When Luke talked with Perez' parents, they promised to make Robert see sense. They also did not agree with the punishment. They thought it too extreme for the crime committed. They wouldn't say what the crime was. They also said that if Robert was being stubborn, then they would escalate the matter further to Council Magdeline. Council Magdeline was the highest authority in the Council. And she did not know about the abomination Robert had bestowed upon the Creek Pack.
With the way Robert confronted him, he guessed their talk did not go well. He hoped that Perez' parent would deliver on their promise to let Council Magdeline know.
Luke was indifferent to the accusations thrown his way by Beta Sierra. She accused him of knowing where Rolus was, and that if they planned his disappearance, to at least let her know where he was.
Tamera was also present, sitting by the corner in Luke's office, not saying anything. She looked disappointed. Luke had the edge to strangle the soul out of her. But then he felt guilty. It was not her fault. Rolus was at fault.
"Look, the Pack is waiting for Alpha Rolus. This is not funny anymore. You know very well that it is the eve of his mating ceremony," Sierra tried to reason.
Luke felt agitated. They all acted like they didn't know that he was Rolus' mate. That he's the one who is supposed to have the mating ceremony with Rolus, and not Tamera. "Sierra, after your Alpha came here, he left shortly after Robert left. He mentioned something about needing to teach Robert a lesson. He left."
Sierra glared. "Your mate is missing! And you're not worried?"
"My mate? Rolus is not my mate, Sierra. You seem to forget that he's getting mated tomorrow, to her." He pointed at Tamera, who seemed to shrink when his anger was directed at her.
"Alpha Luke, please tell us where Rolus is. We can't cancel the mating ceremony. Everyone is coming tomorrow. Please," Sierra begged. She looked like she was about to break down.
As much as Luke would have gotten the satisfaction of seeing Sierra break down, he had other things to focus on. "Beta Sierra, and Delta Tamera, you will have to be on your way. I have some things to focus on. Do let me know when you do find your Alpha."
Sierra didn't wait another second before stomping out of the office. Tamera remained seated.
Luke was not in the mood to entertain her. "The door is still open."
Tamera stood, eyes dull. She came in front of Luke, staring him down. "You know. If I knew that you were going to act this way, I wouldn't have agreed to be his replacement mate."
Luke crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the backrest of his chair. "And what way am I acting?"
She rolled her eyes. "Like I'm the one stealing your mate. Do you realise how big a sacrifice I'm making? I'm losing my Delta title of this Pack. I'm rejecting my mate for you. I'm losing the Pack I've always known for you." By the end of her speech, she had teary eyes.
It hurt Luke that he was causing her so much pain. That he was the reason for all the hate she's receiving from the Pack. That he's the reason their relationship is strained.
"The door is still open. Please see yourself out," he muttered. He saw the hate brew in Tamera's eyes. She turned around and left, her fury trailing behind her.
After her departure, Luke did not waste time and walked to the basement. It was a dungeon, but it was turned into a basement over time.
He had ordered that no one venture into the basement for the time being. He felt himself smile when he unlocked the steel door. He opened it, the creaking making him cringe.
He switched on the light, his eyes taking in the seated figure of Rolus on the bed. The room was a fully furnished one, a bedroom. The rooms in the basement were bedrooms, a kitchenette and a living room. It was usually a chilling spot for the teenage wolves.
The plate of food he had given Rolus was still untouched.
"Mate of mine," he greeted, the smile so ever present. He went to the bed, scooting closer to Rolus. Rolus was sluggish. The effects of the sedative given to him. It was just enough to sedate him for the night.
Luke was not that cruel. He was not planning on keeping him forever. Just until the ceremony passes.
Rolus tried to glare, but he just ended up looking funny. Luke chuckled, ruffling Rolus' hair. Rolus tried to swat his hand away, but missed every time.
"I'm sorry for doing this to you. I promise I'll release you in two days," Luke said, running his hand through Rolus' hair.
Rolus had a hard time trying to speak. "Y-you are d-dead."
