Page 86 of Alpha Chained

He’s here. He made it out.

I shake my head in disbelief, unable to process what I’m seeing. My knees threaten to buckle beneath the force of the emotions crashing over me.

Gratitude. Joy. Undeniable love.

Riot walks toward us, his gait steady despite the chaos swirling around him. I can see the grim determination etched into the hard lines of his face, the set of his jaw. Whatever he faced in that inferno, he overcame it.

I whimper as I strain against Jagger’s restraining arms. My mate is right there, so close yet still out of reach. I need to feel him, to touch him and know he’s real.

“Riot!” I scream his name, my voice cracking with desperation.

His eyes find mine through the smoke, locking onto me with an intensity that steals my breath. For a heartbeat, everything else falls away – the roaring flames, the choking fumes, the worried murmurs of my packmates. All that exists is him and the blazing connection that crackles between us.

Then Jagger’s grip slackens, freeing me, and I lurch forward. My feet pound against the asphalt as I race toward my mate.

I collide with him, flinging my arms around his solid form as I bury my face against his chest. His scent – smoke and sweat and that wild, untamed essence that is purely him – overwhelms me, and I tremble with the intensity of my relief.

“You’re alive,” I choke out.

“Of course I am.” His arms band around me, strong and solid. “Just look at everything I have to live for.”

I smile against his chest, the horror and fear gradually ebbing away. “Yes.” I look up at him. “You have everything to live for.”

Chapter 31

Raura

A week later

I stand with my back against the door, staring into my small apartment, where Riot is poised in the center of the living room, looking back at me. It’s hard to believe that it was just days ago that he’d made love to me on that very rug. And then left me, thinking he’d never return.

“So much has changed,” I say softly. His eyes meet mine, and I melt a little. I melt even more when he walks toward me, his steps slow and steady.

“All the right things have changed,” he says as he reaches me. Raising a hand, he traces his finger over my cheek, plucking out one of the blossoms that’s been threaded into my hair. He trails the soft petals over my skin and across my lips, then leans forward and kisses them.

It takes the breath from me. When he lifts his head, I’m still trying to breathe.

“You’re so goddamned lovely,” he murmurs, his eyes reverent.

“You’re not so bad yourself…mate.” I smile at him.

He lifts an eyebrow. “Not yet.”

“What do you mean, ‘not yet’?” I frown at him. “The ceremony…”

“The ceremony was beautiful.” He kisses me again, and my pulse pounds. “I thought they’d make us wait forever to have it.”

“A week is hardly forever.” I grin at him. “Besides, there’s been so much to do. The Consortium’s files had to be accessed…sorted… Plans made to rescue—”

He stops me with another kiss, and my knees go weak; they always do when he kisses me. “All very important details,” he says when he raises his head again, his eyes still fixed on my mouth. “But I would have announced our union the moment we got back to Steel Lakes.”

“Couldn’t do that, silly! Nobody even knew you then.”

“They know me now,” he emphasizes.

“Yes.” I cup his cheek. “You’re the one who’s going to make sure we save all the lost wolves.” I feel pride swell in my chest. It’s been like that ever since he volunteered to take on the assignment. “You’re going to see that we find them, Riot. Whoever’s still out there. I know you will.”

He nods solemnly, finally tearing his eyes from my mouth and gazing into mine. “But there’s something else I have to do that’s just as important.”

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