When You Were My Mate (Demetra and Emris) novel Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Demetra.

95 Vouchers

Right after leaving Emris’s arms, I stop in the hallway outside his room. The place feeling too familiar, too full of memories. My back hits the wall and I fold in on myself before I can fall apart completely.

I’m crying now, and I don’t even care enough to be angry anymore.

Because now I understand why he did it. I thought he would fight me when I told him to leave the farmland alone.

Instead, he just said, I will.

I thought he would argue, demand, threaten-something. That’s the Emris I know. If it were anyone else, he would have fought tooth and nail for what he wants. But because it’s me, he’s holding back.

Emris has hated the Lion pride for so long, and I don’t think that’s about to change.

In the yatch, he said he can could everybody’s mind to accept our bond, but at the same time, he wants to find out what happened to his dad.

How can I put him in between these two things?

know his father’s death broke him apart because I was there to pick up the pieces. I want Emris to have closure. However, hat said closure will come with force upon my pack. It’s impossible for him to play safe with me and wage war on my pack!

t’s just…impossible and the way Regan pulled proves it.

This thing between Emris and me…the teasing, the closeness, the tiny moments that felt like hope….maybe that was just

orrowed time. Maybe it was the last soft thing we were ever going to get.

My eyes are open now.

Where is my sister!?”

I’m here, Slade.”

know the ins and outs of the Black Covenant pack because I lied her all my life. When I step into the main entrance, the lders look at me in reverence all over again. I meet Derisha’s eyes and, for the first time in history, she doesn’t say a word bout me. I don’t think there’s been a time where I passed her and she didn’t call me a slut.

Are you okay?” Slade grabs my arms and scans my face. “Where did that bastard drag you to?”

We already spoke.” I draw a breath and keep my hands from shaking.”

notice Elena standing off to the side. Our eyes meet, and she squints at me.

Emris is going to give us the territory for a while until we answer all his questions about Alpha Kael. I told him we would pay for access to let us take from our produce.”

Emris said that?” Silver asks, genuinely surprised.

knew it. Even his own brother is surprised. This is not the kind of fight Emris gives, especially when it comes at the cost of is father. I’m the one that’s making this hard for him to unravel. And I hate that.

I’m going to have to ask-”

/4

5:04 pm

Chapter 82

I’m here.

ET St wuche

Emris’s voice cuts through the room, and my body fills with chills instantly. I do my best not to look at him as he arrives. 1 don’t want to see the tears still trapped in his eyes. When he was talking to me, he had tears in his eyes, and I was terrified to look too closely because I might cave.

The Emris I knew would never shed a tear regarding his mate. But today, in an attempt to not end what we have, his eyes were wet. His voice was shaking. Even the way he kissed me…I could feel the pressure, the fear, all at once.

Still, I told him I was going to marry someone else.

‘I brought a cheque. It should be enough, but if it isn’t, I can add more. Name your price,” Slade says.

Silver takes the cheque and reads it, his lips tightens. “It’s a lot of money. It would have cost you cheaper to just buy from other packs.”

‘Well, the Loo Fever is here, and our doctors advised against outside food and produce,” Slade says. “We need our own land, our own vegetables, our own livestock. The fastest way to kill us is to cut us off from that.”

‘We’ll arrange a sit-down with your father, Alpha Ronin.” Emris says and I nearly stumble.

slade catches me before I actually do. But behind me, I feel as if Emris came closer, too. Like he wanted to catch me as well. ‘m not sure but the look in Elena’s eyes tells me that’s exactly what happened.

Okay.” Slade puts his hand on my back that’s he’s got me.

We’ll have a truth detector.” Emris’s voice is all business now. “I want every gamma that was present on that day to be made vailable. We’ll question your father, every witness, and anyone else connected to the incident. Separate interviews. Different angles. Cross-checking statements in thirteen different ways. If anyone lies, I’ll know.”

suck in a breath when Emris says that.

He begins to pace, counting off on his fingers.

We’ll bring in a professional investigator from the Neutral Territories, someone with no allegiance to either pack. Every vord will be recorded on silver-laced audio scrolls that trigger pain if falsehood is detected. We’ll run background scent- natching on every gamma present, cross-reference with any known pack alliances, and verify every alibi with independent

ources.”

Imris stops. Turns to face Slade directly.

If we encounter any lie along the way from whichever person…I will dig out their heart and continue to the next.”

gasp.

You should be afraid of that, Slade. My brother is angry.” Silver says. “Do you still agree that if we catch one false statement ‘rom your father or your gammas, we’re allowed to end them in that moment?”

We won’t lie.” Slade growls.

I know your aunt was there. Allison, or whatever her name is.”

Derisha says and my head snaps up.

‘I want her there and if her story itself doesn’t match-” She smiles, slow and terrible. “Forget the Loo Fever. I will bring a storm. I will order the gammas of my husband, and they will strike down every member of your pack they find in this city,

One after the other.”

2/4

6:04 pm PWMM.

Chapter 82

019

“Of course,” Emris snarls. “If your story checks out, no one has to die, and I’ll finally believe your pack had nothing to do with mine. Until then, I’m keeping the money. Go have use of your farm.”

i let go of Slade. I need to leave. I need to get out of here before I fall apart in front of all of them..

Just as I reach the doorway, Emris speaks again.

“Maybe when I’m done with your pack…” His voice follows me. “I will leave a few pack members alive so they can attend your sister’s wedding.”

The vow rumbles from the depths of his throat, and I know….I know….I’ve brought back the raging Alpha. This is no longer the man who kissed me softly on the yacht. I have dug out the one who loves revenge. And I’ve given him a field to play in.

I walk out through the door, and my wolf whines inside me. A deep, mournful sound. There’s a reason she’s whining. She knows I’ve made up my mind.

I cannot afford there to be a chance of my pack being destroyed by the Black Covenant. In the past, I’ve seen the way they deal with packs they believe have wronged them. They strike in the dark and by morning there’s no Alpha or Luna.

We need alliances.

Slade doesn’t have a Luna. I’m not counting on him to secure that kind of bond. I need an Alpha who can support my pack if it reaches that end.

And not just support…a bond between me and someone else will weaken the mate bond I share with Emris. It will make it easier for me to reject the stronghold his wolf has on mine. Especially since we’ve been… knotted. Claiming each other repeatedly.

As I’m walking, Slade catches up and grabs my arm.

“What did he mean by that? What… what did you tell him?”

“We need alliances.”

“And?”

I swallow. “Call Sabrina. I’m going to marry her brother. The Alpha of the Irish pack.”

“W-what? Are you insane!?”

There is about to be a pack war!” I hiss.

“And it has nothing to do with you!”

“This is my pack. Just as you are the Alpha son who has to take care of the pack, I am the Alpha’s daughter And I have to do my part too.” I look away from Slade’s eyes, toward the landscape where the historic pack house of the Black Covenant stands like a sigma.

“I have lived in the Black Covenant pack all my life. I have heard thousands of conversations about how they make packs become nothing overnight. I have made Emris upset. He’s not going to hold out on us now.”

Slade shakes his head. “I’m not understanding you.”

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