Chapter 3: The Biddable Mate

I turned onto my back, the cold concrete floor unfamiliar against my exposed skin. Asides from the single lantern hoisted on the gray slate wall at one end of the cell, the little room was empty.

I wasn’t sure how long Valen expected me to stay in here, but I was getting cold…and bored. Mostly bored.

My head flopped lifelessly to the side as I stared at the metal gate with its numerous locks. Even with the faint glow of the light from the lantern, I could barely see anything past the gate. It was a testament to how dark the place was, given that I could hardly make anything out, even with my eyes being accustomed to nighttime in the woods.

I didn’t mind the darkness so much. Even the cold, which was becoming uncomfortable, was mostly tolerable. It was the silence that was about to do me in. The forest was never silent. Night or day, it always teemed with life.

This tiny, dark cell in the basement of the Pack House was another matter entirely.

Not for the first time since that rude man —Fritz, Ezra had called him—had unceremoniously dumped me here, I contemplated if I should leave.

There were a total of three locks along the length of the gate and Fritz had made sure to lock all three. I had refrained from informing him that he needn't have bothered with the locks altogether. Opening the locks wouldn’t take me half a second if I wanted to leave.

In fact, if I concentrated really well, I might even manage to leave without having to open the gate at all.

That ability was newly acquired and still in the testing phase, so I wasn’t as confident about it as I would like to be.

The only reason I was still sitting—lying—here was because I had come to the conclusion that the fastest way to gaining Valen’s trust was to be an obedient “captive”.

It wasn’t as if I was surprised that he hadn’t readily believed me about being his mate, but I truly hadn’t anticipated being thrown into a cell in what amounted to what the Humans called “jail”.

I knew Valen was distrustful by nature, but I also knew he wasn’t unkind. So the rough treatment had not been expected—or called for, in my opinion. It probably had something to do with that call he’d gotten. He’d stared at me as if I had committed some great sin after he’d hung up the phone.

Nevertheless, he could have just as easily ordered me to stay put in a room with a bed…and food.

As if on cue, my stomach protested loudly at the thought of food. I had been so excited to finally come home, that I had gone without eating the whole day.

“You’re very lucky you’re so pleasing to look at,” I muttered to my absent mate. “You certainly aren’t winning any awards for chivalry.”

When only silence greeted my complaint, I moaned in frustration and rolled to my stomach.

Combining my inherently curious nature, my propensity toward boredom, and the gnawing hunger in my belly, it was making it difficult to keep up this whole ‘biddable mate’ facade.

I had spent all my life looking forward to exploring the town where Valen had grown up. It felt almost like a sin to now sit still when the opportunity finally presented itself.

The sound of light steps echoed in the ensuing silence and I sat up with a start. I recognized the feather-like patterns before I saw who it was and was halfway to the gate before she came into sight.

“Snow!” I greeted excitedly. “Did you come to check on me, girl?”

Snow whined in distress when she realized she was unable to fully approach me. I smiled at the sight, the overwhelming boredom from earlier evaporating as easily as it had appeared.

“Do you wanna keep me company?” I asked and Snow licked at my outstretched palm through the gate.

At least someone here likes me.

I waved my hand through the air just in front of the gate, capturing a clear image in my head of it opening as I did so. The loud clink of the locks turning rented the air and the gate swung open with a thud. I wasn’t overly concerned about the noise alerting anyone.

Fritz had disappeared from the basement as soon as he’d dumped me here. I guessed he hadn’t thought me much of a threat once I was locked away.

Snow bounded inside, knocking me off my feet with her abundant weight, and began licking at me excitedly. I laughed in genuine happiness at her naughtiness as I gently pushed her considerable weight off me. She forced her head under my palm when I sat up, and I obligingly rubbed at her.

“You’re the only one that’s happy I’m here aren’t you?” I asked the dog, suddenly miffed at her master.

Snow’s tongue lolled to the side, obviously pleased with my ministrations.

“How long do you think I have to wait for your dad to get back?”

Snow barked a response and, feeling a certain kinship to the animal, I interpreted her meaning immediately.

“You’re hungry?” I translated. “Did Valen forget to feed you? Should we go find some food?”

Another bark and I nodded sagely in agreement.

“Your dad did want me to stay here until he got back,” I warned. “But in hindsight, I don’t think he would have wanted you to suffer in here with me.” I gathered the dog’s face in my hands and smiled devilishly. “Just so we’re clear, I’m sacrificing my reputation as a submissive, obedient mate because of my undying love for you, Snow. You owe me, okay?”

Snow let out a huff of breath, almost resembling a scoff as if even she recognized the ridiculousness of such a claim, but I decided to take it as a sign of assent.

***

As I wandered outside the bounds of the Pack House property, I worried briefly if my absence would get Fritz in trouble. Then I recalled how he’d practically thrown me into the cell and my momentary guilt vanished.

I had sensed another presence in the house, but the path that Snow had led me to had been unobstructed. Now, as we trekked down the graveled path away from the Pack House, I absorbed my surroundings greedily.

It wasn’t so much so that there was anything I hadn’t seen before. The houses looked similar to the ones I’ve seen in many rural towns, both in the Human Realm and here. And in fact, I’ve probably seen most of the scenery through Valen’s eyes in my dreams before, but I was finally here. In-person.

I was finally home.

And from that knowledge, stemmed a sort of excitement that was unrivaled.

I didn’t cross paths with anyone immediately, though I had passed several houses on my way. It didn’t strike me as odd since it was probably an awkward hour of the night. I wasn’t sure of the exact time, but night had fallen for a few hours before Valen had appeared at the lake and at least two hours had gone by since then. It was probably well past midnight already.

