The Mate That Wasn't Mine novel Chapter 76

Chapter 76

MAXIM POV

That should have been the end of me, Dead. Throat slit as uselessly as Luca.

Tess gave me s fighting chance when she charged through the trees. Had they had silver arrows it could have been a different story, but hand a brandf our jaws and long curving claws were more than enough.

As with Luca’s troupe of imbeciles, killing the leader always sends the rest scattering.

Now we need to move. Quickly. No more mistakes, If I focus on rifling through these smelly bastard belongings I can avoid thinking about what happened in the lake. Notebooks, pill bottles and clothes tumble out onto the ground. I’m spoilt for choice in blades.

“There will be something useful in here

to the ground.

Blood, gore, the stench of pig soaks the very air we’re breathing. I’m numb to it all. I should have known Luca would have been heading this way for a reason. Of course he had some other rebels to meet with. They’re an army after all. They’ve been shredding through Ravenbows finest, until us? Why?

Picking up the pace, I leave no pocket unchecked.

My brain is replaying the memory of lifting that godawful log endlessly for Warden Marshall, spilling out all my worst fears for his delectation. One of them being that I’ll never deserve Tessa. That even when we existed together as a lie, I would fail her.

Now she truly is mine and we’re at odds all over again.

I said she spoke more, but now she isn’t speaking.

I said she seemed more confident. Now she looks like she might t cry. Or run.

She’s still naked, staring down at the orange dress like she’d rather burn it. It is not normal for me to clam up like this but I’ve never been so annoyed with myself in my life.

The idiot within me, the one from before I first met her is annoyed. She wanted sex. I love sex. Both of us were very, very naked. My cock was aching for her. Maybe I should start chugging down those little memory altering pills. Turn myself back into the happy–go–lucky idiot who would sleep with any pretty woman

Her chocolate eyes were eating me alive, fiery hair plastered down past her shoulders, exquisite chest peering out over the water. Every fantasy came to

life and I bottled it.

Gritting my teeth, I know the answer. Because I don’t want to sleep with her. Not like this. “Im gonna fuck my name back into you,” was not the best

choice of words.

Tess doesn’t know I’ve got this stupid hope in my head. For when everything is okay. When Tess, who remembers everything we went through to get to this point, is in my arms.

We will look at each other, full of understanding and love and the world will be right, just for us. And making love will mean everything. Exchange bites, exchange pieces of our soul.

But I never told Tess that. Happy to fool around edging her drenched pussy, but not explain any further.

Turning out another rucksack I could weep with relief when I see a set of cream–coloured shirts, still in their paper wrapping. I couldn’t be more relieved if the Goddess had made a fully–laden barbecue materialise out of thin air.

Tess glares down at the dress in her hands. Sucking in my cheeks, I give my jaw a rub. My sad mate. The last thing in the world I want to see.

So I turn and stride towards her. I take the orange dress out of her hands and rip it in two, right in front of her shocked face, her still–damp copper hair clinging down her shoulders and upper arms.

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chapter 76

I try to ignore the fact her shapely legs tend up to her perfect, bare pussy. Her soft, starnach, my favourite place to look and anesthree

as she shifts from one foot to the other.

Here, you can wear this. It looks new.”

Quickly dressing, it covers up to about two inches below her ass. That will have to do. The pants barely fit me but it’s better than walking around with

cock out.

At least we both have good boots. She quickly finds her panties from last night, roughly brushes out her damp hair with her fingers and twists it up high whilst I check the last few bodies.

We’re good to go.

I hand her a stack of notebooks, slinging a water and food laden rucksack onto my shoulders. “Let’s get some miles down, take us close to Ravenbow then we can start reviewing these. No more rebels.”

Tess nods quietly. Fuck Thate this. But I’ve learned my lesson.

“Tess. Can we talk?”

Her brown eyes fly up to meet mine. That’s already an improvement. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Or rather, I should have said more. It wasn’t fair

I take one of her slender hands in mine, slowly entwining slowly her fingers grip mine back.

our

fingers together, how we would always walk back from Block E. She’s hesitant at first, but

“There isn’t a nice way to say this…but I’ve done enough fucking about.

“I don’t understand, so we’ve never had sex?”

met

t you, I deserved my reputation. But now…I don’t want that.”

“No. I mean, we’ve slept together once. The night you left. And it wasn’t some quic

quick, forgettable nonsense. It was your first time Tess.”

“But I was mated to Luca-”

“He never touched you like that,” I snap back, a hell of a lot firmer than I me.

from him.”

1. to. The bond has ignited

a

an

already potent possessive streak. “You ran

“But…then what is the mark on my hip?”

“You told me Luca wanted to claim you the instant the bond sparked. When you said no, he bit you. Then you shifted and escaped. Left for Ravenbow the

next morning.”

I was vague last night. Now I’m giving her every single detail I can remember.

Trekking out in the sun for the past few days with Luca has added a few extra pretty freckles across her nose. But for someone I’m so used to seeing with a blush, her pale, stressed look is not one I’m a fan of.

Squeezing her hand, she blinks quickly. I add. “So you were quiet, kept to yourself. Because you had secrets. But by the time we had to part, you trusted me with them. And that night we shared, it meant everything. So…I don’t want to ever be with you and it mean less than it should…” my words falling away as Tess’s brown eyes fix on me full of surprise.

“I want to be that girl.”

“You are that girl-”

“No. When you talk about before, you get a different look. Your face, eyes. It all changes. And it’s beautiful. I want to remember. I need to. For a while this morning I thought I could get by like this. Pretend I have no past…but I don’t want half a life.”

“Then let’s get walking. And I’ll tell you everything I know.” I lift her hand upwards and give it a rough kiss.

Chapter 76

“Aye aye Captain,” she smirks, kissing my hand back.

So the hours rolled by Hand in hand, we tramped north, through the forest together, I didn’t stop talking. I recalled everything I could think of How the performed in every skills test. How I grabbed and kissed her outside Block E. Every stupid joke at dinner. The meeting with Hale How she interacted with each Warden. Irene, Kai, Allette, Silas, Briggs.

Her raised eyebrows at Princess Hazel was not a treat. Nor when I described Allette with several compliments. I think she’s a little bit jealous.

I described the packhouse, our room. How she met Irene and adopted a pointless cat. The incident with Vigo then Isaac. The silences. Archery training,

I confessed how every single night, even when we weren’t speaking, her body would find mine and I hold her. Donlon’s plot had soft tears rolling down her face in sympathy with Luna Sabrina. Each nugget of information prompted different reactions. Serious thought, squeezing my hand. Almost tripping up over nothing.

The full story of Irene and Isaac had her incensed. The same sense of injustice that turned her against Alpha Hale remained intact. I kept going telling her what she had missed. My new role, exactly how I faked her death, the collapse of Hazel and Sabrina and the interrogations I had performed. Nothing to be proud of.

Hours passed and although her memory did not spark back she had a fuller picture of what she left behind.

“So you…looked after Pawesome? I cannot imagine it”

“That’s the big, major fact you’ve taken from the last few hours? That overgrown squirrel?”

“I didn’t imagine you as a cuddly pet owner that’s all.”

“I’m not. I call her Pawful. But that furry nuisance was all I had of you so I made sure he was okay. Or she. Still not sure.”