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CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
I’m so proud of Nash for having the courage to return to his pack. We decide to wait a few more days to really gain our strength back, so we spend some time cuddled up in the cabin together and frolicking on the beach.I’ll miss Baja, but it’s clear that Nash belongs in San Diego, and if we go back there, I’ll still be able to go swimming in these incredible beaches and eat amazing seafood.Plus, I won’t need to learn Spanish. Nash has been doing all the talking, explaining to the lady who rented us the cottage that we actually need to leave but will pay her for the entire month. She seems sad to see us go, but puts her hands on our shoulders and prays a blessing over us in Spanish.It’s human religion, not werewolf magic, but it warms my heart all the same. Finally, it’s time to get back onto Nash’s motorcycle and head for San Diego. We take the scenic route, around cliffs and beaches, the sea air in our hair. He keeps the rabbit pelt in his helmet, and occasionally I cat
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
Nash sits quietly, his knees tucked up against his chest, his neck ringed by that awful silver collar. I keep shouting to him, but Ansel leads me back inside the pack house. With a wave of his hand, he dismisses most of the other men, then sends one outside to guard over Nash.“Now,” he says, turning to me, “you and I need to have a chat.”He sits down on a plush leather sofa and pats the spot next to him, indicating that I should do the same.I hate this guy, and I definitely don’t want to obey him - but he holds Nash’s life in his hands, so I take a seat as far away from him as possible.“What’s your name?” “Sarah,” I say.“I’m Ansel. I’m the Alpha of the San Diego pack.”“I know.”“I’m sure that Nash has told you all sorts of terrible things about me, but I assure you, none of them are true,” Ansel says, looking directly into my eyes. “Actually, he hasn’t said much about you at all,” I say, holding his gaze. “Well, that’s something of a relief,” Anse
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
My heart is pounding in my chest. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. We came back here so that Nash could get his home back, not so he could lose his life.“Ansel, please -”“Become my Luna, Sarah, and you can have everything you want.”But I know that’s not true. I want Nash, and if I agree to Ansel’s terms, I’ll never see him again.“I can’t.”“Very well.” Ansel looks disappointed. He stands up from the sofa and snaps his fingers, calling his henchmen back into the living room. “Prepare the prisoner for his execution,” he orders. “And alert the rest of the pack. They should be witnesses.”I want to scream and fight, but I need to think strategically. I pretend to burst into tears, blubbering about not being able to watch, and run out of the pack house.I race to the motorcycle and dig around in my bag until I find my phone. With shaking hands, I dial Arnold, glancing around to make sure no one is watching me.“Arnold! Quick, I need help!”“Sarah, w
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER FORTY
“What a waste of time,” Ansel mutters as he shoves past me into the pack house living room. The chains are removed from Nash, though the collar that suppresses his powers remains on his neck.We sit on the leather couch, side by side, hand in hand. Ansel sits across from us, with his sister at his side. The rest of the pack fills the living room with excited whispering.“Be quiet, everyone.” Ansel puts his hand up, indicating that he wishes to get started. “Nash here is on trial for the attempted murder of my beloved sister, Amanda.”Amanda nods solemnly. “Amanda,” Ansel says, “why don’t you tell everyone what happened?”Amanda begins to speak, her hands fidgeting in her lap as she does. “A few months ago, I started to feel sick. Not, like, regular sick - like something was wrong with my wolf. I couldn’t shift, and I got weaker and weaker.”Murmurs of sympathy ripple through the pack.“I was laying in bed one day, and Juliana came in to visit me. I started coughin
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER FORTY ONE
Ansel stands up, pointing an accusing finger at me, shouting protestations of his innocence and sputtering in rage.But I just stay calm, still holding the moon rabbit pelt for all to see. “Ansel,” I say, keeping my voice low and even, “why did you lie?”There is really only one conclusion to draw after all this, and it’s Amanda who says it first. “It was you!” she cries, looking horrified. “You tried to kill me, and then you framed Nash for it!”“No, Amanda, listen to me - it wasn’t, it was just - hold on, everyone.” Ansel looks nervous now as the pack is closing in on him, angry and getting more furious by the second.“It was because of me,” says a male voice, heavy with realization. Nash’s right hand man, his Beta, the one he’d left to guard over Nash, steps forward and puts an arm around Amanda. “I was thinking about making a bid to become Alpha, and you had to weaken me.”“No, Greyson, honestly, I had no idea about your plans.”“You did, though,” someone else
