Page 36 of Alien Charming

“This is a celebration of unity,” he continued, making sure his voice carried. “You dishonor us all with this display.”

Both males nodded, suitably chastened.

“Rakal, you will join Varro. Vex, you will accompany Nyra.”

The older pack members would keep them separated and behaving. He waited until both young males had slunk away before relaxing his stance. The display of dominance had been necessary, but he took no pleasure in it. These moments—when he had to embody the alpha rather than simply be himself—always left him feeling hollow.

He turned back towards where he’d left Elli, eager to return to the one bright spot of this evening, but the space where she had stood moments ago was empty.

She was gone.

He desperately scanned the clearing, his heightened senses stretching outwards. His nostrils flared, seeking her distinctive scent, even though Agatha’s potion would make tracking her nearly impossible. Nothing.

An anguished howl tore from his lips, and the gathering went silent. The music faltered, the tune dying away in a jangle of discordant notes. He barely noticed. His beast clawed at him, demanding he find her, and for once he didn’t hold it back.

Nothing would stop him from finding his mate, and this time, he wouldn’t let her go.

CHAPTER 17

Elli stumbled blindly through the woods, tears streaming down her cheeks. How had everything gone so wrong so quickly? One minute she’d been watching Seren stride away, admiring the way the crowd parted before his powerful presence and remembering the way he’d touched her.

Then a chill ran down her spine and she looked up to see Aunt Margaret, her narrowed eyes fixed directly on her. Despite Agatha’s potion and the obscuring veil, she was sure her aunt recognized her. Margaret’s mouth pinched into that familiar tight line of disapproval, the one that always preceded punishment.

Her heart started to pound and she edged backwards, bumping into a young Vultor who smiled politely before moving away. Her aunt began cutting through the crowd with determined steps, her eyes never leaving Elli. There was nowhere to hide in the open clearing. Panic rose in her throat as her aunt drew closer, pushing past a group of villagers with a muttered excuse.

She glanced towards Seren, but he was still occupied with the young Vultor males. She couldn’t involve him—this was herproblem to solve. With one last longing look at his broad back, she slipped between two laughing couples and darted towards the edge of the clearing.

The magical night shattered around her. The dress that had made her feel beautiful now felt like a beacon announcing her presence. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw her aunt still searching, face twisted with suspicion. Her only chance was to reach home before her aunt and remove all evidence of her deception.

She slipped between the trees, her heart hammering against her ribs. The beautiful dress caught on brambles as she hurried along the forest path, tearing tiny holes in the fabric. She’d have to apologize to Agatha—assuming she could even face the woman again after fleeing like a coward.

Twenty paces into the forest, one of her beautiful borrowed slippers caught on a root, nearly sending her sprawling. As she steadied herself against a tree trunk, a sharp voice cut through the darkness.

“Stop right there.”

She froze as her aunt stalked towards her, her hands on her hips. In the moonlight, her aunt’s face looked harder than ever, shadows deepening the lines around her mouth.

“I knew it was you,” her aunt hissed. “Did you think I wouldn’t recognize my own niece, even with your little costume?”

“Aunt Margaret, I?—”

“Silence! I saw you with that… creature. Dancing. Touching. Coming out of the woods together.”

Her cheeks burned. “We only talked.”

“Don’t lie to me.” Her aunt stepped closer, her perfume heavy in the night air. “Just like your mother, aren’t you? Desperately throwing yourself at the first male who shows any interest in you.”

The words stung worse than any slap. “My mother wasn’t?—”

“Your mother was weak and wanton. She let herself be seduced by a stranger passing through, ruined herself, and came crawling back home with you in her belly.” Her aunt’s voice dripped with disgust. “I took you both in out of family duty, and this is how you repay me? Sneaking out to rut with a beast?”

Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “Seren is not a beast.”

“So it’s ‘Seren’ now, is it?” Her aunt gave a humorless laugh. “Well, you’ve made your choice clear. You are no longer welcome in my home.”

She blinked, certain she’d misheard. She’d expected to be punished, not to be thrown out.

“What?”

---