2 - Five Years Ago: Kylar

Kylar’s POV - 5 Years Ago

The best thing about this Bond Ceremony and Wedding is the Blood Moon. Part covered in misty clouds it lights the sky with a soft red glow. If I was in a better mood, I might think it was romantic. But I don’t. The Silver Stream pack has gone all out, long trestle tables laid out beside their pack house. Covered in fresh linen, white roses and flickering candles. Large pillar candles lit the path all the way down to the river that they take their name from and the staging area for their ceremonies. The ground is dry, scorched by early summer and the air is uncomfortably warm. I stand with the rest of the guests, senses heightened, far too aware of all the wolves that surround me. Silver Stream must have invited over three hundred guests to celebrate their eldest daughter's bonding. We’re all lined up on the river bank, four deep, peering out over the water where a small island rises up in the centre of the stream. I can see the girl, dressed in a slinky white dress, stained pink by the red glow of the moon.

‘Why are we here again?’ I glance at Luca who stands at my shoulder. Fidgeting in his suit and tie, pulling at the knot around his neck. He scratches the dark hair of his beard, shifting his weight from side to side.

‘Because Alpha’s pissed that you missed your sister’s ceremony,’ Luca grimaced, ‘so we get sent on ambassador duty.’

‘And you’re going to play nice,’ my sister, Kate stands at my shoulder, looping her arm through mine. Her voice a low whisper, but a warning. ‘Come on Kylar, it’s just a ceremony and I never get to see you.’

‘I like to be away,’ I look down at her. We share the same dark green eyes and golden hair. Only her’s is styled in curls and falls over her shoulders. Mine is short, shaved close to my head. Better for the heat and better for combat.

She rolls her eyes, ‘yes, and that’s why you get punished,’ she teased. ‘Come on,’ she tugs at my arm, ‘I never get to see you, you’re always off on some mission. Dance with your sister?’

‘I’d rather be on a mission,’ I groan. And It’s not a lie. Social gatherings are not my thing. Large events, even less so. I’d much rather be prowling through the forests of Europe, being paid for my services as a mercenary for hire. Luca and I have managed to escape most pack functions in the last year. Usually the amount our merc crew is paid, makes up for our absence. But Alpha was pissed that we didn’t make it back for Kate’s ceremony.

Luca slaps me on the back of the arm, ‘it’s done,’ he whispers and I feel a spark of excitement, relief. Out on the island, the promises have been exchanged, the girl has been marked by her mate. We’re free to go.

‘Let’s get out of here,’ I mutter, voice gruff. My head is pounding from the scent of so many wolves. My own wolf on high alert, warning that danger could come from any side. It’s hyper aware, hyper trained and vigilant and it makes me good at what I do. Really good. But it makes it hard to be around so many people. Of all the punishments Alpha could have invented, this has to be the worst.

‘No,’ Kate insists and with her arm looped around mine, pulls me back towards the pack house. We move at the edge of the. I’m tired, head aching after the overnight flight back from the edge of Romania, then the transfer down to the Southern territory of the Silver Stream. The Wolf within growls discomfort and Kate’s ignores it. ‘You have to be here, you have to dance, you have to pretend you want to be here.’

I let out a sigh, looking across at Luca who shrugs, smirking. As long as he gets time around my Sister, he doesn’t care. He’d never make a move on Kate, definitely not now that she’s mated, but he’s been in love with her since we were children. There’s a reason he also tries to stay away from the pack. By the time we filter back to the celebration, a live band is playing and food has been laid out along the tables. I wish that I was hungry, because some of it looks pretty good. My wolf growls, scenting a well good steak at a distance and I give them a mental shove. As soon as I can escape the dancing, we’ll get some food. I promise. The music blasts, loud. The lively chords echoing out through the trees and carried for miles, picked up by hidden speakers that surround a dance floor laid out on the grass. The happy couple stand beneath a painted white arch, covered in roses, welcoming everyone as they pass. An advisor stood discreetly behind them, providing the names of their guests.

‘You must be Kate,’ the bride, and Luna to be of the Silver Stream pack turns to face our party as we approach. She’s pretty, with dark eyes and dark hair pulled back in a neat bun. Her dress skims a slender frame before brushing over the grass. She looks happy, cheeks flushed with delight. Filled with nervous energy she extends her hands to take hold of Kate’s, squeezing gently.

