Dimitriâs POV
My heart was racing and I had to use so much of my strength to keep Skol from taking over and killing Seth.
âWill you stop it?!â I growled at him. âI need to focus on her and bring her home safe. You are distracting me.â
Skol growled but stopped pressing to be released.
âDid you see his arms around her?â Skol growled. âHe touched her. He touched whatâs ours.â
I tightened my jaw and forced myself to breathe as deeply as I could.
I saw that and I wanted to rip his arms off. He shouldnât have touched her. He wasnât allowed to touch her. No one was allowed to touch her.
I tightened my arms around her and focused on her scent. I knew it would calm me down. And I needed to calm down before I turned around and snapped Sethâs neck.
âMine,â Skol growled quietly.
I focused on my mate in my arms and I noticed her shivering.
A growl escaped me, making Maddie look at me confused.
âYou are cold,â I said as I stopped walking and put her down.
I started taking my jacket off, but she stopped me.
âI am fine, Alpha,â she said, looking up at me.
Staring at her big, green eyes made my knees buckle. Her skin was pale, but her lips, cheeks, and the tip of her nose were red because of the cold. She looked adorable and I wished that I could capture her lips with mine.
âYou are cold,â I repeated, my voice quiet and raspy.
I took my jacket off, wrapped it around her, and picked her back up again. I could tell that she didnât want me to carry her, but I didnât give a shit. She put herself in danger. While I was running and trying to find her, I kept imagining her hurt. I needed to hold her to remind myself that she was okay.
A small smile spread across my face as I lifted her. She was wearing my jacket and I could smell my scent on her. Other males would be able to do the same. Other males would be able to smell me on her and they would know to back the fuck off. It wouldnât last long, though. Not until I marked her. After I did, my scent would be on her for the rest of our lives. Everyone would know that she was mine. No one would dare to touch her or take her away from me.
I heard Seth behind us and the anger hit me like a train. I forgot that he was there for a moment.
âWhat the fuck were you thinking, Seth?â I asked again. âWhat if something happened? She is cold. She could have fallen. She could have hurt herself.â
âI would never let that happen, Alpha,â Seth mumbled. âI was taking good care of her.â
I saw red. He touched her more than once, didnât he? He helped her more than once, didnât he? What exactly did he do? What exactly did he touch?
âHe is right,â my princess added, making me look down at her. âI wasnât in danger, Alpha. Mike shouldnât have sent you after me.â
Oh, my princess.
He didnât send me after her. I went after her because she was my entire life. I went after her because she was the most important person in my life. I went after her because just the thought of losing her made me sick. It made me want to scream and claw at my chest. I couldnât lose her. I couldnât let anything happen to her.
But I couldnât let her know that. I had to let her think that Mike sent me after her.
âOf course he did,â I mumbled. âHe was worried that something could happen, Maddie.â
She glanced at Seth and sighed.
âWe can go on another hike, Seth,â she said, making jealousy and anger explode inside me. âMaybe there is another trail that isnât as dangerous and Mike wonât worry about me.â
I gulped and forced Skol back.
âNO!â he screamed. âMine!â
I gritted my teeth and focused on breathing. I couldnât let a growl escape me.
âSure, Mads,â Seth said softly. âWe can go over the weekend.â
No.
No, no, no, no.
The fear and the jealousy would kill me.
âItâs winter, Maddie,â I said, trying to keep my voice from trembling. âItâs not the time to go on hikes.â
I tightened my jaw and kept my eyes on the trail ahead of us. I had to control my anger. I couldnât let her see how fucking pissed off I was. I didnât want her to be alone with him. He liked her and I was terrified that she would start to like him too. He was probably hoping that she was his mate. He wasnât a Lycan wolf and even if she was his mate, he wouldnât be able to know until she got her wolf.
But she wasnât his. She was mine.
Maddie didnât say anything else.
âWe need to tell Seth that she is our mate and order him to stay the fuck away from her,â Skol growled. âI will go fucking insane if she leaves with him again.â
I believed him. I would go insane too.
âWe canât do that, Skol,â I mumbled. âHe could still tell her.â
You could go against Alphaâs command, but it was very painful to do it. Some wolves even died from the consequences of going against it. I couldnât risk it, though. I couldnât risk Seth telling her.
âHe wonât do it,â Skol growled. âTell him and command him not to tell her.â
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
âWe should tell everyone,â Skol continued. âEveryone should know that she belongs to us.â
I gulped. There was nothing I wanted more, but I had to think about her. She was my priority, not the jealousy and the fear I felt.
âHow would she feel if she found out that everyone knew before she did?â I asked him. âShe would be devastated, Skol. Finding your mate is such a special and beautiful thing. I am not taking it away from her. I am not telling anyone. I am not risking it.â
âSeth wouldnât go against your command,â Skol said stubbornly.
I ignored him. I wasnât going to risk it. I didnât even know Seth that well and I couldnât be sure that he wouldnât try to tell her.
I looked down at my princess and I took a deep breath, letting her scent overwhelm me. I couldnât wait until I was lying next to her again. I could wait to hold her and kiss her soft cheek.
I was sure that my fear and anger would disappear as soon as I would lay next to her. Nothing else would help. She was my cure for everything.