Chapter 4 Mate bond or Love?

• Chris had the urge to go towards his mate and moves in her direction but is interrupted by his phone ringing. He takes out his phone and sees it was Liam. He suddenly realizes what he was doing and stops himself.
• He answers the phone and hears Liam speaking “ Did you reach the pack?”
• Chris was distracted again when he sees his mate approaching him, so he quickly turns around and tries to look for a way out of the pack garden. He rushes towards the exit of the pack garden and moves towards the forest. He could hear Liam calling for him on the other end of the phone.
• “Chris, Are you there? “ Liam asks.
• “Y... e... s... Yes,” Chris says flustered.
• Liam is confused and asks “ What happened? Why were you not replying?”
• Chris stops near a tree and says “ I found her, my mate.”
• Liam is shocked to hear that and fell silent. He didn’t know what to say. He knew this day would come but now that it has actually happened he didn’t know how to react.
• Chris hears the silence from the other end and knows Liam is not happy. He says “ Liam, you knew we both will meet our mate’s someday. We have already discussed this.”
• Liam gets frustrated and replies “ I... I know, I know it, you don’t have to remind me.” He is silent for a few seconds and then calms himself and asks again “ How is she? Did you meet her?”
• Chris thinks about his mate and absentmindedly replies “ She’s beautiful.”
• Liam is instantly filled with jealousy and gives a low growl. Listening to him Chris comes out of his thoughts and says “ I.. I meant she is OK, I just saw her but didn’t approach her yet.”
• Liam still doesn't reply and Chris could hear his heavy breathing as if he was angry. Chris decides to appease him and says “ Calm down Liam, you don’t have to worry. Even if she is my fated mate, you are the only one for me”.
• Liam seems to have calmed down listening to Chris’s words. He feels bad for his reaction and says “ I am sorry Chris, but I get scared even at the thought of losing you.”
• “ You will never lose me. I love you, Liam. If you ask me to reject my mate, I am ready to do it for you.” says Chris with determination. His wolf Conan feels agitated at the mention of rejection and Chris could feel it.
• Liam is happy to hear that and says “ I love you too, Chris. You come back soon. We will discuss what to do about it.”
• Chris simply replies “ I am coming back now” and hangs up.
• As he rushes towards the car parking he hears Conan shouting in his mind “We cannot reject our mate”.
• Chris is annoyed at his wolf and says “ So now you want your mate? Mates are nothing but a weakness. They will just bring us down. We have not even met her yet and you are already arguing with me over her.”
• Conan was equally frustrated and snarled back “ I am not saying that I will let her control us. I just said we cannot reject her.”
• Chris had reached his car and asks the driver to drive home. As he sits in the backseat he replies saying “ OK, calm down, we will go home and discuss it with Liam.”
• Conan just ignores him and goes silent. As they head out of Silverlake pack Chris’s phone starts ringing again and he sees it's Archer. He realizes that he forgot to meet him at the wedding.
• He picks up the call and hears Archer say “ Where are you? Are you coming or not?”
• “ Sorry Archer, I had come there but had to leave urgently,” says Chris apologetically.
• “ You came here and left without meeting me?” asked Archer annoyingly.
• Chris was already worked up because of his mate and wolf and was not in a mood in explaining himself to Archer so he just says “ I have some urgent business at my Packhouse. I will call you back.” He then hangs up the call.
• Archer was very angry at his behavior and thinks to himself “ What does he think of himself, hanging up on me just like that. Always acting all high and mighty, I will make him regret it someday.”
• Meanwhile, Adele who was moving towards her mate, saw him turn away and leave. She saw him leaving through the pack garden and going towards the forest. She was shocked. She stopped herself and just stared at her mate’s retreating figure. This was not the reaction she was expecting. Her mind was filled with several questions. Why did he leave? Did he not realize we are mates? But he was staring at her with longing and desire. She was scared to even think about the worst question which was ‘What if her mate does not want her?’
