Chapter 7: Ada's Mate

Ada

“What the hell?” I hiss at Zoe. “Calm down or Killian will know something is up.”

“If you and I don’t stop the fight that’s about to break out, he’ll know anyway,” Zoe snorts.

“Oh no,” I mumble as I grind on my teeth and ignore the pain in my foot to walk faster. “What happened?”

“A guy got handsy with Willow,” Zoe explains as we rush towards the recreational area. “And then his mate walked in and saw it. Now she’s piss*d and adamant to rip out Willow’s throat.”

I can hear a woman shouting threats at the top of her lungs long before I see the door. Anxiety clenches my heart. I hate that I cannot communicate with them. I know they will avoid a fight at all costs, but they will not stand still if that woman decides to throw a punch.

“Oh no,” Zoe whimpers when we step inside – just in time to witness the woman a few steps away pulling her arm back to slap Willow.

I move as fast as I can and grab the woman’s wrist in an iron lock just as she is about to launch her attack.

“That’s a terrible idea,” I whisper to her and she looks angrily at me.

“You’re next, b*tch,” she sneers.

“Why?” I smile sweetly. “Have I done anything to you?”

“You’re in my business,” she shouts as she turns to me. She jerks her arm to free herself, but I tighten my grip.

“We’re leaving,” I lock eyes with her. “I’m going to release your wrist now. So, please behave.”

She instantly pulls her arm to her chest when I let go.

“Let’s go,” I say to Willow and Violet without taking my eyes off the woman.

“You have a lot of nerve,” the woman hisses at me. “Just remember, payback is a b*tch.”

“And you,” I whisper as I step closer, and she swallows hard. “Should remember not to assault your alpha’s guests.”

“She’s right,” Killian says behind me, but I do not turn around. I keep my eyes on the woman. The second she realizes it is Killian talking, she takes a step back.

“My apologies, Ada,” Killian says as he comes to stand beside me and rests his hands on my lower back. As much as his touch irks me, I do not show it. “Cindy and I will talk about manners. Won’t we?”

“Ye … yes, Alpha,” she stutters as she keeps her eyes fixated on the floor.

“Well,” I turn out of his touch and smile. “No harm, no foul.”

“Thank you, Alpha,” Willow stands closer and bashes her eyelashes innocently at him. “And I’m sorry for the inconvenience I’ve caused.”

“Nonsense,” Killian smiles at her but his eyes remain cold. “How were you supposed to know that she had a mate?”

“Goodbye, Killian,” I say as I pull Willow closer to me. “And again, my condolences regarding Leon.”

“I will see you soon,” he smiles lazily as he picks up my hand and kisses the back. In contrast, when Reese did it, there is no pleasant sensation.

“Yes, you will,” I nod before I walk out of there as fast as I can.

The entire way to the car, I can feel his eyes burning on my back.

“Dear goddess,” I sigh as I close the door. “I’m going to need two baths to rid myself of his touch.”

“It’s annoying as f*ck when I must restrain myself,” Willow explodes angrily. “I want to rip that Cindy a new one. When she bends over, her ass will smile like the Joker.”

“Did you at least get information for all your trouble?” I ask as we cross Opal Moon’s border.

“Rouge attack,” Willow grunts. “And the Delta was killed.”

“That’s the same story that we got,” Zoe sighs.

“Violet,” I turn in my seat to look at her. “Why are you so quiet?”

“I found my mate,” she looks at me with big, tear-filled eyes. “The bartender is my mate.”

“What?” I gape at her as she starts crying. “Are you okay?”

“No,” she shouts and throws her hands in the air. “He’s so cute and he’s part of this filthy pack. How can I be okay? I’m not moving to Opal Moon. I’ll rather reject him and grow old alone.”

“Easy now,” I say steadily. “Why can’t he come to our pack? There’s no law that you should follow him.”

“That’s what I’ve said,” she sniffs. “But he owes Killian money and before his debt hasn’t been settled, he can’t move.”

“But we can fix that,” I smile encouragingly. “I’ll give him the money to repay Killian.”

“Half a million?” Violet snorts. “Because that’s what he owes without interest.”

“Holy sh*t, why so much?” Zoe gasps.

