Page 87 of Challenged Mate
The silver gown hung from my shoulders, held up by two thin straps. The material flowed over me, hugging each curve with near perfection. Orla said she’d been working on the dress since the moment I arrived in the Wilds Pack—commissioned by the alpha for the job.
Clearly, she had skill for deducing a person’s size with simply a look. Other than taking in about a half-inch of material around my chest, the dress fit like a glove.
When Orla disappeared in the back room to retrieve pearl beading, my tired eyes met Kayla’s. She donned a falsely bright smile.
“You look gorgeous. My brother is a lucky guy.”
My gut twisted.
“Where’s Asher?” It was a question I should’ve asked the moment Kayla found me in the bookstore. He would put a stop to this ridiculousness. He and I would talk to Axel and get this mess sorted out.
Kayla fidgeted with the sequin-covered dress hanging on the mannequin beside her. “A scout found the scent of a group of sorcerers heading west, away from pack territory. He and Chase are following it, hoping to find where the rogue sorcerers are hiding.”
He left?
My vision blurred.
Even after last night and the quiet promises we made to each other, he just…left.
“When will he be back?” My voice sounded dull as I distanced myself from my emotions. My wolf whined in protest, begging me not to write Asher off. And I wouldn’t, but I couldn’t deny my faith in the male was shaken.
How hard is it to tell me he’s leaving?
“He will return in time for the mating ceremony.”
My throat tightened, realizing Asher knew about the rushed mating ceremony, yet he still decided to leave without speaking to me.
“And when is that supposed to be?”
A shadow flickered over Kayla’s eyes, but they cleared quickly. “Tomorrow evening. When the moon peaks in the sky.”
Pins pricked me as I whirled around—no longer content to look at Kayla through the mirror’s reflection. No, this situation called for direct eye contact.
“Tomorrow?”
She nodded.
No.
This was insane.
Axel couldn’t seriously plan on mating me tomorrow, and Asher couldn’t seriously have left knowing that.
“People died, Kayla.” I shook my head, unable to believe this was really happening. “People diedyesterday.How could anyone think of celebrating so soon after losing loved ones? This mating ceremony will be a slap in the face.”
“No, Blair. That’s not true,” Kayla replied gently, as if speaking to a spooked horse she needed to coax back into her stable. “In the Wilds Pack, we mourn our dead by celebrating life. We remember our loved ones by bringing them with us into our days, each and every day, until the moment we join them and The Mother.”
She took a breath, then added, “The mating ceremony will be just what everyone needs. Trust me.”
But it wouldn’t be whatIneed.
A thousand responses flew through my head, but the one I blurted out was, “I won’t do it.”
Kayla cringed. “Look, Blair. I know this situation is complicated, but—”
“No,” I cut her off. “I’m serious. I won’t go through with this. Not without talking to Asher.”
Some of the tension left Kayla’s shoulders. “That’s fair.”
