“It…it doesn't matter,” I lie to the beta, and he probably notices, but doesn't say anything as he nods in acceptance.
“Our visitors from your black ops squad will be here tomorrow, Alpha. I think it'll do you good to see them. Especially Alpha Dominic.”
With that last statement, Brutus leaves the pack hall, letting his words sink in with thoughtfulness.
Back when Dominic was participating in the alpha trials to determine the next alpha in the Lunaris Pack, I'd visited him during his break with Brutus. I saw the way he'd been watching his trial partner, and even offered some advice when I sensed they were true mates.
She's Dominic's mate now, and the luna of her pack, despite being an omega werewolf. It was easier for Dominic to make that decision when winning the trials allowed him to take his rightful place as the alpha—a title that was inherently his because of his family's history in the pack.
Things work differently for Lunaris than they do for Moonshine, and I have two parents who will be against me if I pick a mate who isn’t of high rank.
I send a text to my father to inform him about tonight, then shove my phone back in my pocket and lace my fingers together, wondering if it's safe to go home. I don't want to make Arianna feel uncomfortable, but I know what I saw in her eyes after I hugged her—that electric feeling when two souls destined to be together in every way possible make physical contact. There's no denying the recognition of the true mate bond.
Arianna was the one who brought it up the first time after I'd taken her virginity behind the pack den. The sex was hot and passionate, but I'd felt our true mate bond, too. She'd been hesitant to bring it up while she pulled up her panties, and I'd been quick to shut it down, a night away from leaving for black ops when I couldn't afford to lay claim to a mate.
“You fucking idiot,” I mutter to myself, grunting as I get to my feet. How can I deny the existence of a mate bond ordained by the Moon Goddess Herself? My faith should be stronger than anyone else's, since I'm the leader of this pack, and I should be setting an example.
Do I doubt my capabilities to keep the pack safe? Do I doubt myself as the alpha?
Perhaps I've been stuck in a rut, trying to fill my brother's shoes when he didn't even make it as far as reaching the age to take over the pack. It sounds heartless, but it's true. I'm not like him.
I never was, even if we were close. I always tried to be like him, think like him, but I've only been suffering because of it.
Lord knows I've suffered enough denying the true mate bond between Arianna and me. Logic always seems to win over,but I shut down my mind and, for once, follow my heart, leading me outside, into the forest.
I'm done trying to play things safe, especially after tonight. Dangers will always exist out there, but that's no reason to stop living life. I can't punish myself as if I were responsible for Tyson's death, and that's what I've been doing since that night with Arianna.
Discovering that she was my true mate despite all the odds of that ever being possible scared me.
I was afraid.
I can't live in fear anymore.
I was given a second chance when she returned to Portland, and I can't let it slip through my fingers. I've already discovered that I simply can't stay away from her, and I'll be damned if I let my logical mind talk me out of doing what my inner wolf has been begging me to do.
Arianna Hart is the only she-wolf who drives me wild, my inner wolf clawing at my insides to be released from the confines I'd closed it in, forcing it back every time I'm near her. Right now, I've let go of control and find myself wandering further through the woods until I spot a wolf rushing ahead of me.
It gracefully navigates the forest, traveling further and further toward the edge. I recognize the wolf by the mere scent of jasmine flowers, the sweet intricacies of that scent filling my lungs even if it's faint. Chuckling bemusedly as I realize the agile, small wolf is none other than Arianna, my heart skips a beat as it draws me closer.
As if I needed more proof that she's my true mate, I let my inner wolf guide me forward, drawn toward her until I drop to my hands that quickly shift into the paws of my wolf. A wave ofliberating sensations washes over me as I fill my wolf lungs with more of Arianna's scent, following the air like breadcrumbs that spur me into a jog that takes me to her.
When she nears the lake, she finally slows down enough for me to catch up, my steps slowing too as I approach her. The gentle whisper of leaves when I brush by a bush sends her ears perking up, her wolf head turning as her hazel eyes glow when they meet mine.
Her surprised intake of breath is audible as she tenses, backing away in her petite wolf form.
“Don't, Arianna…”I tell her telepathically, using the mind link to communicate only with her as I block out the rest of the pack. “Don't run away.”
A gentle push vibrates through my eardrums, signaling an attempt to make contact. I let her in, and notice how broken her voice sounds, the connection faint as she tries to connect.
It must be because she's been out of the pack for years, and she's been disconnected all this time.
But I don't need to hear her voice fully to know what she's saying. It's written all over her wolf's beady eyes, the accusation, the fake indifference she tries to maintain to block me out.
“What do you want, Alpha?”comes the question through the distorted mind link, prompting me to approach her slowly, cautiously, as if to strengthen the connection. The ringing vibration stops as if she's too tentative to speak, her wolf frame tensing as I near her.
“Stop this, please,”I plead, stopping half a meter away, allowing her the opportunity to run away if she chooses.
It can't be that she's heeding my request because I'm the alpha. She's already shown me twice that she doesn't care aboutthat—once when she slapped me, and another time earlier this evening when she didn't go back to my house like I'd told her.
