The Mad Alpha's Substitute Bride-Chapter 54: His True Mate

(LOCKE)

Erik is in his office.

I’ve been in this marbled room with its high ceilings and large windows before. He’s pacing, his lean, muscled body hidden under one of the ridiculous suits that he likes wearing so much. He sees me and holds up a finger, a phone pressed to his ear. He’s speaking in another language, arguing with someone.

I lean against the door jamb, hands in my pockets, waiting for him to be done.

The tension in his voice is rising with each word, and at one point, he slams his fist against the wall. That has me raising my eyebrows. Erik is not a man who is easily rattled. He’s normally extremely cunning and dangerously calm, even in the face of potential death.

I would know.

Before his brother’s disappearance, Erik was the commander of the Human Kingdom’s army. The Human Kingdom and the North have always shared a good relationship, and Erik battled the monsters at the Veil with me several times when we needed reinforcements. I’ve seen him fight in both human and wolf form. He’s unflinching, the masterful control he has over his temper making him a terrifying opponent.

He doesn’t have warrior blood like me, but he fights just as viciously and relentlessly.

When he ends the call, I ask, "What was that about?" He shoots me a dark look. "Nothing."

My lips twist. "Didn’t seem like nothing."

He contemplates me for a few seconds before walking over to the desk and slumping into his chair. "There was a possible sighting of Griffin in eastern Europe. I knew it would be a dead end, but I was still trying to chase it down."

I meet his gaze, my own steady. "Nothing came of it, then?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you don’t want to face the truth. It’s been too many years, Erik. We both know that if he were alive, you would have found him by now. You’ve left no stone unturned."

His expression remains dark. "I will never stop searching for him. Griffin wasn’t weak. He was an alpha on top of being a powerful king. He underwent intense training. I refuse to believe he would succumb so easily."

I rarely talk about my parents, but when I look at the man before me, his eyes glinting fiercely, I find myself saying, "I thought the same of my father. But the rebels took him, and you’re well aware of what they did to him and my mother. According to the reports, my father was killed last. He would never have watched my mother suffer if he could have helped it. Somehow, those people are able to restrain even the strongest of alphas. You cannot sit on this throne with one leg out the door, Erik."

I see the insult cross his face. "I have done right by this kingdom."

"This kingdom needs an heir. You need to find a mate and have a child. But not my mate and not my child."

He stares at me before chuckling somberly. "So, that’s what this is about. She’s not your mate, Locke. You should’ve marked her when you had the chance."

"And you should’ve told me she was here." My hands curl into fists. "Eight years—"

"I tried. She was still unconscious, and my healers had detected the child inside her. I reached out to you, but you were not in the castle, and the woman who received my message claimed to be your mate. I had my people investigate." His eyes are hard as he looks at me. "It didn’t take me long to discover the rumors in your land. Corrine had deceived you and pretended to be the Eastern Princess, and when the real Ravenna showed up, you sent orders for Corrine to be killed."

My jaw tightens. "That’s not what happened."

"Which part?" the man before me asks nonchalantly. "The one where she tried to deceive you or the one where you tried to kill her?"

"Both!" I snarl. "I knew who she was when I brought her to the North. And I took Corrine as my mate, not Ravenna."

"But you announced Corrine as Princess Ravenna," Erik points out slyly. "You intended for her to be the princess’s substitute."

My eyes narrow. "An error in judgment."

"No." Erik leans back in his chair. "It’s just you and me here, Locke. Let’s be honest. You never thought a woman could tame you. Which is exactly what Corrine managed to do."

"If you’re implying that she manipulated me—"

Erik scoffs. "Corrine? Just because a woman makes you soft doesn’t mean she’s manipulating you. I’m not that foolish. And remember, I had met Corrine before. I also had the unfortunate chance of meeting Ravenna after Corrine’s visit. I had spent enough time with Corrine to know that the woman I met the next time wasn’t her. Their scents are slightly similar, or at least they were back then, so they could be easily confused. However, Corrine was much more graceful and refined. The woman I had intended to pursue as my mate was nowhere to be found during that next meeting."

It takes me a couple seconds to understand what he means, and then, a wave of fury courses through me.

"You’ve been interested in my mate this whole time?" I growl, straightening up. "Make no mistake about this, Erik. She’s mine. She has always been mine. If you so much as attempt to woo her, I will forget everything and launch a full-scale war against the Human Wolf Kingdom."

Erik’s lips curl at one corner. "That’s a lot of effort for someone who is not your queen. And from what I gather, Corrine wants nothing to do with you."

"Even if she doesn’t—" My wolf howls inside me with a combination of misery and anger. "Even if she doesn’t, she’s still my mate. You can’t have her. If she doesn’t want to go to the North with me, I’ll keep coming here."

Erik’s smile is knowing. "Why not drag her back there?"

My eyes narrow. "I’m not going to force her to do anything. And I thought you were supposed to give her protection here, even from me. Or was all that just for show?"

