Page 55 of The Alpha Wolf's Bullied Bride

The further from Lila I go, the more incessant the pull in my heart becomes. The only difference is that now, the tug ofmy heartstrings creates a melodic symphony that fills my wolf with a deepened sense of power and finesse. Each lunge feels like I'm soaring through the air, my paws thundering the ground with the mighty force only a true Alpha possesses. Now that I'm whole, complete in the completion of the mating ritual with my fated mate, my senses are heightened.

Everything is clearer now. As I race toward my howling soldiers, I have no fear left inside me.

I know I'll get Miles back. The rogues will not take him far. My sense of smell is at its peak, giving me the ability to track his scent as I cross the borders of Zafra and tap into the minds of the Alphas who form the alliance.

“Alphas of Oklahoma! It is I, Flynn Lycoan! The rogues are headed for Fort Smit! Make haste!”

It worked.

Marking Lila as my mate has given me the powers I needed to save her brother.

Chapter 19 - Lila

Pacing the eerily quiet town square, I gnaw on my nails as the howls of our wolves grow fainter, more distant.

They're leaving the borders, crossing far beyond Rock Creek. I have no idea what's going on out there, except that my brother is in danger.

I witnessed the look of terror in Flynn's wolf eyes, and I knew that he was panicking for Miles's sake. The same panic that floods me now, unsettling every inch of my being, as I pray to the Moon Goddess to bring my brother back safely.

A pang of emptiness grips my chest, bringing me to my knees as tears flow, and I stare at the moon, that emptiness, a dark abyss of fear that consumes my being and has me clasping trembling fingers in front of my face.

“Please…” I whimper. “Let them be safe…”

My heartfelt prayers supersede any desire to remain angry right now. Flynn didn't tell me only because he didn't want me to panic. Because up until tonight, he'd been afraid of what it meant for us to be mated.

Fated mates.

It's wildly unbelievable, the term coined by the Blood Moon Pack only reserved for the first-born son of the Alpha and Luna.

I've read all about the idea of fated mates in the Grime. Historically, only Finch Lycoan would have been blessed with such a sacred gift from the Moon Goddess.

How is it that I, just a lowly Omega wolf, turned out to be the second son's fated mate? I want to pinch myself to wake upfrom this perfect dream. But right now, things aren't perfect in the pack.

Flynn has a lot to deal with. Burdens that he doesn't have to bear on his own now that he has me. I get it now. Perhaps I was never meant to receive a wolf, only because I'm meant to serve the Alpha and show him that he doesn't need to lead the pack with strict rules.

A harbinger of change. I'd like to think that my wolf-less life has a greater purpose. The relentless ways of the Blood Moon Pack will change with me.

I can feel it in my bones, as prominently as the surge of electromagnetic awareness that pulses from the scent gland in my neck and courses through my veins. The heightened sensitivity pulsates in my fingertips, causing me to lift my hands and stare at my palms in wonder.

Something is happening inside me, fusing every nerve fiber with an ethereal force that has me questioning my entire existence. Gasping, I look up toward the mountains, seeing images of Flynn's face etched into memory coming to life before my eyes.

“Fated mate…”a faint inner voice calls out, the soft tendrils of a familiar tone calling out to me and giving me the strength to rise to my feet.

My hands curl into fists at my sides, my shoulders squaring as my chest fills with pride, unlike anything I've ever felt before. Even when I switched my feelings off as a defense mechanism to guard my heart and remain numb to the ill treatment I faced, I never felt this kind of strength. It pulses from my heart as if the force has broken free from chains thanks to the fated mate bond that Flynn and I share now.

What's going on?

I frown, the resistance keeping the force lodged in my chest where it begs to be released. It's like I'm holding on to a restriction that keeps me frozen in place, chains that are ready to break and set me free.

“Flynn,” I call out in the deafening silence, knowing he's too far away to hear me, out there saving my brother from the rogues. Still, my heart persists with its urgent beat, the sound of ringing in my eardrums sourced from the energy inside my chest.

The energy rises inside me, traveling beneath the skin of my forearms like a persistent itch. I start scraping my nails on my flesh, feeling like I want to crawl out of my own skin.

“Goddess…” I breathe, terrified when the energetic force visibly pulses in hues of blue over my arms. All I can do is hold them out, watching the translucent emergence of energy wrapping its majestic talons over my arms. Though I'm afraid, the whiffs of blue smoke that encompass my arms are warm and inviting, and I let out the breath I'd been holding without realizing it.

“Lila…”

I look up with a frown when I hear Flynn's voice, but the town square still remains empty, with only a distant howl filling the air.

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