything after telling him, I know Thor will never let it go. He will keep wondering and asking questions. I can't risk him going feral now that the trial is less than twenty-four hours away.
"The beautiful girl with hair the color of golden wheat field..." He says wonderingly to himself over and over again before shaking his head regrettably
"No, I don't!" He finally says.
"Then give it a rest. Don't think about it again. Don't force yourself to remember. I'm sure the memory will come to you when you're relaxed and least expect it. Remember your mind is still fragile, we don't want you going feral over that, especially when the trial is tomorrow."
"Oh yes, the trial! I have that to think about now. Because of what happened to you, I still haven't been able to talk to Nate after Pops told us he would be my lawyer. We should do that today."
"Yes, we should. I'll call and make an appointment to see him. In the meantime, what are we going to do about Victoria? We can't just keep her in the mansion, her mom might worry if she doesn't show up at home."
"Tell someone to take her to the conference room. I'll meet her there. Let's see what I'll be able to find out from her myself."