I sleep fitfully beside Rian after he concludes his phone call with Alec. Rian gave him a single day to find his way here for the challenge. I wasn’t allowed to speak to him. I couldn’t tell him it was all a trap, a pack of lies to get him killed. I couldn’t tell him how much I missed the sound of his voice, his smell, his touch. It hasn’t even been a week, and I feel like part of me is dying. Maybe this is part of the mate bond. The need for his presence.
Rian giggled like a school boy after accepting Alec’s plan to “challenge” for the Alpha title. I vaguely remembered Alec mentioning you could challenge Alpha if you weren’t born to the roll, but I didn’t ask for specifics at the time. Rian was only too happy to tell me his version of the process.
Apparently, a challenge is a serious