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER FORTY TWO
That night, under the full moon, we gather on the beach to inaugurate Nash as the new Alpha of the San Diego pack.It’s nothing like the short, solemn ceremony we had in Flagstaff when Malcolm became the Alpha after Caleb’s death. Instead, it’s more like a party. We light a huge bonfire on the beach, and some of the older shifters make a barbecue dinner while the rest of us congratulate Nash on his new position.Nearly everyone in the pack comes up to apologize to Nash, to welcome him back, to thank him for his unwavering loyalty to their pack, and to celebrate his ascension to the position of Alpha.Amanda gives us a lot of space, but I figure she must be having a hard time. After all, she just lost her brother after finding out that he tried to kill her, and her mate declined to be nominated as the new Alpha which means she lost out on becoming Luna.Instead, I’m the new Luna. Everyone seems friendly and welcoming, but there’s a chilliness underneath that. The San Diego p
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER FORTY THREE
The evening after everyone saw me shift into my white wolf form and protect Juliana’s baby, the women of the pack invite me out to one of their favorite local spots.“We go there all the time,” Juliana explains, handing Samuel off to his daddy. “The boys aren’t invited this time,” Amanda says, giving Greyson a peck on the cheek before ushering me out the front door.We walk down the street, the pavement still warm from the day’s sunshine, and eventually get to an adobe building with a veterinary clinic sign out front.“Why are we going to a vet?”“Just wait,” Juliana says, a twinkle in her eye. “You’re going to love this.”Inside, it looks like any old veterinarian’s office, but the woman behind the desk seems to know and recognize everyone. She takes us through a frosted glass door into the back of the building, and suddenly the sights and sounds of the veterinary clinic fade away.We’re in a spa. The air is fragrant with eucalyptus and lavender, and there’s a tr
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER FORTY FOUR
When I get home, Nash is deep in conversation with Greyson and some of the other guys, so I decide not to distract him. I want his full attention when I tell him about the baby.I get up early the next morning so I can sneak down to the beach and spell out the message. I start looking around for pebbles I can use to form the letters, but before I can even fill my pocket, I hear footsteps behind me. I turn and see a girl about my age, tall, with freckles dusted across her nose and long brown hair. “So you must be the new Luna,” she says, looking me up and down with raised eyebrows.“Hi,” I say. “I’m Sarah. Are you part of the San Diego pack?”“Yeah,” the girl says, “but I don’t live here.” She tosses her head, gesturing toward the pack house with a disgusted expression. “I’m Regan. I go to school at San Diego Mesa College, so I live there, in the dorms, with my friends.”“That’s cool,” I say, not sure how else to respond. She seems annoyed with me, but I don’t know w
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Damian is a healthy baby, well loved, and by the time he’s a few months old, it’s obvious that Jasper and I don’t need to stick around in Serpent’s Creek. The mansion is nearly full to bursting with wolf and bear shifters excited to be part of this new family and to dote on the precious baby whose existence symbolizes a fresh start for everyone.Jasper mentions going home to Santa Cruz a few times before I’m happy about it, though. I tell him that Orsina could still use my help, or that there’s still some magic I want to learn from Clara. He sees right through my excuses, though. “Are you nervous and going back to live somewhere with those guys in the basement?” Jasper asks me one evening, sliding his hands around my waist to nibble at my earlobes as he asks. “Maybe,” I say. “Now that he’s not a rabbit anymore, and he’s seen me and spoken to me, and he’s already gotten out once -”“He didn’t get out,” Jasper reminds me. “We let him think he escaped.”“I know, but he th
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE
My eyes fall shut easily, after such a long day. But I don’t sleep very deeply. Instead, I get caught up in a long, complex dream.In the dream, I’m back in the celestial realm, standing in the same dungeon cage that Coello used to keep me in. Sterling is there, too, walking up to me with those piercing gray eyes and that familiar smile. “Hello,” he says. He leans in to kiss me, and I think that the bars will prevent him from being able to, but he just passes right through. I feel his hands on my face, his lips on mine, and he kisses me for a long time.When I open my eyes after the kiss, I’m no longer in the cage. Now, Sterling and I are standing on top of the massive tower where we found him, high up above the rest of the celestial realm. But when I look out, I don’t see the rolling, starlit darkness of the celestial realm. I see the golden yellow plains of Montana, the valley that stretches out around Serpent’s Creek.“Where are we?” I ask, feeling strangely dizzy.
