Betrayed Mate

2

Dad sighed. “Craig’s got something for me to take care of while I get ready, but Ember, I’d like to talk with you before you leave. There’s something important I need to share.” His green eyes narrowed uncharacteristically.

A lump formed in my throat. This was the fifth time he’d said that in the past week, and we were out of time. Every time he’d mentioned it, something had happened—with a scout or a lookout—or he’d received a phone call from another pack and needed to leave because they thought they’d sensed something off. However, he’d had that look—brows furrowed and the skin around his eyes tightened—only one other time… when he’d had to tell me that something was wrong with one of my cakes.

“We need to leave now, Atlas.” Mom shook her head. “You’ll have to tell her after the ceremony. I already made the coffee when you said you were heading back, so take a quick shower, and I’ll pour you a cup. You can catch up with us.”

Dad’s jaw worked like he wasn’t thrilled. “I won’t shower—I’ll just clean up a bit. Go on, I’ll catch up shortly.” He left my room, and my chest constricted. Somehow, I sensed whatever he had to say to me was way more important than I’d originally thought.

Looping her arm through mine, Briar tugged me toward the door. “Come on. It’s four miles to the cliff, and the sun will be setting soon.”

I grimaced but let her pull me along. What was wrong with me? I wanted to plant my feet on the shaggy brown carpet, but all that would accomplish was added tension between our packs, and right now, that would be the worst possible thing to happen.

Mom, Briar, and I stepped into the hallway. My gaze skimmed past pictures of our family in front of our house and white-water rafting and went to the room directly across from mine, Briar’s. We wouldn’t be able to hang out each night any longer. I glanced to the right and saw Dad disappear behind my parents’ bedroom door, and a sense of loss sat heavy in my chest. Shouldn’t starting a life with my fated mate make me feel more excited than this?

We left the house, the cool mid-October breeze brushing my face and blowing my hair back. The other brick homes of the pack neighborhood didn’t have any lights on, indicating people were either already heading to my ceremony or guarding the territory.

My bare feet sank into the cool grass as we passed through the woods behind our house, following the trail to the cliff where Reid waited for me. The leaves of the oak and maple trees were turning from green to red, orange, and yellow, emphasizing that fall had arrived. This was my favorite time of the year—the views of the Blue Ridge Mountains were just plain gorgeous.

About a mile into the walk, I froze. Briar and my mom continued on a few steps before they realized that I wasn’t beside them anymore.

Mom’s brows creased. “What’s wrong?”

“My dessert.” I’d had no say over much of anything to do with the ceremony. Reid’s mom, Mavis, had done most of the planning, wanting it to be perfect for her son, their pack’s future alpha. The only thing I’d requested was that I get to make my signature dessert, which I’d done during my shift at the bakery where I worked early this morning. For any special event, I always made the same thing—red velvet cake with praline icing, topped with raspberries dipped in chocolate and maple syrup. It was a concoction I’d created when I was eight—I’d finally convinced Mom I was old enough to use her kitchen, and the dessert had been a huge family hit.

“Mavis picked it up this afternoon when you were taking a nap.” Mom patted my shoulder. “She wanted to make sure that she got it in time for it to be incorporated into the buffet line. Reid stressed to her how important it was to you.”

“Oh, okay.” Some of the discomfort in my stomach eased. During the whole planning process, Reid had made sure my voice was heard, even when I hadn’t wanted to make waves. This ceremony wasn’t important to me; our relationship was. His mom could’ve planned the whole thing alone, but Reid was a good guy and had wanted me included.

So why did I feel so strange around him at times, like I couldn’t wait to get away from him?

I shook my head and forced a smile, not wanting my mom and sister to worry about me. They had enough on their plates, and he was my fated mate. There was no reason for the two of us not to be together.

I blew out a breath and moved forward again.

Briar and Mom started talking about the ceremony and the night ahead. I smiled and nodded when they glanced at me, but I focused internally.

Without intending to, I eased in front of them. I was most definitely not in a hurry, but something had settled hard in my bones. The cliff was before us, and I could see about two hundred people standing in the trees, waiting for the ceremony.

My eyes were drawn to Reid. He stood near the cliff’s edge, laughing and talking to a beautiful woman with dark tan skin who looked close to my age.

Cassiopeia, the witch who had grown up with the Blackwood pack, also stood at the cliff’s edge, facing all of us, prepared to oversee the vows created for us to speak as a show of unity for our people.

Her golden-brown eyes focused on me, and she smiled.

A shiver ran down my spine.

I moved forward on autopilot and ran into someone’s side. Warmth shot through my arm, and I jerked my head up to find a breathtakingly handsome man glaring at me. The first thing I noticed was the scar running through his left eyebrow. Instead of taking away from his handsomeness, it added an edge of sexiness.

Brown eyes with flecks of gold met mine, and he sneered.

Suddenly, Dad was on my other side, scowling at the man. “Ryker. What are you doing here?”

My head spun. Ryker Grimstone. The son of the alpha whose pack had been in charge of protecting the royals. One of the four who’d been mysteriously absent when the attack happened. I couldn’t believe he had the nerve to show up here.

“I’m part of a local pack, and from what I heard, we were all invited.” He rocked back on his feet, the wind ruffling the tips of his spiked hair. He smiled, but there was no warmth behind it. In fact, it sounded more like a dare, like he wanted to be asked to leave.

Dad, he wants you to make a scene. Let’s just ignore him. I wanted to get very far away as quickly as I could. He might be the most handsome man I’d ever seen, but rumors swirled about him and everything he’d done. From what I gathered, he enjoyed pushing boundaries and challenging authority with his antics.

Taking my arm, Dad said, “Just stay away from my daughter. She’s getting mated.”

“Believe me. I don’t want anything to do with her,” Ryker shot back.

My throat tightened around a smart-ass retort. “The feeling is mutual,” I spat before following Dad toward Reid.

Mom and Briar followed close behind us, but they didn’t say anything, most likely because they were plastering smiles on their faces like me.

When we reached the front, Reid didn’t acknowledge us. He just kept talking to the woman I’d never seen before.

I cleared my throat.

He scanned me with sparkling blue eyes, and his forehead creased.

“Everyone, it’s time for the ceremony to start!” Cassi called, her long dark hair lifting in the breeze. “Reid, please escort Ember to me so you can begin the vows.”

My fated mate adjusted the top button of his navy shirt and ran a hand through his shaggy, blond hair. Then he took my hand.

As soon as our skin touched, the tug indicative of the fated-mate bond yanked at me, but an equally strong but repulsive sensation had me wanting to pull away from him.

He sucked in a breath like he’d felt the same thing.

His eyes glowed, and he looked to my left. I followed his gaze to his parents, who stood a few feet away in front of the crowd. They had to be pack-linking to him.

Still holding my hand, he glanced at the strange woman one last time before guiding me toward the witch. With each step we took, Cassi’s gray eyes grew warmer, and a smile spread across her red lips.

Behind Cassi, the forest of the Blue Ridge Mountains flowed away from the cliff. Sunset was upon us, casting golden light over both our territories. The timing of the ceremony was intended to emphasize hope and that we would survive.

“As you know, a mating ceremony isn’t pack precedent, but any event that gives us something to celebrate and brings these two packs together in this trying time deserves to be special.” Cassi clasped her hands in front of her chest. She stood so close to the cliff that the back hem of the black dress she wore drifted over the edge. “We’re here to celebrate with the happy new couple before they merge their souls. What we will witness is their claiming of each other.”