Fates Entwined

7

CHAPTER FOUR

The morning sun pierced through the seams of my tent, forcing my heavy eyelids to flutter open. Memories of the night before flashed through my mind—Jordan's mouth devouring mine, his hands on my skin, my legs wrapped around his hips. My heart raced as I recalled the way he had kissed me and the undeniable passion we'd shared.

I sat up, shaking my head. The kiss meant nothing. Absolutely nothing. I was lonely and he was there. Okay, fine, he was likely my mate, but did that mean I had to accept it? No way. The stars wouldn't choose my fate—I would.

The sounds of the camp stirring greeted me, and I pulled myself together and stepped outside. Shifters from various packs were packing up and saying their goodbyes, ready to head back to their respective territories now that the Convergence was over. The crisp scents of coffee and bacon wafted from several fires, and wolf pups rolled around near the forest edge, eager to play for a bit before their long journeys. A few spots of the meadow were noticeably empty, the tents already removed. The party was over and it was time to go home, at least until the next Convergence at the winter solstice.

I searched for Jordan's tent or any sign of the Leos, but they were gone. Relief washed over me knowing I wouldn't have to face him again anytime soon. Today I would head home with the Ophiuchus pack and forget all about Jordan and the pesky mate bond that kept trying to pull us together. Besides, he'd left without saying goodbye, so he must have realized this thing between us would never work. He needed a nice mate who would be excited about becoming a Leo, and I needed... Well, I wasn't sure exactly. I just knew it wasn't him.

After taking a few minutes to clean up and get dressed, I joined some of the other Ophiuchus for breakfast. I loaded up a paper plate with bacon, eggs, and biscuits, then poured myself some coffee and found a spot next to Harper and Dane at the table. They were already laughing at something one of the other shifters had said, and everyone made space for me as I sat down. The familiarity and ease of being among my pack made me feel right at home immediately. A good reminder of what I would give up if I became the Leo alpha female.

"How did it go last night?" I asked Harper and Dane. "Did you find your mates?"

"No, but we did have some fun," Harper said, grinning suggestively. "You should have joined us."

"Maybe next time," I said, before shoving some eggs in my mouth to avoid saying anything else about my night.

"Marla found her mate," said Carly. She nudged the blond woman beside her, who blushed a little. Like me, they were both teachers back in Coronis.

"An Aquarius!" Marla said, her eyes wide and dreamy. "It all happened so fast. We saw each other and I just knew."

"And then you ran off into the woods and banged for hours," Harper said with a wink, and everyone laughed.

Marla giggled. "Something like that."

"But now you're leaving us," Carly said with a pout. "Who is going to teach your class this year?"

"I don't know." Marla sighed. "I'm going to miss everyone so much."

"Congratulations," I said, my stomach twisting at the thought of her no longer being part of our pack. The three of us had taught the younger pups for years, and it wouldn't be the same without her. "How do you feel about joining the Aquarius?”

"I'm sad to be leaving the Ophiuchus, of course. This will always be my pack." She drew in a breath and looked over to where a couple of Aquarius tents were located. "But this feels right too. I was ready for something new and my mate is perfect. He's everything I could have wanted and I have a feeling I'll fit right in with the Aquarius. But don't worry, I'll come back to visit as much as I can."

I studied her face, wondering how she could be so sure. She was leaving her home and her pack and everything she had ever known for some man she'd met a few hours ago. Marla had always wanted to be mated though. Maybe she was swept up in the newness of her bond and willing to ignore her fears. Either way, I would miss her.

"Max found a mate too," Carly said, referring to another male in our pack, who did carpentry for the people of Coronis. She leaned forward, her voice lowering. "A male from the Taurus pack."

Harper's eyes widened as she shared a look with Dane. "I wonder how the Taurus feel about that."

The table went quiet as everyone considered it. The other Zodiac packs had never had l***q mate pairs before because the Sun Witches didn’t allow them to occur, but in the Ophiuchus pack, we'd always been open to them, at least for as long as I could remember. Our beta, Clayton, was mated to a male who was once in the Sagittarius pack. Even the Sun Witch spells hadn't kept the two of them apart, much like Kaden and Ayla had been drawn together. And how I'd suspected Jordan was my mate even while he was still magically bound to someone else.

"Which pack will they be in?" I asked.

"No one knows yet," Carly said. "The alphas are going to discuss it."

Did that mean we might lose Max too? We weren't very close, but he was a good guy and he'd fixed things around our school before. His presence would be missed if he left us for the Taurus pack, although there was no precedent yet for this sort of thing. It was possible his new mate would join our pack instead.

"Did any of the alphas get mated?" Harper asked.