Chapter 4: Reagan

Reagan

A day of sparring is my favorite way to spend my birthday. I’m not the party girl that my twin sisters are and I’m not the prim and proper Council member that my sister, Leana, is. At heart, I’m a fighter, just like my father. And since everyone here knew that I wasn’t their mate, they let loose and really fought me.

I took every one of them down.

Now, I’m in my bedroom, getting ready for my party. The pack sprites are here doing my hair in the beautifully intricate way that they have. My mother, my sisters, my brothers’ mates, Meadow, Lily, Riley, Aunt Grace and Aunt Cara are all here. The house is full of women and babies since each of my sisters and brothers have young children. I’ve grown up with a lot of family members in a loud, bustling packhouse, so the noise doesn’t bother me at all. If anything, it makes me feel more normal than I have in the last two days dealing with all of the male suitors who are here hoping to be my mate.

“There are still some people arriving, Reagan. But most everyone is here. Only a handful from out west are still unaccounted for. I think there was some sort of snowstorm or something that kept them from leaving three days ago,” Emlyn says.

She’s always been so poised, so composed. She’s a perfect Luna, a perfect mate for my brother. I wonder if there’s a male version of her that I’ll be mated to since I’m so much like Rich.

“If he’s not here, he’s not here. I’m sure he’s somewhere. I doubt the Moon Goddess is going to keep from having a mate simply because my parents had so many children.”

“Every one of you was and still is a blessing to me,” my mother says.

“Actually, I was thinking that the smart ones waited. I mean, all the men who came early got their asses handed to them today, Rea. So, not only are they leaving here without a Luna, they’ll be leaving with their pride bruised,” Leana says.

“Which just proves the point that none of them is worthy of my daughter,” my father says, walking in. “Ladies, may I have a moment alone with Reagan.”

Everyone stands. My father takes a moment to kiss all of the pups as they pass. Most of them are his grandpups, but even the ones that aren’t related by blood are family to him, just like they are for the all of the Guardians.

When everyone steps out of the room, my father eyes meet mine in the mirror that I’m facing. “That was some pretty fantastic sparring out there today,” he says proudly.

I smile brightly and turn. “Mom says I was a bit overzealous.”

He snorts. “Well, I think we both know that your mother is a kinder, gentler person than either you or I are,” he says. “You look beautiful, my daughter. But you always do. I want you to know that no matter what happens tonight, if your mate isn’t here, you always have a place here in the pack. But, more than that, I will take you all over the world to find him if need be. I only want you to be happy and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that you are.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I say, standing up. Alayla and I agreed that we only want our fated mate. I’ve seen every one of my brothers and sisters, every Guardian find their fated mate and I want the love that they all share. I’m not willing to settle for less.

“Shall we go get this party started?” I ask him.

“May I have the honor of escorting the second most beautiful woman in the pack tonight,” he says, offering me his arm. My father has always been very clear that the most beautiful woman to him is my mother.

“I would be honored,” I say.

We arrive at the packhouse to the same sort of fanfare as last night, except more, if that’s even possible. I knew before I walked in the door that my mate wasn’t here. My father had glanced at me as we walked up and then squeezed the hand that was wrapped around his arm.

Now, I’m moving around the room, talking to the men who came hoping to find their mate and who will be leaving alone tomorrow, when I suddenly feel Alayla becoming restless in my head.

‘Alayla, what is it?’ I ask her.

Rather than answering, I follow my wolf's lead as she guides me and I excuse myself from the conversation I’m in. My nose goes up in the air and I notice several of my family members around the room suddenly turning their attention to me.

‘Alayla, what do you smell?’

‘Him,’ she purrs a moment before the scent of burned oak and whiskey fills my nose, making my head spin. I’m just dizzy enough that it takes me a moment too long to register the possessive snarl and the unfamiliar voice crying out to their Alpha before a large beautiful man is standing in front of me.

His eyes are wild with his wolf and before Alayla can call him what he is, our mate, he rips my head to the side and sinks his teeth into my marking spot.

I scream as pain ignites inside my body. I’m not sure if someone pulls him off of me, or if it’s my own Guardian power that blasts out of me, but he’s ripped off my neck, leaving bloody, torn flesh in its wake.

My hand flies to my neck, feeling hot, sticky blood oozing from my mating spot. Sickening betrayal slithers through me. He marked me. He marked me without my consent.

Alayla begins howling in my head.

“Angel, get her out of here,” my father snarls.

I can’t see him, can’t see the man who I was ready to call mate, because there are a wall of Alphas, Guardians, and royals between me and him.

My mother, Malin, and Quinn surround me and begin leading me up the stairs to the Alpha floor.

“Please don’t kill him. He didn’t know what he was doing,” I hear a man pleading. I stop and look down, seeing a man crumpled on the floor and another man standing in front of him. Circling the two men is a wall of angry people, my father and Rich standing in front of them. The heat of anger is thick around the room. Even without the pack link, I’d know that our entire pack is ready to kill this man, this Alpha, for what he did to me.

“The fuck he didn’t,” Rich snarls. “You dare to come into my pack and disrespect me, my sister, my family, and my pack like that.”

“Please, please, Alpha. He was nearly feral. Coming here was our last chance to save him. I know what Samson did wasn’t right, but he was so close to being put down. Please have mercy on him,” the man begs.

“Reagan ...” my mom begins but I hold up a hand. Who is this man who is begging for the life of his Alpha? Who is this person willing to stand in front of what must feel like suffocating, pulsing anger to try and protect his Alpha? And what type of Alpha warrants that type of love and devotion?

“Elias, step aside. Do not try to protect me,” a deep, rich voice says. It resonates inside me, pulling on something deep and primal.

‘Don’t kill him,’ I say to Rich and my father in the mind link. Both men’s heads snap up in my direction. The man on the floor lifts his head and even from here, I can see his warm, amber colored eyes which are filled with regret.

‘Reagan ...’ my father begins.

‘He fucking marked you, Rea,’ Rich snarls at the same time.

‘I am well aware of what he did to me, Richard,” I growl back. ‘But he is MY mate and I say he lives,’ I say, my tone brooking no argument.

Both men growl as they turn back to my mate.

“My sister says you live. For now,” Rich snarls at him.

The amber eyes move from my brother and back up to me.

“Come on, Reagan, let’s go,” my mother says softly.

I turn and let my mother lead me up the stairs so I can wash away the blood of my violent marking. But I already know that the mate mark won’t wash away.