Chapter 102
Conrad POV
After the dinner with the Sirens, I still wasn't uncomfortable letting Lewana go. I carried her to my room and she slept next to me last night. Holding her and knowing she was safe in my arms was the only way I could sleep.
I up early and just sit up thinking about the day with Lewana curled up next to me. Cordelia was right last night. This entire event was due to finish in 8 days. It would only end if Lewana got more votes so I was allowed to choose her. Either that or I get rid of the entire council.
When Lewana wakes, we go to breakfast and discuss what is happening today. Liam, Arthur, and Mary are there as well and we all know the countdown is ticking.
Lewana talks to the group not really concerned with the ceremony. We both know it's Valerie getting eliminated today. "Do we have any other drama left to resolve".
"No. Just the rogue threat and this ceremony to complete. Lady Brianna's father seems to have settled a bit. Don't think they are quite friendly neighbors yet but they don't want to kill each other so still an improvement. I forgot to ask. How did Alpha Leroy take the news about Ewan and Lady Darlina".
"As you would expect. He was furious. But kudos to Ewan as he stood his ground against an Alpha. I checked out the mating marks of the mother and father and it seems his father is honorable so I'm hoping he taught Ewan well".
I'm puzzled by what she said. "What do you mean, checked the mating marks".
She freezes and looks at the three males sitting at the table. All of us have blank looks on our faces. She looks at Mary in a panic.
"Seems like no one has ever explained to our boys the secret coding system females use".
"Should I tell them".
I'm the first to speak. "Yes, you should tell us. What coding system. Why do you have one".
Lewana takes a deep sigh and I instantly know I'm not going to like it. "She-wolves do our best to accept mate marks based on the circumstance of the mating. Loving chosen marks are on the right side with the top fangs at the back to show you were looking at your mate and chose to be marked there. If the mate accepts you as his equal and wants to show commitment, the she-wolf bites the same way to link the bonds. This is what Ewan's parents have".
Now I'm even more confused but Liam asks what I'm thinking first. "I know how mate marks work but how is that a coding system".
"If the mark is on the left side it means it was a forced union. Could mean anything from parents arranging it to two wolves feeling like there are no options. If only the she-wolf is marked, then the male is basically keeping his options open to find a better she-wolf so he doesn't feel the pain of rejection. Also means only he can choose to break the bond".
Arthur seems to be getting angrier by the second and is barely containing it. "What is the bite mark is backward".
"Means the mating was forced. Most likely during a rape".
Arthur grips his coffee mug so hard it explodes startling all of us. "How do we not know this".
"If we tell the males this system it could be used against us. They could start marking on different sides and trap more females".
Arthur storms out. How could I be so arrogant that I don't know any of this? Have I been that blind to think all marks were equal?
I look over to Mary and see her pulling up her shirt collar around her neck. Liam sees it too.
I let out a low growl. "Mary. You have an ex-mate. Where is your mark".
She is getting defensive and flustered. "You don't need to see it".
Liam stands up and walks slowly over to her focusing on her neck. He moves his hand to her shirt and just looks away. Right side and backward.
Liam's growl is now louder than mine. "His name".
"He's not in your pack Liam. I wasn't born there. I joined years after my rejection".
"His name AND pack then".
She just places a hand gently on his face. "My sweet boy. You can't change the past. Only acknowledge the present and change what you can for a better future".
I think about what she said and she is right. If I couldn't punish Alpha Marcus for what he did to Lewana, how would I punish Mary's ex-mate?
I look at her and call her over to sit next to me. Liam sits on her other side and we both hug the women we both hold so dear to us.
"Can you tell me what happened. So I can stop it from happening to others".
She takes a deep breath and nods. "My mother died when I was 16. She used to stay awake at night when I was in heat to protect me while I slept. The first time I went into heat and she wasn't there I was terrified. I made it two days before I passed out from exhaustion. I woke up to a Gamma pinning me down on my stomach and telling me I now belonged to him. Every heat he raped me stating it was my mate's duty to provide him with a pup and the rest of the time he treated me as a servant. After two years and no pups, he knew I couldn't give him one and rejected me. He told the Alpha who said I was a dead weight to the pack if I couldn't do the only thing I was meant to and he exiled me as well".
Liam is holding on to Mary at this point. "How did you end up at my pack".
"I went from pack to pack for a few years doing odd jobs trying to find a new home. I was working as a maid for your parents when there was a rogue attack. You were only 3. I hid you in that secret compartment in the kitchen cabinetry and attacked two rogues with a cast iron fry pan when they came after you. In my old pack, I was trained as an Alpha's Nanny so I knew the compartment was there and how to defend you. Your Alpha tried to get me reassigned to his household but you kept crying saying I was your Mary so I joined your household and became your nanny".