Moon Bound

13. Ryder

Despite the gloom, energy is high as the pack races back to camp. Stronger wolves carry in our many kills for the ceremony later tonight. Neighbouring packs have howled back, announcing they are on their way soon.

The pack streams ahead of me and into their cabins, returning moments later dressed in human clothes while my paws remain bricks, stuck to the ground just past the entrance. Entering signals the beginning of the funeral—the beginning of the end. By this time tomorrow, I’ll have spent an entire day as alpha. I’ll no longer be organizing patrols as a beta; I’ll be commanding as an alpha.

Cinnamon reaches my receptors and I twist my head, unconsciously stepping into the camp as my eyes zero in on the direction of my cabin. It’s likely a leftover essence from when Carina was here, but then I see the real thing, and my heart hammers in my chest.

The sun, a glow behind the trees, casts a flame of yellow around her body, highlighting the shine in her hair. The dark curtain falls around her hands that are propping her chin up as she observes the pack coming home. They wander, as if searching for something, and finally land on me. Her nostrils flare and she sits up, her hands falling away from her face. Her scent drifts toward me, cinnamon mixed with lust—Interesting.

She stands as I approach, but I continue past her and into the cabin, returning only moments later in human form and dressed.

“Hey,” I say, fighting to remain casual, and not like my mind is scattered in excitement at seeing her.

“Hey.” Her voice is a melodic sound I want nothing more than to bottle up and keep forever.

“You’re still here?”

Her shoulders hunch and gone is the Carina I’ve come to know. “Yeah, I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. I’m sorry about your dad.” Her eyes flick to the preparations behind me and back. “So… I guess, this is goodbye for real.” Her soft smile lowers, as does her hands and she takes a step to the side before saying, “Oh, and be careful. I have no idea what my coven will do, but they like to be vindictive, so be cautious. You all don’t deserve their hate.” Her gaze locks on something behind me. “Especially not when children are at risk.”

Once again, this strange witch is caring for the pack. Being exactly what Father repeatedly deemed witches and vampires to be—creatures who only hate because it’s what they’re taught to do. Centuries of behavioural training has gone into each species, and now we’re all born with animosity in our hearts for creatures we have no idea what they’re about. These past few days have been an example of just that, but also how it needs only one kind act to change the pattern.

She moves aside, her feet bringing her farther away. I remain staring where she was last, despite the rumble of pain remaining at the base of my stomach. My ears prick, senses picking up on every step she takes away from me. A feeling that doesn’t make any sense to me, but I can’t ignore, goes through me. Her scent lingers even as she walks away and I breathe it in, feeling it travel inside my body and stick to all my nerves.

“Wait.”

Her steps halt.

“It’s nearly dark. Not a great time to travel. Stay for the ceremony and the celebration afterwards. You’ve done so much for Father anyway, I’m sure he’d love you here.”

I’m using Father as an excuse for my own selfish desires. Tomorrow, she will be out of here. My building obsession with her makes zero sense, seeing how it’s not even been two days since we’ve met. All I know is something inside me needs her here for a bit longer. Perhaps it is purely selfish reasoning. She’s helped ease Father’s pain so much, and to get through tonight, I think I need her to ease mine as well.

“You sure?” she calls back.

Finally, I spin, finding her only feet away, her head tilted to the side. Her shoulders remain upright again.

“Absolutely,” I lie, knowing the pack, and especially the elders, will disapprove of this decision. That’s not even counting the visiting shifters.

“Well, okay then.” She smiles. “Thanks. I’ll take you up on the offer.”

Silence falls between us, and I’d love to know exactly what she’s thinking right now. Is she scared, and that’s why she’s staying? Does she feel anything for me, or is this connection only in my head?

In my peripheral vision, I catch Amos waving his arm at me. I force a small, meaningless smile and walk away before more craziness can leave my lips.

The next hours pass by in fast forward. Amos and Marissa carry out Father’s wrapped corpse, resting him upon the pyre in the woods nearby. The pack circles it with the two visiting packs behind us.

As his son and the new alpha, I throw the match onto his body, watching as the flames consume my father. With every flicker of fire, every lick taking more of him away, I feel the flames devouring me as well. With every passing second, my heart cracks a bit more while my expression remains one of stone. Regardless of the event, I can’t show weakness, not now of all times in front of the other packs.

As the fire rages on, I glance at Carina through the flames. She stands at the base of his feet, while I remain at his head. The visiting wolves all sent her scathing looks when first arriving, but one warning growl from me had them shutting up. Still, she remains a couple feet away from the packs, a true deer amongst a group of hunters.

She doesn’t glance at me, but my eyes struggle to pull away from her. The ember’s glow contrasts the dark colour of her hair, the breeze blowing strands and creating a messy crown around her head. Her gaze remains locked on the flames, unblinking.

As the fire begins to lower, and more of Father’s body turns into the ash floating above our heads and into the air beyond, the wolves start their final farewells. Being in human form, they’re not the same, but our howls still carry over the trees, causing nearby birds to flutter away. Sorrow pours from the mouths of pack members, but my own throat clogs. I should be joining in, but by doing so, this brings finality to my father’s life. When the fire dies out and the wolves stop howling, Father will be nothing but a memory in my heart.

From the corner of my eye, I see Carina drop abruptly to the ground. While no one pays her any attention, I do, moving to the side. She’s crouched in a ball, her long hair falling to the ground in front of her, acting as a wall to my scrutiny.

Others notice and their howls die down as the wolves shift their attention to her. Expressions range from curious to disgusted, but no one seems threatened by her.

