Page 51 of The Alpha's Reclaimed Mate

“Archer suggested we track the rogues to see where they’ve been coming from,” I recalled. “But we told him to wait.”

“Yes, well, Archer has a bad habit of firing first and asking questions later.”

So was that what happened? Archer found where the Rogues were coming from, got in too deep, and sent messengers to warn us? Now I saw the bigger picture. The missing eyes and tongue were to ensure Archer’s messengers couldn’t communicate what they’d discovered. The Rogues gave themselves away by mutilating the messengers.

“What if they need our help?”

Lucas snapped his eyes to me. “I can’t risk throwing my pack into the unknown.”

“No, but maybe someone else knows what to do. We can reach out to the Council of Seven.”

Now Lucas’ eyes widened. “You want to go to the Council after the claims Mara made about you?”

The reminder of Mara’s lies made my spirits fall. “It’s not true. We can ask the Council for help and prove my innocence at the same time.”

“No. I’m sorry, Aria, but we need to stay here and protect our pack.”

“Then let me go alone. It’s only a few hours’ run to Hale Stone. I’ll be safe as soon as I get to the highway.”

Lucas frowned again, this time the gesture directed straight at me. “I’m not risking your life, out of everyone’s, to address the Council of Seven alone. We’ll gather the pack in the hall and wait to hear from Archer.”

I knew Lucas was only trying to protect me, but the foreboding feeling in my gut told me that waiting would only result in more death. “They could be in serious danger,” I said.

“We don’t know that they are.”

“We don’t know that they aren’t.”

As we approached the hall, Lucas and I paused near the doors while our packmates began filing inside. He put his hands on my shoulders, softening his face into pleading care. “I understand you want to help, but Aria... if I let anything happen to you, I’d never be able to forgive myself. I...” His voice faltered in a way I’d never heard before. Like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. His hands squeezed my shoulders. “Please, just help Esther round up the pack. I’ll be in the hall, keeping everyone calm and organized. Come join me as soon as you can.”

The yearning in his eyes implored me to listen. To understand. And I did.

But if I was going to become his Alpha Female, I had to employ my training, trust my gut, and make the right choice. “Okay.”

Lucas managed another smile for me. His lips grazed my brow, kissing me softly before he headed into the hall.

My skin felt cold without him. My feet hesitated to move. With a deep breath in, I turned and walked past everyone entering the hall, looking out in the direction of the field beyond the village. Moonlight glimmered off Esther’s fur as she howled for our packmates, rounding up the last few enjoying the festivities. Such a beautiful night, and it was ruined by the malice of the Rogues.

I couldn’t let them hurt anyone else.

Resuming my wolf form, I ran into the field and then to the treeline beyond. It wouldn’t take long for Lucas to realize I was gone, but hopefully, by then, I’d have gained enough of a lead that I could outrun him or whoever he sent after me. It pained me to disobey him and leave him behind, but the Council needed to know. Someone needed to help the Crescent Moon Pack, and I would get them their help.

The night consumed me as I raced past the Silent Shadows’ border toward Hale Stone. I had only one thing on my mind: bitter vengeance toward the rogues. That was what fueled me, inspiring me to run as fast as I could.

I should have expected I wouldn’t be venturing into unclaimed land alone.

The howls of my pack cried for me to come back, but the paws beating the earth behind me didn’t belong to them.

Chapter 24: Lucas

Aria was gone.

Even after I told her not to go, emphasizing her importance to me and my primal fear of something happening to her, she still took off, venturing out alone to contact the Council of Seven. I should have expected she would take matters into her own hands. She had a knack for it. That was just one of the countless things I adored about her. Too bad this time, it came back around to bite me in the ass.

I stared hollowly at the masses gathered before me, knowing without seeing it that she had left. Her face wasn’t among those in the crowd. She never came back with Esther. My fists clenched so tight that they turned white as I reflected on everything leading up to this moment. The moment I lost Aria so quickly after finally making her mine.

For a long time, I’d kept an eye on Aria. At first, it was only because she was destined to become the Alpha Female of one of my subsidiary packs through her fated bond with Oswald Moore. I kept my distance, watching from afar—but following her progress became a guilty pleasure. She excelled at everything she attempted. Every test, every project, every assessment, every challenge. Her diligence impressed me. I hated to say it, but I was jealous.

I’d never breathed a word of this to anyone. Nobody would have understood. I, Lucas Black, Alpha of the Silent Shadows Pack, CEO of Shadow Manufacturing... jealous of someone. I had everything.

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