He winced. "I'm your mate."
"You were my mate. You're the one that rejected me, Nolan." My nose wrinkled.
"It was a mistake." Nolan placed his hands on the bloodied cement floor and pushed himself onto wobbly legs. His body hunched over.
I shook my head. "Don't care about your baby, at all?"
Even if he didn't care for Ivy, he must have had some connection to his own flesh and blood.
His gaze faltered. "I don't know."
"You made that pup with my sister. Whether you like it or not, you have an obligation now."
He dropped his head and his shoulder started to shake. I thought he was sobbing as his whole body began to quiver, but then he lifted his head up. "The only obligation I have is you." A deep mirth bounced off the walls as his lips curled into a big smile. His green eyes pierced mine, and he sprinted toward me.
I moved out of his path with ease, sidestepping him, and pushed my palm in between his shoulder blades. I sent him hard into the wall coated in Wolfsbane. He smacked it hard, his flesh searing at the contact.
He dropped; the back of his head bounced off the floor before colliding again with a crack. Skin was missing from his nose while burns scattered his chest from the impact.
The burns were struggling to heal. One perk of being a werewolf was that we healed abnormally fast, but our downfall was wolfsbane. That pretty little plant restricted our healing process and if used in a high concentrate, it could be fatal.
He let out a strangled cry as Blaine walked over to him. "Show Sophia respect as your Alpha and know your place," Blaine whispered, squatting down to where he could see his face. "Or next time, I'll make sure you won't heal at all."
Nolan whimpered, closing his eyes as he rested his head on the cold floor.
"Use the time you have left in here to think about Ivy and your baby," I said.
Blaine unlocked the heavy cell door before pushing it open. We walked out, and the door slammed shut behind us.
"Did he try anything?" the guard asked, locking it back with his gloved hands.
Blaine snarled. "He launched at his Alpha."
The guard's eyes flashed. "I'll teach him another lesson."
I waved him off. "I pushed him into the wall. He's recovering from heavy contact with Wolfsbane. Do as you will."
"I'll make sure he is properly punished regardless, Alpha." He led us back to the hatch.
"You do that," Blaine said, handing him the glove.
I grabbed the cold metal ladder and climbed back up the hatch. I grasped the grass around it and pulled myself up. Blaine climbed up behind me before shutting it and kicking the covering back over.
"Maybe that visit wasn't the worst. I got to assert my dominance." He grinned as we walked through the overgrown forest.
"You do love to assert your dominance."
He grabbed my hand and pulled me in for a rough kiss. He pulled back slightly, resting his forehead on mine. "I'll show you exactly how dominating I can be once we get home."
"Yes, please."
Blaine and I interlocked our fingers as we entered the dim-lit dining room. Riley, Gabe, Ivy, Nolan, and my parents sat around the long marble table. Blaine and I took the open seats next to Riley and Gabe. Our family had expanded, and it was a different atmosphere than it used to be.
"I'm so glad you all could make it." Mom smiled, glancing around the table. "I've been missing all of you. I was hoping we could put our problems on the back-burner and be a family tonight."
I tapped my fingers on the table. "You told me he wasn't going to be here."
Ivy waved me off. "Mom told me not to bring him, but he's part of the family too, so I did anyway."
My eyes shifted to Ivy as I let out a low growl. "I don't care what he is. I don't want him anywhere near me."
"He just got out of the cellars yesterday. I didn't have the chance to see him all last week, thanks to you," she snipped.
"There was a damn good reason I sentenced him there." I felt my wolf stirring within me.
"Girls, let's just try to get along. Your mom has been really upset about all the fighting," Dad said, squeezing Mom's hand.
"Sophia hasn't been fighting," Blaine said. "She's been demanding the respect she deserves as Alpha of this pack."
Mom turned her head under his gaze.
"You're right, Blaine. Sophia has just been standing up for herself, and she should continue to do so," Dad agreed. "Ivy, Nolan. Both of you need to show your Alpha respect."
Nolan's gaze shifted to the table. His skin was pink, as he was still healing from the Wolfsbane. He had two black eyes, his nose swollen, and deep gashes peeked out from under his shirt and up his neck. I couldn't imagine all the torture he had endured. Hopefully, he had learned his place in the pack.
Ivy pressed her lips together and nodded.
"Can we eat now?" Riley asked, grinning from ear-to-ear.
Dad chuckled. "You may."
It was silent as we filled our plates with pulled pork, mashed potatoes, mac 'n cheese, and green beans. We ate in silence for a couple of minutes, enjoying the home-cooked food.
I swallowed the food that I had stuffed in my mouth. "This is so good, Mom."
"Mom's cooking is the best." Riley ate another forkful before eyeing me. "I heard that you two fully mated. Congratulations." She winked.
I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Thanks."
Blaine nodded. "Thank you, Riley."
This was why I loved Riley. She was the only one who had congratulated us within my immediate family. Pack members had been enthusiastic about it, but after the whole Nolan incident nobody here wanted to acknowledge it.
I heard a clang and glanced over to see that Nolan had dropped his fork. His gaze fixed on me and his jaw clenched.
I averted my gaze back to Riley. "I see that you fully mated, too."
She laughed.
