Page 49 of The Alpha's Reclaimed Mate

“Yes,” I said. “With every breath, I breathe, I will live for the Silent Shadows Pack.”

“Do you vow to protect your packmates, honor and respect them, and strive toward bettering them, yourself, and everyone else you may work alongside?”

“Yes. I want nothing more than to see the Silent Shadows Pack flourish.”

My answers pleased Lucas—at least, I swore I could feel the stirring in my heart matched by his satisfaction, unsure of what else it could be.

“Then, with this blade, I will draw your blood to share in the vessel of the Silent Shadows Pack, which represents our territory, unity, and home.” Lucas met my eyes, making sure I was prepared before slitting the blade against my palm. I gritted my teeth for only a second, but this small cut was nothing compared to worse pains I’d felt.

Together, we watched a thick gob of blood bead from my palm, ambling down my hand and dripping into the stone basin. The instant it hit, a fiery new force awoke in me. A fresh bond had just opened up between myself and the Silent Shadows Pack—my new home.

“You are now physically and spiritually tied to the Silent Shadows Pack,” declared Lucas, smiling. “Welcome, Aria. You’re one of us.”

Truly, my spirit sang, knowing that I was beginning my new life as a member of Lucas’ pack. It was real now. The wolf-shifters gathered here had witnessed it, clapping for my introduction to the pack. Lucas clasped my bloody hand and held it high before the crowd. Tears threatened to prick my eyes, but for the first time since I could remember, they were tears of joy. I smiled and laughed, reveling in the brand-new feeling of being celebrated. I was accepted. I was... home.

Much of the Perseid Celebration was a blur. As I reunited with the pack after their moose hunt, faces I had come to know and recognize cheered in congratulations. Esther hugged me tightly, promising that she would show me what true friendship felt like. Holly and Paula bragged to everyone that they had done my hair and makeup and told me privately how they would bring me up to speed on the pack gossip. I flitted between everyone, thanking them or introducing myself and then gradually joining in the celebrations. We feasted and drank and danced in the hall until the sun began to set and stars glimmered out of the dusk.

I stood in the field outside the village with Lucas, watching his packmates—ourpackmates—transform and run under the sky. Already there were streaks of light illuminating the night. The meteor shower summoned the collective voice of the pack, singing in honor of the stars.

When the last packmate turned wolf and raced off to merge with the group, Lucas squeezed my hand. “Before we join them, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”

As he gazed down at me, I became lost in the depths of his sweet hazel eyes. That lock of silver among his black hair hanging over his brow tempted my fingers to brush it aside. I wanted to draw closer, but wonder held me in place. “What is it?”

“Do you feel it too?”

I swallowed. “Feel what?”

Lucas bent his head down, his lips hovering by my ear. “Our mate bond.”

The words alone were enough to send my heart into overdrive. “I—I don’t know.” In truth, I did know. It was that little ember burning away in the pit of my stomach, changing shape with Lucas’ moods, reflecting everything he felt. Happiness. Satisfaction. Annoyance. Distress. Sympathy. Love. I struggled to admit its existence because I feared what it meant. Was I ready to be so completely vulnerable with Lucas? To risk my heart being shattered again?

Sensing my hesitation, Lucas gently lifted my chin. “I think I have a way for you to tell.”

My breath trembled out of my lungs. Lucas leaned closer, close enough for our lips to brush. The embrace of our lips melted my insides, weakening my legs until Lucas had to actively hold me up. He laughed behind the kiss while I struggled to compose a single thought in response. But I couldn’t. He swept me off my feet, and I was helpless to resist.

Lucas Black was my first kiss. I wished this moment could last forever.

It only ended because two wolves reappeared before us. Lucas broke the kiss, smiling with a promise to continue later. But our light, amorous mood wasn’t destined to linger.

The scouts that came to us were wide-eyed with panic. “Alpha Lucas! We must pause the celebrations at once. Our pack could be in danger.”

“Why?” Lucas furrowed his brow.

“We found two wolf shifters at the border. Covered in blood. They’re dead, Alpha. Someone killed them and left them there. We fear it’s a warning to you.”

Chapter 23: Aria

I didn’t want to be afraid of what the dead shifters could mean. My life was on track to getting better, and I had everything I needed to recover: a pack that cared about me, a kind and loving and handsome Alpha who believed in me, and a purpose. I was ready to leave behind the trauma that nearly ended my life. But it seemed trauma was not prepared to give me up so easily.

“You should stay here,” Lucas told me softly, clutching my shoulders and kissing my temple.

I shook my head. “No. If I’m to be your future Alpha Female, I need to see what happened. I need to be part of this, Lucas.” Although fear threatened the volume of my voice, I met Lucas’ eyes with a firm, certain stare.

He sighed, searching my eyes for a way to convince me otherwise, but I suspected he knew I was right. “Okay, but stay close.”

Lucas looked to the scouts. “I don’t want to pre-emptively cancel the celebration without knowing what’s happened. You, find Scott and tell him what happened. And you, take us to the bodies,” he said to each scout in turn. Then he looked at me. “Let’s go.”

The three of us transformed back into our wolves, and though my body yearned to race alongside my new packmates and sing under the falling stars, duty gripped me once more. We ran in the opposite direction of the pack, diving into the forest toward the borders of the Silent Shadows Pack. It didn’t take long before the stomach-turning scent of blood filled the air. And with it, the repulsive stench of the culprits.

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