Ch.16 A Wife

                                    

                                          
Melisande watched how her brother ignored their father and even their mother which was odd because the male was a total mommas boy. Salem was oblivious to what was happening around him from where he was sitting on the floor in front of the mirror. At first, she had watched him curious as to what he was doing but her family drama was far more fascinating. 
                          
Melisande kicked Azrael's leg, pulling his attention from the boy and to her. Azrael could see what she wanted to know and he only shook his head before looking back towards Salem. 
                          
"Dad, what's going on?" If Azrael wouldn't tell her, someone else would have to. The Alpha sat in a high back armchair reading one of his paperback books, he glanced up at her and sighed. 
                          
"I guess we should tell them before everyone else?" He asked his Mate, who was staring intently at her iPad. 
                          
"I'm staying out of it." She declared and now Melisande was even more curious about what was going on. 
                          
Her father groaned. "We will have some guest arriving soon." Melisande perked up. "The Red Rock Alpha will be visiting with his Mate and their pups." Her brows furrowed in confusion. Why? She was about to ask but her father was already answering. "Many years ago, our father's had a disagreement and because of that, our packs have always been at odds with one another. When our father's stepped down and we became Alphas, we had agreed on a treaty." 
                          
"One I didn't know everything about." Her mother added, abandoning her iPad. The guilty look on her father's face was odd. 
                          
"We had agreed that to seal the treaty, we'd mix our blood and it just so happened that his Mate gave birth to their daughter only a year after your mother had Azrael." Melisande's eyes grew at what he was implying. 
                          
"What?!" They all turned towards Salem who had stood up and was now looking between the Alphas and her brother. The black eyeshadow he'd used to make a smoky eye made him look dark and not so innocent. The boy looked like a Night Child, in a sex god kind of way. With his black hair hanging all around him and the tight black shirt and skinny jeans, the little human looked hot. That was besides the point though. Her father pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. 
                          
"We had decided that for our packs to come to peace, our packs would have to come together. So we agreed that when both of our children were of age, they'd marry and imprint." Melisande sure the hell didn't know what to say and from the silence, no one else did either. 
                          
"What?!" Salem squeaked again. His olive skin seemed to have lost some of its color and the blending brush was held tightly in his fist. "Can you even do that? Don't they have their own say?" 
                          
"They will do as their Alpha says." Her father said sternly, directed towards Azrael who sat silently with his jaw clenched. 
                          
"But...but what if they can't?" Salem had moved closer to where they sat, his pale eyes seeming even more intense surrounded by the black eyeshadow. 
                          
"They will."
                          
"But!-" 
                          
"Enough! Azrael knows his role and has accepted it. They will arrive within a fortnight." With that, the Alpha stood and left the room. Their mother sighed before following her Mate. 
                          
"So, you're just going to imprint on some female you don't even know?" Melisande asked. 
                          
"I know her, we attended college together and have spent the years getting to know each other." Azrael admitted. 
                          
Melisande gaped at the male, unsure of what to say. Melisande looked to Salem for some kind of answer only to see that his expression had returned to its regular blankness. The silence stretched and became uncomfortable. After five minutes of avoiding each other's eyes, Salem threw his makeup brush and walked out of the room leaving the siblings alone. Azrael watched the door he'd left out of with a pained expression. 
                          
"Mel, I need to tell you something else but you have to swear on your loyalty not to say a word about it to anyone." Azrael spoke quietly even though the room was soundproof and no one was around to hear. Melisande felt nervous by her brother's seriousness. A wolf to swear on their loyalty was a big thing and it wasn't taken lightly. 
                          
"I swear." She spoke just as low and moved closer to Azrael. He looked conflicted, as if he was already thinking about changing his mind. 
                          
"No, say it, say you swear on your loyalty."
                          
"I swear on my loyalty. Come on Az just tell me already." She huffed, growing impatient. 
                          
"I've met my True Mate." He said softly, eyes flickering towards the closed door. 
                          
Melisande sat for a minute, letting the unfamiliar words spin around in her blank brain. Azrael was watching her expectantly, obviously waiting for some kind of reaction or maybe even a response. She was pulling up blank. She couldn't even wrap her head around the words. True Mates. Goddess, she hated the idea of them. To already be paired with someone without any choice in the matter. What if the person was aweful? What if they smelled funny or worse, didn't know how to fight? She shivered at the thought of a weak Mate. 
                          
"Err..." She said, her eyes following the pattern on the carpet. "Are they nice?" 
                          
"Mel! I'm telling you I've found my True Mate and you have nothing to say?" Azrael huffed and leaned back with a frowned. "It doesn't even matter, it's not like it can become anything. You've heard dad, I'll have a wife soon." Melisande wasn't sure if she was imagining it or if he really sounded disgusted by the very idea.
                          
She didn't really know what to say. Either way, he has no real choice in who he's with for the rest of his life. That sucks.