Page 20 of Bonded Beyond Regret

Sadness washes over Samuel’s face before he sighs. “It was owned by a couple that was part of Thomas’ generation. The male was a warrior, and the female was the baker. After everything went down and I started to make changes, theydecided to leave the pack because they didn’t want Waning Moon to be a sanctuary for those in need of one.”

“That’s kind of sad,” I muse.

“It is,” he agrees and runs his fingers through his hair. Damn it, I wish I was the one touching his hair. He pulls me from my thoughts when he shrugs and offers, “If it’s any consolation, I don’t think the female agreed with her mate, but he was very vocal and adamant about the whole thing. He was not happy when Thomas was killed either. It’s better not to have that kind of energy with what we’re building.”

I nod thoughtfully and begrudgingly agree, “You’re right. I hope they found a place where they could find some peace. And hopefully a new bakery for the female.”

Samuel’s smile is big and filled with generous affection. “You have a good heart, Nyx,” he whispers.

I’m stunned for a moment. My wolf is practically drooling as she rolls on her back and offers up her belly for a rub. The little hussy is not helping my confusion at all. I would have never thought she would be open to having another male in our lives.

“If you’re interested in opening the bakery back up, we can make that happen.” I gnaw on my bottom lip, uncertainty making me hesitate. I don’t flinch when Samuel covers my hands, which I was worrying together, with his own. His touch is warm and sure. I swear he gives me a little bit of his strength through the connection. “Think about it. I was serious when I told you there’s no rush.”

“I want to contribute to the pack,” I insist and realize that I sound a little bit like a broken record.

“You already are, little warrior,” he soothes my ruffled fur.

Before he gets up to leave, he squeezes my hands, and I find that I don’t want him to leave even though I know he should. I’m not sure how to react with the feelings he’s bringing out in me and how to reconcile it with my past.

Is what I’m feeling wrong? Or can I accept that the Goddess just might be giving another chance at a future, one that’s not the same as I thought I was going to have, but worth fighting for all the same.

CHAPTER 9

SAMUEL

The wind rushes through my fur as I run through the forest. Even with all the ugliness that went on in the pack, the land here has always been beautiful. Maybe it was nature’s way of reminding us to strive for more, to be more.

All I know is that it is impossible for me to imagine growing up anywhere else. The forest has always felt like a second home to me. I know, in part, that’s because of my wolf. We are creates of the Moon Goddess, tied to nature and the silver light that bathes us all and reminds us that life is constant change.

Last night was the Full Moon Run after we inducted Nyx and Aisley into the pack. Next month, as long as she’s ready, we’ll be adding Marlene to the pack. She’s still in the hospital right now and being monitored which means she couldn’t join WaningMoon officially yet.

“She is already pack,”my wolf reminds me, and I have to agree.

Marlene became pack the moment she arrived and asked for help. I am in awe at the strength and bravery of everyone who comes to our borders with the hope of sanctuary in their hearts. I’m sure there are arrogant wolves out there who can’t see the strength in it, but I can.

Leaving behind everything you’ve ever known, all because of hope for something better, isn’t something everyone could do.

Look at me. I’m still in my birth pack and trying to make it better. It’s not like I wasn’t tempted to leave, especially when things were difficult, but then what would I have left behind? I have no idea who would have stepped up into a leadership role. They could have made the environment here even worse and continued with Thomas’ reign of tyranny. The majority of the pack wouldn’t have deserved that.

And that’s why I took on becoming the Alpha.

I couldn’t abandon the good in the pack. I don’t think I could have lived with myself if I had.

“This is better. If we had left then we wouldn’t have found our females,”my wolf growls.

I don’t need to ask to know who he’s talking about. I’m not sure when he decided that Nyx and Aisley are ours, but he has and has embraced the notion fully. It’s not like I can blame him. There’s something about Nyx that draws me in, and Aisley is a breath of fresh air.

“Nyx looked like a goddess under the light of the moon last night,”my wolf rumbles.“And our pup was so cute with herflower crown. Then she was so serious when taking the vows to join the pack.”

I grunt in agreement as I remember them. Nyx was dressed in a simple dress, but it hugged her curves just right. It was difficult to look at anything other than her. The ceremony to induct her into the pack was quick, but the entire time her strength and spirit on display for everyone to bask in.

It felt right when she vowed to devote herself to the good of the pack and to follow me as the Alpha. It felt like something more and this after I’ve done quite a few inductions over the last year.

“It was more. It was our female joining with us,”my wolf is insistent, his words holding very little room to argue.

“She’s not our female,”I push back even though it feels like a lie.

He grumbles and runs even harder. I have no idea where he’s taking us, but he is certainly running with a purpose.

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