Page 29 of The Alpha's Reclaimed Mate

His body slammed into mine, his teeth on my neck—not to hurt me, but to urge me to keep running.“Hurry, Aria! We’re dead if they catch us!”warned Lucas.

Ears ringing, I did exactly as he told me. I kept running alongside Lucas, following him as he carved a path through the forest. The Rogues behind us howled in anger, shrieking their bloodlust, taunting us. They threatened to rip us to shreds if we were too slow. I thought death had already ensnared me, but knowing now that I had a second chance, I wasn’t going to let death get the better of me. I realized that I did still want to live.

Lucas gave me that second chance.

We ran until, finally, the baying faded into silence. Even then, we didn’t slow down until we passed over a scent marker. I recognized it as belonging to the Silent Shadows Pack, which meant we must have run for miles—it certainly felt like it. By the time we finally stopped, my muscles were aching, begging for rest, and I wasn’t strong enough to hold myself up anymore. I collapsed on the ground, panting and stunned with pain, moonlight illuminating my blood-soaked fur. Closing my eyes, I focused on surviving a little longer, fighting my way through the haze of exhaustion.

Paws stepped around my head. I opened my eyes and peered up at Lucas, who had crouched down in front of me, sniffing cautiously at the wounds on my body.

“I know for a fact that if I were to ask if you’re okay, anything other answer than no is a lie,”he remarked calmly.

My back rose and fell in desperate breaths before I slowly gathered my composure and sat up. It hurt just to move.“I… I thought I was going to die,”I muttered in wolf tongue.

“I feared you were already dead,”said Lucas.“I’m glad you aren’t. The world would have lost a brilliant spirit.”

He was glad that I was alive? I blinked skeptically at him. Nothing I had done made me deserve such kind words from him.

Lucas circled around me, examining my wounds before coming to a stop in front of me.“What were you doing out there? Especially with the recent Rogue attacks, you know how dangerous it is.”

Shame rushed through me like fire. I pinned my ears back and drooped my head.“I was hunting for my pack.”

He shook his head.“Don’t lie to me, Aria.”

The accusation of lies made me flinch. But he didn’t say it in the same way Oswald would have. There was an undertone of caring in his voice that implored me to admit the truth.“I really was hunting,”I said.“Just… I had to hunt for myself. My cache was tampered with.”

“Your cache? Why aren’t you eating with the rest of your pack?”

“I’m not allowed to.”A frown tugged at my lips.“They don’t want me around them. I…”Even though I wanted to tell him the truth, it burned my throat. I averted my eyes as bitterness took over me.“I’m being touch-starved. It’s my punishment for trying to work in the Lodge after I was banished and interfering with pack relations.”

“Touch-starved?”Lucas repeated, appalled.“I know Oswald can be harsh, but I would never have imagined he’d sink that low. How could you possibly deserve being touch-starved by your pack?”

I shrugged limply.“I’ve been a terrible packmate… I lied, I made Mara upset, and I took my position as Oswald’s fated mate for granted. I shouldn’t even be alive,”I croaked. Even though I wanted desperately to rediscover my purpose, weeks of extreme neglect by Oswald, my family, and my entire pack had started to convince me that what I said was true. I’d never felt so low… there was no way to salvage the terrible wreck of my life.

“No, Aria,”growled Lucas.“If that’s what Oswald made you believe, then he’s wrong. I don’t know exactly what happened between you and him, but based on what I’ve seen from you so far, I don’t think you’re as offensive as he claims you are. You had such promise as Alpha Female in training. He might not see that, but I do.”

Doubt filled my mind for precisely the reason Lucas said. He didn’t know me that well. He didn’t know everything that had happened. I was starting to lose my grasp on what was real and what wasn’t, but even I knew I had behaved poorly enough to warrant Oswald’s punishment.“You’re wasting your breath on me,”I sighed.“I’m not worth anything. You should’ve just let me get ripped apart.”

“Enough!”Lucas snapped his teeth.“I won’t stand to hear you talk that way about yourself. You have value, Aria. I’ve seen it. Oswald may be content to throw you aside, but I know that doing so would be discarding a perfectly good wolf shifter capable of so much more.”He stepped closer, looming over me. His shadow engulfed me and made me feel smaller than I already was.“If Oswald isn’t going to use you to your full potential, then I will. I want you to come back with me to the Silent Shadows Pack.”

My eyes widened.“What?”Of course, I heard him, but I didn’t believe him.“But I’m… I’m just going to cause trouble.”

“No, you won’t,”asserted Lucas.“Not if you know what’s good for you.”

I thought I knew what was good for me, but I was wrong. And if I was wrong again, I couldn’t bear to let myself sabotage this second chance. Yet, it wouldn’t be a proper second chance if I didn’t accept the offer. That was what I wanted. A second chance; an opportunity to prove my worth. It was the only thing I wanted since I was rejected.

While I gawked and stammered over my answer, Lucas walked beside me, urging me to stand up.“Come on. I know you’re injured, so I’ll help you walk.”

The moment he offered me his shoulder, I stiffened. It had been days since anybody dared to make contact with me. That simple touch lit a fire inside me, spreading warmth where once my body was icy and empty. I stared back at Lucas, surprised that he offered his touch so willingly. He didn’t seem bothered. Maybe he didn’t even realize how much it meant to me.

Slowly, I stood up and allowed myself to lean against him. He took careful strides, watching me through every step, making sure I didn’t lose my balance. He was committed to helping me get back to the safety of his pack, and I couldn’t understand why.

I was worthless.

But Lucas refused to believe that.

I wanted so badly to accept his help, to transcend the judgment that Oswald, Mara, and my family and pack had cast upon me, but, all I could feel was that I would disappoint him, just like I had disappointed everyone else.

Fear of disappointing him kept my eyes on the ground until I mustered the courage to look up at him.

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