A Wolf's Oath (2 page)

“
No, I swear it’s nothing but good. The way you and your
brother jointly lead your clan when your father isn’t there just
makes people wonder how you manage to do it that’s all. People have
always thought it was better for one Lord to rule a clan and then
you and your brother show up and do such an amazing job working
together, it just makes people curious.”

“
Are you curious Erica?”

“
Maybe a little, I’m not a noble or anything so how you and
Ryan lead isn’t really going to form the basis of how I do
anything,” she shrugged.

Not noble yet.
He mentally
corrected.
You’re my mate, so you’ll be
noble as soon as I claim you.

Soon I hope,
the wolf
inserted.

“
Ryan and I have a system,” he began. “Ryan is much more of a
people person than I am, so he deals with meeting people and public
appearances and the like while I do background things. I much
prefer it that way. Although our appearances are identical we’re
actually quite different.”

“
You seem to be doing a fine job talking to me.” She smiled,
the simple gesture bringing her face to life.

Stepping closer to her, he breathed deeply, imprinting her
scent firmly onto his mind. “Well you’re a special
case.”

Frowning, she met his gaze. “A special case? What’s so
special about me?”

“
You, Erica, are my mate. You’re the most special case I can
ever meet. I’m glad that I found you so quickly. I didn’t want to
wait as long as Tobias had to wait for Alex,” he beamed,
remembering the two hundred year wait his cousin had been forced to
endure before finding his mate in Alexandria, the human who the
party was being thrown for.

Her eyes widened at the claim and she began to take steps
away from him, cursing the heels that she wore for making her less
steady on her feet when she might very well need to run. “I’m not
your mate, I’m no one’s mate.”

“
Erica, trust me on this, the first time I smelled you, I knew
you were the one. There is no other for me. You’re my mate. Don’t
worry, I’ll take good care of you.”

“
I don’t need a mate and I can take care of myself just fine.
So leave me alone.” Her steps away from him had finally led her to
the stone balcony and as she leaned against it she began to toe off
the shoes that clad her feet.

“
Erica, you’re a wolf otherwise you wouldn’t be here, you must
know of a male’s need to find a mate.”

“
I’m perfectly acquainted with your need to find a mate. It
doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want one.” Her feet now
blissfully bare, she eyed the door behind him. “Please just leave
me alone.”
Sorry about the shoes
Anna.
She mentally apologised before
running past him. She escaped into the ballroom, weaving her way
through the crowd desperate to get away. The door in sight, she
slipped through arriving in the empty hall. A warm hand against her
exposed wrist stopped her from running any further. Spinning out of
his grasp, she glared at Sebastian’s crestfallen face, refusing to
feel sympathy towards his plight.

“
Why are you running from me?” he questioned.

“
I told you I want nothing to do with you. I’m not your mate so
leave me be.”

“
I’m not mistaken about this Erica, you’re the one.”

“
No, that’s where you’re wrong. I’m not your mate or anyone
else’s for that matter. I don’t want a mate so I suggest you go
find someone else.”

“
There is no other for me Erica. It’s you or no
one.”

“
Well then I suggest you get very acquainted with the idea of
no one because you will never have me as a mate!” she screamed,
desperate to escape him.

“
Why are you doing this?”

“
The better question is why are you doing this? You don’t even
know me.”

“
The instinct is never wrong Erica, you’re the one I will spent
my life with. Are you afraid of me? Is that why you resist my claim
so strongly? I’m not a bad person Erica; I would never harm you.
Please stop this,” he pleaded, his hand returning to her wrist and
holding her in place.

“
I’m afraid of no one least of all you,” she hissed, struggling
against his grip.
Damn, he’s stronger than
he looks, if he doesn’t want to let me go I might not be able to
escape.
Deciding to try a different tactic,
she stopped fighting him. “You say that you wouldn’t harm me, but
what exactly do you call this?” Her wrist jerked within his grasp.
“If you truly think that I’m your mate, then let go of
me.”

His grip slackened as he released her wrist. “I’m sorry, I
didn’t mean to hurt you Erica.”

“
Look Sebastian, just let me go.”

Never.
The word floated through his
mind shocking him in its intensity and he was unsure of whether it
had come from him or his wolf and he found himself stepping away
from her as he tried to sort his thoughts.

“
Sebastian, please leave me alone. It’s nothing personal. Who
knows, if you hadn’t said I was your mate we might have had some
fun tonight, you seem like a nice enough guy.”

“
You’re rejecting me?”

“
Like I said it’s nothing personal Sebastian, please I just
want to be alone.” She turned and fled, disappearing down the long
corridor.

What are you doing?
The wolf
demanded.

I’m letting her go.

She’s ours, chase her and bring her back here. Force her to
see sense.

No, we must give her the space that she wants. For
now,
he qualified, under no delusion that
he would let her escape him completely and unwilling to do so as
new possessive and protective instincts rose within him.

Chapter
Two

Running from the estate grounds, Erica escaped into the night.
Her feet pounded against the hard earth as she ran, desperate to
return home where she would undoubtedly feel safe as soon as she
arrived.
I’ve got to get away from
him,
she chanted, running faster and faster
through the woods that surrounded the royal estate.
Stupid Anna, I knew it was a bad idea for me to
come here, but I let her drag me along anyway and what do I get for
trying to be a good friend? A mate! Well thank you, but no thanks.
It would have to happen to me, the first time I consider getting
close to a man; he would have to be my mate.
The grounds of the estate now long behind her, she refused to
slow, determined to make it back home before the moon completely
disappeared from the sky.
Who knows what
he might do, I’ve got to have the home advantage.

