Page 61 of The Alpha's Reclaimed Mate

I would never have thought I’d be the one soothing him over Oswald’s death, but I could tell it shook him up. He didn’t like having to take a life. I appreciated him all the more for that.

Once Lucas regained his composure, he set his shoulders straight and looked out over the crowds. We had garnered everyone’s attention with the death of Oswald Moore. Through the crowd, Emma and Cassie pushed to the forefront, both of them wounded and clearly involved in the fight. Even my father had come to raid the Silent Shadows Pack. It surprised me, even disappointed me, to see them here, but in a way, I wasn’t entirely surprised.

“Thank God he’s dead!”said Emma.“I didn’t think I could take any more fighting!”

“I don’t know why we even listened to him in the first place,”said Cassie.

My father grunted and shouldered past them.“Forgive us, Aria,”he said.“We’re so sorry. Please, let us make it up to you and your pack!”

I blinked at them.“Are you serious...?”

“Yes!”My father limped toward me, obviously hamming it up to elicit sympathy.

But it wouldn’t work. I remembered vividly how little they cared for me before.

Even Lucas saw through them. He curled his lips, flashing teeth in a last-ditch show of dominance, and stepped in front of me.“Don’t you dare speak another word to my mate,”snarled Lucas.

Words stalled in my throat. Lucas called me his mate?! But there were too many other issues at hand to focus on.

“Exactly,”said my father.“She’s going to be the Alpha Female of the Silent Shadows Pack. Let us serve her as we should have, back in the Grey Creek Pack!”

I scoffed.“Get over yourselves! You have no place here, not with the way you treated me before!”I wanted to keep calm and composed, but I couldn’t help the anger coursing through my veins. It was a long, difficult day, and I was seconds from snapping. Pausing to breathe in slowly through my nose, I took my place beside Lucas and stared at my family.“The smartest thing for you and the entire Grey Creek Pack is to go home and take Oswald with you. Leave and find yourselves a new Alpha. We have our own wolves to take care of.”

“But Aria!”

I bared my teeth in authority.“Go!”

My father winced, tipping his ears back. Without another word, he retreated with my sisters, and the rest of the pack followed. They collected Oswald’s body, carrying it on the back of the largest soldier, my old teacher, Mr. Ross. I didn’t move until the last Grey Creek Pack wolf had slunk out of my sight.

Then, my shoulders slumped, and I nearly collapsed right there.

“You’re far more forgiving than I would have been,”Lucas commented beside me.

“They’ll face the consequences of their actions,”I promised. The Grey Creek Pack would atone dearly for everything they had done. I just hadn’t figured out how yet.

Esther appeared by my other side, holding the cord in her teeth while the medallion dangled under her chin.“What do you want me to do with this?”

Both Lucas and I looked at it.“It belongs to the Council,”said Lucas.“We’ll have it returned to them.”

I nodded in agreement.

It seemed another meeting with the Council was going to happen sooner rather than later.

But for now, all I could think about was getting some rest. Lucas turned to the remainder of the pack, gesturing for them to retreat.“The fight is over. We’re safe for now. Treat your wounds, gather the dead, and rest. We will mourn for all those lost tomorrow morning.”

As the pack dispersed, Lucas turned to me. His eyes softened, and without words, I knew what was next for us.

I wanted nothing more than to turn human, crawl into his arms, fall asleep, and put all of this behind me.

Chapter 29: Aria

Waking up the next morning was like waking up from a nightmare. Only the nightmare had been very real, and it affected everyone, not just me. The atmosphere over the Silent Shadows Pack was somber. Even though we emerged victorious, there was no celebrating what the battle had done to our pack.

All throughout the day, as I helped my packmates prepare for funerals, I had to keep reminding myself who else had died yesterday. It didn’t seem real. Possibly because I wasn’t staring at a corpse like those belonging to my packmates. Oswald Moore was dead—but maybe the real reason why it didn’t seem real was that the Oswald I knew was dead to me long before yesterday. The man that Lucas killed was little more than a stranger stricken with psychosis. I was sure they were feeling the effects more potently back in the Grey Creek Pack.

After running around all day and then standing in grief-filled silence all evening, paying our respects to the fallen, I was craving a little lightness for my heart. I wanted to move on and begin building my new life with Lucas. I said goodbye to Esther for the night and tracked Lucas down to his office, where he sat at his desk, phone to his ear, looking frustrated.

I hovered at the door, reminded suddenly of a time when hovering outside an office door would yield a snarl or rolled eyes. But Lucas only looked up at me, forcing a weary smile as he gestured for me to come inside.

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