He shrugs. "No, it wasn’t. I won’t let you coerce her into anything. But I am also not going to risk my kingdom for her. She’s an asset, and she would make an excellent queen. I’ll fight you to keep her here but not at the risk of war. We both know threatening a war is overkill." Erik gets to his feet, walks over to the window, and looks outside. "She was in bad shape when she came here. Desperately clinging to life. She knew she was pregnant. The first thing she asked was for help to save her and her baby. You reduced her to that. And if you didn’t, your people did. How do you know they won’t do it again?"

I don’t think I’ll ever truly be free of this guilt. If I had only known that she had survived the Misty Forest, everything would be different now. But I can’t turn back time. "If I’d discovered that she was alive, I would have gotten rid of Ravenna. And if the elders had protested, I would’ve gotten rid of them, as well."

"And now? Ravenna’s your queen." Erik turns to face me. "What will you do about her now?"

"My queen—My legal queen," I say coldly, "is here. She’s the only one I mated."

"Under Ravenna’s name."

"It doesn’t matter. The vows I made were to Corrine."

"Insincere vows."

"Don’t try to tell me about my sincerity!" I say harshly, taking a step forward, ready to spill blood. "I made a mistake. I accept that. But I won’t lose her, and certainly not to you."

"Then give me a reason to help you convince her she’ll be safe and happy in the North." Anger crosses Erik’s face, his tone biting.

I’m stunned for a moment. "What?" When he doesn’t reply, my brow furrows. "You want her to go back with me?"

"No, I don’t. But I know Corrine. She has never forgotten you. She has never moved on. Several eligible males have expressed curiosity about her, but she doesn’t even look at them. She says she’s not interested, but that’s not it. As an unmarked female, with the kind of men she’s been surrounded by, she should have shown some attraction toward them. But she hasn’t. And I haven’t seen her wolf react to any male, either."

His words give me some hope. "But she was willing to mate you."

"To get away from you!" Erik retorts. "She’s scared of you."

"I won’t hurt her."

"Does she know that beyond a reasonable doubt?" My silence speaks volumes, and Erik sighs. "What do you plan to do, Locke? If she agrees to go back with you, what’s your plan for the woman who claims to be your queen? And what’s your plan for the elders?"

I already spent the night considering my options. Even if I have to make the hard choice and not force Corrine to return with me, her mere existence and that of my son’s will put them in danger.

"No matter the outcome, whether they choose to stay here or come with me, since they’re alive, Ravenna will become a political prisoner. Whoever opposes me will have their entire bloodline erased."

"And you think that will work?" Erik raises an eyebrow. "You think the Eastern Kingdom will allow it? Their princess, who has been a queen for the past eight years, is suddenly thrown into the dungeons as a prisoner?"

"They won’t have a choice."

The man before me bursts into incredulous laughter. "I always wondered how you managed to keep the North under control. It’s through brute force, isn’t it? You kill your enemies."

"That’s how it’s done."

His amused look fades. "No. Not when the danger is from the inside, Locke. The East will do everything in their power to get rid of Corrine and Finn. And they will have plenty of support from among your own people."

"So, I’ll kill them."

"Kill whom? How many? Will you wipe out all the noble families in the North? How much blood will you shed? And how much blood will Corrine be comfortable with you shedding?"

I don’t have an answer to that.

Erik walks around his desk to lean against the edge of it, his hands in the pockets of his suit pants. "I’m not a fool, Locke. I’ve heard that you stay at the border for the majority of the year. I can only assume you’re trying to avoid Ravenna. And then there is the very real fact that she hasn’t conceived a child yet. Seeing how fertile our kind is, the only reason she hasn’t gotten pregnant is because you have not lain with her. I can put two and two together."

He sounds very sure of himself. I let him continue talking. I want to see where he’s going with this.

"You’ve never accepted Princess Ravenna. I had my suspicions with respect to how you felt about Corrine, and you confirmed them the other day when you found her here. I’m not the kind of man who steals another wolf’s fated mate, Locke. No matter how much I like her. I didn’t know you two were fated mates till you said it. But if you want to keep her safe, you have to play politics."

"So, that day when you invited me to the palace" I give him a considering look."you meant for Corrine and me to meet up?"

Erik grins. "What do you think? Corrine is a good woman. And she’s gone through plenty of hardships. She didn’t have to tell me about them; I had my spies in the East find out everything I needed to know. Her existence was an open secret—her treatment at Ravenna’s hand, even more If you ever want to know what your mate went through, I have a whole file."

"I want to see it."

"Sure." He’s not smiling now. "I’ll help you, Locke. Unlike you, I am very good at playing politics. Two months from now is the annual ball. As you know, this is an annual function hosted in our kingdom, and wolves from both the Northern and the Eastern Kingdoms will be in attendance, including the elders. Ravenna has been attending in your absence. I’m sure she will make an appearance again, especially if she knows you will be here. Take the opportunity to give Corrine the mating mark. Announce your mate and your heir to the world. And I will give you my full backing."

I stare at Erik. "Why are you doing this?"

He turns his back to me and fidgets with something on his desk. "Because she loves you. She won’t admit it, but it’s in her eyes when she looks at you. Under all that anger and hurt, I see love." His voice lowers. "And she will never look at me that way, no matter how many years we spend together."

He looks over his shoulder, meeting my gaze. Our mutual understanding is silent.

We have the same goal: to protect the woman we both love.