Hugh Crozier Saturday 22.00
Hugh knew he was going to miss this wedding even though he had promised his daughter he would make it, unfortunately Alpha Armstrong was a tough taskmaster. An investment deal in the lowlands needed signing that day and as the pack’s accountant, he had no choice but to drive to the city and back to seal the deal. He pulled over when he heard his phone buzzing, damn, three missed calls from his daughter. He sent her a quick text to say he was half an hour away and set off again deciding to go straight there instead of calling home to get changed. Hugh mused it would be nice to see what the money he had released for this wedding had been spent on. Ben Johnson was a member of the Beta’s family, part of the top tier of Reiver society so therefore he was entitled to have his wedding paid for out of pack funds. Alpha Armstrong had instructed him to release £20,000 for the wedding and so he had.
He could see the wolves running patrol in the woods as he neared the Reiver territory, they would recognise his car so he didn’t expect to be stopped. He swung through the gates and gunned his car up the drive, swinging into the first parking slot he could find behind the pack house. He jumped out of the car trying to smooth his wrinkled shirt and grabbed his suit jacket from the back seat. He slipped his jacket on as he hurried around the side of the pack house buttoning it up as he reached the entrance to the marquee. He stepped inside scanning the crowd looking for his daughter when the most wonderful intoxicating scent he had ever encountered hit his nose, washing over him and bringing him to a standstill. All sounds or any sense of his surroundings left him as he scanned the marquee trying to find the source of the alluring scent. His wolf, Knox was on high alert, pushing Hugh to find the source quickly. Hugh closed his eyes and let his nose do the tracking, he slowly opened his eyes and found them locked on a woman in a dark blue dress, bare footed with a shoe under each arm and a drink in each hand. Her brown hair trailed around her face softening her features. She stared at him blankly, her soft blue eyes locked on his, her expression flat with no recognition registering on her face.
“Mate, MATE, MATE!” yelled Knox in his head.
Hugh was vaguely aware of Knox running around and jumping up and down with excitement, but Hugh was horror struck. He felt his face drop, this could not be happening, he wasn’t ready for this, he would never be ready for this, what would his children think? No, NO! He would not allow this. Hugh started to panic, his breathing shallow, he felt like he was suffocating. He dragged his eyes away from those beautiful blue orbs and rushed out of the marquee. Knox was screaming at him trying to force him back but Hugh for once was stronger.
“She is our mate, go back, we must claim her, Hugh no, stop go back.”
Knox pleaded, but Hugh could barely hear him. He realised he didn’t know where he was going, all he knew was that he couldn’t breathe and that he needed to get away. He had a choice, car or pack house, he decided on the car as at least he could drive away from that scent. He fumbled with his keys trying to unlock the car, he threw himself in the driver’s seat slamming the door behind him. He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were white, eyes closed, desperately trying to breathe. He became aware that Knox was still screaming at him but Hugh pushed him to the back of his mind. He silently apologised to Knox, but he needed quiet, he needed to think. After calming himself he managed to get the keys in the ignition when a knock on the car window made him jump out of his skin. It wasn’t often anyone got the drop on him and he turned dreading he was going to see the women with the blue eyes, he huffed a sigh of relief when he saw his daughter Lyall’s concerned face looking at him through the window. She motioned him to wind the window down, he briefly considered driving off, he really didn’t want to have this conversation right now but that would only leave him more explaining to do. He took a deep breath and reluctantly he pressed the window button with no idea what he was going to say to his daughter.
“Dad, I saw you come in and then run out, are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine, I need to….I need to…” he couldn’t think, speak, breathe, he felt like he was drowning, “I need to go”. With that he turned the key and sped off leaving Lyall standing alone, mouth agape. Hugh drove as fast as he dared out of the pack house pointing the car towards his own property. The country lanes flew past while he stared straight ahead, hands gripping the wheel. Knox was still howling but Hugh ignored him gunning the car even faster.
Three miles from the pack house was the surprisingly modern house that Hugh owned, the house he had brought his children up in, the one he had built when he had met their mother. Not only did he take care of the pack’s finances, but he had also done the same with his own and he had done very well out of it too. He skidded into the driveway, abandoning the car at the front of the house with the car door left open. His valet met him at the door and opened his mouth to speak but Hugh just handed him the car keys as he strode past, mounted the stairs two at a time and kept walking until he reached his office. Once inside he locked the door behind him, walked directly to the drinks cabinet and poured himself a large single malt. After knocking it back in one swallow, he poured another before moving to his desk, taking the bottle with him and sinking down into his chair, still shaking. Knox was still howling so Hugh shut him off completely, promising himself he would apologise to him tomorrow when he could think more clearly. He felt someone trying to mind link him but he ignored it then he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, pulling it out he had even more missed calls from Lyall, two from Lennox his son, and a text message.
Hey dad, you ok?
Please call me.
Hugh put his head in his hands and took a deep breath. How was he going to deal with this? The guilt of his lost mate was already eating him from the inside out, he had made a promise to himself that she was his one and only, and for the sake of his pups, that was a promise he wanted to keep. Knocking the second drink back and pouring another he picked up his phone. He was in no shape to speak to anyone so he decided to text Lennox back as if anything, it would stop him and his sister turning up here tonight. He lit the screen up and clicked on Lennox’s text to reply.
I’m fine.
I’ll speak to you tomorrow.
Hugh pressed send and then switched his phone off. He needed to think. Leaning forward in his seat with his elbows on his knees he pressed his fingers to his temples. He wondered why he ran when he had never retreated from anything, ever. He should have rejected her there and then, this pull to her was only going to grow stronger until he did. Hugh was conflicted, he was very aware that the Goddess rarely gave second chances and as Reivers were followers of the old religion, he was brought up to believe in the absoluteness of the mate bond. But why now, after all this time did the Goddess have to do this to him, what if his children saw this as some sort of betrayal to their mother, did they even remember their mother? Hugh sank another whiskey. Knox pushed an image of the beautiful women into his head, he could even smell her scent, apple blossom and summer meadows.
“For the love of the Goddess.” he groaned out loud, sinking another drink.