Chapter 14: Our Fight Continues
Silas
“What?” I seemed to already in one day have the affinity to piss Sydney off and not even know how.
“You know what! Don’t play dumb! I wasn’t done talking about the rogue attack and the letter.” Even when she’s mad, she’s cute.
“We should get some sleep. It’s been a long day, and we haven’t even had the time to get to know each other.” I lean on the desk and look deep into her eyes. For a split second, they looked like they got brighter. It must be her wolf pushing forward.
“It doesn’t matter I wasn’t done, and you don’t get to dismiss my meetings. It doesn’t matter if we are mates or not.” I see that lighter amber flash again. She must be fighting with her wolf as well. I know Alphas are stubborn, but she was on another level.
“Nothing is going to be resolved tonight anyway. Everyone is tired, and the portal is in the hospital anyway. You need sleep.” I lean d
Chapter 15: Our First Night Sydney "Damn." This is the only word I can get out as Silas walks out of the bathroom with a towel slung dangerously low on his hips. This was the first time really seeing my mate 'fully' in the light. It was dark before in the forest, and I was looking away. He was more than attractive. He was perfect. His hair was still wet, and tiny droplets fell and rolled down his perfectly sculpted chest. I was mesmerized by these small droplets and watched with envy as they seemed to touch the same places I wanted to before being soaked up by the towel. I caught myself ogling him and tried to check if I was drooling discreetly. I have never wanted to be with anyone. I never really experienced sexual desire until right now. Oh, goddess, what have you given me? Si stood there, a satisfied smirk on his face. His hands are resting on each hip, proudly placing himself on display for me. "Did you want somet
Chapter 16: Good Morning Sydney The early fall sun breaks through the curtains and hits my eyes. I bury my face into my pillow. My senses are filled with the warm, calming scent of sandalwood and lavender. I pull my pillow closer, and it's so heavy. Wait, did my pillow move? I slowly open my eyes and find myself lying on a firm chest with arms wrapped around me. I look up, and I'm pulled into the deepest eyes smiling back at me. A stray curl is brushed from my cheek, and I realize this is not a dream. I freeze, the heat starts to build in my cheeks, but I can't look away from his profound gaze. "Good morning, beautiful," Silas cranes his neck to plant a kiss on my forehead. Will all my mornings be like this? Do I deserve this luxury? I feel Silas' hand run up my thigh and skim the bottom of my butt, and I remember I didn't put pants on last night. I jolt up and look down, letting my bed head curls cascade down
Chapter 17: Our Work begins Silas I let the cold water run over my body. I need to cool my body and mind. I don't know how long I can hold back from marking Syd. Everything is new to her, and her reactions are so intense. I can't say that the mate bond isn't adding to it. It's not new to me, but it feels new every time she reacts to me. If she will just let me in and trust me. She is more like a cat than a wolf. One minute she's all fangs and claws, the next purring and rubbing herself on me. I know I caught her off guard just now. I didn't scare her. I don't think that's actually possible to scare her, but I surprised her for sure. I didn't even mean to. Only the medical staff back home have touched my scars. It just brings their faces to mind. I don't want that memory associated with Sydney at all. I know she went through her own hell that night, and I don't want our nightmares to take over. As I'm standing u
Chapter 18: Try Outs Sydney It's only 10 AM, and I'm already exhausted. I don't know how much more of this weird tension between us I can take, add in all the training and pack work, and I'm fried; at least I can work out some of this frustration on the practice field. I quickly change into my standard training attire, sports shorts, and a sports bra. It's easy to move around in, and there's not a bunch of extra fabric for someone to grab and use as leverage. I step out of the female locker room, and Silas is waiting for me, leaning against the wall. I stop in my tracks, and I don't know if I'm excited or upset at the sight I see in front of me. Silas is shirtless only in shorts. Silas looks me up and down as I do him. He grunts out, "That's all you're wearing?" My arms fold across my chest, and my eyebrow raises, "I could say the same to you!" "Fine, but I don't like it." He huffs. I ro
Chapter 20: A Trader's Family Sydney I take a seat behind my desk. Silas and I are still in our workout clothes from tryouts. Elder Joseph is glaring at me. His two adult sons, Ralph and Vance, are glaring at him. Ralph's son Ambrose is standing at attention like a soldier waiting for orders, and of course, Vance's daughter Amber is cowering behind her father like a wet dog. At least that horrible perfume has been washed off. Si stands next to me, as seems to be his style. I don't know if I like it or just getting used to it. Gideon hasn't left yet, and he and Lucas have made themselves comfortable on the sofas waiting for the show. Well, I guess I would have to deliver. "Thank you all for coming so quickly. It has come to my attention that Amber attempted to seduce my mate. I say attempted because she almost got herself killed in the process." I stay as calm as I can. I feel like this is some kind of test. Si
Chapter 21: Unexpected Faces Silas Our day seemed to dizzy by me. The only thing I could focus on was my Lumiere ceremony. Tonight, I would be accepted into the White Ridge Pack, and in four days, I would officially become the Lumiere, the only mate to the Alpha. I just met Sydney yesterday, and now my whole world revolves around her and this pack. "It's not much different than before. Our life revolved around the pack." Bram wasn't wrong. "This feels different." I couldn't put my finger on it. "Before it was someone else's duties, we were the substitute just helping out. Now the pack looks to us as one of its leaders an example to follow." I guess Bram is an Alpha wolf for a reason. "You are probably right. A part of all this feels bittersweet. Changing my pack mark tonight puts everything into perspective." I rub my shoulder where my pack mark is. "This is where we belong now. Give it
Chapter 22: The First Mark Silas Sydney raises her hand to quiet the pack again. "Now to our other announcement. As most of you have heard, I found my mate when I traveled to the Amaris Pack. Silas Youngblood is the third son of the Beta Youngblood family. The goddess has blessed our pack and me with a strong and capable Lumiere." The pack erupts in cheering. An Alpha couple insured stability for the pack, and heaven knows they wanted it. I take a step forward. "Thank you all for the warm welcome. I promise to get to know each one of you as time progresses. We have a lot of rebuilding to do. I hope we can count on each of you." Sydney pats my shoulder. "Thank you. We will now accept Silas into White Ridge." I turn to face Sydney and start to unbutton my shirt. I have to have my left shoulder visible to the pack. Once my shirt is off. I see Sydney look me up and down. A slight blush to her cheeks. I cann
Chapter 23: More Sydney As soon as the door to our room closes, Si pulls me to him. I see Bram's ice blue eyes flash in Si's then he crashes his lips to mine. I feel Thora push forward, reaching out for her mate. I don't want to keep them apart, but I don't know if I'm ready for this. He's not being gentle like he was yesterday. There is a fierceness and determination behind his kiss. All the tension and frustration exploded in our bruising of lips and tangling of tongues. I find it challenging to stay focused, and my resolve to resist dissipates. Si takes a second to breathe. "I want to mark you. Will you let me?" His breath is hot on my ear, and the heat reaches my core. I have to make a sound decision, think clearly, Syd. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "We should wait until the day before the ceremony. I don't want to be in heat during your ceremony." My back is pinned to the door, and Sila