Page 10 of The Alpha Wolf's Pregnant Bride

“Cassandra…” Luna Phoebe snaps me out of my daze, pushing a plateful of meat in front of me. “The Alpha has extended his condolences through the first plate.”

“F-first plate?” I look across the table, noticing that there isn't a plate in front of Cyrus. The one he'd been dishing up was for me. In a natural response, I bow my head when his eyes find mine. Respectfully, but also to avoid his penetrating gaze.

Whoa.

I have no idea what just happened, except that the Alpha—who is usually the first to eat in any official gathering—just sent his own plate my way.

Relief washes over me when Dakota joins me on the bench, and I have a distraction from that nagging feeling deep within my being.

Cyrus Rudolph isn't as heartless as he makes himself out to be.

Still, it's not reason enough to feel drawn to him. Those feelings I'd buried when I decided to leave the first time around have no right to resurface just because he extended a small bit of kindness.

It's only because it's my mother's funeral, I remind myself. Again, to save face and prove to his pack that he's an Alpha who cares about his people.

Right?

Right.

I force my meal down my throat, hardly capable of concentrating when intrusive thoughts race through my mind. Sure, he's still as hot as ever, if not more, with all the muscles he'd packed on over the years.

I just can't forget that he's the reason I left in the first place.

“I should head back to the cottage,” I tell Dakota when I'm done eating, patting the corners of my mouth with a napkin.

“Do you want me to walk you there?”

I shake my head, offering her a wistful smile. “I'll be fine. I think I'm gonna get to packing.”

Dakota places a hand over mine. “I hope you're not leaving any time soon.”

“Not until I've sorted out Mama's things,” I explain with a sigh. “There are some things I'd like to give away and others I'll take back with me.”

Dakota purses her lips, eyes growing weary. “How long are you planning on staying?”

I shrug. “A week? Two weeks?” I glance across the table, where Cyrus has his head dipped at Jarrod's ear, whispering something to him. My heart drops as I imagine him making some derogatory remarks about me to the Beta. Just as he did all those years ago, in the library…

“I still can't convince you to stay?” she asks solemnly.

I turn back to her, shaking my head. “I don't belong here, D. I've made a life for myself out there. I have to go back.”

***

I seal the box with duct tape, then label it “Mama's Souvenirs” with a black marker. Getting to my feet, I plant my hands on my hips and take a look around the room.

It'll probably take me less than a week to gather Mama's things, the important stuff already packed in the box in front of me, ready to be shipped out of the country before my own departure.

It comes as a relief since I don't care to be here any longer. Not around Cyrus, anyway. He'd been the detriment of my past, and I needed to get away.

The hooting of owls outside draws my attention to the window, my feet moving of their own accord as I make my way there. Pulling the curtain aside, I stare out at the quiet town and feel a sense of longing wash over me. I look up beyond the canopy of trees that make up the forest and sigh forlornly.

When the navy sky, littered with bright stars and the moon almost full, seems to call out to me, I decide to step outside. The stillness of the night is welcoming, folding me into its crisp coolness and allowing me to enjoy my brief visit without having to face other pack members.

The howling of wolves beyond the mountains signals their hunting session, drawing a smile on my face. I forgot what it felt like being a part of a pack since leaving the States meant that I had to hunt and fend for my wolf alone, ensuring that I stuck to the shadows to protect myself from being found by humans or other creatures that might lurk in foreign territory. Being a werewolf, all on my own, had its own set of challenges.

Being back in Mysthaven has the tips of my fingers and toes tingling with the sudden urge to feel my homeland's ground beneath my wolf paws. This desire grows stronger with every step I take, demanding my attention until I relent to my inner wolf's impulse and shift near the ingress of the woods.

Bones crackle as my limbs distend and fill out to the wolf's ardent size. The cushioned pads beneath my paws tastethe ground of home soil and feel ignited by the fiery passion I missed for nine years. I submit my mind to my wolf, allowing her to carry me across the meadow and into the graveyard, where I stand over the fresh heap of Mama's grave.

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