“His mother had cancer,” Violet whispers. “Killian settled all their medical bills.”

“I’ll still help,” I reply seriously.

“No,” Violet shakes her head sadly. “His pride wouldn’t allow it. I mean, I wouldn’t mind but he wants to get out of this by himself.”

“That’s stupid,” Willow snorts.

“Eric’s not stupid,” Violet yells at her.

“I said it is stupid,” Willow defends herself. “Not him. Why would he want to settle a score with the devil if he can repay Ada and live happily with his mate.”

“Because it’s not about the money,” I sigh. “It’s about control. As long as he owes the money, Killian has a hold on him.”

“Exactly,” Violet agrees. “And Eric has his pride. It would be humiliating for him to take money from Ada. Plus, Killian takes it as a personal insult if a member wants to leave. That’s why the Delta died. It wasn’t rogues, it was Killian.”

“Hold on,” I look at her in astonishment. “What are you talking about?”

“Killian killed his Delta,” Violet sighs. “But because it’s frowned upon when Alphas kills pack members for frivolous reasons, he concocted the rogue attack to cover up the murder.”

“Why did the Delta want to leave?” I frown.

“We didn’t get to that part,” she sniffs. “That’s when Cindy stormed in, and all hell broke loose.”

“This is getting complicated,” I groan as I sit back in my seat. This trip was supposed to give answers, not more questions.

“You need to go to the funeral,” Zoe says softly. “Killian will not find it suspicious after today’s conversation.”

“I know,” I agree but I do not feel happy about it. “I must find out more about Leon. But I can’t do it alone. You’ll have to come with.”

“Urgh, fine,” Zoe grunts.

“But not you, Willow,” I turn around and give her a mischievous smile. “One funeral a day is enough.”

“The best news I heard all day,” she grins at me.

“And we’re dressing normally,” I turn back in my seat. “It’s a funeral, after all.”

**

“I can see you’re planning something,” Zoe says after we dropped off Willow and Violet.

“My first action would be to overdose on painkillers,” I complain as I breathe through the pain. “And then I’m going to figure out how to get Violet’s mate away from Killian.”

“Wouldn’t crutches help?” Zoe asks sympathetically.

“F*cking no,” I give her a dirty look.

“Wait,” Zoey gives me a mischievous look as she takes a sharp right. “I have the solution.”

“Why are we at your grandparents’ house?” I frown as she parks the car.

“Wait here,” she smiles as she hops out and runs inside.

With a sigh, I close my eyes and lean back in my seat. There are so many things that need my attention, but I cannot think straight. I need to get home to my painkillers.

“Here you go,” Zoe pulls me back to reality as she opens the door.

“A cane?” I chuckle in disbelief as I take it from her. “How’s your grandfather supposed to get along if you steal his stuff?”

“He doesn’t use it,” she laughs heartedly. “He makes it.”

“Oh,” I say surprised as I inspect it a little closer. This is nothing more than a long stick with a wooden ball at one end. “This one seems far from done. Especially the handle.”

“No, it’s not,” Zoe shakes her head. “He’s trying to recreate the knobkerrie.”

“The what?” I gape at her.

“Knobkerrie,” she laughs. “Tribes from Southern and Eastern Africa used it for many reasons. One of them being a weapon. See the knob where the handle is supposed to be? They used that part to swing or club animals or enemies. Sure, traditionally, it’s only thirty-nine inches long and this one is the length of a cane. But Grandpa is making canes and not weapons.”

“Interesting,” I murmur as I test the weight distribution. “Does it have to be shorter to be a weapon?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugs. “But I figure you would hit the ground if it’s too long and you swing it.”

“Then I just wouldn’t swing it from the bottom,” I grin ominously, the pain suddenly less prominent.

“I know that look,” Zoe sighs as she parks in front of the castle. “What are you up to?”

“I’m going to test it,” I shrug nonchalantly as I open my door and climb out. I experiment with the cane for a moment before I start walking to the door.

“This helps a lot,” I nod in approval.

“But you look like an old person,” Zoe snorts.

“Which is better than an injured person,” I say as I stop halfway down the corridor. I take the cane near the bottom and practice swinging it.

“Clyde!” I shout at the top of my lungs. “Where are you, dear cousin?”