He could see their lips moving but couldnât hear what they were saying. If his mind wasnât so clouded and he wasnât feeling like he would combust from the inside, he may have been able to read their lips to decipher what was being said.
Instead, he couldnât focus on anything other than the ringing of his ears.
his wolf whispered in a defeated, monotone voice.
Orion asked his wolf, not quite sure if he had heard correctly.
Orion denied and shook his head, unbeknown to the fact that the chattering around the office had stopped and all pairs of eyes had now turned on him; watching him carefully.
his wolf told him, but Orion knew that the beast was stating facts more than anything else.
Orion agreed, inhaling deeply and exhaling sharply, struggling to get a grip on all the overwhelming feelings and emotions rushing through his body right now.
I donât understand how they can make a mistake as big as this one.
he agreed again.
his wolf growled, but making sure to keep it down in fear of the repercussions from the Alpha king. Not that it would matter to anyone what would happen to him. What would become of him.
The answer was simple. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Orion Kallis didnât have a mate, after all. He was an orphan and didnât have a family. There was no one waiting for him at him; looking forward to his arrival. He didnât have a mate to love and he certainly didnât have anyone to love, or have love him. He didnât have anyone, and that was that.
And now, he didnât have a mate either.
He was part of a pack but he wasnât really a part of them. He was no longer a warrior. All he did was patrol the borders at night and cook for everyone. But anyone could do that. The Alpha could very easily replace him as both head of patrol and pack chef.
pacing back and forth, bashing his body against the walls of his mind each time; harder and faster as this iteration continued.
Orion agreed, squeezing his eyes shut.
Orion had lived a whole lifetime without a mate. Other wolves his age had several pups by now. Their eldest pups were gearing up to graduate high school but all he had was a little cottage to keep him away from the rest of the pack; unable to live among their happiness when he felt dead inside.
If he didnât have his wolf, he truly would have been dead inside.
It was evident to Orion that the Alpha king and queen were truly sorry for having to deliver this news to him, to tell him that he was invited to the Mating Games by mistake, in turn meaning that he didnât have a mate, but it didnât soften the blow any.
Instead, it just made him feel all that much worse.
He had lived his whole life without a mate. He had then lived several years without any family. While it wasnât the life that he wished for himself, or upon anyone else, for that matter, he was able to deal with it. He was able to live his empty little life without any form of happiness simply because that was all he knew.
However, when Alpha Demetri called Orion into his office a few days ago with the good news, for the first time in a very long time â or at least since the very first Mating Games that he had prayed to the Moon Goddess not to be invited to â he was hopeful.
Orion was suddenly hopeful that his life would soon have a purpose; a meaning. Just like he used to when he was younger, he imagined what life would be like with a mate; more joy and happiness than he knew what to do with. For the first time in what felt like forever, Orion saw a future for himself.
He had been immensely excited when he packed his bags. He had prayed to the Moon Goddess the entire flight to Beati a Dea, expressing his gratitude for her forgiveness. He had even been giddy when he first arrived at the hotel, needing to lock himself in his room to deal with the influx of emotions that he wasnât used to dealing with. The entire time that he had been completing the test with his wolf adding his input to each and every answer, he had been careful. Careful and hopeful that his answers would be enough. That he would be enough.
And now to hear that all of this was a mistake, that he wasnât supposed to be here in the first place, he simply couldnât believe his ears.
his wolf exhaled in a low murmur, dropping himself to lay on the ground, burying his wolfish head under his large paws.
Orion continued to insist, still unable to wrap his mind around the devastating news that he had been delivered.
his wolf sighed, sounding more defeated and broken than Orion had ever heard him before.
Orion groaned at his wolf, reaching a hand up to rub his forehead, almost as if trying to knock some sense into his wolf.
he denied, shaking his head.
his wolf growled at him, not appreciative of the tone that his human was using on him.
Orion roared back at his wolf, unable to deal with such pessimism anymore.
his wolf growled in denial. Orion didnât flinch at the accusatory tone as this was not the first time that he had heard this. He was willing to bet his entire life savings that it wouldnât be the last either.
Orion growled, tired of having to hear this over and over again.
Orion growled, squeezing his eyes shut again as he blocked the connection with his wolf. He could never speak with the beast when he was in such a mood.
So, instead, he returned his attention to the two individuals sat in front of him.
