Page 25 of The Alpha's Reclaimed Mate

“Consider it a gift to the Grey Creek Pack on behalf of Silent Shadows.”

It would have been embarrassing if I was actually the Alpha Female, relying on the charity of a Silent Shadows subordinate to provide for my pack. I laughed weakly and wasn’t sure what was more embarrassing, the truth or my evident lack of hunting prowess.

Small talk with Luke was painful, but I preferred it over the silence as we approached Oswald’s office. I hung back, hesitant to show my face, but Luke only waited for me to take the lead. Probably out of respect—he still thought I was the Alpha Female.

I knocked. The door opened to Oswald looking down at me, his visage contorting into a snarl. “What—”

His voice clipped off as he regarded the man standing behind me.

“—Ah, she didn’t give you any hassle on the way here, did she?”

“No,” Luke replied warmly as he walked into the office. He must have thought it was just a joke. “How are you today, Alpha Moore? I regret that I had to miss your mating ceremony.”

As Luke sat in the chair across the desk from Oswald, I hovered awkwardly nearby until Oswald glared at me.

“Why are you still here?” he snapped. “I don’t need your stench reeking up my office.”

The coldness of his voice made me flinch. His open derision of me hit hard, especially knowing that the disdain he carried now was the very same he must have felt for me this entire time. I hung my head and shrank back to the door in embarrassment.

Luke’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Excuse me?”

“I apologize for her. She clearly doesn’t know where she’s needed and where she isn’t,” said Oswald.

“I would have thought she was needed here,” said Luke.

Oswald barked with cruel laughter. “No, my friend. It’s been too long since we’ve talked. I suppose I need to fill you in on everything you’ve missed.”

My friend?The small trust I had in Luke fractured instantly. Had I known that he and Oswald were buddies, I would have stayed far away from him. Swallowing my dismay, I turned and tried to escape the office, only to stop when I found another body blocking the door. My blood went cold.

The air may as well have sung as the last light of sunset fell through the windows and upon Mara. She stood with her hands clasped in front of her, adorned in a flowing blue summer dress, her glistening silver hair drawn back in an elegant braid. The tranquil smile on her face instantly vanished, replaced by the distress my presence afflicted on her. But I saw through her. No matter the expression, everything about Mara teemed with deception that only I could see.

“Aria!” she whispered, her voice weak with terror.

Oswald growled and got to his feet, shoving me out of the way to protectively bring Mara into the office. “I apologise, my love. She was just leaving.”

Luke stood up as well. His hand flung to my arm as if to defend me from Oswald’s physicality. “Your love?” He blinked, looking between Oswald and Mara. “Who is this?”

“This is my mate, Mara Torres,” Oswald declared proudly.

Luke just stared at Oswald in disbelief. Heat burst in my chest. I wanted nothing more than to run away in shame of the truth.

“Your mate?” Luke finally echoed, then glanced at me. “I thought Aria Gunn was your mate.”

“No,” Oswald spat in disgust. “That girl has proven she isn’t fit to be the Alpha Female by my side. I’ve chosen Mara instead.”

“I don’t understand,” said Luke. He held out the bouquet, looking between Oswald and me. “I brought this as a gift to congratulate the two of you on your mating ceremony. Aria, I thought you were Grey Creek’s Alpha Female.”

Before I could answer, Mara graciously took the bouquet out of Luke’s hands, unwrapping the paper and gasping at the beauty of the flowers. “Oh, they’re so lovely. Thank you, Alpha Black.”

Anything I might have said to explain myself died in my throat. My eyes burrowed into Luke as Mara’s words echoed.Alpha Black.

“She told you that, did she?” Oswald glared at me. “Apparently, the girl just can’t let it go. Now she’s slinking around trying to convince you—the Alpha of the Silent Shadows Pack—that she’s still the Alpha Female! Don’t you see why I couldn’t have somebody so deceitful by my side?”

“How terribly underhanded,” Mara contributed, her voice fragile with disappointment in me.

“It started with her making horrible comments at Mara, threatening her life, putting her hands on her! Now she tarnishes the reputation of Grey Creek Pack by spreading lies! I’m sorry you had to see this, Lucas. I’ve been trying to do damage control, but she’s just spiralling.”

At the mention of all the crimes I’d committed against Mara, her eyes glistened with oncoming tears. The sight ignited a small fire in my chest, knowing that they were all lies, but Oswald only heard what he wanted to hear. He reached out a comforting hand to Mara’s arm, and she pressed closer to Oswald as if hiding from me. My inner fire crackled, but there was nothing I could do. I felt hopeless—trapped.

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