[GRANT]
Grant was bored, so he kept his eyes on Alanor.
It was the only way for him to stay sane.
It had been months since Alanor had rejected him and frankly, he had never gotten over that. It broke his heart that this had happened, but what else could he do? It wasn't like he could go to Alanor and tell the man that they were supposed to stay with each other forever, right?
However, as the night progressed, Grant witnessed the one thing that he had been scared of. The mate he wanted, had gotten a mate, and once again, Alanor Gideon Wynter was running away. It was something that Grant couldn't understand really.
However he knew that even though Alanor was running, the young Wynter would most likely give in to the bond with the new mate he had gotten. Alanor had been mated to the lycan prince of Udrad, the same kingdom whose king, Edison Stitt, Alanor had sworn to kill.
"You–" Alanor began, when he bumped into Grant who had been watching him. However, Alanor noticed the change and defeat in Grant's eyes, and it was then that he knew that his rejected mate knew.
"Grant, I–" Alanor began, but he was at a loss for words. Everything that he had done to this point was to never get a mate and yet the goddess had granted him Unar when he had rejected another, who also happened to be at the same damning party.
Alanor's heart broke for Grant, and he wanted to explain that he wouldn't be able to accept Unar, that he wouldn't bond with Unar, but the idea seemed ludicrous in Alanor's head. Even Grant knew that too.
Unar was the perfect mate for the young Wynter. He had everything that Grant didn't have and that made Grant feel like he was always born to lose, again.
The whole night Grant had been trying to find a way to get Alanor back, but then as he saw the man standing before him, Grant knew that his was nothing more than just a pipe dream.
It was a genesis of chaos after chaos, madness that the moon goddess herself had steered and for that he would forever blame himself for not being enough for the man with the greatest power in the midlands.
But what else could he do now?
The choice had already been made, the dice had been cast and everyone could either be left to their fates, or change them. And Grant could tell that Alanor was never going to reject the crown prince, Unar Stitt.
Unar was kind and loving and powerful and more than all that, Unar was the perfect link that Alanor would ever have to Edison. And what better way to get to Ediosn if not through the dear son that he had lived all his years for?
****
Standing there and seeing his mate and his former mate, Grant knew he had to make a choice that made him appear to be sane despite everything.
And so he made his choice too.
Grant had been planning and rejecting Nour, he had been planning on casting the omega aside and even engineering his banishment, but standing here before Alanor, Grant knew he had to show his former mate that he was strong.
He had to show Alanor that he had moved on and wished the best for the young Wynter.
He was desperate to prove to the young Wynter that life was all rosy, and that the goddess had been kind to him, and that in itself was the first of the endless mistakes that Grant Hindley would ever make in his life.
So he smiled at Alanor, in the most unbothered smile he could muster, and spoke the words that burnt his heart more than he would ever be able to admit to anyone, and certainly not the young Wynter himself.
"I would like for you to meet someone," Grant said to Alanor, who had been on the run. And for a moment, Alanor considered just running again, because he didn't have the courage to face Grant or even Unar.
Maybe he was a coward for all that, but then he couldn't be blamed. Udrad had broken him, and he had finally found someone that he could use to tear down Udrad into pieces and he was never going to let him go. Ever.
'Oh Goddess,' Alanor said to himself, unsure whether he was happy or sad that his mate had gotten someone who would take care of him better than Alanor ever tried to. Maybe this was for the best, who was he kidding, of course, this was for the best.
It was the only way that Grant could be truly happy. Maybe he hadn't thought the goddess would help Grant and their bond like that, but damn, it was too true and too real to be an illusion.
"Hello," Alanor greeted awkwardly. He wasn't sure what he needed to say, so he added, "I'm Gideon of Greroth, Grant's friend."
The young Wynter felt like he was just making a fool of himself with every word that came out of his mouth as he looked at his best friend with the mate he had rejected. He could see the worry on Nour's face, and he gently shook his head, as if to tell Nour that he was okay.
But Nour knew he wasn't.
He had known Alanor for far too long and he could tell that this was his best friend running away, this was his brother trying to forget something that had happened. Was it because he had shifted? Was it because he had gotten another mate? Was it because of Edison?
'Are you okay, brother?' Nour asked in the mind link he shared with Alanor and his brother looked at him, like he had forgotten there was a link they had once created. Then again, in situations like this, Nour always knew what to say.
'Who is he?' Nour asked again, at Alanor's silence and the young Wynter figured he could at least tell his brother what he couldn't tell the Wynter team yet anyway.
'Unar, the lycan prince,' Alanor responded before he looked at his arm that was extended to Nour, as if to remind Nour that they were supposed to be continuing some greeting. Oh, but this was not going to be good, at all.
"Hi, I'm Nour, and Grant is my mate," Nour said, and Alanor smiled at his statement. He liked how Nour looked possessive of Grant. It was the perfect show for Grant anyway. Maybe when the morning came, the brothers would find a balance and try to get everything in order, right?
"Well, Nour, it really is nice to meet you. I'm happy this little man finally has a mate," Alanor said, even though his words made him cringe. Little man? what the fuck was he even talking about? Grant was like a walking mountain.
'I guess you're headed to the humans? Be careful. Alanor. And if you need me, you know I will always be home. Promise me you won't hurt yourself again, brother,' Nour said in the link, not even focusing on what Alanor was saying out loud.
He was more concerned with how Alanor was feeling now that he had gotten a mate, again. Oh the horrors that lay ahead of them.
"Take care of him alright, and if you guys need anything, you can always come to Greroth, our doors have always been open to Grant. Anyway, I gotta go, and happy mating, brother," Alanor said, sharing the word brother as he stared at Grant.
Grant wasn't sure what to make of Alanor's mini-speech. It was almost like a warning to Nour not to hurt him, but would Nour really hurt Grant?
Love and life sure did have challenges and frankly, Grant could only pray that Nour didn't break his heart, because as everyone in the midlands knew, Gideon of Greroth never forgot his promises, and he had promised to protect Grant, from any and everything that would cause him harm.
'I'll be fine, I promise not to hurt myself. I just need a breather, brother,' Alanor admitted and Nour just nodded in silence, as he shut off the mindlinks. He could only hope that Alanor didn't lose himself in the process of his vengeance.
Grant looked at Alanor, the worry on his face clear as day. He wasn't sure how Alanor would manage on his own, and as much as he wanted to remind the young Wynter of the dangers, Grant knew.
He knew that there was nothing he could do to convince Alanor to break off whatever he was up to. There was nothing that would make sense to the midlands even if that happened, because Grant knew that Alanor wouldn't even listen to Criselda.
Otherwise, the young Wynter wouldn't have broken their mate bond just like that.
"You take care too, and don't go back to the bar. I have a mate right now, and carrying your huge ass around wouldn't really be ideal now, eh.
"Oh and don't pick fights with the lycan prince, otherwise Criselda may maim me for sending you to trouble," Grant scolded while Nour just watched amusedly, even though nothing was amusing him at the moment.
He could only wish his brother was okay when he finally found what he was seeking.
"Yes sir," Alanor said before turning to Nour, "please take him away or I'll get scolded for the whole night. Pretty please,'' Alanor said, once again holding back the cringe.
"Sure thing, come along love," Nour said to Grant and Grant could swear he felt the final piece of his heart break as he watched Alanor run off from the mating ceremony. He really didn't want mates that bad, huh?