Page 5 of Destined Mate

“Jerome, what did you see?” Henry asked urgently.

Jerome shook his head slowly, trying to piece together the flashes of images that had skittered through his mind. “Not much that makes sense right now,” he admitted. “But it’s enough to be concerned. There was a challenger, but there were also several dead wolves in our stone ring.”

“Wait. Our stone ring? As in, wherewehold challenges?”

“Yes. And as you well know, a challenge is betweenonlythe two alphas in the ring. I saw three dead wolves and one survivor. I think a rogue showed up here, took over, and then another alpha challenged the rogue.”

“Was the survivor the rogue?”

Jerome opened his mouth, then closed it. The survivor was a lot of things—deadly and dangerous—but Jerome couldn’t see himself willingly kissing someone who was not a good wolf. “I’m unsure, but I don’t think so.”

And no matter how he searched his memory, he’d forgotten the alpha’s name too, dammit.

“Shit.” Henry swore under his breath, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I’ll call the council immediately, then. Last thing we fucking need is a rogue to show up and take over our pack.”

“I agree.” Jerome did not want to be under the rule of a bad alpha. All of the pack would suffer, but he might bear the brunt of it, since he was an omega.

With Li Li gone, and no other clear alpha to step forward yet, it fell to Henry—and to Jerome also since he was the alpha mate—to guide the pack through these dark times.

He was certainly no leader, any more than Henry was, but the packed loved and trusted him. They’d listen to him because they knew he had their best interest at heart.

It wasn’t a role he’d ever wanted or expected to play, especially as an omega whose key role should’ve been one of peace and caretaking within the pack structure. Yet here he was, stepping into the breach.

But it wasn’t a role he could maintain for long.

As Henry hurried off to make the necessary calls, Jerome offered a prayer to the wolf god that the alpha he saw in his visionwasa good wolf, because he certainly made Jerome burn with need.

He also sent up another prayer that he could project calm and confidence to the pack members, even if he felt anything but. He’d done all he could, and now all he wanted was to lie down.

Slowly, he walked to master bedroom, but he paused when he reached the door. He and Li Li’d shared that room for over five decades, and he wasn’t sure if he could bear being in it now.

Although he may not have loved her, she certainly hadn’t deserved to have her life taken the way it had been. This thought alone filled him with rage because she had been a kind and capable leader.

Turning away from the door, he headed toward an empty guest room instead. He needed what few hours of sleep he could get. The room was cold and uninhabited, a stark contrast to the warmth and familiarity of the room he’d shared with Li Li.

The bed was neatly made, the covers tight and unwrinkled, as if waiting for a visitor who never arrived. Well, one had arrived now. Jerome sighed as he sat on the edge of the mattress, his body heavy with fatigue and his mind swirling with fragmented visions and unanswered questions.

As he lay back, closing his eyes in an attempt to shut out the world, images from his vision replayed in his mind. The stone ring. The bodies. The tension in the air had been so thick, it was almost palpable even in his foresight.

His chest tightened with unease, knowing that something ominous loomed over their pack, threatening to shatter the precarious peace they had managed to maintain.

Jerome’s thoughts wandered to the mysterious survivor of the vision. The unexpected stir of emotions at the memory of those intense moments was disconcerting.

Intrigue mixed with dread as he recalled the figure’s formidable presence—a stark reminder that this wolf could either be their ruin or salvation.

Unable to sleep despite his exhaustion, Jerome rose and moved toward the window. The moon hung low in the sky, its light casting long shadows across the ground.

He watched as a few late-night patrol members moved silently around the perimeter. Their dedication reminded him of what was at stake—family, friends, and the future of their pack.

Suddenly, a sharp noise snapped Jerome out of his reverie. His heart raced as he tried to identify if it was merely a small animal or something more sinister lurking nearby. With Li Li gone, every shadow seemed darker, every noise a potential threat.

A natural wolf darted across the yard and kept going. Jerome watched it disappear into the underbrush, almost wishing he could follow it. He turned from the window, running his hands through his hair. Tired. He was so tired.

Tears threatened to spill over as he collapsed onto the bed without bothering to remove his clothes. Exhaustion pulled at his limbs; his mind, however, raced uncontrollably.

The fragmented images from his vision replayed in his skull like a broken record: flashes of fur and fang, the smell of blood mingling with earth, that inexplicable feeling of dread.

And then there was the alpha—strong and commanding. Even in his unclear memory, Jerome could feel the pull of his presence. He needed more information. If only he could control his ability better, direct it somehow to get clearer insights rather than these frustrating snippets.

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