Page 33 of Soul of the Chaos

A true alpha.

A simple observation which caused my balls to tighten all the more.

The fact that pretty much any of the pack females would have fought for the privilege of being in my bed, even temporarily, didn’t make it any better. Now that the magic had revealed my mate, the thought of touching another female was abhorrent.

I wanted Sasha. And only Sasha. For the rest of my very uncomfortable life.

And I would never have her. In fact, I couldn’t even allow myself to taste her. Because I knew—without a shadow of a doubt—that a single taste of Sasha would turn me into an addict.

And then my Chaos-crazed animal would be out for blood. Hers. One bite to bind her forever and steal the very freedom she so desperately craved.

I refused to condemn that bold, beautiful and—yes—infuriating woman to such a lonely existence.

My mother had been forced into pack politics. Forever stamped as an outsider because she chose to remain human, even after my father offered to turn her. It was the only time he’d respected her wishes and probably because it made it easier to keep her under his thumb. Plus, there was always the risk that the human wouldn’t make the turn.

The Soul Reapers hadn’t always treated their mates—or humans—with respect. They’d been allies with the Bone Crushers, after all.

Since I took control, my people—Bulletproof, Mongrel, Silver, Carbon, to name a few—had worked hard to change this. But every now and then, our wolves' territorial natures raised its ugly head. I’d seen the way some of the sweetbutts had been eyeing our guests. Silver and Popcorn would need to keep an eye on them.

I wouldn’t abide my mate being treated as less-than. The alpha’s mate was a position of authority, one to be respected and feared. And, although Sasha’s natural dominance would rise to the challenge, her human body was far too breakable.

What if she got into a challenge she couldn’t meet? What if an enemy came at one of our own and she threw herself in the way to protect them? A human didn’t come with shifter healing built in.

I’d have to post someone as her guard at all times—something that would quickly chafe a woman like Sasha—even if Silver seemed more than willing to be our go-between.

Meanwhile, my mate would be condemned to live her life forever exposed to both challenges from within and vicious attacks from external forces. There would always be those who’d consider themselves a better choice to walk at my side. Gods, some of the bitchier packmates—females and males alike—would set out to make her life uncomfortable just for shits and giggles.

And then I would tear their throats out.

No, though my balls would surely shrivel and turn to dust, my mate would remain unclaimed. I’d lay down my life to ensure this woman made it through the trail of the Chaos unscathed.

But if the Blood Moon Goddess had any mercy at all, then Sasha would surely have a home to return to. Somewhere safe with a strong protector who I could hand her off to, then order my men to ensure her life was never disrupted again.

Funnily enough, the human seemed to be on the same page.

It should have been a relief. However, her determination to maintain her distance—after all but throwing herself into my arms during the heat of battle—was like a thorn in my paw. If I hadn’t seen the raw lust blazing in her gaze when she thought my focus was elsewhere, I might have been fooled into thinking the Chaos left her completely unaffected.

Alongside that lust was a healthy dose of fear and respect, too.

Gods, I could do without this bullshit. I had damaged humans to return to their homes and a pack to keep under wraps. I didn’t need personal shit stirring up drama best left untouched.

I stormed to the wing I’d ordered the home team to prepare in our absence.

“Take your pick,” I growled, turning to scowl at the woman who’d locked up as soon as we’d entered the corridor.

Once again, the survivors huddled behind her, like my mate was some sort of bullet proof armor. Sasha’s face blanched and the woman swayed, looking like she was either going to puke or run—or both.

In an instant, Silver was at her side as her throat bobbed in terror. He laid a hand on the small of her back. I watched, shocked right down to my throbbing nuts, to sense that my wolf wasn’t even angry at the intrusion. He cared more about Sasha’s needs being met than who was tending to them. As long as it was Silver.

What the fuck did that mean?

He leaned close to murmur something in her ear. Sasha offered my omega a grateful smile, before she marched into the first available room. The group skittered after her, all of them cramming into the one space.

Silver offered me a sad smile with a ‘what can you do’ type shrug and strolled in after them. I stalked into the room but ground to a stop just inside the doorway because as soon as my grumpy ass entered the room, a fearful hush had fallen over the excited murmurs.

Sasha spun to face me, glaring at the intrusion.

For one breathless moment, my wolf and I were struck dumb at the sight.

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