Page 41 of Sinful Shifters

He declares, "Sky Pack, I am your alpha! Let us rejoice."

And just like that, the Mating Circle comes to life, full of power and vitality again.

Two down, two to go.

After that, I don't know what happens next. I just hope it isn't a disaster.

Chapter31

Rina

The Sky Pack celebrates the return of the Steward of the Sky with a great feast. Roasted apple tarts, braised goat meat, soft cheese, wild herb salad, and small, delicate eggs are served. They raise their voices in celebration, cheering Lucian and me, calling me their destined omega.

Apparently, unlike the Mountain Pack, the Sky Pack hasn't forgotten the gods of old. They've been isolated up here in the Appalachian Mountains for so long that the stories of the First Alpha didn't take for them. Instead, they tell tall tales of a Thor-like god who came down from the sky to save their plucky mountain town more than once.

"I may have meddled a few times, when I was younger," Lucian murmurs to me, over a leg of braised goat with a side of soft cheese and wild apple jam. "It was difficult, the first century or so, to stay in the wellspring all the time. So I'd come up with emergencies that needed tending to, and most of them drew me here, where the wind magic is strong."

His cheeks are flushed and rosy, and he has a jubilance to him that I haven't seen before.

I ask him, "How are you feeling, now that you're an alpha of your own pack?"

He pauses before telling me, "I haven't felt this good in a long time."

Meanwhile, I feel miserable. My skin is hot and clammy. Every bite of food seems to sit strange in my stomach, even though I'm hungrier than I've ever been, and it all looks good.

The servers fuss over me, presenting me with everything from baked pears in a cream sauce to steamed vegetables and smoked ham. But nothing really hits right, and I feel itchy in my own skin, desperately hot despite the cool mountain air.

No one has to tell me that my heat is coming on. I can tell, even without the perfume in the air. Adar keeps looking over at me from the other side of the table, his dark red brows drawn low, his mouth pursed into a thin line.

I know that if I just stand up right now, motion towards him, and find a secluded place, he'll give me his knotandhis bite both. Completely. Unlike the others, he won't resist when I ask him to start my heat. His fangs will sink into my neck as he thrusts inside me and ties himself to me, coming in my slick over and over again, sealing our fates.

And isn't that what I want? To be mated finally? It's tempting to start it now. To just get it over with and move on already.

But I know somehow that it won't be right if I mate myself to justoneof the gods. Each of the four give me something unique and different. They all have to be there when I'm mated, and each should get to make his claim, whether he has a pack to lead or not.

I just don't know if mating them is the selfish thing to do. If it changes the world forever—if it brings back the age of violent alphas and damaged omegas—then that would make me the villain of this story.

"You seem tense," Everett says, leaning over towards me from the other side, opposite Lucian. "The pack has offered us the former alpha's house. Apparently there's room for all five of us there. Maybe—"

"Yes," I tell him, shooting up out of my seat and tugging on the collar of my shirt. "I'd like to... go."

Lucian pauses in the middle of his conversation, looking up at me with concern. "You seem flush, Darling. Is everything okay?"

As he speaks, he rolls his wrist, the white cuff of his sleeve bulging over his muscular arms. A wind is summoned, cool and playful against my skin. It takes some of the heat and frustration away, but beneath it all, desire simmers, undeniable and unavoidable.

Looking up at me, Lucian's eyes widen suddenly. He stands, nearly upending his chair, and tells the table, "I think we should go now. It's been a long day—a lot of travel—you know, we'll settle things tomorrow."

Putting his hand on my arm, he moves away from the table, and I go with him, craving the cool touch of his skin. Everett follows on my other side, and a moment later, Adar stalks ahead of us, with Thale taking up the rear.

As we walk down the long table, Ali leans out of her chair to ask, "Do you need—"

"No," Adar says firmly, pushing her chair into the table. "You finish the meal. Make a good impression. You're a guest, after all."

She looks at me with worried eyes, but all I can do is nod.

Because I can feel it.

The heat. The energy. The desire.

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