Page 14 of Bonded Beyond Regret

When was the last time I was given this kind of praise? I’m not even sure anymore.

I don’t allow myself to dwell on his nice words for too long, not when I’m too curious about what the hell we’re doing if he’snot taking me somewhere, like his office, to tell me that I need to know my place in the pack and it isn’t to lead training.

The confusion must show on my face because Samuel gives me a soft grin before he becomes serious. “While I was watching you spar, I got a mind link from the front gate,” he explains, but it does nothing to explain what he needed me for. “Mike is on the gate today, the same as when you arrived here in Waning Moon.”

My tone is filled with confusion, “Is there someone at the gate to see me? I’m not aware of anyone planning to visit.”

He shakes his head slowly, “No, nothing like that, though I’m sure you are missed at Silver Holwer.” He takes a deep breath like he’s centering himself as the packhouse comes into view. The walk to the front gate from the packhouse isn’t long. “Apparently there is a she-wolf at the gate who is seeking sanctuary.”

I can’t help it; I stiffen in surprise. Not that someone is here with the hope of making this pack a home. It might have been arranged for me, but wasn’t I doing the same not long ago?

I hold out the one-word question, still clueless, “Okay?”

“Mike believes that the she-wolf is suffering after experiencing the death of her mate,” Samuel drops a bomb on me.

I jerk to a stop, my eyes wide and, I’m sure, a little wild. My voice comes out higher than I would like, “What does that have to do with me?”

Samuel sighs, but the sound isn’t exasperated, more tired. “I thought that you could come and help me welcome her into the pack. Not only do you understand the loss she’s experiencing, no matter the circumstances around it, but you’re also a female. Ifind that she-wolves who come here on their own can be wary of me, especially when I don’t know the details around why they’ve lost a mate. When there has been some kind of abuse, it’s even worse.”

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Help. He needs my help.

It’s kind of a shock to have the Alpha of the pack, the male at the top of the food chain, come to me for help and to accompany him on pack business.

“That makes sense,” I whisper, my tone wooden and more than a little unsure. “I’m honored to help. If the death was sudden, it can really mess someone up.” I wring my hands together, worried for whoever is here at Waning Moon and seeking help and somewhere to call home.

If I hadn’t had Aisley and the support of my parents, and even Alpha Whitaker, would I have left Silver Howler in search of something? Anything really?

I’m not sure, but knowing that this pack exists, that it’s a place for people who are searching for and desperately in need of a fresh start warms my heart. I glance at Samuel out of the corner of my eye as we keep moving toward the gate.

He’s done this.

He saw a need, one partially born out of his own situation, and decided to do something about it. Not everyone can be that selfless and that mindful of others.

“And our male did it while he was dealing with his own grief. He still wrestles with the regret of what was lost, but not his actions,”my very sage and, suddenly, very talkative wolf points out.

I don’t acknowledge her calling him our male. I can’t. Not now. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to even consider it let alone act on it.

But something she says sticks with me. What does she mean that he regrets what was lost, but not his actions. I might have heard rumors of how Samuel became the Alpha here, but rumors can be twisted. How much truth did what I heard hold by the time it reached my ears? It’s not like I spent a lot of time a year ago seeking out gossip from other packs; I was too busy keeping my head above water.

It’s amazing how freeing it is to feel like you can take a full breath again. Finally.

When we reach the gate, a warrior is standing there, but his shoulders are rolled over and he’s made himself as small as possible like he’s trying not to be intimidating. It would be comical if it weren’t for the she-wolf standing next to him and looking around with fear and pain filled eyes. She’s thin, too fucking thin, and she looks like she’s ready to bolt at any moment.

The relief on the man’s face, who must be Mike, is clear to see. With a nod, he takes a few steps away from the she-wolf. Panic takes over her features and something inside of me forces me to close most of the distance between us.

I’m aware that I’m breaking all sorts of protocol, but this female needs help. Everything else, all the things I should probably do when it comes to hierarchy, fly out the window.

“Hello,” I offer the female, my voice soft just like when Aisley is scared or not feeling well, “my name is Nyx. What’s your name?”

The female glances over my shoulder, but I don’t move my gaze away from her. When her eyes meet mine, something like hope sparks in the depth of her. I can see it and I desperately want her to latch onto it and never let go.

Aisley was my hope.

What happens to all the wolves who don’t have the kind of anchor I did?

“Marlene,” her voice is wobbly as if it’s on the edge of teetering right over into nothingness.

I won’t let that happen.

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