âIâm sorry for speaking out of turn, Alpha, Lunaâ Orion gulped and bowed his head in respect for the royal party even though all he wanted to do was demand answers. However, his wolf and the innate feeling of submitting to those superior to him was too overwhelming a feeling for him to just ignore or push aside. âBut I think I may have heard you wrong,â he whispered the last part, barely able to push the words past his lips. âCould you please repeat yourself?â
King Bernard and Queen Talulah both glanced at each other before returning their attention to him, no doubt communicating silently.
âI said that you were falsely sent an invitation,â the king repeated himself, his lips stretched out into a thin line. âThe fact that your name is not in the mate database means that you should have never been invited in the first place. But for some reason, you were sent an invitation and for that mistake, I would like to apologise. On behalf of myself, my queen, the island and even the Moon Goddess.â
âPlease donât apologise, my king,â he bowed his head in respect, struggling to get the words out of his mouth. âIt was an honest mistake,â he whispered, struggling not to grind his teeth between each word.
âI would like to assure you, Orion, that this mistake will never be repeated,â the king announced as both him and his queen rose to his feet.
âWe recognise that this is completely unacceptable and next time, weâll be far more diligent when sending out the invitations,â queen Talulah sent him a pitiful smile as she accepted her mateâs hand down the steps of the throne, the both of them only stopping once they were stood in front of him. âYou can stay on the island for as long as you want. For as long as you need.â
âThank you, my king, my queen,â Orion forced himself to nod as he rose up to his feet. He kept his head down in a sign of respect, but also because they wouldnât be able to see the two single tears that rolled down his face of what would now become of him. Of the life that he was now forced to return to.
Bowing his head to them both, Orion walked backwards until he was a safe distance away. Turning around, he returned to Denverâs side and allowed him to lead him out of the office.
âIâm really sorry, Orion,â Denver murmured in a quiet voice as they walked down the hallway and away from the Alpha kingâs office.
âIâm sorry, too,â Orion whispered, his head still hung low as more tears escaped.
âDo you want me to take you back to the apartment?â the steward asked in a quiet voice as he continued leading the way, but Orion never answered.
Instead, his head whipped up at the sweet scent that suddenly flooded his sense. He was no longer blocking his wolf as now, together, they were staring at the woman at the end of the hallway.
Her pale, blonde hair was almost like a halo around her as she walked, completely unaware of the man that was currently staring at her like his life depended on her. Her eyes were the richest, deepest shade of blue that he had ever seen, a stark contrast against her pale, almost translucent skin. Despite such an angelic aura around her, Orion could see the fire in her eyes even as she did something as simple as walking.
Forcing himself to continue walking, Orion pushed past Denver. Ignoring the yelp that sounded aloud from behind him, he rushed to close the distance between him and this mysterious woman.
Her eyes were on him now as blue met grey, he felt himself get sucked into her.
At his staggering height of six-foot-five, the height different was large between them. She was barely able to reach the middle of his chest with her dainty figure, forced to crane her head back to look up at him which he found even more endearing than he ought to.
The angel had a curious glint in her eyes as she stared up at him but before either of them could say anything, Orion reached out and wrapped his hand around her arm. Tugging not so gently, he pulled her into his arms, wrapping them tightly around her as he pulled her flush against his chest. Bowing his head, his eyes fluttered closed as he pressed the tip of his nose into her hair, inhaling the sweet vanilla scent of her.
But alas, the peaceful moment didnât last for long.
his wolf asked in a frantic tone; immensely concerned and confused by her reaction.
Orion didnât have time to ask as she screamed louder and began thrashing in his arms. With his tight hold on her, she was able to escape however, he was quickly forced to let go as the guards flanked him from both sides.
They restrained his arms behind his back as they freed the woman. He tried struggling in their grasp to escape and return to her, but there was far too many hands on him.
Orion could sense the overwhelming power of the royal Alphas and Beta behind him, but he couldnât bring himself to turn. He couldnât bring himself to do anything but stare at the woman in front of him; most of her blocked by the two guards shielding her.
At his intent gaze, they shuffled closer to each other which just made him growl louder.
his wolf growled loudly, the ground underneath them shaking with the fiery anger and rage pumping through his body right now.
âI canât believe this,â he was scarcely able to make out King Bernard exclaim from behind him; his tone stupefied.
Orion could hardly believe it himself but when he could ignore it no longer, the single word rolled right off his tongue like it was meant to be, âMate.â
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https://www.patreon.com/LaylaKnight Layla Knight 31.05.2021