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Clara and Zach arrive soon enough, and we all go careening up the mountain. With Clara behind the wheel, we get back to the house in record time. Orsina is sweating now, her breaths coming heavy and hard, and Zach has to help her out of the truck and into her room.“Can you shift?” Clara asks her, gently lowering the laboring mother down into her bed. “It’s so much easier if you shift.”“I think so,” Orsina says. She squeezes her eyes shut, holding her breath. It takes a few tries, but soon she’s a bear, curled up on top of the quilts in her bedroom.“Perfect, perfect,” Clara coos. “There you go, mama bear.”“Could that cause a problem for the baby?” Zach asks, hovering in the doorway. Clara asked him to bring towels, and he’s already brought twice as many as we’ll need, but he has yet another armful. I don’t even know where he’s getting them from, at this point. Even a mansion like this can only hold so many towels.“What do you mean?” Clara asks, her voice calm and unf
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY SEVEN
When we call home to let Regan and Isaac know what’s going on, they’re thrilled to hear that Barrett is okay and that Zach and Orsina have a safe place to land. They tell us that Howling Wolf is doing amazingly well - after so many volunteers and friends came to help us with the battle, we’ve gotten tons more clients in the shifter world, and we’ve been able to hire a handful of new employees.Since they seem to have things well in hand, Jasper and I decide to stay in Montana. We set up in one of the westward facing bedrooms, next door to Zach and Orsina. Clara and Bennett take an upstairs bedroom, smaller but cozier and with more privacy. With Weston defeated and his supporters scattered after our Santa Cruz victory, the rest of the bear clan needs a leader and a place to stay. Through a peaceful process, Clara and Barrett become the Alpha and Luna for the bear clan. Bear clans don’t typically refer to their Alpha’s mates as a “Luna,” but Clara is a wolf, and the title just see
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY SIX
“Barrett!” Orsina rushes to his side, laying a hand over his forehead. He lifts his head weakly at her voice, then his eyes spark with recognition.“Orsina…” he croaks, his eyes fluttering shut again. “Help…”Everything then happens in a flurry of activity. Clara sends everyone but Orsina out of the room, giving each of us specific directions. Jasper is sent to get a bowl of hot water and towels, I’m supposed to find a medicine kit under the sink in the kitchen, and Zach is told to go secure the perimeter of the house, especially the rear door.I return with the medicine chest in my arms. It smells familiar, full of the healing herbs and magical potions Layla often uses. It’s also got modern medical stuff like clean white bandages and stitching kits.Clara instantly sets about getting Barrett to sit up. She holds a glass of water to his lips, encouraging him to drink and take a handful of pills and capsules she’s picked out of the medicine chest. She works on Barrett fo
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We barely have time to process everything Clara has told us before she’s packing us a picnic dinner and ushering us out the door. We pile into her battered, ancient Jeep, which is almost definitely running more on shifter magic than gasoline at this point, and she heads out toward the mountains. “So, uh,” Orsina asks, after a bit of silence, “does that mean this is, like…you?” She rolls up her sleeve to show the tattoo mark of the wolf that appeared on her arm after the spirits from the carving gave their blessing.“It is perhaps an image of me,” Clara says in her cryptic way as she careens up the switchbacking roads. “Or, perhaps it is another manifestation of my spirit. There have been many over the years.”“What about your beloved?” Orsina asks. “The bear shifter you fell in love with. Where is he?”“That is a lovely question,” Clara says softly. “At times, we have found each other. At other times, our spirits have been far from one another. Since the curse took a deep
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FOUR
It takes Malcolm and Coello a little while to accept the reality of their new situation - that Malcolm is irreversibly bound to Coello, and that Coello is bound to us by virtue of some very powerful magic Layla cooked up for us. They snarl and fight, argue and wheedle, and even try to bust out of their chains by brute force. But nothing works. We’ve won. Malcolm and Weston are both banished to cells in the basement, very far apart to prevent them trying to scheme together. Maybe someday we’ll have another use for them, but for now, it’s a breath of fresh air to know that my biggest enemy, and the biggest enemy of my pack, are both completely neutralized. I had hoped that we would be able to relax and settle down for a bit now that this problem has been solved. In fact, we had a lovely day after the battle, with all our friends and volunteers and former trainees lounging on the beach and splashing around in the cool water.But something is bothering Orsina. She paces, agitate
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY THREE
The Moon Rabbit doesn’t waste any time once Malcolm agrees to the binding spell. With quick, almost spider like hands, Coello spreads the stalks and herbs out on the rocky beach, fluttering them into complex shapes. I stand on my tiptoes, peering out from behind my hiding place. Coello’s form of magic is rough and brutish, nothing like the delicate work Layla does. But it does the job. Malcolm steps over the edges of the intricate shape Coello has created on the ground, and even I can feel the burst of intense magic that snaps through the air as the spell takes effect. “I look forward to having you in my service,” Coello says with a low bow. “For now, however, I must depart. Do enjoy your newfound power.”Malcolm smiles, flexing his hands like he can somehow feel himself getting stronger. Then the two separate, Coello sneaking back into the tree house before anyone catches him outside.I’m surprised, but not entirely so. Some of us thought Coello would try to get as far a
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY TWO
The various wolf shifters staying with us to help out have been instructed not to speak with the Moon Rabbit, but to keep a close eye on him. Coello soon gives up trying to draw them into conversation and instead just wanders around the busy tree house, doing what he clearly thinks is subtle reconnaissance in preparation for his escape attempt. What he doesn’t know is that his ability to slip out of here isn’t going to be the result of his own careful cleverness. It will be perfectly engineered by me and my team, right down to the very moment. It’s early afternoon when we get the signal. We’ve had scouts placed in inconspicuous locations all around the forest and the town of Santa Cruz watching for any sigh of Malcolm or Weston. Sure enough, they roll into town with a huge entourage of bear shifters and werewolves. Our scouts say that they’ve set up a campsite near the beach about a mile south from our location, and that Malcolm is heading our way on his own, apparently to chec