"I know. I know," he assured.
"I will n-never forgive you."
"I know. But I couldn't let you get mated to my Delta. Can't we figure something out?"
Rolus had leaned his head on Luke's shoulder.
Luke felt content with the silence that ensured, but he couldn't help the worry of the aftermath of his actions.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a tongue lick his face. He turned around to find Rolus turned into his wolf. His black coat was shiny, and Luke laughed when Rolus' wolf tackled him. Even though it appeared sluggish, it still managed to push Luke down and lick his face.
Luke laughed, thinking that Rolus would be pissed or embarrassed if he found out his wolf was appreciating its mate.
When it had enough, the wolf stopped and attempted to stand. It wobbled, making Luke catch it. It fell on him.
Luke pushed it aside on the bed. It put its head on Luke's lap. Luke scratched behind its ear.
When the wolf was asleep, Luke pushed it to the side, and laid next to it. He continued scratching it, feeling sleep creep closer. He planned on waking up before Rolus' sedative wore off so that he could have the Pack Doctor administer another one.
__________
Luke was roughly pushed around. That's how he awoke. At first, he thought it was Peter's boy wanting to play around. He groaned, remembering that he was with Rolus in one of the rooms in the basement.
Luke sat up, frowning when he saw Rolus standing, but a bit unstable. He looked like he could fall over anytime.
"I have to leave, Luke. Let me go, please."
Luke sighed, seeing that Rolus was wearing one of the clothes in the wardrobe. "I'm sorry, but I'm not letting you leave until that mating ceremony of yours passes."
"Luke, I'm telling you for the last time. Let me go. I will forgive all of these. I will forgive you. Just let me go and attend my mating ceremony tomorrow."
Luke shook his head, heading for the door. The sedative was wearing off, and he didn't want a fully functional Rolus trying to escape.
He locked the door behind him, and hurried up to the Pack Doctor.
"Can you give him something that won't make him sleep?" Luke requested, watching the Doctor take out an injection and the vial of sedative.
"Will do so, Alpha," she replied.
When she was done getting what the needed, they headed down to the room that housed Rolus.
They found Rolus banging on the door. They were weak punches. "Luke, let me go. You are not sedating me again. Let me go!"
He struggled against Luke's hold. Luke had a hard time trying to hold him still so that the Doctor can inject him.
"Luke, we have to talk. I can't do that sedated. We have to talk," Rolus emphasised.
Luke let him go, gesturing for the Pack Doctor to leave. Rolus was not fully functional, but he was getting there.
Luke thought it best to leave and have someone check him from time to time because he could feel his resolve getting thin every time Rolus begged him to let him leave. He was afraid that he would cave in and let him leave. Letting him leave meant that he would get mated to Tamera.
He turned around to leave, and was about to open the door when he heard Rolus mutter, "Wait."
He turned back around, Rolus' unfocused eyes staring at him. "At least stay with me," Rolus said.
Luke sighed, wondering what to do. "I'm not releasing you until tomorrow passes."
"I know."
He sat on the bed, with Rolus lying face down. His hair was a mess, and eyes had bags underneath them. His eyes were unfocused when he looked at Luke.
"Luke, I will never forgive you," he said, trying to glare.
"I know, Rolus. You won't forgive me. I get it, but you're not going anywhere."
Luke guided Rolus back to the bed. Rolus ended up falling asleep.
When he awoke, Rolus was still a bit out of it, but he started speaking.
"It's like this insistent need to be close to you, but I keep on denying myself the opportunity. I'm always thinking that you don't feel the same because you don't have the mate bond. Then I'd just be wasting my time waiting for you to feel a tiny bit of love for me. Or for you to get over the hate you have felt for me all those years. I think you need to heal."
Luke snorted at that. He needed to heal? Heal from what? He didn't have time to 'heal'. He was an Alpha for the Goddess' sake. It was the remnants of the sedative making Rolus talk nonsense.
Rolus ended up putting his head on Luke's lap. Luke was uncomfortable with the affection. He was sure that if Rolus was of sound mind, he wouldn't act the way he was acting.
