Page 57 of Moon Fated

Questions swirled in my head, a tempest threatening to roar to life. Nathan's defeat should have been the end of it, but the missing dagger suggested otherwise. Who was behind his actions? What was the true nature of the threat we faced?

Gathering my strength, I pushed myself to sit, nodding at Evelyn as she reluctantly moved back. I wished I had a plan, some wise advice. The truth was, my pack was on edge. I could sense it through the bond, and I was barely able to stay upright.

I looked up at the moon, wondering if the rest of our pack had followed the elders and done a full moon run without me. I doubted it.

I wanted to know what the truth was about the ritual we’d witnessed and the missing relic. But we needed to bond together, not split up again on patrols.

“We all want answers,” I started. “We will get them. But right now, we need rest. Go home to your families. Check on your pack mates. We’ll reconvene in?—

"Rowan," Tori interjected. "You can't ignore the fact that the Kitimat are without a leader now." She took a step forward, her eyes holding mine. "You defeated their alpha. You need to take charge. Unite both packs under your leadership. It's the only way to ensure stability and safety for all."

Her words sank into me like water on soil. She was right—I knew it. But would Kitimat accept it? Would they unite under the pack they’d been taught to despise since birth? Would Black Lake accept them?

We had Nathan’s second restrained back at Tori’s. The last thing I wanted to do was talk to that asshole. But if I couldn’t force his loyalty, what hope did I have for the rest of the pack?

Unity. It was a hope. One I had to keep alive.

But if I’d learned anything as alpha over the past few years it was that respect and trust had to be earned. If Blake, Nathan’s third had defected, how much proof would Kitimat need to believe their alpha wasn’t worth following?

Strength didn’t equal an iron paw.

It was up to me to show them something different.

Chapter

Thirty-One

Evelyn

The door to Rowan's house swung open with a whisper of sound, and I stepped through the threshold. My legs felt like they were encased in concrete.

"Rowan," I murmured, half-supporting the weight of his solid frame as we shuffled toward the sanctuary of his bedroom. His breaths were labored, a sign of his still-mending body, and yet, there was strength in his grip around my shoulders. Strength that spoke of an alpha who would bend but never break.

"Easy," I whispered, guiding him down to the bed. His blue eyes met mine, a silent thank you passing between us as I gently removed the boots Jasper had lent him, setting them against the wall.

My mate. The words pulsed with the beat of my heart. As I’d watched him fight with my palms forced to the dirt, I’d known the truth with every cell in my body. There was nothing else for me. I couldn’t imagine my life without Rowan Steele, and I’d almost had to watch him be stripped from me.

"Rest." My voice caught, and Rowan’s gaze sharpened.

“Evelyn—”

“Later. I promise.” I leaned over him, pressing my lips to his forehead. Rowan sank into the mattress.

I watched his eyelids shutter closed. This formidable alpha of the Black Lake Pack laid bare and vulnerable beneath me. His dark hair on the pillow. His lashes brushing his cheeks.

I settled myself into the chair beside his bed, watching over him as the moon rose high outside the window. There was nowhere else I'd rather be. As my breathing deepened, I clung to the stirrings of a bond that ran deeper than blood—a connection I planned to etch into my soul.

The door creaked, and my eyes shot open, my wolf jumping to the surface. I jumped from my chair and shot into the hall, then froze. Two of Rowan's pack mates stepped inside, their arms heavy with bowls and a casserole dish. The scent of roasted meat and freshly baked bread made my mouth water.

“Morning, Evelyn,” the woman with her hair pulled back into a braid gave a quick smile before heading to the kitchen.

I didn’t know either of them, but that didn’t matter. They were my pack now. My throat tightened at the realization that they’d accepted me—a Kitimat, a defector—long before I’d accepted them.

"Thank you," I murmured as they set the feast down on the counter, steam curling in the air.

"Make sure he eats. You, too.” The man put his hand on my shoulder.

“Get your damn hands off my mate, Andrew!” Rowan barked from the bedroom.

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