A Healer's Pain: Celestial Wolves Book 1✔

Chapter Three

What was Cade saying, that she should accept this guy as her mate? He knew what she had been through. Hadn't she recounted it just now?

'Are you saying I should accept him? Surrender to his mercy?"

'As I said I'm with you all the way.'

That was Cade. He said what he wanted and never offered more explanations, leaving her to work through his meaning. Essentially it was up to her to decide their fate, no pressure or anything.

"I will never hurt you, nor will I allow anyone to hurt you." Her mate said his sincere eyes boring into hers.

She could not breath, scared like she hadn't been in months. Having taught herself to expect death at any moment, not to fear it had left her nothing to fear. If death held no fear and life just was then fear ceased to exist, that's what she had thought but here she was.

He represented all that she had not known scared her. Promises, a better future she dared not believe. Who was he to shatter her hard-gained composure, her fledgling trust in who she was?

Her mate, Cade had said but a mate to her was a promise of pure evil, a promise of wonder. She could not chance that the good would outweigh the bad with this new mate. But what was the alternative, the death of Cadan and her unborn child?

"We were just passing through, if we had known it was pack territory we would never have stopped here. We just want to be left alone." She argued, not liking the desperation in her voice.

Looking around at their audience she saw that none of them would interfere, wolves avoided getting caught between mates. She could kill him, if she could, but she would be signing her own death warrant. From their look, if she dared lay a finger on him they would torture her like she had never been tortured and she would drag poor Cadan with her.

"You'll die out there, I can't let you leave."

Nia wanted to believe he was being a jerk and threatening her, but that would be a lie. And she had promised herself she would always face the truth no matter how she wished it different. His face held regret, but he looked adamant.

She had no choice. There was no point in prolonging the situation. They were caught, right now they had a stay on death but still they were captive. Resisting the fact would only lead to needless death so there was no choice.

Her pride wouldn't allow her to surrender, but common sense told her there was no other way. Compromising, she allowed the swords to vanish. It took all her willpower to stand before this guy without them. While he wasn't in her personal space he was in her comfort zone and she couldn't stand any guy being there. She had no idea what the deal with the swords was, where they came from or how she summoned them. They just came when a guy breached her zone.

The smile he gave her had butterflies erupting in her stomach, her face heating as her heart raced. Caught in his deep grey eyes her breath hitched and her palms became sweaty.

"What's your name?" He finally asked when she thought she would go insane with all her unwanted reactions.

"Tania."

When he smiled again she wanted to punch him, just so that she could stop feeling as she did with every one of them. Surely if he had fewer teeth his smile would stop being so perfect and melting her brain cells.

"I'm Lexion, Lex."

"Am I supposed to say 'it's a pleasure meeting you'?" She asked wanting to burst his good mood just so he could show his true colours.

Another smile, she snorted and he laughed. "Yes, finding a mate is a pleasure," he shot her a teasing grin. "Especially a mate like me."

She had to be coming down with something. The fluttering in her heart and stomach could not be normal. Nor was the heat that melted her limbs so that she had to consciously lock her legs to keep on standing.

He held out his hand to her. "Come and meet my father." He invited.

A father who would be the alpha, who would be able to override his apparent decision to keep her as his mate. What father would want his son saddled with her? Nia couldn't decide if that would be a good thing or not.

She looked at the hand he held out to her. Taking it would be a promise, she knew. Hesitant she looked back into his eyes, his patient eyes that told her he would wait til she made her mind up however long she took. She wanted to avoid taking that hand but didn't want to embarrass him before his pack.

Maybe it was the stupid mate bond or something, she couldn't stand the thought of him being ridiculed not when she was the cause of it. She resented him for putting her into that situation.

Unsure, she stretched her hand out to him, intending to only touch him with her fingers. The moment their fingers grazed sparks ignited her hand and electricity raced up her arm. Gasping she drew her hand back.

This time his smile was gentle and intimate. "Mate." He confirmed.

"She's pregnant." The female warrior from before, what was her name, Cleo interjected.

Nia stiffened at that then held the gaze of her new mate daring him to say something. Would this be the point where he rejected her? Strange but her heart sank at the thought.

"Oh thank you for pointing that out sis, I hadn't noticed." The sarcasm could cut glass.

"You don't act like you notice."

Lex ignored her. "So come with me." He said to her and Nia nodded her head unwilling to touch him again.

Words: 1458

A/N Again, thank you for reading my post. Vote, comment, share but pliz even if you don't like it don't be nasty.