Page 44 of The Alpha's Reclaimed Mate

I didn’t hear the rest of their exchange before the front door opened. Quickly closing the window, I tossed the towel into the laundry basket and began brushing my hair, feigning ignorance despite the conversation burning in my mind. Lucas was willing to do whatever it took to help me recover. It should have made me feel happy, but it only weighed on me. What if I wasn’t strong enough to overcome this?

The bedroom door opened. “Hey,” greeted Lucas, smiling at me like the conversation with Esther had never happened. “So, there was a small change of plans. The other Alphas and I have called an impromptu strategy meeting about those Rogues. But because of your experience with them, I wanted you to be there to give your input. Is that okay?”

I blinked in surprise at him. “I’ll help in any way I can.”

“It shouldn’t take long. We’ll have dinner after,” said Lucas, leading me back downstairs. As we walked past the dining area, I noticed he had set the flowers in a vase between two plates. Lucas said nothing of it—maybe he was hoping I wouldn’t notice—but that lingered in my mind too. It almost looked like he’d been setting up a romantic evening for us.

We barely made it out the door before Scott appeared, panting. “Wait, Lucas! Sorry to interrupt, but uh…” He put his hands on his knees and caught his breath. “Sorry. I ran all the way here from the borders.”

Lucas chuckled behind his lips. “What is it? Aria and I were just going to meet with the other Alphas.”

“About that…” Scott wiped the sweat off his brow and straightened up. His usual smile was gone in place of serious worry. “Oswald has arrived, but… he’s not here for the meeting. He brought some of his pack.” Scott’s eyes shifted to me. “They want to talk to you, Aria.”

Oswald’s name plunged my heart into my chest with dread.

Of course, this day was too good to be true.

I should have known that my past would never be far behind me.

Chapter 19: Aria

A cold sweat chased me as I followed Scott to the borders where my pack was waiting. Looming dread made every step feel heavy, my heart pounding so loud in my ears it drowned out all else. Even Lucas’ reassuring presence wasn’t enough to soothe my discomforts; icy anxiety shook me to my core. It felt like I was walking to my demise.

Eerie silence gripped the forest as we traveled further away from the safety of the Silent Shadows’ village. Not even the birds conversed overhead, merely observing from the treetops the wolf pack closing in on visitors to their territory. I held my breath at every movement between the trees, expecting my pack to step into sight any moment, wishing I could turn around and go back to Lucas’ flower-adorned dinner table and forget about the Grey Creek Pack entirely. After the complete and utter kindness of Lucas’ pack, I didn’t want to go back to the people that disdained me or felt sorry for me. I liked being appreciated and befriended and feeling valued. I couldn’t go back to the shifters that saw me as nothing more than a disappointing failure of an Omega.

But that fate became frighteningly real when the evening sunlight revealed Oswald, Mara, and a crowd behind them. My pack had unified to confrontme.

This was my worst nightmare. The weakness in my knees nearly took me out, but a strong, warm hand on the small of my back kept me on my feet. Lucas hovered behind me, offering encouragement with his touch and murmuring behind my ear, “Don’t worry. This won’t take long.”

I met his eyes for a few trusting seconds. He smiled back at me, bending his head to kiss my brow. All at once, his closeness rushed in a lungful of his smell, and his affection warmed my nervous chill. I wanted so desperately to believe that Lucas intended to protect me, that I was worth protecting, but I knew the instant Oswald spoke, I would be reduced to nothing. In all my distress, I didn’t notice the pointed look Lucas gave in Oswald’s direction.

As we approached my pack, I flicked my eyes up at Oswald and immediately felt his anger and judgment bite into me. My shoulders drooped as I hesitated to get any closer. Lucas stepped around me, forming a barrier between Oswald and me. Behind the Grey Creek Alpha, Mara turned up her nose and looked balefully at me, standing as tall as her mate. My family lingered behind him, too: my father frowning, my mother swallowing her anger, only two of my sisters—Cassie and Emma—snickering between each other, making my stomach turn. To Oswald’s left, the begrudging scowl of my combat teacher, Mr. Ross, looking like he didn’t approve of Oswald’s decision to come here. Mr. Ross glanced at me, and I recognized the faintest flash of sympathy before he looked away.

I clenched my fists and forced myself to hold Oswald’s gaze.

The Grey Creek Alpha wrinkled his nose and sneered, but before he could speak, Lucas broke the silence.

“You must have gotten turned around on your way here,” Lucas said firmly, with a warning for Oswald to tread carefully.

The tone of the Silent Shadows Alpha made Oswald stiffen. like ice was driven up his spine. “We can resume the strategy meeting as soon as this first matter is resolved,” he asserted.

Lucas narrowed his eyes. “Which matter is that?”

A vein bulged in Oswald’s temple as he shifted his eyes to me, thrusting a finger. “You! Deserting your pack when you had promised to protect them against the Rogues! Crawling to Silent Shadows to skirt around your touch-starvation punishment, making Alpha Black feel sorry for you!” His malice turned back to Lucas. “I’m here to recover Aria Gunn, and I’ve brought packmates of mine willing to testify as to why she should be returned to us!”

It didn’t matter what they argued. I would know the truth. They didn’t want me back because they missed me or realized what I meant to them. They already knew what I meant to them—it was nothing. They wanted me because they wanted medead! Fear bubbled up inside my throat, but I glanced sidelong at Lucas and found his sights firmly set on Oswald. He held firm against Oswald’s outrage.

“What makes you think you deserve to have her back?” Lucas growled. His wolf was bristling, baring teeth, accepting Oswald’s challenge with vigor. “When my brother found Aria at my borders, it was three days after the Rogue attack, and she was near death. She told me that you and your packmates abandoned her in the middle of the fight. Aria did protect your pack. Where else do you think she got these wounds? And you just left her!”

Oswald stiffened. “You think it would have been wise for me to sacrifice my life to a few starving Rogues? For what, honor? Aria could have retreated to the villa with us and made sure we returned home safely! It’s her own fault she let her wounds fester while she got lost trying to find her way to your pack. She should consider herself lucky even to be alive.”

“I do,” I interjected, voice shaking.

Oswald paused in surprise to hear me. “You what?”

“I do consider myself lucky.” Sucking in a deep breath, I forced the words from my throat. “I should have died in the forest after that attack. I’ve caused you and Mara so much misery. I should have let fate play out and punish me for all I’ve done. I’m lucky that Scott found me. I’m lucky that Lucas has been compassionate enough to give me shelter. But I don’t deserve it. You’re right… Everything I’ve suffered is my own fault. That’s why you gave me up to the Rogues after I saved your life, isn’t it?”

A gasp rippled through my pack. Opposite of them, behind me, the members of the Silent Shadows that accompanied us murmured with disapproval toward Oswald. Nobody had seen me interrupt the fight that Oswald was losing, but he still bore the wounds inflicted by the rogue attacking him. Where my pack whispered accusations against me that I might be lying, the Silent Shadows Pack believed me wholeheartedly. Mr. Ross was the only one who looked shocked and disappointed at Oswald. He’d seen my fighting skills firsthand—he knew I was telling the truth.

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