The Story of the Exile (The Belesone Pack #2)

Chapter 17

Milo finally fell asleep in front of the silent TV around nine o'clock that night. It had been a hell of a day and he had already made the room comfortable for sleeping in.

Leo was lying on one sofa, watching an old black and white movie they had seen a million times, with the sound switched off.

Oswine slept on the other, completely relaxed and having experienced none of the pain of his illness all day.

Milo had brought a mattress down from one of the guest rooms and set up a makeshift bed between the sofas, for him and Katarina to sleep in. He had offered the mattress to Leo and his father, but both refused. They seemed to understand his need to be as close to his mate as possible.

It was just as well. His little wolf barely left his side and he didn't want her to. Knowing that someone was trying to make her lose her sanity was heartbreaking and terrifying. His wolf wanted to rip their throats out, but his Alpha said there had to be some explanation for it.

The more human part of himself, the nearly-twenty-year-old man with an eighteen-year-old mate, told him that no explanation would deserve his forgiveness.

Their attacker was doing it to her on purpose, deliberately setting up alternative traps so that she couldn't escape one disaster without falling into another. And to make it worse, they were using his Beta, and his link with Leo, to do it. All the while driving his best friend to distraction with grief from being rejected by his mate.

A part of his sleeping mind thought that it might be preferable to go back, to before he loved Katarina, and let her live out her life in peace. Not tormented day and night by visions that were caused just because she was mated to him. Back when his Beta was sane and quite happy to be flirting with two different girls. Completely unaware that his true mate was out there, waiting to reject him.

It was heartbreaking.

But the greater part of Milo's mind said that he was glad it had turned out this way. He wanted to love Katarina and make her happy. He wanted Leo to have his true mate and feel that intense happiness that she would give him. And if they had to suffer in the meantime, they would suffer. Because what they were fighting for was so much greater than their momentary pain.

The clock chimed ten o'clock and there was a chap on the door.

"Milo," Leo hissed the word, trying not to be too loud and wake the whole room.

He was lying on the mattress on the floor, holding Katarina close. He was only dozing lightly, able to hear his Beta, but forcing his body to move was another thing entirely.

Leo reached out with his leg and gave his best friend a hard shove. "Milo...the door," he warned him, knowing it was pointless for him to go. The guards wouldn't listen to him, even if he knew what to say.

Milo stirred feebly and turned onto his back, gazing up at his Beta.

"The door, Milo. There's someone at the door," he sighed.

Milo nodded and reluctantly moved away from Katarina, very carefully, tucking her back in under the duvet before making his way out of the living room.

He headed for the door, stifling a yawn and took a peek out the side window.

It was dark out, but one of the brothers on guard had remembered to put a lantern up, to help him see. There was a dark figure at the door and, when he twitched the curtain aside to see better, fingers waved at him.

Milo frowned and ventured as far as opening the front door.

"Sorry I'm so late. I missed the first train by two minutes," Carlton apologised as he undid the clasp beneath his neck and withdrew his cloak from his shoulders. He held it over his arm, as though perfectly happy to stand on the porch all night.