Slaves to the mate bond

Eleanor did not believe for a second that Jonathan wanted to help Alpha Elroy take over Darkfall. From what she had gleaned so far, Jonathan wanted complete control of the packs he was targeting. He wanted to get rid of the Alphas and become a hybrid king ruling over werewolves. Why would he give Darkfall, one of the most prestigious werewolf packs, to another Alpha? He was more likely to use Elroy to get control over Darkfall. Alpha Elroy was one of those who had tried time and again to take some of Darkfall’s territories with no success. He must think having an ally like Jonathan was what he needed to finally achieve victory. How Eleanor saw it, Jonathan wanted the two packs to fight against each other. When they wore each other out, he would simply waltz in and take over both of them. It was the oldest trick in the book when it came to overcoming two enemies at once. Blackstorm had been his first target, and he had successfully created enough chaos through Mia to bring the pack to its knees. He had succeeded in fully taking over the pack in her past life, and the only reason she thwarted his efforts this time was because of the memories from her past life. Now, Darkfall was next on the list, plus Elroy’s pack. It appeared that Jonathan planned to create chaos among werewolf packs and then take over them one by one. If he got enough under his control, he would be unbeatable. Whatever happened, she could not let him get his hands on Darkfall. Jonathan made his way back shortly after and joined her again. “Sorry about that,” he apologised as he took his seat. “It was urgent.” She gave him a small smile. “It’s alright. Running a pack can get hectic.” “It certainly can,” he agreed. “That’s why I admire what you’ve done at Blackstorm for the short period you’ve been in charge. Can you blame me for wanting you by my side? I want my pack to have the best Luna available, and I don’t see any other female with your kind of ability.” Eleanor took a sip of her wine and lifted her brows. “But you have so many beautiful mates, what do you need one more for?” He laughed, as if he found her question funny. “Do you think any of them can compare to you?” “I’m not your fated mate, so you should care more about them, shouldn’t you?” she asked. Was it too much to expect that he would reveal what he was doing to control the girls and make them believe he was their mate? “Tell me,” he said, a curious expression taking over his features, “how did you find out about my connection to Mia?” She folded her hands together on the table and arched her brow. “I’ll tell you if you tell me how you helped her deceive Thomas. She is not his fated mate, is she?” He stared at her in silence for a few moments, as if considering her offer. Eventually, he nodded. “Okay. I’ll show you. After all, you need to know how things work around here as the new Luna.” Eleanor knew what him showing her his secrets meant. If she didn’t agree to be his Luna, he would kill her. He had only kept her alive so far because he wanted her to stay by his side. If she defied him, he would get rid of her without a second thought. After they were through with lunch, Jonathan led her to an underground laboratory beneath the packhouse. The laboratory was fitted with all manner of expensive and modern equipment. Eleanor already knew that hybrids embraced poisons as a weapon, but she had not imagined they would spend so much on developing them. Most hybrid packs would not have the ability to put up such a facility. Many of them lacked enough stability to build wealth and establish prosperous communities. Seeing everything Jonathan had built made her more curious about how he had gotten to this point. “What would you say if I told you there was a substance that can mislead werewolves into mistaking their mate’s scent and submitting to the wrong person?” he asked, walking over to a large fridge. There were several test tube racks visible through the glass doors, each loaded with test tubes containing various liquids. There were also a myriad of glass bottles containing the same. “That sounds…devious,” she said honestly. A mate bond was one of the most influential things in a werewolf’s life. It was the only thing that could make an Alpha submit to a werewolf of a lower rank. If it could be faked… Jonathan smiled, as if flattered by her comment. “Werewolves are slaves to the mate bond, so I thought, why not use it to make them my slaves?” She eyed the test tubes in the fridge. “So you created such a poison?” He nodded. “It took a lot of trial and error. Cost me a load of money. I almost gave up at some point, but I’m glad I didn’t. It has proven to be the best way to control your kind, as I imagined.” “So, is this how Mia managed to fool Thomas?” she asked him. “Did she drug him with the poison?” He shook his head. “That’s not how it works.” “No?” “First, you need the blood of the target. And then, you mix it with yours and add the mixture to the formula used in making the poison. As long as you apply the poison around the person, they’ll react to you as they would to a mate.” “That must be a lot of work with all your mates,” she told him. That meant he had to create over ten different kinds of poison, right? “Well, I don’t keep all of them company at the same time, do I?” he asked, a disgusting glint slipping into his eyes. “Sometimes I’ll have three with me, and it works alright.” “When did you get Thomas’s blood to create the poison before Mia met him the first time?” she asked. Thomas recognised Mia as his mate after raiding her rogue pack. That meant Jonathan’s plan had already been in motion. “I have my ways,” he said secretively. Did he have other spies in Blackstorm before Mia’s arrival? He opened the refrigerator door and retrieved a test tube with a red-tinted liquid. “This is what I’m talking about.” He met her gaze. “This is the one I made with your blood.” Instinctively, Eleanor took a step back, alert.