"You're taking this lightly. Robert is not to be messed with. Let's say we do accept each other as mates. I take the sacrifice and somehow accept you. Will you be willing to compromise and come stay with me? The moment I accept the mate bond, I won't be able to stay away from you. I won't be able to control myself the way I'm doing now. You don't understand the extent the mate bond can go when I've accepted the bond. Are you willing to move to my Pack?"
Luke pursed his lips, frowning. "Why can't you move to my Pack?"
"Luke, I'm already sacrificing a lot. I'm stepping into the unknown, defying Robert without knowing if he will go ahead with his threats. The least you can do is move in with me," Rolus said, adjusting his head on Luke's lap.
"What about my Pack?" Luke asked, stopping running his hand through Rolus' hair.
"What about my Pack?" Rolus countered.
Luke groaned. There was no winning with Rolus. "Okay, fine. Let's do this. How many members do you have? I have five hundred."
"Around six."
Luke narrowed his eyes. That couldn't be. He remembered that the number was not that high during the Annual Pack Meeting. In fact, it was lower than his. "That's not what you reported during the meeting."
"We've had a lot of pregnancies this year. And, children under the age of one are not counted. We have a lot of those. What you're trying to do won't work. And you're still uncomfortable with my close proximity."
"What does that have to do with you accepting me?"
Rolus raised his head. He had on a lazy smile with a small glint in his eyes. He puckered his lips, making Luke laugh.
"What are you doing? You look ridiculous." Rolus was now attempting to climb up on Luke to get to his face. Luke couldn't help laughing.
"Rolus, stop it." Luke was still laughing. He put his hand on Rolus' face, pushing him away. He underestimated his strength and Rolus ended up falling off the bed. Luke hurried to check on him. "Are you alright?"
Rolus was looking up, pouting. Luke smiled, but he couldn't help the sadness that overwhelmed him. He was looking down at Rolus, who had a hand outstretched.
"Is it raining?"
"What? No."
"Are you sure? It's raining."
That's when Luke realised that he was crying. It's like a flood gate was opened after the realisation because the tears flowed.
"Are you sure it's not raining?"
Luke was embarrassed. He was not supposed to cry over Rolus. "It's not raining." He pulled Rolus up.
Rolus stared at him, eyes wide when he realised the tears. "Shit. Is it me? I made you cry?" Rolus was already wiping Luke's tears away.
Luke tried to push him away, but Rolus was not budging. When Rolus realised that his hands were not tissue, he used the sleeve of his shirt.
"I'm fine. I'm okay," Luke assured, stepping away. Rolus followed.
"I'm sorry," Rolus said, wrapping his arms around Luke. Luke stiffened, but relaxed. He hugged him back, relishing in the stolen affection that he wouldn't get if Rolus was of sound mind.
"I just wish things were different. That I didn't have to lock you away just because I can't handle rejection," Luke mumbled, tightening his hold on Rolus.
"You'll always be my mate."
At that, Luke felt the tears return. They pooled on Rolus' shirt. "Why can't we have our mating ceremony tomorrow?"
Rolus sighed.
"Or we could accept the bond in secrecy. Robert wouldn't know. No one has to know. Tamera would just be a front. No one has to know," Luke was clutching at straws now.
Luke felt Rolus shake his head. "You know what happens during the mating ceremony, right?"
Luke knew. The Alpha usually officiate the ceremony.
"You mark each other in front of the Pack. Your mating symbol will appear, matching. If we mark each other in secrecy, the Pack will know. I won't be able to mark Tamera."
Luke didn't know how much time passed, but he wished time would freeze for just the two of them.
"Luke, I have to attend my mating ceremony. Please understand," Rolus pleaded.
"I know," he sighd. "You want to leave now?" Luke's voice was raspy.
"I can leave in the morning."
Luke spent the whole night crying. His mate didn't love him enough to abort the ceremony tomorrow. Rolus was clinging to him the whole night, not letting him even move.