Page 30 of Bonded Beyond Regret

The corners of her mouth tip down in a small frown. “Please just all me Serenity,” she insists as we stand up. Stacy andDarwin barely raise their gazes from Adam and Aisley who is crowding them. Tristan gives me a small smile, which feels like a win, and a chin lift of support. “We’re family,” she adds before I follow her out the backdoor and toward a sitting area around a fire pit.

She sits down gracefully and it’s clear to see the poise and grace she brings to her position. To have that in the face of the abuse and pain she suffered here in Waning Moon makes me respect her even more.

The silence stretches between us, and I fold my hands in my lap in the effort to not wring them together and hide the way they’re shaking. It’s not uncomfortable, but it’s not exactly comfortable either.

Serenity breaks first, her voice gentle with an edge of steel in it. She sighs, “You make my brother happy. Thank you.”

I smile softly as I think about the time I’ve spent with Samuel. He’s a complicated male with a past that would have broken a lesser wolf. But not him, he’s risen from the ashes of every great change his life has gone through.

He might be battered and bruised, but aren’t we all in one way or another?

“Oh,” Serenity sits up a little straighter, “you love him.”

I know I’m blushing by the way my face heats. “He’s an easy male to love,” I admit softly, “but we haven’t said the words yet.”

Serenity’s face softens and she nods slowly, “You will. Soon, I bet. It’s clear that he loves you as well. And he’s head over heels for Aisley.”

“She loves him too,” I whisper. “Getting to watch them bond has been one of the best things I’ve ever experienced.” I lookover at the forest, memories of running with Samuel coming back to me. “I didn’t come here to look for love. I came here to heal. After losing Andrew three years ago, it wasn’t easy to keep putting one foot in front of the other. The only thing that saved me was knowing I needed to keep it together, at least most of the time, because of Aisley. She saved my life, but I wasn’t really living.”

She gently prods, “And now?”

“And now I can remember what it means to live. It still hurts sometimes,” I rub the spot on my chest where it feels like the throb of pain comes from, “and I’m not sure that will ever go away. What I do know is that Andrew would want me to be happy. He was an amazing male and mate, but he’s not here anymore and I am. It’s taken me a long time to get to that point but being here has helped.”

“I’m glad,” Serenity’s voice is soft.

My eyes snap to her. “You know, he’s done all of this because of you, right?” The look she gives me is startled and I explain, “After everything that happened to you and the way your relationship was destroyed, which is not your fault and he doesn’t think it is, when he was given the chance to be the Alpha here, he set out to create a pack where you would have been safe and accepted. In so many ways, this pack is a testament to you and the future he hopes for the relationship between you two.”

She nods and sighs, “I forgave him a long time ago.”

“He doesn’t think that,” my voice comes out sharper than I intend it to.

“I forgave him because I realize that what happened wasn’t his fault.” She sighs, her voice filled with regret because it wasn’t her fault either, “But I don’t trust him or my parents, not yet.Trust is fragile and easily broken. While it’s easy to forgive, trust takes more time.”

“I can understand that. But,” I pause and shift in my seat, “as you work on building that trust again, don’t forget that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.”

Silence wraps around us, but this time it’s less tense. I think we’ve come to an understanding that means we’re on the same side.

“I’m not sure that I’m cut out to be the Luna of this pack,” I admit which is, somehow, easier because she has no real stake in who leads this pack since she has her own.

“You are the perfect Luna for this pack,” she assures me. “You understand pain and how dark this world can become, but you also know that there is light and hope.”

I’m not sure if I agree with Serenity that I’m the perfect Luna for this pack, but I know for sure that I want to be with Samuel. If that means I have to figure out how to help him lead, so be it.

CHAPTER 13

SAMUEL

The knock on my office door combined with the light scent of wildflowers and sunshine have me sitting up straighter in my chair. What a welcome distraction from the worst part of being Alpha. Of course with so many people counting on me, there has to be paperwork, but does there have to be so much?

“Come in, little warrior,” I call out.

The door opens slowly, and my female’s face pops around it. She’s not smiling at me, but that doesn’t make her any less beautiful. I swear the more time I spend with Nyx, the deeper I fall for her.

Is this how it is for humans? Before my mate bond turned out so wrong, I felt sorry for humans because they had to try their luck with their partners. They didn’t have the mate bondworking in their favor.

Now, I’m not sure who has it better. Sure, for the shifters whose mate bond is between two people who make each other better, it can be magical. But when it is not? It’s disastrous.

“Nyx,” I growl her name, my wolf not liking her so far away or the timid look on her face.

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