Page 48 of The Alpha's Reclaimed Mate

The person I yearned to trust the most was the person most dedicated to rehabilitating me. I was only just warming up to being comfortable around Lucas because he committed so much time to me and genuinely wanted to get to know me—it was more than I ever expected of him, being the Silent Shadows’ Alpha. Without him, I might never have felt the embers of happiness ever again, but my heart was only dead for a few weeks before Lucas sparked it back to life. He resuscitated me and stoked my fire until I felt alive again. But as the effect of Lucas’ compassion was so potent, so was the fear of imminent betrayal that I could lose him as quickly and suddenly as I lost Oswald. The fear was irrational in its intensity, and because of that, I still struggled to look Lucas in the eye or touch him without him touching me first. Progress was slow. I believed I would trust him eventually. Until then, all I could muster were weak smiles and shy avoidance of touch.

What I focused on more was normalizing the feeling of being a functioning and important part of a pack again and getting to know names and faces, and understanding my place among my new packmates.

I got up that morning with a clear vision of the day ahead. For the first time since my mating ceremony, there was confidence in my chest, and although it was reluctant, it was still a big step toward recovery. I had a sense of purpose. So after those few minutes of laying with Lucas, I got washed and ready for the day, fueled by optimism for a better life.

The first few hours of my morning were spent with Esther. We bustled around her kitchen, preparing and adding the finishing touches to the food for the celebrations. A spread of trays adorned Esther’s kitchen table, holding appetizers like potato skin bites, a cheese log with crackers, celery with peanut butter or garlic ranch spread, veggies and fruits, and deviled eggs. She had me at the kitchen counter putting together little chicken salad and egg salad sandwiches. All of the food looked delicious, but this was just finger food for the bored and restless before the main course of the celebrations: a live moose that the pack had captured for the afternoon hunt. I had dined on aged moose steak with Lucas after the strategy meeting, but fresh moose… it made me drool just thinking about it.

“Thanks for all your help,” said Esther as we wrapped and packed away the last of the sandwiches. “This would have taken me hours if I was doing it alone.”

“How come nobody else was around to help?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m sure somebody would have. But everyone else already has enough to do in preparation for today. I didn’t want to take anyone from their work. Besides, I wanted to spend the morning with you,” she said, smiling.

Joy flickered in my chest. I caught Esther’s eye and grew warm, urging myself to respond, “I’m happy to help you, Esther.”

I could tell she’d been fishing for a sign of positivity in me from the way her eyes lit up before she glanced at the clock. “Oh, it’s just about time for you to get ready. The girls will be here soon.”

As if summoned by those very words, a knock sounded on the front door. Esther welcomed two girls inside, teenagers around my age who had taken an interest in beauty and fashion and were recently accepted into an esthetician school in town.

“Are you Aria?” asked the brown-haired girl.

I nodded.

“I’m Holly,” she said, shaking my hand. “This is Paula,” she added as the short blonde girl beside her approached me, running her hands through my hair. Her sudden touch made me nervous, but Esther’s friendliness with them put me back at ease.

“I’ll be doing your hair,” said Paula. “Holly will be doing your makeup. Did you have any styles in mind?”

I shook my head. “I never used to get dressed up for anything...” Except for my mating ceremony. But that felt like it had happened an eternity ago.

Holly sat me at the vanity in Esther’s large washroom. “Don’t worry; I have a perfect look in mind. Lucas’ jaw is going to drop when he sees you!” She leaned in and winked.

All through the session, I imagined Lucas’ reaction to seeing me, growing more eager to reunite with him by the minute. Being away from him made me miss him. My heart yearned for his companionship, and when I realized that, I was struck with both excitement and dread. I was growing too attached to him. What if things suddenly went wrong today?

Those thoughts plagued me, but not for long. The girls put my red hair in a cute updo and gave me a sexy smoky eye look, then another knock at the door carried Lucas’ voice into Esther’s home.

The girls went out to greet him first. “Good afternoon, Alpha Lucas,” I heard them say.

Then I stepped out of the washroom, freshly dressed in a light-yellow blouse and brown skirt. Lucas paused in mid-sentence, brain functions ceasing at that moment to reroute all resources to responding appropriately to the sight of me. He’d never seen me dolled up like this before, and I found it increasingly more difficult to resist smiling.

“You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen,” he said finally, striding toward me with a hand outstretched to mine. I took his hand and savored his attention, his other palm running up my arm, attention wholly mine. “I don’t think I’ll be seeing any falling stars tonight. My eyes will be on something else entirely.”

By now, I’d figured out how to suppress the heat from my cheeks. What usually would have made me blush had me uttering a single chime of a chuckle instead. “Thank you, Lucas.”

“I’m so damn lucky,” he murmured for just the two of us. Then, grinning, he pulled back. “Are you ready for the blood oath?”

A sizzling sensation sat in my stomach while I nodded. “I’m ready.”

We left Esther’s house for a park in the center of the village. Surrounded by decorative conifers and rose bushes, a pebble walkway led us up to an ornate garden in which the Silent Shadows’ Beta, three elders, and Scott were awaiting us. “Usually, we’re a little more elaborate with our decorations and attendance, but given the short notice, we elected to have a smaller, more private ceremony. I hope that’s alright,” Lucas said as we walked along the path.

“It’s perfect,” I reassured him.

At the end of the walkway, surrounded by the highest council of the Silent Shadows Pack, Lucas stood me across from a tall stone basin. In the distance, a chorus of howls signified that the pack hunt was about to begin. Lucas beckoned my hand, turning my palm skyward while readying a small knife against my flesh.

“Aria Gunn, on this day, the Silent Shadows Pack formally invites you to join our ranks as Alpha Female In Consideration. You will be tested and trained appropriately for your suitability for the role and either offered the role or, should it not be the right fit, be offered a subordinate role within the pack. Do you accept these terms?”

I nodded. “I do.” It still felt impossible that I would suddenly find myself with such huge expectations—and the powerful trust—of an even larger pack than the one I’d grown up in.

“Do you vow to commit your loyalty, dedication, love, and life to the Silent Shadows Pack?”

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