Page 15 of Bonded Beyond Trickery

“Let her through,”I growl as I brush my teeth quickly.

My movements are jerky as I head down to the first floor of the packhouse and then out the front door just as a car arrives and parks. While I’m not expecting her to come bounding out of the car toward me immediately, I start to get worried with how long she’s taking.

Is this some kind of power play?

“Don’t be a dick,”my wolf warns me.

I shake off the worry that my mate is playing games with me and try to find the well of understanding and empathy that I use when I lead my pack. Tilly doesn’t need the side of me with a bruised ego; she deserves the best of me.

She is my mate after all.

Slowly, the door to her vehicle opens and she climbs out. Her golden hair is pulled up on top of her head in some sort of bun thing, but there are whisps hanging down around her face that make her look like a fucking angel.

Don’t get me wrong, my mate looked gorgeous last night in the dress she wore, but today she’s wearing a pair of light, linen pants with a wide leg and a high waist paired with a tank top. It looks effortless and breezy.

It’s at complete odds with the way she looks around with darting eyes. I hate the way her shoulders are slumped and showing the shame she’s feeling. Part of me should be pleased with her obvious discomfort, all things considered, but I’m not.

My wolf bristles at the sight and everything in me screams to go to her, wrap her up in my arms and comfort her.

“Our Luna should never be weighed down by shame. She should stand tall and proud like the Goddess she is,”my wolf growls and I have to agree.

Before I can head down the stairs toward her, Alex comes to stand next to me at the top of the steps that leads up to the porch of the packhouse. I can practically feel the curiosity wafting off him.

“Who is that?”

I close my eyes, hating the uncertainty that fills me. As much as I want to tell the pack that their Luna has arrived, I’m scared to do it. What if she decides that she’s not ready for the roll? What if she wants to continue her studies and chooses that, again, over the pack and me?

Still, if I can trust anyone with this news, it’s my Beta. I murmur softly, “That’s Tilly Ryan. She’s Alpha Crew’s younger sister and,” I swallow hard and then push the truth past my lips, “my mate.”

Alex stills and turns toward me with wide eyes. I nod slowly, but he must see something on my face because the celebration rumbling up in my best friend and Beta slowly recedes.

“From the look on your face, there’s more to the story,” my Beta’s voice is strained. When I nod, he grimaces. “Okay,” he breathes out.

I don’t look at him, I can’t when my gaze is locked on my mate. She’s looking at me with hesitance written all over her features. I hate it.

Everything in me rebels against the knowledge that my mate is uncomfortable. Still, there are consequences for her actions and decisions.

To my utter amazement, Tilly squares her shoulders and closes the distance between us. She gives Alex a polite smile while barely sparing him a glance. No, her eyes are trained on me and having all her focus on me makes my heart pound while also making me melt.

The strength in my mate is worthy of pure awe. My wolf lets out a low growl of approval, one I feel deep to my soul. I clench my jaw to stop myself from reaching for my mate.

“Hi,” Tilly breathes when she stops a few stairs down from me. It only highlights our height difference. While she’s an average height for a woman at around 5’8”, I’m tower over her. It makes all of my protective urges toward my mate roar to life.

“Good morning,” there’s a question in my voice, one I can’t even try to hide in my voice. When Tilly bites on the side of her lower lip and throws a glance toward Alex, my manners kick in. “Tilly, this is my Beta, Alex.”

The smile that spreads across my mate’s face has my gut churning with need. Fuck, her lips are so damn plump that it’s difficult to focus on anything else.

“Her lips are made for kissing,”my wolf rumbles and I grunt in response.

There’s a smile in Alex’s voice as he pulls me from fantasies about kissing my mate, “I’m headed to training. Will you be joining us today?”

I snap my gaze toward my Beta who has a shit eating grin on his face. With narrowed eyes, I tell him what he already knows, “No. I’ll get Tilly settled.”

With a wave and a pointed look which tells me that he’s expecting details later, he heads off toward the training grounds and my gaze moves back toward my mate. She’s taking in the packhouse and what she can see of the land, which isn’t much, with wide blue eyes. I swear they light up when she looks back at me.

“Your pack is beautiful,” she gushes and pride swells in my chest while my wolf howls.

I want to tell her that it’s our pack, but I can’t seem to form the words. It will be our pack, I know it will be ours, but the memory of the time we’ve lost still burns in my gut.

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