Chapter 6. Mate, You’re Mine

"No, she’s not," Sebastian growled, and I saw the hint of amusement in Kaden’s eyes. Compared to himself, Sebastian was a pup, and I could see how that would look amusing, but I didn’t want any bad blood between our two packs. Mostly because we’d be crushed, and my family was here. "Why do you even want to take her?" I heard the resentment in Missy’s voice. "Because she’s my mate." They all gasped and looked at me. "She’s what?" I heard someone squeal, and then Anna tumbled into the room. She had been pressing her ear against the door. "He’s your second chance?" She gasped. Kade turned stiffly and slowly furrowed his brows. "Second chance?" He asked and stood completely still. "Well, yeah," I said, and couldn’t think of any other words. Should I say that Sebastian was my first mate? And that we rejected each other? No, he didn’t need to know that. His eyes searched mine, his brows hunched down, and I tried hard not to shift my gaze to Sebastian. If our eyes met, he’d know in a second that Sebastian was my first mate, and neither one of us wanted that. Sebastian wouldn’t want his friends to know that he was mated to me because of the shame he felt, and I didn’t want Kade to know that my first mate was a spoiled man-child. "Who?" Alpha Kade took a step toward me. "Who was your first?" He asked in a cold voice. It sent actual shivers down my spine. "That doesn’t matter," I lifted my head and tried to remain steady. "It does to me," The little twitch on Sebastian’s lips signaled he was pressed up against a wall. He had no other choice, and his lip would always expose that. It always twitched whenever he didn’t get what he wanted, and normally it was followed by a big tantrum, but he knew it wouldn’t work in this case. Alpha Kade wasn’t his mom or dad or another member of this pack who would bend over backward to make him happy. He stepped back and turned his head. Our eyes met, and I saw the anger that swirled in his depths. Sebastian hated to lose, and it wasn’t a concept he was used to. If the tension rose, the others were baffled by the conversation. Missy’s eyes were round and confused as she stared between me and Alpha Kade. They began to furrow as the words settled in her mind, and she understood what was happening. The doors opened up to the packhouse, and three people stepped inside. One girl with long, lean legs, a brow, and thick hair that went down to her waist, and dark eyes that were piercing around the room. The other two were males, both were as tall as Alpha Kade, one with his hair completely shaved with only subtle stubble on his head, and the other had thick dark hair that flowed as he walked. "What are you doing here?" Alpha Kade asked and turned to them. Missy’s eyes sank, and her chin fell to the floor. I could see the hearts forming in her vision as she looked at the two males standing in front of her. She walked up to the one with a shaved head and pursed her lips. "Hi, I’m-" "Not important, thanks for introducing yourself. Now, please step back before I pluck your eyes and press the juice out of them," the girl said and slid her hand over the guy’s shoulder. Missy gulped and stepped back. "Bitch," Missy muttered under her breath. The girl smirked, clearly enjoying putting Missy in her place. "You extended your stay, we just wanted to make sure everything was alright," The guy with thick dark hair said and raised his head. "Has anything ever not been okay?" Alpha Kade seemed grumpy; he scowled at them, and looking past the facade, they had a sincere connection. "Who is this?" The girl asked and looked at me. She raised a brow and extended her hand. "I’m Cara," she said and walked up to me. "Layla," I said and shook her hand. Our eyes were locked on each other, and I saw hers sparkling. I was not going to be the first to remove my hand or look away. She had an aura of authority around him; her rank was high. She was with either the Beta or an Alpha. Considering the way she just spoke to Missy, marking her territory with the guy I assumed was her mate, and the way she spoke and looked at Alpha Kade, she was close to him. I saw the resemblance in their eyes; they had the same fox eyes, a slight shadow that stretched from the corner of their eyes, and looked like faded eyeliner. "You’re Alpha Kade’s sister," I said and narrowed my eyes. She lifted her head and gently removed her hand. "I prefer to go by Cara, but yes, I am," nobody had heard anything regarding the siblings of Alpha Kade. We didn’t know anything about him, really, except for the rumors that swirled around. I looked behind her to the man who stood next to Alpha Kade. He had the same eyes, the faint eyeliner that pulled out and gave the illusion of that perfect shape. "And you’re his brother," the guy came up to me and reached out his hand. "I’m Mason, Beta, and brother of Alpha Kade." That was unusually formal, but I grabbed his hand and shook it. Mason smiled and pulled his hand back. He seemed kind, and the feel of his touch only indicated the same thing. He was genuine, a good soul, and it was odd that I knew that. Alpha Kade looked at me, his eyes boring into mine. "We’ll be on our way," he said and flicked his head. "I’m still not going with you," I said, baffled, and shook my head. He walked up to me with quick steps and leaned over me. "I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you out," He seethed. "Oh, really, and then what? You’ll toss me in the trunk and lock me up somewhere?" I asked and crossed my arms over my chest. How could he be so arrogant? My family was here, Anna was here; how did he expect me to leave them all so easily? "If that’s what I have to do," He said. I turned my head and looked at Anna, who was showing mixed emotions. "Let me say goodbye to my family," I said and walked past him. My arm was grabbed, and I was pulled back. "You have an hour, and then we leave." I pulled my arm free and looked at the confused expressions of the three new people who had just shown up. Cara was staring with hooded eyes between her and her brother. "How are you feeling?" Anna asked as we walked up to my house. I opened the door and ran into my room. "What are you doing?" She asked as I changed my clothes into something I didn’t mind getting ripped off my body when I shifted. I pulled everything out and looked for my old running shoes. My wolf growled in the back of my head; she was just as confused as I was. "Layla, stop!" Anna grabbed my shoulders and spun me around. "I’m not going with him," I said and shook my head. Her hands dropped, and I saw the tug on her lips as she smiled, but it quickly faltered. "Will he let you stay?" "No, that’s why I’m gonna run." "Where?" "I don’t know, somewhere. Just until he’s left, and then I’ll come back. He has responsibilities in his pack; he can’t stay here forever," I said and put my shoes on. "What if he comes looking for you here? What do I say?" She asked as she walked me to the door. "Just tell him that you have no idea where I am," I shrugged my shoulders and bolted out the door. I looked over my shoulder as I ran towards the woods and saw Anna standing with her hands in the air. ’Are we doing this?’ I don’t hear you opposing, so yes, we are.