Page 3 of Bonded Beyond Trickery

I giggle softly and shrug one shoulder, unwilling to confirm or deny if that makes Crew and I even. “But,” I point out, “if it weren’t for me, then he wouldn’t have found his Luna. At least not when he did.”

Elodie hums and relaxes back into the swing, the gentle gliding movement bringing a sense of peace that is in direct conflict to the worry roiling around in my gut. My wolf chuffs, a reminder of our earlier conversation, and I have to swallow down my confession.

Elodie wouldn’t understand the depth of what I’ve chosen to do. Sure, she would have an idea now that she’s been living in this world for a little while, but she didn’t grow up here. The same teachings, the same beliefs, aren’t as ingrained in her as they are me.

It’s one of the things that makes her the perfect Luna for my brother. She’s breathed new life, new understanding, and a new perspective into the pack. Crew was more than willing to give himself to the pack without remorse or a second thought, but Elodie will never let it go that far. She’ll never allow him to sacrifice their happiness for Golden Summit.

They’re perfect together.

“You have a point,” Elodie admits with a tilt of her head. “He really should be kissing your feet.”

“That’s all I’m saying!”

We giggle together, making me feel a little more like the girl who didn’t have to deal with the problems I was creating for myself, the girl who could ignore them for a little while longer.

A masculine throat clearing has us straightening up and turning toward the back door to the packhouse. Crew is leaning against the doorjamb, his eyes filled with amusement as they dart between his mate and me. The love he has for his mate shines through when his focus hones in on Elodie.

My heart aches to have the same kind of love directed toward me.

Before my wolf can grumble or make me feel even worse about the choices I made so long ago, the ones which can’t be undone now, a gold envelope in Crew’s hand snags my attention. My mouth goes dry, and goosebumps break out over my skin.

There’s a tremor to my voice, even as I try to hide it, “Whatcha got there?”

I know what it is. And I’ve been dreading its arrival.

Crew looks at me and smirks. “It’s the pack’s invitation to this year’s mating ball.” When he looks at his mate, his eyes heat and his voice drops an octave, “I can’t wait to see you in a gown, little moon.”

I barely hear them flirting and going back and forth. All I can focus on, all I can fucking see, is the golden envelope in Crew’s hands.

“And you’re going this year, Tilly,” there’s a demand in Crew’s voice that has me looking at him and blinking. “You’ve gotten out of it for years because of school, but you’re home now and I’m sure your mate has been looking for you.”

He might have been looking for me, but I’m not sure he’ll be happy once we meet. That is, of course, if he hasn’t already given up on finding me.

CHAPTER 2

WHITAKER

It’s a strange sensation to ache for something you’ve never had. I’ve been missing my mate for the last seven years and not having her at my side, the phantom sensation of a bond pulsing between us, has left me feeling empty in so many ways. Finding solace in my pack and throwing myself into being the best Alpha I can be hasn’t helped as much as I wish it would.

Instead of lessening the feeling of loneliness, it’s brought into stark relief how I’m ruling the pack without my Luna at my side. I’m unbalanced. I’m unmoored.

I can’t fulfill everything that my pack needs by myself, which is why my mom, Kyra, and Ella, my Beta female, have been helping with the Luna’s role in the pack. It’s been working, but I can feel the strain of it in my mom and Ella, but also in the pack.

They’re feeling the loss of their Luna’s love.

It’s a feeling I can more than relate to since I feel the loss of my mate’s love on a daily basis. It’s a wonder I can make it through each day. Sometimes each minute is pure fucking torture.

I miss something I’ve never even had. I want someone I’ve never even met. I yearn for a connection that I can’t even comprehend.

Watching mated pairs makes me irrationally angry at this point. It wasn’t always this way, but over the last seven years, the feeling of missing my other half, of not being whole, has taken its toll on me.

Maybe if I weren’t an Alpha it wouldn’t be so bad, but I am and there’s nothing I can do about that. Not only does it mean that the need I have for my mate, and the bond we’ll share, is stronger, but she-wolves are attracted to my power. It’s not like I can blame them for that—well, most of them—but I’ve made it very fucking clear that the only woman who will ever warm my bed or find a place in my heart is my Goddess given mate.

No one else will do.

I’m not sure how many times I’ve made that clear, but it’s something I’m confronted with almost daily. My resolve is strong, though, and backed up by the strength of my wolf.

“No one else is good enough for us,”my wolf snarls in my mind. There’s a feral edge to him now, even though we’ve been out running for the last few hours.“I won’t accept anyone other than our mate.”

---