Her Pact

Part 28

Chapter 28

Seeing the annoyed expression on Zeke’s face, Charlie knew that this meeting would not be a happy one.  Already, she was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the way her people were staring at her.  Did they know that she had killed another?  There were those of them of her kind that could see the blood of victims on the murderer.  Was one of them judging her as she stood there in front of them all?

Shaking her head, she attempted a small smile, and got nothing in return.  Who would have thought there would be so many to greet them to begin with?  She did not think she would have to deal with the disappointed looks until they were deep in the forest, where her home was.  Her head sagged down in defeat.  Would this still be her home if she chose it to be?  With the way they were looking at her now, the answer was no.

“Enough,” Zeke growled.

Her head snapped up when she heard how close his voice was, and when she saw him standing directly in front of her, a real smile flew onto her lips.  She hadn’t heard him move, and she would bet money on the fact that no one else had heard him move either.  She couldn’t let him fight her battles for her though.  Taking a step around him, she wasn’t too surprised when his hand snapped out to grab hers, effectively stopping her from moving further away.

“I can do this myself.”

He smiled over at her, and his smile seemed lighter, almost as if he didn’t have the weight of the world on his shoulders.  “I know,” he said in a clear voice, “but why would you want to do it by yourself when you have me?”

Gasps through the crowd sounded as Charlie blinked at him.  It was a simple sentence, but to her people, it was more like a public announcement that they were together.  If the way Zeke’s smile widened was anything to go by, Charlie had a feeling that the man knew exactly what he had done.  Turning away from him, she could feel her face flush red as the expressions of disappointment turned into acceptance, anger, and a few that looked remarkably like envy. 

“You do not understand,” Charlie started.

“My daughter has been destined to mate with this man since she was a babe.  You all know this,” her mother interrupted.  She looked back and winked at Charlie and Zeke.  “If you did not, it was clear when he visited that he was the right one.  Sure, we worried that he would be too brutal for our Charlie, but what does he do at this exact moment?  He protects her from your harshness.”

Some of the shifters looked down in shame, while others kept staring at them.  Charlie did not know what was going on, didn’t know what her mother was saying, but if it would keep them safe, she didn’t care what her mother said. 

“Our pacts have been given to us at birth,” Ryder said, taking a step forward.  “Some have been fortunate enough to love the ones they were arranged for, while others have learned to like them.”   A few laughs flew from the crowd.  Even at a time as this, her brother could make at least a few people laugh.  “Will you judge my sister because of who she was meant to be with?  Would you stand by and watch your destined mate die when you had the means to deal with the threat?”  Some of them shook their heads, and Charlie knew they were the younger shifters, the ones that weren’t so set in their ways.  “I wouldn’t,” Ryder continued.  “If I had the chance, I would kill them, make sure they could never cause any harm to my loved ones again.  Will you judge me for my future actions?”

“No!” someone shouted from the crowd.  Charlie followed the voice and smiled when she saw the woman urging other’s around her to yell out the same word as she.

“You know her,” Zeke whispered in her ear.

Charlie turned, making her nose brush across his chin as he pulled away from her.  “She’s my brother’s future mate.  Neither of them are ready to settle down with children yet, but they are best friends.”