Page 84 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“Uh, yeah, she’s… whew, she’s pretty darn cute, all right.” He looked back at the road, then cleared his throat, “She, uh, is she planning to visit you any time soon?”

Another laugh, this one almost bringing tears to my eyes. It wasn’t really that funny, but the stress of everything had built up so much inside me, almost anything would have set me off.

“She’s planning on it,” I said, wiping my eyes. “Sometime soon, I think.”

He nodded, a faint smile on his lips. The smile faded suddenly. “Kirsten, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Are you and Jace good? I know he hasn’t been out to see you in a couple days.”

“It’s fine,” I said, waving the comment off. “It was the whole thing about him challenging Eren. I didn’t realize how serious it was. That’s mostly it.”

“That’s kinda what I thought. It’s just…” He sighed, a frustrated sound. “He’s been pretty down ever since. Not himself. I’ve never seen him like that. What I’m getting at is, he’s the best man I’ve ever known. He’s the best alpha I’ve ever heard of, better even than his father, and from all the stories about that man, that’s really saying something. All I want is for him to be happy. You, too—I didn’t mean I didn’t want you happy, too. Shit, this is coming out all wrong.” He rubbed his face with his free hand.

I wanted to hear what he was saying though. I needed to hear it. “Go on, it’s okay.”

“What I mean is, please don’t break his heart. I don’t think he could handle that. If you aren’t completely sure about being his partner for life, then you should set him free. This meeting is just him saying he wants to start the courting process; it’s not binding. I’m not trying to run you off, so don’t get that idea. I just care about my friend. That’s all.”

“I get that,” I said. “Thank you for being honest. It means a lot.”

His smile returned, but much more subdued. “Okay, cool. Just had to get that off my chest.”

As we drove to the town hall, I thought about all that Waylan had said, all Jace had said, and what I felt inside. The biggest question I had was whether Jace was truly drawn to me or if he thought he was only doing what the curse wanted.

The potion was still nestled in the tissue paper in my purse back in the cabin. I hadn’t had a chance to give it to him yet. It had to happen soon, though. Then I’d know for certain where Jace’s head truly was. Once he was free, he could make an unbiased decision about me.

Chapter 24

Jace

The crowd was restless, as evidenced by the murmurs going around the hall. Eyes glanced in my direction, questioning and confused. Never, in all my years as alpha, had I summoned so many pack meetings in such a short amount of time. Everyone here was on edge. Hell, so was I. This was a massive leap of faith, but it was the right thing to do. The rightness of it filled my heart, and I couldn’t think of a single reason not to go through with it.

Once the pack was aware that I would begin officially courting Kirsten, all the cards would be on the table. No more subtle prods and questions about when I’d take a mate, no more fear in the eyes of the elders about the future of the pack. Of course, the fact that Kirsten was a witch would cause a stir. I still remembered the disdain on Sandra Donehue’s face simply because we’d been holding hands. I had to hope that once the pack understood where my heart was, they’d be more understanding.

All that held me together was knowing I was so sure about Kirsten. We’d had a fight, yes, and that had been partly my fault. I’d dragged her to Eren’s place without giving her all the information, but all couples fought. That didn’t change the connection we shared. Her great-grandmother may have been punishing me, or she may have been saving me. Either way, all she’d managed to do was make sure I had the best mate I could ask for. Kirsten was still hesitant, and all that was left was for me to help convince her that I’d be the best for her.

“Have you seen Waylan yet?” Langston whispered in my ear.

“Not yet,” I whispered back. “He went to get Kirsten. He should be here soon.”

“Okay. I’m gonna hang by the door. Do you need anything, big dog?”

“No. Thanks.”

Langston patted my arm and weaved through the crowd. Multiple people stopped him on his trip to the rear of the room, whispering furtive questions to him, but all he gave in response was a shake of the head. Loyal to the end. He wouldn’t let anything slip.

At one door, Abigail and Shayna were having a hushed conversation. My sister’s presence had given everyone even more to talk about. She’d been born into this pack, but was now mated to the alpha of another. She had no voting say in anything here. Her being here made the meeting all the more important… and worrisome, in the eyes of the pack.

Finally, just when I was getting worried, Waylan slipped in through the back door and waved to me, giving me a thumbs-up. I let out a breath. They were here. He worked his way through the crowd, ignoring the same questions Langston had, and joined me up on stage.

“She’s in the bathroom,” he said, lowering his voice as he got near. He knelt beside me, putting a hand on my knee. “You’re sure about this, right? Positive?”

“I am,” I said.

“Things have felt a little rocky these last few days, which is why I ask. Just wanna make sure you’re in the right headspace before you make this announcement.”

“This is fate, brother,” I said. “And yes, I’m sure. Things aren’t perfect, but they never will be. That won’t change the fact that she’s my mate. We’ll make this work. I know we will.”

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