Her head lifts, her eyes glazed and staring at nothing. She slowly stands, palms out to her side, bringing with her a stalk of wildflowers. She releases them when they’re knee-high and her hand swings in an arc. With the motion, flowers sprout from the ground creating a wall between us and the pyre. Not so close they’ll burn, but close enough to show their meaning.

Her hands continue lifting toward the sky and at the flick of her fingers, a breeze blows by my face. Warm, welcoming, and gentle as it wraps around my hair, neck, torso, wrists, and finally my legs, acting as a hug. The breeze bounces from me and through the entire pack, gasps and curses their only response.

Her hands lower then, eyes dancing around the observers before settling on me. Her lips tilt into a soft, polite smile that throws want straight into my heart. I rub my chest, disliking the sensation I enjoy so much.

My hands twitch with the need to be near her, but I stay my ground, thanking her with a single lift of my mouth before focusing back on the nearly-dead flames. Father’s body is almost completely ash.

We stare into my father’s pyre until the flames die out and his body is no more, and his soul has moved on. By the time complete darkness hits, only the flowers remain.

Lucas shoves a beer in my hand and pushes me toward the log bench. “Sit, have another one.”

I stumble, one foot tripping over the other, and taking the fifth “another one” down with me. Some sloshes out of the bottle, dripping down the side, but I pay it no attention, bringing the drink to my mouth. Nearby, wolves from other packs sit, some chatting amongst themselves as they sip on their own beers.

“So, how’s it feel?”

“Hmm?” The voice drags my eyes toward a visiting wolf. Blond, familiar, though my brain is deciding not to remember his name right now.

“How’s it feel to be alpha now?”

Wrong. Depressing. I’m alpha because he’s gone. All responsibility falls on my shoulders now. And responsibility means—

“So, when’s the mating ceremony?” Another voice joins in.

—Having to take a mate.

I scowl. There hasn’t been a female wolf I’ve wanted. Most merely want the union in order to be an alpha’s mate. While I know finding my true mate is highly and extremely unlikely, I suppose a fragment of my heart fights to hold on as long as possible to make sure.

Clearly, I won’t be given that option.

Female wolves automatically turn into omegas in the presence of an alpha, but especially in bed. While I do prefer domination in the bedroom, I also like it when a female makes me fight for it—not simply rolling over and accepting it. A female with a caring heart, but also a fighting soul, who can take as well as give it, who knows when to submit and knows when to show her cards.

Someone like Car—

My drunken brain halts before it reaches there and I take in the two sets of pensive eyes, recalling that they’re waiting for responses.

Before answering, I chug more beer, sucking in another half bottle. “It feelsh weird t-to be alpha now. Surreal. And nooo mate.”

The guys’ deep laughs push alcohol breath in my face. “Boy, you’re sloshed.”

I shrug, chugging back the rest of the bottle. It’s my right. Today of all days, I’m not expected to have the same control I will have tomorrow morning. Today, I’m forgetting about the present that will show up at my feet tomorrow as a dead carcass, dragged in for me to deal with. I am allowed to forget about Father and this entire week, only focusing on easing myself.

“Well, we have some females available. We’d love a union between the packs.”

Over my empty beer bottle, I glare at them. The fuckwads are using tonight to try to build a merger?

I open my mouth to tell them off, but their eyes focus on something behind me and whatever, or whoever it is, has them retreating. I turn, ready to be grateful to whoever took their attention off me, but the sight of a full beer bottle interrupts my view.

The cold bottle neck meets my palm and the female attached to it slips into my lap. Oh.

“Hi.” Her voice is sultry and her curtain of blonde hair slips over my shoulder, wrapping me up in her woodsy scent. Her full lips curve in a seductive smile and her hand rests on my chest for a second before her nails drag down it. She feels enjoyable, and my drunken self doesn’t have it in me to stop her.

“Thanksh.” I suck half the bottle down, after tilting it once in her direction.

My sip gets interrupted as she yanks the bottle from my grip. I don’t see where she places it. All I know is it’s not with me and I huff, annoyed, but my protest gets swallowed by her tongue. She latches her mouth onto mine, her hands stroking dangerously low toward my waist.

She pulls back to murmur against my lips, “We should move this to your cabin.” Her alluring smile is tempting and once if I go with her, I’m sure I won’t regret it.

Except she’s not who I want. Not really.

I open my mouth to tell her no, but suddenly, her ice blue eyes change to brown ones, her sheet of blonde hair darkens, and her tempting expression morphs into a sexy one bursting with irritation.

That is who I want.

I blink and suddenly the she-wolf is back and the vision of Carina disappears.

Carina.

I lift my eyes above the girl, scanning the rowdy, jam-packed group of wolves, seeking the only non-wolf here. I should have better tracked her, made sure she’s safe being around so many new wolves, but Lucas and Marissa promised to take turns keeping an eye on her.

“Or does the alpha require more excitement?” The girl’s hand presses down on my pants, over my softened c**k. As pretty as she is, imagining Carina killed any hope for her.

My eyes continue to scan the crowd, resting on the free space between bodies in search of my black-haired witch. My nose lifts, seeking her cinnamon scent. Despite the heavy layers of different scents, I can smell her through all the others. She’s an aroma I’ve been committing to memory and my body is getting to know incredibly well.

Someone moves, walking away, and their exit reveals Carina. She sits alone, a few feet away from the fire. Its tall glow bathes her in a spotlight, highlighting all her features—features I love to admire.

As if knowing I’m watching her, her eyes lift, pinning a pair of chocolate, fuming eyes on me.