Chapter 48

Nan’s POV

He opens his mouth to speak…

“I don’t think of wolf-less as anything.”

The words themselves are rather benign. Nothing to be upset over. Generous compared to other descriptions I’ve heard.

But my stomach drops, nonetheless.

His expression is far from benevolent. There is a derision to his tone. Barely concealed disgust in the sneer of his mouth.

I suddenly see how much he resembles his brother in that moment. Way too much for my own comfort. I am reminded that both brothers would have been raised with the same beliefs.

That stark reminder is a rude awakening. Lionel could be incredibly generous and noble. A trait I admire.

But that does not change the fact that Lionel…is from a different world than me. One that looks down upon those considered lesser than them. His constant defense of me had made me overlook that fact with too much ease.

I have a horrible feeling that hearing more of his opinion will hurt me. Further questioning does not seem like a promising idea. But I go on anyway, metaphorically sticking my finger in the wound.

“Can you explain that? I don’t understand.” I say.

‘I must have machoistic tendencies,’ I muse. To ask for further, unknowing contempt from the alpha I am falling in love with. Secretly hoping Lionel will disprove my worries.

I am disappointed.

“Wolf-less have no function or purpose in society. They don’t fit in anywhere. I’ve never spared much thought on them.”

I swallow dryly. “Oh…”

His lips are pressed in a firm line. Unhappy at the thought of wolf-less. At the thought of me…

“You said you haven’t spared much thought on them. What thoughts have you spared?” I question reluctantly.

He eyes me critically. Puzzled at this near interrogation I have sprung on him. Not understanding the intensity radiating off me as I get closer to the heart of the matter.

My caution has been thrown to the wind. Emotional turmoil is churning within me. My hopes are dying a slow, brutal death.

His next words are the final nail in the coffin of my previous pipe dreams.

“The only real thought I have had on them is that the greatest mistake any wolf can make is mating with one.” He states.

“Why…what makes you think that?” I ask weakly.

He sighs. “Does it really matter?”

“You’ve said you have no other real opinions on them. I just wanted to know how you came to that conclusion.” I bite back.

‘Reign it in Nan,’ I scold myself. ‘If you can understand, maybe you can slowly change his mind.’

I doubted he had ever had any genuine experience with wolf-less. There had never been any wolf-less born to the elite to my knowledge. Surely his reasoning was simply rhetoric.

Lionel purses his lips. “I had a distant relative, Adrian….”

‘Maybe this won’t be as easy as I hoped,’ I consider helplessly.

“Keep in mind, all of this took place before I was born. I don’t know every detail. But what I do know…”

I could see the strain this story is taking on him. He clearly does not like talking about it. If I had been a better person, maybe I would have insisted he drop it.

But I’ve come too far now down this line of questioning. So I gently place my hand in his. Give it a squeeze of encouragement.

This gesture has the desired effect. Lionel returns with a gentle squeeze of his own. And continues with his tale.

“Adrian was next in line to be head of his clan in one of the overseas branches. In time, he might have been a strong contender as the alpha of our business empire. His talents with fire were exceptional…they say he could turn a dark room into night sky of red stars.”

There is bittersweet look in his eyes. A familiarity to his voice I did not expect. I would have thought Lionel had personally witnessed the situation if not for his previous warnings otherwise.

“Most of the family adored him. My own father had looked up to him as a child. He had everything going for him…status, talent, a line of good mates to choose from.”

Lionel’s voice changes then. From nostalgic to resentment. “Then he met her.”

“Some wolf-less servant…temptress that bewitched him into throwing it all away. He abandoned his goddess given gifts, his duty, his pack for this woman.”

I winced. For an alpha to abandon his pack…it is against every instinct of a wolf. For alphas, it is considered sacrilege.

“He ran away with her. No one saw or heard from them for decades. The pack was outraged.”

Lionel pauses. Takes a deep breath. Shoulders tense.

“I was only a kid when I first saw him. He returned to the pack. Asking for help from the people he had left behind.”

Rancor coats his words. Long-held ill-feelings rising to the surface at his packmates betrayal. I listen silently.

“I listened at the door, curious at this newcomer claiming to be pack. Do you know what he requested?” Lionel chuckles bitterly.

“His son with that woman had become a rogue.”

“By the goddess…” I gasp. Rogues were people whose wolves were utterly unstable. They were often mad and violent, unable to control their own natures.

A pit forms in my belly. I could see where this was going. There is only one real fate for rogue wolves.

“I’m sure you can guess what happened next.” He says.

I nod.

“He came to us to clean up his own mess. The elders said that they had warned him of the foolishness of mating with a wolf-less. Of the possible consequences…”

I want to throw up. Never had I ever heard about such a thing being possible. Is this why society hated people like me so…were we curses?

“After finding out all of that…I swore I would never commit such selfishness. I knew then that wolf-less should never mate with wolves. It causes to much misfortune.”

I am speechless. What could I say to that? I had started this conversation with the notion that I could overcome the hurdle of Lionel’s reservations if I got to the root of the problem.

“That’s my reasoning. What do you think, Nan?” He asks curiously.

“I-I agree. Wolf-less and wolves shou-shouldn’t be together.” I stutter out.

My tongue is clumsy. I can barely form thoughts. This revelation is huge.

Why hadn’t anyone ever told me about this? Someone should have said something. My parents, at the very least, should have warned me!

“Thank you for telling me. It’s good to know.” I lie.

Lionel smiles at me. “I’m glad. I look forward to getting to know you more too.”

It twinges my heart strings. The deadline looming over me. Would there be time?

I leave him to his work after that. My head is a mess. The conversation had not gone the way I wanted at all.

Everything points to disaster at a union with Lionel. But…My heart is still stubbornly refuting the idea of our relationship being doomed. ‘There has to be a way around this,’ I think fiercely.

I can’t accept this. There must be something more to the story. I am sure of only one thing as I leave the study.

I made the right decision in hiding my status from Lionel. I only have to last until the deadline comes. Then my secret will be forever safe.

Lionel’s POV

I am sure of myself.

The conversation with Nan cleared up many things for me. Her being a weak wolf explains everything. Weaker wolves have been known to struggle to establish bonds with wolves of higher status…

It confirms my suspicions. I had felt the mate bond. I know I did.

But Nan having such a weak wolf…it complicates things. Makes it harder to confirm outwardly that the bond exists. I do not know how to improve the situation.

I cannot solve this without outside help. I am proud of myself for taking the initiative when I receive a phone call from an expert in mate bonds. Someone I had reached out to the day after I kissed Nan.

“…agree. That does sound like a mate bond. But as for the other parties’ lack of reaction…that will take some looking into. I will search through some of the ancient texts and inform you of my findings.”

“That sounds perfect.” I tell the expert.

I feel hope for the first time since this all began. If the mate bond is the will of the Moon goddess…nobody could stop me from claiming Nan as my mate.