“I’m not taking this fromyou.”
“Lucas, Idon’t—”
“Shut the fuck up and strip, man.” Under his breath, Lucas added, “Never thought I’d say that to you,huh?”
When Liam didn’t pull his shirt off, Lucas said, “Hope you weren’t too attached to this thing.” He yanked on Liam’s shirt and sliced through it with the razor blade and then shoved the limp material aside and carved a narrow slit over Liam’sheart.
Igasped.
Lucas pressed his wrist to Liam’s wound and then kneeled before his friend. “I pledge myself to thee, Liam Kolane, for as long as I shall walk the world in fur. Long may you live andrule.”
For a moment no one moved, and then everyone moved at once. Even though men shoved me to get close to Liam, to swap blood with their new leader, he held on tight to my hand, anchoring me at hisside.
When it was Augusts’s turn, a hush fell over the room. He slashed his wrist, then pressed it to Liam’s rising chest. Rivulets of red ran down the carved planes of his stomach, absorbed into the waistband of his jeans, tinting the blue a dark crimson. August didn’t speak any words. I supposed words weren’t necessary for the magic to bind themtogether.
He tipped his head toward Liam and then left without so much as a passing glance at me. And again, I felt something tighten behind my belly-button, stretch thinly, coming close to snapping when his pick-up’s taillights vanished past the rustedfence.
“May you lead us well, son,” Frank said, gripping Liam’s shoulder and giving it a shortsqueeze.
The ceremony took almost an hour for everyone to pledge themselves. When it was Jeb’s turn, my uncle walked over, eyes and cheeks more sunken than I’d ever seen them. He shot me a pained look, then, trembling, he sliced his wrist and touched his blood toLiam’s.
“Thank you, Jeb,” Liamsaid.
Jeb’s lips quavered, and then his shoulders hunched and he retreated to the back of the room. Frank went to him. I watched them talk, watched my uncle cry as he nursed a reddened tissue around hiswrist.
And then I stared back at Liam and pried the razor blade from his grip. He looked at me, at my fingers guiding the blade over my wrist. When blood beaded there, wonder shimmered in his umbereyes.
I pressed my wound to his slashed skin. His chest pumped harder as I spoke my own version of the pledge. “In fur and in skin, I belong to you, LiamKolane.”
He didn’t smile, but he caught my wrist in his hand and held it there, against his heart. Something palpitated inside my chest, but it wasn’t my heart. It felt as though a link were clicking into place, fastening me to myAlpha.
He raised my wrist to his lips and kissed it. When he brought it back down, his curved lips red with my blood, I heard words in my head,As I toyou.
I blinked back tears. “I heard you,” I whispered hoarsely. “I heardyou.”
His smile grew and grew, as did the noise level around us. The air vibrated with the thrill and significance of the moment we had all justshared.
My uncle’s soft wail snapped me out of my enchantment. I retracted my arm that was still stretched toward Liam and went toJeb.
“Did you know what Lucy and Everest had planned?” I askedhim.
“No.” The word came out garbled. “I swear I didn’t,Ness.”
Suddenly he hugged me, and I let him. I even patted his bowedback.
“I’m so sorry. So sorry,” he keptrepeating.
And I believed hewas.
“I’m so ashamed of what was done toyou.”
Frank placed a hand on Jeb’s shoulder and squeezed. “You’re getting blood all over her pretty top.” The elder’s smile deepened his crow’sfeet.
Jeb jerked away fromme.
“Don’t worry. Evelyn taught me a foolproof way to wash blood out of clothing,” Isaid.
“Meat tenderizer mixed with water,” Franksaid.
