Page 204 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“Really well, actually. You can tell they really are meant for each other,” Jace said. “Sometimes it gets a little uncomfortable. I’m worried they’re gonna jump on each other at any moment,” he added with a chuckle.

“So, she’s going to stay in Scottsdale?”

He nodded and picked up another slice. “Yeah. Flynn, and Steph, don’t want anything to do with Eren’s house. Too many bad memories. They’re looking at a place that can function as a de facto alpha house until the old one can be torn down and a new house built in its place.”

“Is Flynn ready for his ceremony?” The passing of the torch, so to speak, to make Flynn the official alpha of Scottsdale was set for the following week. I knew the man was stressed out and worried about it.

“I think so. He’ll need a little pep talk beforehand, but he’ll be fine. It’s a little weird for him, but that’s all.”

Speaking of weird, that was how I’d felt that entire week. Something was off. I’d first chalked it up to all the magical energy I was using to pull the ferals out of their madness, then I thought I might be getting sick, but I didn’t think it was either of those things. I tamped the worry down, though. There were more things to worry about than me feeling a little strange.

The next week, I found myself standing beside Jace, his council, and the other alphas in the area. Flynn stood in front of the people of Scottsdale with Stephanie by his side. Over a hundred and fifty people stood watching the giant of a man accept his mantle of alpha from Jace. As the one who’d actually challenged and defeated Eren, the pack was technically Jace’s, but he had willed it to Flynn during the ceremony. Flynn gazed out at the people who were now in his care.

He raised his hand to call for quiet, and we all obeyed, everyone excited to hear what this new alpha would say.

“I know I can’t change past mistakes,” Flynn began. “All I can do is make sure those same mistakes never happen again. I know my brother was a plague to you and your families, and I know he ruled using fear, violence, and retribution. I promise you here, before God and fate herself, that will not be me. I want open communication. If something is wrong within the pack, or there’s some problem that needs to be fixed, I want you to come to me and not fear what I will do or say.

“I never really got the chance to know my father,” Flynn continued. “He was not what I’d call a paternal or caring figure to me or my mother, but I’ve heard he was kind to you. I want to be kind as well.” He turned his head and caught Jace’s eye. “I want to be like the best alphas I’ve ever met, and I will restore the pack to what it once was. That being said…” He turned and waved to someone off-stage.

A few moments later, a dozen men were ushered forward, flanked by more men—Eren’s betas, who’d been captured after the battle. The men who’d sworn allegiance to Eren. These weren’t the men who’d been forced to do Eren’s bidding because he had their children. These were the ones who did what he’d said because they enjoyed the power of association. Poli was at the head of the group, and even his huge form was dwarfed by Flynn.

The new alpha looked down at the men with derision. “You have brought dishonor to the pack. You followed an alpha in the most wicked and sinful ways. Your very presence here would be a stain on this pack. Today, I say to you that you are banished. Lone wolves who are never again to set foot on these pack lands or the pack lands of our allies. Do any of you have an argument?”

Even after years and decades of being the top men of Eren’s regime, they were all cowed by Flynn’s aura. Even Poli kept his head down and shook his head.

“Then as my first act as alpha of Scottsdale, I send you on your way. May we never cross paths again. If we should, you will live to regret it.”

The guards led the men away to be taken to the edges of the pack lands and sent off, disgraced and homeless. Flynn turned back to his pack again.

“This I say to you, not as your alpha, but as a member of the Scottsdale Pack. This is a new day. The dawning of a new era. Will you follow me?”

An explosive cheer went through the crowd, nearly shaking the ground with its power. The response seemed to startle Flynn, who blinked and took a step back. Stephanie took his hand, and they stood before the crowd together. Leaders of the pack.

After the ceremony, we returned home and Jace called a pack meeting, summoning everyone to the clearing near his house—the place where I’d honed my magic, the place where I’d truly come into my own. It held a certain reverence for me now, and seeing two hundred people gathered there made it even more awe-inspiring.

Jace called for quiet. “From this day forward, Scottsdale and Crestwood will be allies and friends. The danger has ended, and I think we deserve to blow off a little steam. Who’s with me?”

A cheer erupted, and a few seconds later, hundreds of people had shifted and sprinted into the forest.

Harley nudged me as the last of them disappeared into the foliage. “That’s pretty cool, right?”

I grinned at her. “Is the city girl turning into a country girl after all?”

Her face reddened. “I mean, it is nice out here.”

After another three weeks, my weird feelings had escalated to the point that I felt the need to know for sure. A niggling doubt had crept into my mind, and I was fairly certain I knew what was happening. Harley, who’d resigned from the real estate company she’d helped found back in Houston, was still here, and when I told her what I thought might be going on, she grinned at me.

“Let’s get a test. Only one way to find out,” she said.

When it came back positive, I stood in the bathroom, staring at the little pink lines. I was both excited and relieved. I’d been right. Honestly, it was a bit of a surprise it had taken so long. Jace and I had been the opposite of careful the first several times we’d had sex—it could have happened during any of those trysts—but I had a sneaking suspicion I’d conceived the night I saved Carter.

“I’ll tell you this,” Harley said, looking over my shoulder at the test. “If Waylan tried to put a baby in me that fast, I’d kick him in the balls. I already moved up to the mountains to be with him. I don’t plan on being barefoot and pregnant for a few years at least.”

“I need to call Reese,” I said, hurrying to find my phone.

When the doctor arrived, I explained what was going on.

“Really?” he asked, looking surprised.

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