‘Kate of the Midnight Forest,’ Kate smiles, my elder sister was born with an easy grace. A way with people. Everyone likes her. I’m proud of her, and can’t help but wonder if she misses her own mate at a time like this. But Matthew is attending a business conference, one he couldn’t get out of. Lucky bastard. ‘This is my brother, Kylar,’ she turns to me and I step forward. I bend to press a kiss to the bride’s cheek, polite and straighten up again. But feel my senses pick up again, a warning. I glance at the Groom, a man a few years younger than myself, but he’s smiling, laughing with Luca before turning to welcome me to the party. So it wasn’t his wolf that posed a threat. It was just a kiss, but someone in the party is pissed that I kissed the Luna to be.

‘A pleasure, Kylar,’ Belle, the bride, smiles and encourages her husband to greet me. He looks around with a broad smile. The grin of a man who can’t believe his luck.

‘I’m Ryan,’ he shakes my hand, gripping it hard. He’ll be the Alpha of Silver Stream one day, probably around the time that I take over Midnight Forest. We size each other up. Our grip held tight. He’s a little shorter than I am, not much. His hair is dark, wavy and his eyes a pale blue. I feel my wolf pressing against his, the hackles of his own lifting as they face each other off before subsiding. Neither of us want trouble.

‘Congratulations on your ceremony,’ I say, automatic. That’s the kind of thing people say, right?

‘Thanks for coming,’ he grins, even with my wolf facing down against his, he can’t take that smile off his face. I wonder if I should tell him about the sense I had. The feeling that someone wanted to rip my throat out for greeting the Bride. But I don’t know Ryan and he doesn’t know me. So I decided to keep my mouth shut and move on.

Through the arch we skirt around the dancefloor, Kate begs me to dance and I shake my head. I felt danger. I definitely felt something and experience has told me to listen to my instincts.

‘I’ll dance with you,’ Luca teases and throws an arm around her shoulders. Kate, oblivious to his feelings, laughs up at him. I feel her look at me, studying me as I wave them away.

‘Go have fun,’ I encourage. But I won’t be dancing, not until I work out who or what, felt such malice for such a simple kiss. I stand at the edge, ignoring Kate and Luca as they spin by, giggling like a pair of teenagers. I linger in the shadows, scanning the crowds beside the tables. People picking up plates of food or hanging around the bar, waiting for the drinks. There are small groups of wolves everywhere, and even a few kids running underfoot. The sense of awareness has been building all day and it's frustrating. A tickling sensation at the back of my neck, the scent of so many making it difficult to pick out anyone in particular. But my wolf is pacing, clawing at my thoughts, restless and filled with too much energy. It wants to run, or fight, or fuck.

Will you stop, I order Sabre and he growls at me in response. Insisting that I listen to him, rather than pushing him away as I have all day. I don’t have time for this, I can’t be the one wolf at the entire damned celebration to lose control. I’m not going to embarrass my pack like that.

At the edge of the crowd, I spot a few younger guests. Probably the same age as the Bride who couldn’t be more than twenty. Maybe twenty one. There’s a crowd, chatting, laughing, joking and jostling together. Then there’s him. A skinny man, arms folded across his chest. He has ink black hair and equally dark eyes. His gaze is fixed on the Bride and Groom, the mated couple. I look around me, looking across the rest of the gathering and lift a brow. Surprised that no one else has picked up on his sense of malice. Whoever he is, he’s got it bad for Belle. He’s nudged by one of the younger guys behind him, a beer pushed into his hand. He turns and I see her. Hidden by the angry youth, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.

She’s sitting quietly, separate from the loud conversations, the laughter and the celebration going on around her. I watch her, heart beating like I’ve been running up a mountain. Palms sweating like a teenager, mouth dry as she pulls in a breath and turns to answer someone’s question. She offers them a smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. They don’t seem to notice, and laugh at whatever she said. Patting her on the arm before leaning back to carry on their conversation with someone else. My wolf growls, possessive that someone might dare to touch her arm. God damn, she’s gorgeous. She has creamy smooth skin and eyes the colour of melted chocolate. Her hair looks dark, pulled into a bun at the back of her neck, a few stray strands curling around her face. I watch her pull her bottom lip into her mouth and my body responds. Hard, aching. I want to kiss those lips till they’re swollen. I want to run my mouth over her neck. I want to sink my teeth into the perfect curve of her neck. I want to mark that girl.

I want her, my wolf growls low and I take a breath.

I want her.