Page 52 of Claimed By the Alpha
“You never noticed tiny moments when your body seems to take over on its own, working on instinct?”
“Maybe.” It had happened even earlier. These small moments where my body did as it wanted, without my doing.
“That’s your wolf. Or what is left of her.”
“What happened to her?” my voice was not much louder than a whisper. I shouldn’t feel sad about it, I didn’t even know what I missed, but that didn’t stop this sadness from flowing inside me.
There was this part of me, hidden deep down, that I never knew existed. Did this mean Liam put me through all that shit for nothing? I was broken again and again, for what? I wasn’t human…
“I already said more than I should have. Come, we have to get you back and don’t try to find your brother. It wouldn’t end well. He wants you to remain here until your mate arrives.”
“But he isn’t my mate.”
Sighing, “Yes, he was, and he will be again. He will be your true mate. He will help you with your wolf and make sure you will carry the next pure blood.”
I saw no further escape; Finlay wouldn’t let me run off. He would follow me and toss me over his shoulder to carry me back. Not having another choice, I gave the canvases one last glance, wanting to stay here and uncover all they hid from us.
My eyebrows knitted, noticing one I hadn’t seen at the far end of the corridor. I didn’t wait for permission, neither did I ask and let my legs take me to the last painting.
Dust layered across it, shielding the image from prying eyes, and with quivering fingers, I wiped the dusty layers away, one at a time, until tears sprung in my eyes, blurring my vision.
He was right, everything he had said. Finlay wasn’t lying.
My own eyes glared back at me; a red glimmer moved around my iris in the same way Logan showed himself in Isaac’s green gaze.
A half smile, love, and happiness vibrated off the painting. Arms curled around my waist, tugging me closer, resting on a tiny baby bump.
Blinking away the tears, I peeled more layers away, needing to see who held me in his arms. Who gave me the joy in this painting?
Oh god, no, this couldn’t be real.
It couldn’t be him.
Holy shit.
“That was your first mate, the one you left for Isaac,” Finlay spoke quietly, noticing the shock within me.
“That’s not me.” My voice was shaky, fear crawling under my skin, followed by the familiar warmth soothing me.
“Yes and no. You are the one, Joanne. That’s why your parents took you away. They wanted you to have a life of your own before duty called on you.”
“He is my true mate?”
“Your first and your last.”
Chapter nineteen
Stories
Arttellsastory,one that could be perceived in multiple ways, all depending on the viewer. But it would never lie. And that thought made me question all I knew.
I had felt the sparks Isaac’s touch had brought me, but I didn’t have a wolf to tell me if he was my mate.
But did I care? Or better said, since when did I care? After Liam, I didn’t want another mate bond; seeing it only brought me destruction. And yes, it was an easy blessing that Isaac and I turned out to be second chance mates. It gave us something extra, both knowing nothing could tear us apart.
Until now, it seemed.
I hated the term, true mate. At least coming from Finlay and Derek. I had used it before, thought it before, always thinking it was Isaac. Never knowing the true meaning of it.
