Breathe (Mates Saga #1) *Wattys2015*

Chapter 20

        ". . . . . . ."

        My hands shook with my utter fear as the preacher Preston had hired droned on and on; I could not believe what I was doing, but all that I knew was that I had to do this for Will - they were all sure to die if I didn't. Their lives depended on me, so I had to do what I knew I would regret for the rest of my existence - for it would not be life wedded to one who was not my mate, to one that I did not love and never would. He was not the one for me, and I could not stand that it was my fate to wed him.

        "Does anyone here protest against the union of this couple? Speak now or forever hold your peace," the preacher said, and a silent tear of fear slid down my cheek; I wished so sincerely that I could refuse to marry Preston, to flee from the altar, but then he would hunt Will down - I couldn't allow that to happen, so it didn't matter what Preston did to me; it was all for Will, the one who I truly loved with all of my heart, with all of my being.

        "I do!" a voice called from across the room, suggestive and carnal in nature, and my wolf howled in complete happiness upon hearing the husky voice. "I protest!"

        I whipped around and raced down the altar at my fastest possible wolf speed into Will's open arms. He let out a muffled grunt, and I giggled as I squeezed him as tightly as I could; I was so very happy to be with him once more. I sighed in utter joy and buried my face into his neck as he chuckled quietly, his voice a low rumble against my body when he spoke.

        "I missed you, sweetheart; what were you doing, staying with this prick?" he asked me, so libidinous-like, giving me a sexy smirk as I pulled away.

        I shrugged nonchalantly, as if it was nothing, and I stood up on my very tiptoes and crashed my lips on to his oh-so sweet tasting ones. We stayed like that, in that position until Preston's growling rang out fiercely, echoing out in the room; we pulled away, and I gulped nervously as my grip on Will's hand tightened, allowing Will to push me behind him. I had to admit it; I was absolutely terrified of what Preston was going to do to me and Will in his fiery anger at my rebellion.

        "What the hell do you think you're doing, stealing my mate?" Preston growled, and I had to bite my lip forcefully and austerely to keep my protests sealed within my own mouth, where they could not harm anyone but myself, for fear of enraging him further.

        "Your mate!?" Will shouted, laughing brashly. "She's mine!!!"

        "Why don't we let her choose?" Preston asked, obviously oblivious to the way I hid behind Will; it was obvious to me who I was going to choose, and Will knew it, too, as he smirked.

        "Fine," Will replied, releasing me from his grip and gently pushing me from him. "Choose, sweetheart," he encouraged me, and I sent one look over my shoulder at Preston before darting back behind my mate, hiding behind him once more.

        "I choose Will," I said quietly, burying my face into my gentle mate's shoulder.

        Preston growled fiercely, and a tear slid down my cheek, a tear of fear for what would happen; Will wiped it away gently, kissing my nose in order to make me giggle - which I did.

        In jealousy, Preston growled again, but this time I was not frightened as I looked around my mate and growled right back at Preston. I wasn't going to take any more crap from him, and he would have to tear me from Will's dead body in order to get me, which I refused to allow to happen; I wasn't going to lose my love to the one I hated so.

        "You won't get me!" I declared brazenly as Will's grip tightened on me, his growl in reply echoing in the silent room as the entire pack just watched as Will and I rebelled against their Alpha. "I don't care if you go to a thousand witches, asking for them all to grant you the same thing; you will not get me! I don't care if your entire pack is made up of stolen mates; yes, I know that you were the one who enchanted your pack members so they had more than one mate, but you're not going to rope me into your enchantment! You will never get me; you don't deserve me!"

        Preston chuckled darkly, his face dark with a dangerous expression that I could not help but be worried of. "Oh, don't be so sure, sweetheart. I will get you one way or another."

        I shivered at his words; he was so sure of what he was going to do, and I could only imagine what the evil he was planning. It could not be anything good; Preston was not known for doing good to others. He betrayed his pack - and his own kind by forcing other wolves' mates on to his own pack members in order to make his pack larger and stronger; he went to a witch and conned her into allowing him access to her powerful magic, and with that magic, he wreaked absolute havoc on the human world.

        He enchanted his male pack members so that their mates were famous women in the human world, and then the pack members went out to collect their new mates; Preston even made it so that his pack members could have more than one mate at the same time! He enchanted his pack to Hell and back, and for that, I could never forgive him; he had enchanted himself, drawing in another mate. Unfortunately for him, the Fates were on my side, and my mate was still alive when I was converted; because my mate was still in existence, he could not enchant me into loving him like I love my mate. I thanked the Fates for that from the bottom of my heart, but it appeared that they had to throw me a curveball at long last; I had to choose between my pack's safety and the love and comfort of my own mate. Which one was a girl to choose?