Fates Entwined

8

"No." Carly let out a dramatic sigh and twirled her dark hair. "I was hoping for Ethan myself."

"Everyone was hoping for him," another shifter named Kim said with a laugh.

"Not me," Harper said. "Though I sort of thought he'd end up with Stella."

Dane shook his head and gave me a knowing look. Was it possible he’d seen Jordan kissing me last night? For once, I was glad he never talked.

Every eye at the table turned to me and I cleared my throat and put on a confident smile. "No way. I'm not leaving my pack anytime soon."

While everyone chatted about other shifters who had paired up last night, I got up and threw out the rest of my food, my appetite gone. I was happy for the others who had found their mates, but I didn't want to leave my pack, my home, or my family. But that would be my fate if I allowed this mate bond with Jordan to activate.

On the other hand, I couldn’t help but feel a slight bit of jealousy too. Marla seemed so damn confident that the Aquarius pack was where she was meant to be. I longed for that kind of certainty, and I wondered if I would feel it too if I mated with Jordan. No, I couldn’t ever imagine calling the Leo pack my home.

But if I was honest with myself, a part of me wished for something more than just being the alpha’s little sister. Before Kaden had mated with Ayla I’d often acted as our pack’s unofficial alpha female, taking on many of the leadership roles one would have fulfilled. Now that the Ophiuchus pack had Ayla, they didn’t need me as anything more than a kindergarten teacher. When Jordan had said he’d wanted me to be his alpha female, I’d secretly wanted it too. Just not with the Leos.

I headed back to my tent to begin taking it down but spotted Ayla outside of the tent she shared with Kaden. Her red hair gleamed as she bent over her bags, furiously looking for something in them.

"Everything okay?" I asked her.

"Oh, Stella, hi." She straightened up and blew out a long breath. "I can't find my camera anywhere and we need to get going soon, plus I have a meeting with the Taurus alpha in a minute..."

"To talk about Max and his mate?"

"You heard?" She nodded. "There were four other gay or lesbian mate pairs last night among the other packs. No one is sure which packs they should join. Obviously, Max and his mate are welcome to stay with the Ophiuchus pack if they wish, but what about the others? Those packs have never had to deal with this before. It's a good thing because it means people can be with who they love, but it's a big change too. On top of all the other big changes we're already facing."

She seemed so frazzled that I immediately pushed aside my own worries. Ayla was our alpha female now and she'd also become a leader to the other packs, so I knew she wouldn't rest until this was sorted out. Plus, this was a good reminder of why we'd battled so hard for all of these changes. Love was love, and we Ophiuchus would always fight for someone to be with their true mates, even if it made things difficult.

What about your true mate? an annoying part of my brain whispered. I mentally drop-kicked it into oblivion and smiled at Ayla. "Why don’t you let each couple choose for themselves?”

“That’s a good idea, although I’m not sure the other packs would go for it.”

I shrugged. “I always thought it was silly that the females went to the males’ packs. What if the males wanted to change packs instead? If it were up to me, everyone should be able to choose where they belong.”

Ayla blinked at me. “I’ve never thought of it that way.”

I grinned at her. “Go talk to the other alphas and see what you can do. Meanwhile, I'll find your camera for you."

"Really? Thank you." She pressed a hand to her stomach where my little niece or nephew was growing inside. "I don't know how I lost it in the first place. This preggo brain thing is no joke."

"You have a lot on your mind right now. When did you last have it?"

"Um, let's see, I got up early and took some shots of the sunrise over the camp, and then I went to see this ancient tree with Jordan—oh! I wonder if I left it out there in the forest?" She bit her lip and glanced over at the trees nearby.

I bristled at the mention of the man I was trying not to think about. “Could Jordan have it?”

“I don’t think so. We came back together and then the Leos packed up and left. It’s a long way back to Arizona and Jordan wanted an early start.”

I relaxed again. "I'll find your camera for you. Just tell me how to get to the tree."

"Are you sure?" she asked, just as Kaden called her name from inside the tent. He sounded stressed too.

"Yes, you have enough to deal with. I'll be back in no time."

Her shoulders slumped in relief. "Thanks, Stella."

Ayla gave me some general directions on how to find the tree and I popped into my tent to remove my clothes. With a smooth, practiced shift, my body transformed into my wolf, my senses instantly sharpening as all the scents and sounds intensified. I stretched out my limbs, feeling that sense of freedom that always came with being back in wolf form, and then I took off, weaving through the remaining tents and slipping into the forest.

As I raced through the undergrowth, the wind caressed my black fur, while pine needles cushioned my paws and birds chirped merrily overhead. The sun filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows along my path. The sounds of the camp faded away as the scent of damp earth and fresh greenery filled my nostrils, calming my frazzled nerves.