• As she was contemplating the various possibilities she heard Alexa shout “ Stop with your stupid thoughts. Instead of standing here and thinking about what if's why don’t you go and ask him directly?'‘
• Though Alexa was trying to act strong, Adele could clearly hear the hint of fear in her voice. She moves towards the direction she saw her mate go. She comes out of the pack garden and looks around. She spots him at a distance at the parking lot and sees him sitting in his car and leave. Adele was dumbstruck.
• She says to Alexa “ He left.”
• Alexa was deeply hurt by this, but she still did not want to think of the worst possibility. She was not someone who gives up easily, so she tries to console Adele by saying “ Don’t jump to conclusions. Maybe he had to leave due to some urgent work. Did you not see him talking on his phone? I am sure he will come back”
• Adele was more practical than emotional. She had a bad feeling about this. She slowly whispers “ What can be more important than knowing about your mate?”
• Deep in her heart, Alexa knew that Adele was right. Her mate seemed to be an Alpha and Alpha’s usually cannot resist the mate bond, then why did her mate leave without even meeting her?
• While Adele was staring at the distance, her friend Beta James approaches her and asks “ What are you doing here? Everyone is looking for you for the family photographs.”
• Adele comes out of her thoughts and remembers it was her brother’s wedding day and she did not want to ruin it. She gives an awkward smile to James and says “ Come, let's go.”
• At the Blackwood Pack, Liam Taylor was pacing around his room thinking about Chris and his newfound mate. MATE- Liam hated the concept of mates. It was the reason for the downfall of his and Chris’s family.
• Chris and Liam were childhood friends. Chris’s father was their previous Alpha whereas Liam’s father was the previous Beta. Their parents were also best friends, but now there was only Liam and Chris left in their family. Liam goes down the memory lane thinking about the fateful day when everything was destroyed. After that day, their life was a wreck. Chris’s was even worse. But, even after all those sufferings, one thing was the same, their friendship, or rather he could say their friendship had grown stronger and turned to love. Through the 25 years of their life, both Chris and Liam had gotten closer and supported each other through thick and thin. They were now inseparable but still, Liam couldn’t help but be scared of the mate bond. He has himself seen the power of the mate bond and what it can do to a person, especially their wolves.
• Liam’s wolf Lex also seemed to agree with him. Lex says “Mates have the power to make a wolf go insane.”
• Liam gets more worried now but his thoughts are interrupted when Chris comes to his room. Liam runs towards him and hugs him tight. Chris hugs him back as if to assure him that he is always there for him.
• Chris then looks at Liam and asks “ Are you worried?” Liam just nods.
• “ You don’t have to be. You know what I think about mates and women” says Chris with disdain.
• Liam holds his hand and asks “ So what will you do now?”
• Chris squeezes his hands and asks “ You tell me what to do. I will do as you say.”
• Liam stares into Chris’s eyes and could see the love Chris had for Liam. The decision was a tough one, but he feels assured and says “ I don’t think you should reject her. We have to think about the pack’s future. Though I love you, the fact is I am not your fated mate and you know we can have a pub only from our fated mates.”
• Chris listens to him and asks “ Are you sure you can see me mate with someone else?”
• Liam feels pained at the thought of Chris being with someone else, but he knew Chris loved kids and had always imagined having a happy family with him and his kids. He couldn’t take that away from him. They had already lost their family and now they couldn’t lose the opportunity to have a new family. He hardens his heart and says “ I have no problem with that as I know you love me. I trust you, Chris”
• Chris is overwhelmed by Liam’s unconditional love for him. He pulls him in for a kiss. Liam responds with equal enthusiasm. Chris’s hungry mouth melded into his. The tip of his tongue brushed his lips, insisted, and he opened to let him in, welcomed the urgent thrusting that sent a wildfire of searing flames racing through his body. It was as if nothing else mattered in this World. They parted only when they were short of breath.
• Both were breathing heavily as Chris held Liam and said “ Ok, I won’t reject her, but I want you to promise me something.”
• “What is it?” Liam asks.
• “ I want you to accept your mate when you meet her,” says Chris.
• Liam who was holding Chris’s hand leaves it and turns away. He huffs and says “ I can’t do that. I am still firm on my decision that I am going to reject my mate once I meet her.”
• Chris hugs him from behind and says “ If I am going to accept a mate, then I want you to do the same. In that way, we both can be on the same page and avoid any misunderstandings in the future.”
