Page 83 of Fated to the Alpha Warrior
He kisses my forehead, reminding me of how my father kissed my mother. “You’re not alone in this anymore. You never will be again. Not if I have anything to say about it.”
Standing in the ruins of my past, surrounded by the history of my pack, I finally feel something settle inside me. An ache is soothed, a hole filled. The broken pieces I’ve carried for so long finally make sense now. My parents didn’t just save my life—they gave me a purpose to fulfill, a legacy to carry.
“The fae are moving against the packs again,” I say slowly. “They’re using the madness to weaken us, just like they did before, but this time—this time we know the truth.”
“And we’re not alone,” Kieran adds. “Other packs will come to our aid in this fight. We know how to cure the madness now.”
“With my blood,” I note grimly. “And we know what they want: our land.”
“We won’t let them have it,” he says fiercely, cupping my face in his hands, his blue gaze intense. “Together then? Whatever comes next?”
Looking up at him, I feel the last of my doubts fade away. We’ve both changed so much since that day in the amphitheater. We’ve grown stronger, braver, more willing to face hard truths and fight for what matters.
“Together,” I promise him. “Always.”
Just like that, surrounded by ruins, we come together in a kiss both passionate and hopeful, and I start to believe that my future can be different from my past.
Chapter 34
Kieran
Watching Aurora reconnect with her past, I finally realize the mistake I’d made in rejecting her. The silence between us stretches as we make our way through the ruins of Pack Onyx land, following the pull of Aurora’s blood connection to her ancestral home. Every step we take seems to bring more life to the desolate landscape—small signs that the magic is awakening, responding to her presence here.
I can’t take my eyes off of her. The way she moves through the old buildings with purpose and certainty, the blonde of her hair catching the evening light, her mismatched eyes bright with determination. The failed ritual may have left her physically weakened, but she still has the same unbroken spirit that led her to become the warrior she is despite being outcast and alone for much of her life.
The thought of how close I came to losing her makes my wolf whine with distress. If I’d arrived even minutes later, if the ritual had worked as intended, if she hadn’t taken me back into her arms… the possibilities haunt me.
“There’s something here,” Aurora says, stopping near what appears to be an old temple. The stone walls smell of fae magic. “It feels different than the others. Like it’s calling to me.”
As she reaches out to touch the wall, I notice her hand trembling with emotion. Without thinking, I step forward to steady her.
“I’m fine,” she murmurs, although I can feel the exhaustion rolling off her in waves. “Just… give me a minute.”
My wolf surges beneath my skin, desperate to protect our mate, to gather her in our arms and take her somewhere safe to rest. But I force myself to step back, remembering all the times ignoring her wishes caused her pain.
“Tell me what you feel,” I say instead, craving as much closeness with her as possible. “What’s different about this place?”
She closes her eyes, pressing her palm flat against the stone. “There are memories here. From the land itself. The fae were here, but so were my people. They fought back, they…” she breaks off with a gasp, stumbling.
This time when I reach for her, she doesn’t object. Her skin is cold beneath my touch as I steady her, and I can feel tremors running through her body.
“You’re pushing yourself too hard,” I tell her, unable to keep the protective growl from my voice. “The healers said you need time to recover from the ritual.”
“I don’t have time.” Frustration laces through her voice as she pulls away from me. “The fae are attacking Pack Jade right now. They could be hurting people we care about. And the answer to stopping them is here somewhere, I just know it. All I have to do is…”
She sways on her feet, and this time when I catch her, she collapses against my chest. The scent of her exhaustion mingles with sweet honey and delicate lilac, making my protective instincts surge to the forefront.
“Aurora, please.” I guide her to sit on a fallen column, kneeling in front of her so I can look into her eyes. “You won’tbe any help to anyone if you work yourself to death. Let yourself rest.”
“I can’t be weak,” she whispers, the pain in her voice breaking every part of me. “Not again. Not after everything…”
“You’re not weak.” The words burst from me with fierce conviction. “You’re the strongest person I know. Stronger than me, stronger than my father, stronger than anyone in Pack Jade who ever doubted you or put you down.”
She looks away, but I catch her chin gently in my fingers, turning her face back to mine. “Look at me, Aurora. Really look at me.”
Those beautiful mismatched eyes meet mine, and I’m struck again by how much I love her. How blind I was not to see it before.
“You survived losing your entire pack as a child. Grew up surrounded by people who feared and doubted you. Learned to fight without a wolf, to protect yourself when no one else would. Found a home in the outskirts when the pack rejected you…” My voice breaks. “When I rejected you.”
