Page 11 of The Alpha's Reclaimed Mate

Oswald didn’t move to take my hands nor offer any reassurance. He stood unmoving in front of me as the rest of our pack rose, reciting the blessing alongside the shaman.

“In the name of the Council of Seven, we bless thee, Oswald Moore and Aria Gunn, to love and to cherish one another as long as the sun shall shine and clouds shall rain. As long as our paws are fit to roam our territory and our voices in harmony grace the skies. As long as the Grey Creek Pack is alive and a beacon to guide you home, we shall bless thee to revel in the eternal union of your mateship.”

The chorus of their blessing was hollow and robotic. I tried to smile up at Oswald, but he regarded me without expression as if this mating ceremony was just another duty for him to fulfill.

“Aria Gunn, do you accept Oswald Moore, your fated mate, to be your rightful mate in the eyes of the Grey Creek Pack?”

I trembled and searched Oswald for some kind of emotion, any emotion, and found none. All the same, I answered helplessly, “I do.”

“Oswald Moore, do you accept Aria Gunn, your fated mate, to be your rightful mate in the eyes of the Grey Creek Pack?”

He leered down at me. His lips didn’t budge, and each second of his silence twisted my stomach even worse. Although Oswald had never been warm to me, I’d never doubted the validity of our fated bond until now. I’d never thought he would actually hesitate. And then he opened his mouth, and the answer arrived in slow motion, time decelerating to a crawl, starting with his growl of disgust.

“I do not.”

My heart stuttered in shock. The words didn’t even sound real.

“Let it be known in the eyes of the Grey Creek Pack that I, Oswald Moore, reject my fated mate Aria Gunn,” he said, gazing out across his packmates gathered in the courtyard. “I have never felt a connection with Aria and never believed she was ready to take the responsibility of Alpha Female alongside me. But there is one I do believe to be better suited for the role. One I have been waiting my entire life to meet. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew that she was the one that should have been my fated mate all along, Mara Torres.”

Everyone looked at the silver-haired beauty sitting in the front row. She clasped her hand over her mouth in surprise. I clapped my hand over my mouth, too, only to hold back my agony and despair. I staggered back as Mara got to her feet, gliding gracefully toward Oswald. She stood in my place and accepted his hands in hers. He looked at her the way he should have looked at me.

“Mara, will you become my mate and take the role of Alpha Female by my side?”

She gasped softly and smiled. This was supposed to be the best day of my life, and instead, it became hers. “Yes, I will.”

I couldn’t stand by any longer, pushing my voice out of my throat. “Oswald, why…? What are you doing?”

Oswald’s smile tightened like I was little more than an annoyance. He looked past Mara at me. “You act kind and proper when you have to, but I’ve seen your true colours, Aria. Hurting a wounded shifter out of jealousy? Smearing her name, making her life miserable? Don’t think I haven’t heard what you’ve been doing these past few weeks. You never even apologized to her… to us.”

My mouth gaped in surprise. “I… I tried to apologize…”

“Yet not once did Mara or I even see you in the days leading up to this ceremony. You didn’t try at all. That’s enough to prove to me that you aren’t worthy of leading this pack,” snarled Oswald. “You don’t deserve to stand up here with me.”

I didn’t know what the truth was anymore, but it was clear that I had failed Oswald, and his decision was made. He focused back on Mara, moving closer to her. My legs weakened as I retreated from the front of the gathering. As much as it pained me, I couldn’t look away from Oswald planting the mating mark on Mara’s neck until it was done—and I felt our fated bond crack apart. It resonated right down to my very soul, leaving my wolf writhing, crying in grief of what I had just lost.

My entire world came crashing down on me. I didn’t understand how Oswald could discard me like that. Apparently, he did lose his mind when he saw me, just not in the way I’d wanted.

He never cared about me. All this time he’d been looking for someone to replace me. And he found that person in Mara.

Chapter 5: Aria

Branches fled past me as I ran through the forest, wishing I could leave the pack villa behind forever. I didn’t want to go back. It felt like everyone in the world turned against me. Even the trees mocked me, snagging my feet with roots and tangling my hair with leaves and twigs. Tears raced down my cheeks and blurred my vision, so I didn’t see the fallen branch until I had tripped over it, landing hard in the grass. The impact knocked the breath out of me, and I lay stunned before every ounce of pain erupted out of me, leaving me shattered on the ground.

Everything I’d worked for had just been ripped away from me. I hadn’t even been given a chance to fight for it. Oswald crushed my hopes and broke my heart, and he didn’t even care. I was more alone than ever. Without him and without the responsibilities of Alpha Female, I was nothing. My back quaked as I cried, fingers digging into the dirt as sorrow poured out of me. I couldn’t stop it. My grief was so intense that it consumed me, blinding me to all else. I heard nothing but my own ragged weeping and felt nothing but the heat in my face, the sting of tears in my eyes. My world had become small and suffocating. I couldn’t even breathe.

Today was supposed to be my day. I’d planned every detail of the ceremony. I trained so hard for four years. I loved Oswald and dedicated my entire life to him, and in an instant, that life was stolen from me! Anguish overwhelmed me again and again, wringing sobs from my chest every time I thought about what I’d lost.

My heart felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand knives. Tears staining my face, I pushed myself into a sitting position, my back against a tree. Wrapping my arms around my knees, I hugged them, feeling small and vulnerable. I lowered my head to my knees, feeling myself sink back into grief that seemed never-ending.

I don’t know how long I sat there, my throat swollen, my head pounding with a dull headache. I felt empty, raw, as if my very insides had been scraped out. Tears no longer came. My eyes throbbed as I gazed at the forest ground near my feet, my head blank.

Nothing made sense right now, and I didn’t want to think any longer. This temporary peace and quiet in my head was a blessing. I knew it wouldn’t last long, but I preferred it.

The sound of dry leaves crunching had me looking up with a mixture of hope and fear.

It wasn’t Oswald who emerged from the thicket but another familiar face.

“There you are!” said Dax. “My God, Aria, I was worried sick about you.”

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