Page 4 of The Alpha's Reclaimed Mate

Faltering, I looked up at him.

“Just… don’t.” There were notes of disgust in his voice. “It’s been a long day.”

Then Oswald pushed past me and went for the door, like he always did whenever we were talking like it was the quickest route of escape. He didn’t look back at me when he left, didn’t say goodbye or goodnight, just kept walking. He left me in his office with my hands hovering; palms still open in wait for a reciprocating touch.

This was normal. Right?

I swallowed my pain and gathered everything up on the tray, even the still-full mug of tea that he hadn’t drunk. Balancing the tray on my hip, I closed his office door and made my way back to the elevator. But every step I took felt heavier and heavier until my feet wouldn’t move anymore.

If this was normal, why was it so difficult to stomach?

This wasn’t how it would always be with us, would it?

Chapter 2: Aria

“I decided on white peonies and light yellow daylilies with a dash of pale green eucalyptus,” I told Mrs. Foster.

“That’s good, Miss Gunn.”

“I want it to resemble a traditional human wedding,” I went on. “I’m not really into the whole blessings and chants and gifts of dead prey thing.” As was the norm in wolf shifter mating ceremonies. “Yeah, the past couple of weeks have kept me pretty busy with the planners.”

Mrs. Foster hummed, looking through papers on her desk. My sisters were uninterested, and I had no friends with which to share my news, but I’d been itching to talk to somebody.

“How are your etiquette lessons going?”

“They’re great. I passed my etiquette trial with flying colours.”

“Those skills will be critical in your correspondence with the Council of Seven and meeting with the Alphas of our sister packs,” reminded Mrs. Foster.

“I know. I’ve already met with the Alphas of the Moonstone Pack and the Betas of the Crescent Moon Pack.” But it was meeting the Alpha of the Silent Shadows Pack where my etiquette skills would truly shine. I had to impress my superior Alpha, Lucas Black. Apparently, he was a tough guy to crack.

That day, I had a good feeling about the upcoming ceremony. My optimism was reflected in the yellow dress that emphasized the curves of my hips and chest, white flats, and the elegant bun which contained my red hair, my freckles hidden underneath pale foundation, and nails glinting golden nail polish. I wanted to look good for Oswald. Gently knocking on his office door, I peered inside, caught his eye, and showed him the tea I had grabbed for him from the café. “Are you busy?”

Oswald’s face, previously buried in his hand out of frustration for whatever nonsense he’d been dealing with prior, tilted toward me. His brown eyes flickered between me and the tea before reaching out for the tea.

I took it as a wordless invitation to come in. Handing him the tea, I then took a seat in the chair across from him. “So my training is almost finished,” I told him. “Mrs. Foster says she’s confident in my ability to manage the pack’s civil reports department and oversee branch funding management. Won’t it be nice to finally share some of the responsibility?”

He sipped the tea, reluctant to say anything, and when he finally replied, he glued his eyes to the monitor. “It’s a lot of responsibility for a seventeen-year-old girl.”

“Sure, but I’m prepared. I’ve been training for this for four years,” I reminded him.

“And I’ve been living this six,” he countered.

That was right. Even though I’d been preparing to become the Alpha Female since I was twelve, he had been thrust into the role of Alpha when he was sixteen. He was twenty-two now, and his Alpha responsibilities were all he’d known since he was a teenager. But still… “We’ve both been immersed in this for years. It’s all we know…” I’d given up any chance to make friends, prove my talents to my family, and enjoy my life—all so that I could help Oswald lead the pack. Why couldn’t he see that?

Oswald sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I doubt the other packs will even take you seriously, being so young.”

“Well… you’re the one who suggested having the mating ceremony this year,” I ventured.

His jaw tensed. “Yeah.”

He could have waited a couple more years and allowed me to continue training. But Oswald was eager to have the mating ceremony as soon as possible for reasons I couldn’t fathom. I thought it was because he was eager to alleviate himself of his responsibilities and share his world with me, but lately, that seemed unlikely. I couldn’t imagine what the real reason might be. Maybe he just wanted to consummate our mate bond.

“Look, don’t get too excited about Alpha work, okay? I don’t want you to be disappointed and take it out on me when you find out what a drag it is,” said Oswald.

My eyes widened. “I’d never take it out on you. Oswald, you know I only want to help. I’m here for you.” I reached across the desk for his hand.

The moment I grazed his knuckle, he retracted his hand and pinched his eyebrows in disdain. The silence stretching between us was tense before he looked away. “I’m leaving tomorrow for a conference in Hale Stone, so don’t waste the planners’ time waiting for my input on details about the ceremony, okay? I trust you can handle it yourself since you’re so confident about all the other Alpha work that’s coming.”

---