The forest that encircled her seemed to go on endlessly as the
night continued to rush on, time passing in a blur as she pushed
her body faster and faster, but soon enough she felt her feet touch
familiar ground and she sighed with relief, finally slowing her
hectic pace.
Almost home.
The moon had begun to fade from the sky, telling
her that while she had made it before dawn, it was still
late.
It’s amazing how fast you can run
when you want to get away from someone,
she
admitted, strolling along the well-trodden path that led to her
small home.

The familiar little cabin soon came into sight as she began to
descend one of the many hills that surrounded her home and kept it
hidden from prying eyes. The wood that her father had painstakingly
pieced together was light in colour and firm in substance,
providing them shelter from the elements as it had done for
decades, although it had since lost its once vibrant shine. The
roof above their heads was sturdy, though a little worn in places
while small windows provided them with a natural source of light in
the day.
I need to look into mending the
roof soon.
She added another task to her
ever increasing mental to do list. The path was soon flanked on all
sides by rich soil, the crops that they grew to help supplement
their diet, sprouting shoots from the earth. Reaching the door, she
sighed with relief, grateful to be home.

The front door creaked as she eased it open and Erica winced
at how the sound echoed through the otherwise silent house making
it seem louder than it really was. Disregarding the loudness of her
entry, she slipped inside, closing the door on another loud
creak.
I should probably fix that,
she noted adding another task to her list. The
house was dark, as she’d expected but her sharp eyesight made it
seem as though it were fully lit. The cabin would be considered
small by some standards, composed of two small bedrooms with one
larger master bedroom and a living room that linked directly to the
kitchen through a large arch instead of a door. The bathroom lay at
the end of the hall, with the bedrooms lining the hallway. She
locked the door behind her preparing for Sebastian's
arrival.
He probably won’t take my advice
and just leave me be. He’s a wolf so it’s not as though I should
expect anything different.

The reality of her situation had finally begun to sink in and
a long heart felt sigh escaped her lips.
If I tell him no enough times maybe he’ll just give up and
leave me alone. Who am I kidding? He’s never just going to give me
up.
She touched her wrist lightly,
remembering the one place on her body that he had touched and
despite the time that had passed since that moment, she could still
feel the warm imprint of his long fingers against her bare
skin.
Treacherous damn body,
she grumbled,
you’re
supposed to be on my side.

Her wolf decided to make its presence known, adding to her
inner turmoil as it whined.
Want. Want
him.

She groaned aloud at its demands.
Not
you too? You’re not siding with him as well are you?

Want,
it repeated.

Fine! If you’re going to side with him, then whine all you
like, I don’t care. I don’t want a mate and I’m not going to accept
one. I suggest you grow to like the idea.

A light flickered on at the end of the hall gaining her
attention and she turned towards it. “Erica?” The sound of the
small voice forced a smile to her face as she pushed herself away
from the door and began walking towards the light. Leaning out of
her bedroom door, the small child was dressed in her pyjamas and
she rubbed wearily at her eyes obviously having just woken.
Appearing no older than six years old in age, the little girl’s
cheeks were well rounded despite the firmness and strength in her
limbs.

“
Dylan, what are you doing awake? You should be sleeping.”
Easily lifting her sister’s small body from the ground, she placed
a light kiss against hair as dark as her own holding her close.
Dylan pushed away from her sister’s chest far enough that she could
easily look her in the eye.

“
Thought I heard something.”

The warm brown of her sister’s large, questioning eyes was
distinctly unappreciated this night as images of Sebastian floated
through her mind, reminding her of the intensity his chocolate
brown eyes had shown when he had claimed her as his own.
Treacherous body. Stupid damn wolf and now my own
mind has decided to abandon me in favour of him. Well it’s not
going to change anything. I don’t want a mate.
“Sorry if I woke you.” Though her thoughts were chaotic, her
voice was calm and even as she spoke to her sister.

“
It’s ok, Erica.” Another small voice reached her ears as her
younger brother stumbled blearily out of the bedroom. Wyatt looked
much like his twin, though his hair was slightly lighter and his
skin darker from years spent roughhousing outdoors. Though her
friends called her Eric, both her siblings refused to address her
as such and she allowed them the privilege.

“
Come on lets get you two back in bed.” Taking her brother by
the hand, she led them back to their room, putting Dylan on her bed
and urging Wyatt into his.

Settled comfortably in between the warm layers that made up
her bed, Dylan turned to her sister as she was pulling up the
sheets around her brother. “Erica?”

“
Yes Dylan.”

“
You’re back early,” she noted, watching the hands on their
bedroom clock tick slowly onwards towards morning.

“
I guess I am,” Erica answered, hoping that her siblings would
leave it at that, luck however wasn’t on her side as Wyatt joined
in the questioning.

“
You were meant to be out having fun with Anna, what happened?”
he questioned, trying to appear as stern as possible.

“
I had fun, I just decided to come home early. I missed you
guys.”
Not a complete lie,
she reassured herself.
I
did miss them but there’s no need for them to know why I really
left.

“
Did you really have fun? You’re not just saying that?” Wyatt
pressed.

Smiling widely at her siblings, she tried not to let them
become aware of her apprehension. “I swear I had a great
time.”