Chapter 6: The Dispute Begins
Chris POV:
Chris awoke to light streaming in through his blinds, His bed was warm, more warm than usual.
A heavy presence draped over his arm and a new scent filled the air.
Lilac.
The events of the night before came back to him in a sudden flash. Clear evidence showed that Chris’ plans were for naught. He wished to end his last run without any trouble, dead set on coming out unscathed and unmated.
That did not happen.
He rolled over, looking at the person taking up space in his bed. Shoulder-length black hair covered his mate’s face and his lips pouted out in his sleep. Sun tanned skin long eyelashes greeted him, sweeping the tops of his high cheekbones.
But that face— Chris recognized that face.
He saw the kid buzzing around his little brother before.
Oh right, Asa, the Pack Alpha’s son.
He mated his sister’s best friend last night.
“Chris?” Asa spoke, his voice gravelly from disuse as he woke up.
“Asa, hi,” He said before flinching.
Why would he say hi?
“Hi,” Asa whispered back quietly.
“How are you feeling?” He asked and Asa rolled over onto his back from his uninjured side.
“Sore,” He explained and Chris pulled the blanket back to look at the wounds.
He peeled back the bandage to look at it.
Asa’s wounds had begun to heal.
The scratch, deepest at the upper thigh, seemed to imply that Jacob had really dug in there.
Chris tried to shake that thought.
He didn’t want to think about Jacob right now, it’d only serve to make him angry.
“I know, the morning after is normally hades,” Chris offered and Asa frowned.
“I meant after the run, not after that,” He explained.
It’d been Asa’s first time, and he didn’t want him to think that Chris compared him to anyone else.
No one else ever laid with Chris. Chris meant it when he said that he wanted to find love on his own terms.
“Let’s get your bandages changed up,” He offered to soothe the awkward air and Asa nodded.
“We’ll have to do the Moon Goddess feast tonight. We have a lot to thank her for,” Asa said and Chris grimaced.
“Right, the feast. Come on, let’s start off with bandages and breakfast first,” He said, lifting Asa off of the bed and carrying him to the bathroom to redress his wounds.
Chris made his way to his family home, Asa crutching along behind him. They’d gone to get some crutches to keep Asa from using his bad leg too much.
Tradition stated that on the day after a mating ceremony, the two newly mated shifters would meet with their family and have a traditional feat to recognize the Moon Goddess for the successful mating.
They agreed on visiting Chris’ parents on the first night, and Asa’s on the second as it would be a great lead into the coronation of Asa and Chris as the new Pack Alpha and Luna.
As much as Chris didn’t want to, he knew that he’d have to follow the customs.
He hadn’t wanted to a mate in the first place, and the whole idea of the Moon Goddess dictating who Chris belonged to for eternity seemed ridiculous.
He mated with Asa, not because some stupid lady in the sky dictated it so, but Asa needed rescue and he liked his scent
Sure, he didn’t talk to Asa beforehand, which would have been the preferred method, but the Moon Goddess did not give Asa to him
However, he knew the importance of the tradition to the pack and to his parents.
He would be the pack leader, he had to follow those rules.
Besides, from what Felicity had asked him to do for Asa, he understood that Asa found this important as well.
“I’m a bit nervous,” Asa began and Chris scoffed.
“Why would you be nervous, they know you already, you were practically family before,” Chris explained and Asa shrugged on shoulder.
“I know, but still,” Asa whispered before shaking his head as if trying to be brave.
It endeared Asa to him.
“Alright, let’s go,” He said and Chris nodded, knocking on the front door.
Felicity ripped open the door, greeting Chris not with open arms as expected, but with her stern face. Felicity crossed her arms, her shoulders set in a rigid line.
He recognized that look because he looked the same when angry.
Why was Felicity angry with them?
“You have some nerve showing up here. You have some nerve thinking that the Goddess would bless such an indecent thing,” She growled out and Chris felt Asa take a step back, shrinking behind him.
“What the h*ll are you talking about? Indecent? I don’t understand,” Chris began, trying to gain entry to the house.
“Where’s Mom and Dad? Do they know you’re freaking out like this?” He asked and Felicity flashed her eyes at him.
He flashed his eyes back in warning, normally enough to get her to back down.
Instead, she held her ground.
“You stole another wolf’s mate! You hurt Asa! It’s all the whole town can talk about. You’ve disgraced our family, Chris! How could you?”
Chris stood, frozen, letting Felicity’s accusations wash over him.
What were they accusing him of?
“Have you nothing to say for yourself? Say something!” Felicity yelled and he watched as Xolo turned the corner, his face turning cold as he saw Chris standing at the door.
“Felicity, be careful,” Xolo said, pushing his mate behind him.
He never thought he’d see the day when his best friend would be shielding his little sister from him.
“I— That’s not true! I didn’t do anything wrong! He’s my mate,” Chris defended and Felicity scoffed, trying to charge at him.
Xolo held her back, staring up at Chris with a deadly stare.
“Chris— Xolo began as if he were trying to put his words together.
“He saved me,” Asa spoke from behind Chris, and Felicity’s growls stopped.
“Jacob… He hurt me, but Chris found me before he could force a bond on me, he saved me from that. He didn’t do anything wrong,” Asa explained and Xolo shook his head.
“That’s not how Jacob tells it, to him he was about to mark Asa and you ran into the clearing, attacking him and Asa before stealing Asa from him. They’re not going to let the mating stand until everything clears up,” Xolo said and Chris’ heart dropped into his stomach.
That conniving little jerk.
As expected of a sore loser like Jacob. Once a loser, always a loser.
He had to go find Jacob.
Chris had to put a stop to this.