The Alpha's Melded Mate

The One Where He Finally Admits It

I tried to pull at the cuffs on my wrist, but it did no good. I was effectively powerless with them on. How had they managed to create a set of cuffs that not only muted my Mentalist abilities, but also my wolf ones?

Neal was still struggling, now with three men as they tried to contain him. 

"Do we bring her back for sentencing, sir," the man holding me asked.

"No. Do it out here and leave the body."

My stomach sank. Thanks to Alpha Stryker, I was going to die; just like he'd had my father killed. 

"It's not just about us, is it," I asked. 

Neal's father didn't even look at me. He didn't acknowledge my existence. 

"Is it?!" I shouted louder. 

"Al, you take her out a little further and finish the job. You three, haul him back. My son and I need to have a bit of a chat."

The man pulled on my arm and I pulled back against him. There was no way I was going to go anywhere with him without a fight. Sticks cut into the bottoms of my feet and I pulled and tugged. I could hear Neal struggling as well, but when I glanced over they had him in a pair of cuffs as well. 

"Father, you can't! She's my mate," Neal shouted. 

He had dropped to his knees, his head hanging low. His shoulders raised and lowered quickly as he tried to get enough air. 

Alpha Stryker held up one hand in our direction and Al stopped pulling, instead holding me firm.

If it weren't for Al's strong grip on my arms, I'd likely be on my knees as well. My vision started to blur and breathing became difficult. Did I just escape death? Was it really that easy this whole time? Did Neal simply just have to tell his father about us?

Neal's father made another gesture and there was a sharp pinch at the back of my neck.

My vision started to blur again, but this time my eyelids also became heavy. I tried to force them open. I couldn't let my eyes close. What if they never opened again?

I forced my eyes to keep moving, keep searching until they fell on Neal. His own eyes were wide, not fighting whatever I'd just been injected with. Even with that panicked look, it was enough. I could close my eyes now. If they never opened again, then at least the last thing I would have seen was my mate. 

***

"... mates." I hadn't been able to make out anything leading up to the word, it was like the words were coming through water. 

My eyelids were heavy as I tried to blink them. I was laying on a cold, concrete flood. 

"I do not care what she is. You said nothing to your mother or I. Perhaps if you had gone about it the right way we could have done something to change pack law, but you chose to keep this from us." His father's voice was stern.

"You've already had the union between the Red Pine pack and us on your mind. You wouldn't possibly think about jeopardizing that union, father. I know you."

"We might face war for this. You better hope that we can keep this quiet and the union between you and Ophelia happens without incident." Alpha Stryker growled. 

I continued to stay silent hoping that no one would realize that I had woken up. 

"I am not going to Merge with Ophelia. We will not be joining with the Red Pine pack. I want to Merge with Cynthia. The goddess has declared that we be together." Neal's tone could rival his father's. The deep gravel sending a small shiver up my arms. 

"The goddess isn't going to come down here and fight for us if the pack turns on us for breaking this vow," Alpha Stryker shouted. 

I couldn't keep quiet anymore. "But I can."

I grabbed the bars in front of me to stand. I looked down to see that I had been dressed in loose gray sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"You're time here is limited, Miss Lawrence. You won't be fighting for anyone," Neal's father spat. 

"No rules were broken." 

"You are the pack's Mentalist and you had relations with a pack member. That is clearly forbidden by pack law."

"I'm not the pack's Mentalist." I gripped the bars tight, my knuckles turning white.

"And I have documents stating otherwise." Alpha Stryker crossed his arms, a glint in his eye.

"That would be impossible considering I have made no agreements. Neal and I have only discussed the possibility at some point." I gripped the bars. 

Neal's father crossed the room out of my line of sight. He came back after a few seconds with a folder. 

"Is this your signature?" He held the papers toward the bars.

My eyes scanned the document with language pertaining to an individual acting as pack Mentalist. At the bottom was my name, printed and signed. 

"I never signed that."

"But it is your signature?" He brought the paper closer to my face. "Give it a real close look."

I smacked at his hand through the bars. 

Alpha Stryker put the papers back in the folder. 

"She had left the pack by the time any relations happened," Neal spoke up this time.

"No formal requests were made to leave the pack either as a member or as Mentalist, therefore Miss Lawrence was still the pack Mentalist at the time of incident."

"Ha! But she is also a member as well, as you just stated. Therefore it was relations between pack members." Neal crossed his arms and gave his father a smug grin. 

"Once the documents were signed, Miss Lawrence gave up her status as pack member and become solely the pack Mentalist."

"I. Didn't. Sign. The forms," I gritted through my teeth and squeezed the bars tighter, wringing them in my hands. 

"We have already established that these documents contain your signature. They are also dated as of one week ago. Now, I delayed the execution as a courtesy to give you a chance to say your goodbyes as you are mates. My mind remains unchanged, however. I will not allow the Everhart Mentalists to continue to destroy lives." Alpha Stryker walked away from me, crossing out of my line of sight again. 

"So say your goodbye's. You have one hour before we continue this."

"No." Neal looked right at me. 

I could hear his father's steps stop. 

"What," he asked, slowly coming back.

"I said no. We are not saying our goodbye's. Cynthia isn't going to die today, and I will never Merge with Ophelia and unite with the Red Pine pack."

Neal turned around until he was facing his father. 

"I challenge you as Alpha of this pack."

************

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