Page 53 of Fated Exile

Once the curse is lifted, they can mate again. We can search for unmated female werewolves from other packs, and offer them bounties to come here for our males. The young females among the crowd can have their chips taken out; the unmated can finally fill that void in their lives. They finally have hope, but first they need to see me live.

So though it makes my stomach clench nervously and sets my teeth on edge, I shift back in front of them. As my human form stretches and lifts, I get up onto my back feet, feeling the fur disappear from my body and reveal whole, naked skin. My long maroon hair spills across my shoulders, and I push it back, revealing all of me.

Turning around slowly, I let the pack get a good look at me. I lift my head up and refuse to flinch, even though I've never felt so vulnerable or on display. Their eyes are probing, curious, watchful, and wary, a few of them slightly aroused or interested—but none of them would make an unwanted move, especially with my new mate Finn standing supportively beside me.

"You're doing good," he murmurs, leaning over to kiss my cheek and slide a hand up my back, his palm warm and broad against my skin. "It's almost over. Now that we've proven you can survive the mate bond, most of them can be sent home."

I shoot him a grateful smile, and square my shoulders. "They can, you're right. But I want them to look at me if that's what they need to see. It's awkward and uncomfortable, but... they need to know that I'm not hiding anything and I'm not afraid. I'm special, and I'm going to save them. They have to see it to truly believe in me."

And, as I reach out my awareness, I'm grateful to realize that theydobelieve in me. Their watchful curiosity and wariness is swelling, turning to hope and pride. As I take the steps up the platform and stand beside the pack flame, fully naked and freshly mated, their emotions swell like a tidal wave.

One that turns into voices raised in a chant.

"Al-pha! Alpha!"

"De-li-lah! De-li-lah!"

"Alpha Delilah!"

"The hybrid! Our savior!"

"Al-pha! Al-pha!Al-pha!"

Their chant goes on, the word alpha springing from their lips again and again, along with a few wolf whistles and shouted cheers of joy. There's laughing, and I see a few tears wiped away in the torchlight.

My eyes land on one crying pack member in particular, her blonde hair spilling over her shoulders, which tremble with emotion. Sasha Hill, one of the few living young female wolves, has a chip in her neck which is about to become obsolete. The tears that streak her face make her eyes shimmer and glow as she lifts them to meet my gaze. A tremulous smile turns up her lips, one that I return with a fast-beating heart and a swell of emotion.

It's her chant that I hear above all the others as she joins her voices to theirs. "Al-pha! Al-pha!"

Looking over the crowd, I no longer feel naked and exposed.

All I feel is strength.

Coming from deep inside me and rippling outward, to heal and protect all of them.

My pack.Mine.To protect and cherish, with every fiber of my being. I thought I meant the words when I said them. But Ifeelthem now, as their adulation washes over me, and they truly make me one of them.

I am no longer their exile, and I never will be again.

* * *

The second time Roarke says the sacred words to begin the Mating Ceremony, the threads that spring from my fingers glow blue. I feel as if I'm being watched, and when I glance over my shoulder, the elder statue to the east of the circle is glowing. Elder Gregor, the Elder of Strength, is cast in a blue light that glows at the edges of his stone figure.

"Lance."

He appears out of the shadows as the pack retreats, his strong, broad shoulders lined with torchlight. Staring up at me with soft brown eyes, he holds up his hand, and I reach down to take it. Sparks dance across my skin at the touch of his palm to mine.

In a low voice, he murmurs, "I was hoping that I'd be next. The anticipation has been thrilling, but I've been looking forward to the real thing. I want to make my claim on you, Delilah, for all the world to see."

I swallow, my pulse racing beneath my skin, the drumbeat of my heart against my throat fluttering uneasily. My mouth feels dry as I dare to tell him, "I was hoping maybe you would... take the lead."

Warmth sparks in his eyes, which glow just slightly blue, the threads that wrap around our bodies surging and dancing together. "It would be my pleasure to dominate you, Delilah. Now lay down on the ground. I want to taste you."

My breath hitches at the warmth and heat on his voice. I lower myself to the ground slowly, grasping his fingers and staring up into his eyes. Their heat is unmistakable as he watches me settle my naked body on the ancient stones beneath us, which are covered in the blue glowing light that connects us, writhing and strange.

"Good girl." Lance kneels at my feet, slipping his hand from mine and reaching down to caress my thighs. "Now I'm going to taste you, so you're warmed up and ready for me."

I swallow, hands fisting in the air beside me, a slight breeze rushing over my skin and raising goosebumps on my naked flesh. Lance slides his hands beneath my knees and raises my legs up, splaying them open. He stares at the space between them for a long moment, until I blush scarlet and crimson, his eyes feasting on my nakedness. Then he brings my legs up to his shoulders, tugs me forward, and tilts his head down until his mouth is close enough that his breath skims my inner thighs. My body thrums with heat and arousal, the wolf inside me pushing eagerly against my skin. She's ready and willing for another round no matter how quick or rough.

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