Which meant I had gone an entire day without food.

Completely unacceptable.

Snow and I walked at a leisurely pace for about two miles before I finally saw anyone. A couple walked past on the opposite side of the road, stumbling arm in arm.

Were they drunk?

I’d seen many drunk people with that unsteady gait. They didn’t seem to pay me and Snow any mind past a cursory glance, so I continued on my way. I became cognisant of more sounds as I went along and after a few more minutes, I recognized that I had entered the center of the town.

Several buildings spread across either side of a main road with two other roads veering off the left and right from the one Snow and I had taken. Some announced what was housed inside its walls. A clinic here, and a library several minutes down from there. But most of the buildings remained unmarked.

Several other people passed by and as more and more minutes ticked away, I started to notice the glances flung my way. They had seemed furtive at first, but eventually, they didn’t bother hiding it, and the looks began to linger for longer and longer as more people passed by. One girl who looked to be around my age, tripped at an incline when her gaze had remained on me even as she walked on.

Some people looked curious while others looked downright shocked at my appearance, but the one thing that struck me as odd was that everyone kept their distance. Several persons moved out of my path before I was even close enough to require it.

I supposed they didn’t have many new faces in town. Shifter communities tended to be very close-knit. Though many other supernaturals sought asylum in shifter towns, it was rare to see someone I didn’t know.

I guessed that made me a strange sight, but still… I’d make sure to go about the business of introducing myself as soon as my stomach was satisfied.

“Where do we find food, Snow?” I asked.

I had followed her unconsciously and hadn’t paid her much mind otherwise, but as I stopped to ask her the question, I noticed her aggressive stance in shock. The dog’s apprehension was palpable. Her fur stood up straight, her tail was tucked downward, and her teeth were bared in an obvious threat to stay away.

“Snow,” I called to her softly, even though I was surprised by her action. When she glanced up at me, I chided gently, “Be good. How do you expect us to get fed if you scare everyone off?”

We faced off in the middle of the sidewalk as the seconds ticked by.

“I’m fine,” I soothed. “You don’t need to protect me.”

I sighed in relief as I watched her finally acquiesce. Snow attacking someone would definitely put an end to our little outing.

A throat cleared just beyond my shoulder and I glanced behind me to see a young woman a few feet away, standing just outside one of the unmarked buildings. She was staring at Snow and me, her golden-brown eyes shining with a mixture of curiosity and anxiety. She didn’t look much older than me, but stood several inches taller, with her brown hair falling loosely about her slender shoulders.

“Yes?” I answered stepping from the sidewalk onto the walkway that led to the building, closer to the girl who backed away immediately when she glanced down at Snow.

“No need not to be scared. She won’t hurt you,” I assured her, but the expression on the other woman’s face was clearly disbelieving.

“Is that…the Alpha’s dog?”

I grinned proudly as I nodded, rubbing Snow’s head, hoping to put the woman at ease.

“Snow, sit,” I commanded and Snow flopped down at my feet immediately.

The woman looked a bit dazed and then turned her wondrous gaze to me as if I’d accomplished some miracle. She looked similar to how Ezra had when I first greeted Snow.

I guessed Ezra hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d mentioned Snow’s general dislike for people.

“She listens to you,” the girl wondered allowed. “She only ever listens to Alpha Linus.”

I couldn’t deny the little kernel of pleasure at the mention of Snow’s proclivities, even though I was hearing it for the second time that night.

I took it to mean Snow had accepted me as her master’s mate even if the master himself had yet to do so.

“What’s your name?” I asked the woman.

“Oh, I’m Eliza. Or Liz. I don’t mind either way. What’s yours?”

“Zira.”

“Are you new here, Zira? I haven’t seen you in town before, and well, as cliche as it sounds, everyone knows everyone here.”

“I only got here a few hours ago. Valen had something he had to see to, but I suppose he’ll get around to introducing me eventually.”

Liz's eyebrows disappeared beneath her brown bangs, her surprise evident in her wide, brown eyes.

“Valen? Are you very close with Alpha Linus?”

So, she was surprised that I had called the Alpha by his first name.

I knew no one ever called him that. Alpha Linus from all the pack members, and just Linus to those closest to him.

Even his sister, the only family he had, called him Linus.

I had referred to him as Valen since I had become aware of his existence. I didn’t think I was going to be able to rid myself of a 20-year-old habit.

I nodded in response to Liz’s question. “I suppose as close as mates can be if they’ve only just met.”

I had been sure Liz’s eyes couldn’t have gotten any wider than they already had. I’d been wrong. The other woman’s eyes opened to such an extent, that I became a bit concerned they would pop out of her head.

“M-Mate?” Liz stuttered. “Y-You’re the Alpha’s m-mate?”

If I had claimed myself to be Mother Goddess herself, Liz couldn't have been any less shocked.

“Uh…yeah. I—”

My words were interrupted when the door to the building behind Liz banged open.

“Liar! Who the hell are you? And what are you doing with my brother’s dog?!”

The angry shout had not come from Liz but from the woman who had appeared at the door directly behind her.

I sighed in defeat as my stomach growled in a loud protest. I had been hoping that my friendly interaction with Liz would end with her showing me where to get food, but apparently, nothing was going my way tonight.

And by the look on my future sister-in-law’s face, it didn’t seem as if I was going to eat anytime soon.

“Hello, Bethany,” I greeted with false cheer.