• Liam grits his teeth and says annoyingly “ So you already think that there will be misunderstandings. Don’t you trust me?”
• Chris turns him around and says softly “It's not a matter of trust here. I trust you completely but if you want me to have an Alpha heir, then I want you to have a Beta heir too.”
• Liam just says “ We can adopt a child for that.”
• Chris says “It's not the same Liam. Having your own child with your mate is different. He will be stronger too.”
• Liam says “ I can’t imagine being with anyone else other than you.”
• Chris holds Liam's face with his hands and says “ Just consider it as an obligation towards your pack. I assure you, whatever happens, it will never affect our relationship.”
• Liam was thinking about what Chris said but he still couldn’t bring it upon himself to agree. Chris notices his expression and realizes he is about to give in. So he tries to persuade more by saying “ If not for anyone else, can you please do it for me. At least do it for my peace of mind. Please, Liam.”
• Liam could hear the desperation in Chris’s voice and agrees. He says “ Ok, I will do it for you. Once I find my mate I won’t reject her.”
• Chris is happy and gives a smile and says “Ok if that's settled then I will go to the Silverlake pack tomorrow and talk to the Alpha."
• Liam then realizes something and says with a worried face “ How do you think she will react, once she comes to know about us? “
• Chris just scoffs and says “ Who cares what she thinks.”
• “ Do you think she will agree to mate with you once she knows that she won’t mean anything to you other than just giving an heir? She might even reject you,” says Liam.
• Chris gets annoyed and says “ Then let her reject me. I don’t mind.”
• Liam replies saying “ Be practical Chris. Don’t you want a child of your own?”
• Chris loved kids and had always imagined having a happy family with Liam and his kids. He didn’t want to agree, but he knew what Liam was saying is right.
• He gets more frustrated thinking about this situation and says annoyingly “ Then what do you want me to do? Do you want me to beg in front of my mate? Or else maybe I should force her?”
• Liam looks at Chris who was getting agitated. Chris was very impulsive in his reactions and often got angry when things did not go according to his wishes. He was indeed a hot-headed Alpha. Liam was a calm person who always helped Chris to tone down his anger. He holds Chris's hand and says softly “You have to calm down. You cannot handle this situation with force. If your mate was from our pack it would have been easy for us, but she is from the Silverlake pack. They are a strong pack and are known to take good care of their pack members. We cannot afford to offend them.”
• “I am not scared of anyone” Chris arrogantly replies.
• “Why do you want to handle everything with fight and force? There are many other peaceful means to handle this “ says Liam calmly.
• “And what are those peaceful means according to you?” asks Chris.
• Liam thinks about all the possibilities and says “ Don’t tell her anything. We should also hide our relationship from her. Be good to her and act as an ideal mate.”
• Chris cringed at the thought of acting as an ideal mate. He could never act to care for someone whom he hates. He hated women and mates, even more. The only complaint he always had from the Moon Goddess was concerning the concept of mates and mate bond. Women took undue advantage of the mate bond to control their mates. He would never repeat the mistake that his father did. That thing had been ingrained in his brain for the last 15 years since he was 10.
• He looked at Liam as if asking him ‘Are you serious?’ and said “ I cannot and will not act as an ideal mate. And why should we hide our relationship? We are doing nothing wrong.”
• Liam says “ I am not asking you to act all loving towards your mate, just behave casually and don’t be hostile towards her, at least till she is pregnant with your pup.”
• Chris was still not convinced so Liam desperately says “ Don’t be so stubborn Chris, can’t you even act for a few days for our future kids?”
• At this point, Conan who was silent for a long time gets frustrated with his human and takes control. Liam sees Chris deep brown eyes turning pitch black and hears Conan growl and say “ Ignore this human, I will not allow anyone to get in the way of me having my pups, be it, my human or my mate.”
• Liam could see the determination in Conan’s eyes for his future kids, he was more desperate than Chris. Chris then concedes to his wolf and takes back his control. So finally, it was decided that Chris would be visiting Silverlake pack the next day and request his mate to accompany him to the Blackwood Pack.