Page 86 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate

She raised her hands and began to chant. Words from another world spilled from her lips, gibberish at first, but then an enticing song that brought with it an emotional twang. My stomach flipped as my hand sought my mate with a mind of its own. My husband, myAlpha—he was my holy trinity, my one and everything.

Forever, that would remain a fact.

I tangled my fingers in his as we swayed to the music, swallowed by the mirroring of the Silverfang Creek members around us. Each of my limbs felt energized by the music we created tougher, a testament to the connection between packs despite our differences. What kept us unified was our common goal: a safe, secure world where we could thrive.

Was that too much to ask for?

Above, the sky expanded with infinite darkness. Tiny holes of light flickered on, one by one, a milky cosmos that dazzled my senses. Cool air swirled silently past me, taking some of my hair and spreading it over the bridge of my nose. I closed my eyes, giggled, and wrinkled my nose.

Cliff slid his hand around my waist. “This is the ritual that told me what I already knew.”

Goosebumps flushed my arms at the sound of his voice in my ear. I focused on the way the flames licked the giant cauldron, watching the orange and red flutter up and scurry back in rapid bursts. Faye chanted louder, her voice cresting above the masses as her hands reached impossible heights.

The performance seemed to last forever. Sydney eventually fell asleep on her father, causing him to cradle her in his arms so she wouldn’t slip from his shoulders. About ten minutes later, he handed her to me as Faye ladled a spoon into the cauldron. Some of the chanting continued around us.

Then, silence.

Crickets and critters chirped in the trees, a noise that felt distinctly unique in the growing darkness around us. It seemed as though the shadows were moving in, convening on this one location where this beautiful ritual that celebrated love occurred. Faye turned the petals over in her palm, grinning as she glanced at Hector.

“The next mates are Naomi Frazier and Danny Turner.”

Hector blankly studied the crowd that turned into a cheering ocean. Sierra jolted from her nap, and Sydney snapped awake. The splitting sound disturbed me as well, and I was hardly tired. My attention was invested in this Naomi and Danny couple. I felt Cliff touch my lower back, and then he directed me a few feet forward to meet Faye and Hector.

As the crowd proceeded with their celebration, Faye angled her voice to our circle. “Naomi isn’t here. Have you seen her?”

Hector hummed. “I’ve got my eyes peeled.”

“Naomi?” Cliff chuckled. “You mean Normal Naomi? Matched with a biker Alpha?”

My eyes widened. “A biker Alpha?” I gasped. “You’re kidding. Tell me more.”

“I don’t want to gossip, but…” Faye examined a few people drawing close to us. She flashed a professional smile and gestured to the left—a few white tents had been erected at some point that hosted trays of food. “Help yourself!”

People raised their drinks, cheered, and shook hands with Hector. This was a completely different scene than the posh parties we typically hosted in Bangor. Of course, all that was changing. It was just a matter of time before we started doing more rituals like this one.

I wasn’t opposed to that.

Once the coast was clear, Faye leaned toward me. “Danny is the Alpha of The Red Canines. They’re a biker gang in Athens, West Virginia.”

“Like a real gang? With guns and everything?” I glanced at Cliff, who nodded. “Wow.”

“Yeah, this might be bad news,” Hector admitted while patting Sierra on the back. “I think we’re going to have to really talk about this one with Naomi. I don’t want to put her in danger.”

Cliff chuckled. “You weren’t worried about sending me up to Maine.”

“Well, we didn’t know Bill was possessed, so…” Hector smiled apologetically. “It ended well, didn’t it?”

My mate hugged me under his wing and rubbed Sydney’s back. “I’d say it’s not the end at all. Far from it.”

Happy sounds bubbled from me. “I’m melting again.”

Sydney sighed and rubbed her face against my shoulder. I cradled the back of her head and started to rhythmically bounce her like I did when she was an infant. For a second, I got a flash of anger, a reminder of the thing that had been lost to time and space. At this point, Cliff and I had talked multiple times about his absence. We made jokes about it. We wrote loving letters to each other about that time.

So much processing had gone into those three years. Did I really want to ruin that right now just because I wastired?

I looked up at Cliff. “Do you want to put her to sleep?”

His smile was crooked as he held out his arms. “Yeah, I’d love that.”

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