Carrington rolls her eyes. “Go find your mate so we can get back to our regularly scheduled lives.” Her expression sobers, and she steps right in front of me, gripping the back of my neck and resting her forehead against mine. “And if you don’t find them tonight... you know it’s okay, right?” she says, unknowingly echoing my brother.
“I do. Thank you. I love you,” I whisper, unexpectedly emotional.
“Love you too,” she says before taking the same exit route as my family.
They’re right. It’s not the end of the world if it doesn’t happen tonight. I’ll go in, sniff out my options (literally), and if I find them, fantastic. If not, I’ll just move along with my life and let things happen as they’re meant to.
Taking a deep breath, I turn back to the priestess. I think she’s pretending she didn’t just see a non-family member in mypresence, and I appreciate it. Without a word, she steps behind me, holding the white blindfold I have to wear over my eyes during the ceremony. Wrapping it around my head, she ties it securely in the back and takes me by the elbow. I can’t see a thing under here and I know she’s leading me to the hall where all the wolves are waiting.
This is it.
I hear the heavy wooden doors swing open and I let out the breath I’d been holding in awhoosh. Immediately, so many pheromones fill the air that I’m overwhelmed. There can’t be less than a hundred wolves in here. I’m sure some came just for the experience of shifting without the full moon, since this is the only time a non-moon bonded shifter would be able to do so. Tradition reads that each shifter makes a vow to accept the outcome of the evening before they step into this room. Tonight, the second their bare feet hit the blessed stones lining the floors, they were transformed into their wolf form. My potential mate didn’t make the vow flippantly; I have faith that something sparked along the weak tether of our mating bond. They may not realize it yet, but they’re here solely for me—if they’re here at all.
I take my first step through what I know is two long rows of wolves on either side of me. Concentrating on the scents permeating the air, I let my fingers glide through their fur as I pass. It’s strange touching them. The only wolves I’ve shifted around are my family, except for a couple rare instances when my brother’s friends have been over. It’s not a law or anything, but when we aren’t mated, shifters tend to stick with the people they trust the most. And for me, that’s my family.
I’m kind of entranced by how different each wolf feels. Some fur is soft like my own when I shift, others have more coarse fur that tickles my hands. But I don’t linger on any because I feel no connection to any of them. It feels like I’ve been walking forever.I have to be coming to the end of the corridor. With each step, my hope starts to falter. What if they’re not here? What if?—
I pause for half a second as my fingertips brush over the muzzle of the next wolf in line. Something about it feels...differentthan the others. I hadn’t felt the need to stop moving until now. I close my eyes under the blindfold, and I wonder if this it... that pull everyone?—
Something else, somethingstrongerurges me forward.It’s coming from further down the hallway. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and keep walking, letting the energy buzzing through my veins lead me to where I need to be. The sensation is so intense inside my chest, my belly... all over my body. And when my fingertips graze over the ears of a wolf that has to be near the end of the hall, the force is almost too much to stand.
Everything about this is right. I don’t know how I know.
I just do.
“It’s this one,” I whisper to the priestess. “This is my mate.”
“And so it is,” she softly says, sealing my choice with those four words.
The wolf brushes the top of his head against my hand and walks beside me. We must reach the end of the hall because he comes to a stop. I hear the rustling of fabric just before the doors open and a sliver of light seeps in at the edges of my blindfold. We step into the ballroom and the priestess’s delicate fingers are at the back of my head. She uncovers my eyes, and I take in the figure beside me. His head is bowed and covered by the black hood of the robe the priestess must have given him. With shaking hands, I guide the fabric back, letting it fall around his shoulders. Green eyes lock with mine and a gasp leaves my parted lips.
"Kai?”
TWO
Alexia
The entire ballroom goes silent for what feels like an eternity; I swear, no one so much as takes a breath. And then the deafening silence breaks when a single person claps. My fear is rapidly washed away as I find my best friend in the center of the crowd wearing a bright smile. Carrington single-handedly just destroyed the old adage that you should never date your best friend’s brother. If I’m not mistaken, she looks absolutely thrilled by the moon goddess's selection.
Applause fills the room, reverberating off the painted, vaulted ceiling. My mom steps out of the crowd as upbeat music and conversation resume. She is followed by my dad and Kai’s father, Clayton. The men shake hands as my mom throws her arms around Kai and me.
“I don’t know how we never saw it. It’s so obvious that the two of you are perfect for each other. And Kai is practically family already. I’m so happy for you both,” she says, her joy evident in the tears welling in her eyes.
“Welcome to the family, Kai,” my dad says with a firm pat to Kai’s back.
Kai’s cheeks turn bright pink, and he lowers his head as he says, “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Rush.”
My parents have always had a soft spot for Carrington and Kai, especially after their mom passed away. My mother didn’t try to replace her, but she did make a special effort to be present for them in her absence. Although they were teenagers when the queen died, my mom knew that some of the most important milestones were still to come for them. She helped Kai choose flowers for his prom date, and she always invited Carrington to our mother/daughter lunches. It was just small things, but the two of them appreciated it.
“Malakai,” Clayton says, greeting his son with a curt nod.
He looks every bit the acting king. His sharp nose is tilted up and his mouth doesn’t hold even a hint of a smile. The man looks unapproachable with his slicked back salt and pepper hair and starched suit. But mostly it’s the blue and gold sash draped over one shoulder, the clear sign that he’s acting pack ruler, that makes him so intimidating. If it weren’t for the glimmer of pride in his green eyes, I would say that today’s ritual was just an inconvenience for Clayton.
Kai begins to lower his head to his father but stops short. Instead, he lifts his chin and takes a deep breath that puffs up his slender chest. And there it is, a crack of a smile on Clayton’s face. I’ve never seen his hard façade give way. But I suppose it’s hard to hold onto it when your son has just solidified himself as the next king of the Crescent pack.
Fuck.Kai will be king and I?—
“Congratulations, Alexia. I look forward to seeing you take your place at Malakai’s side as his queen.”