Page 18 of Nick
Sarah’s eyes, wide and glistening with a sheen of unshed tears, met his.Nick extended his hands toward her.The rough pads of his fingers brushed against the softness of hers, a contrast that sent an unwelcome shiver up through his arms and straight down to his cock.
He forced his gaze to soften as he pulled her toward him, the warmth he willed into that look a mask he hoped would convince the watching pack of his sincerity.
Her hands trembled slightly within his grasp, but whether from fear, hope, or something else, he couldn’t tell.He stroked his thumb over the back of her hand, a gesture so familiar it threatened to unravel the tight coil of fury within him.But he held fast to his anger, using it as an anchor to keep the painful memories at bay.
The pack watched on, their presence oppressive against the backdrop of the encroaching night.Nick’s grip on Sarah’s hands tightened imperceptibly.It was a performance for them all, and he was the reluctant actor upon this rugged stage.
In his mind’s eye, he saw the boy—Javier, his son—whose existence had become the fulcrum upon which Nick’s world now teetered.
For Javier, Nick would wear this mask of tender reunion.For Javier, he’d swallow the bile of old wounds and offer a smile instead.
But beneath the surface, where his wolf’s spirit simmered, Nick’s true feelings churned.Every second spent playing the prodigal mate was a test, a reminder of the years stolen from him, the touch of a woman he could never fully forgive.
Still holding Sarah’s hand, Nick turned back toward Vincent, meeting the alpha’s icy gaze.
“Brothers and sisters of the Sunburst Pack,” he began, his voice ringing out across the desert.“I am Nick Reagan, and I have returned to claim my place among you.I have come back to fight for what is mine, and to protect those I love.”
The pack members murmured among themselves, and Nick could sense doubt and suspicion in some of them—especially those loyal to Vincent.But he held their gaze steadily, refusing to back down.
“Swear your loyalty to me,” Vincent demanded, his voice menacing.
Nick felt a growl rising in his throat, but he suppressed it with effort.He knew he had to play this game if he wanted to protect Javier.So instead, he nodded.
“Tonight,” Vincent’s voice cut through the tension, “we solidify loyalties.We will have a submission ceremony.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd, and Nick sensed tradition and expectation bearing down on him.He felt anxiety clawing at his chest, but he pushed it back down.
He remembered Ryker’s stories, the ones of going undercover in the Idaho Pack, infiltrating enemy ranks with nothing but his wits and the strength of his will.Ryker had done it for Steele but then stayed undercover for love, for Ivy.
Nick reminded himself he was doing this for Javier, for the chance to mend a bond that had been severed before it could form.
He would bend his knee but not his spirit.In the back of his mind, he knew the submission was a masquerade.A necessary act to draw closer to his son, to ensure Javier would grow up knowing the protective embrace of his father.
“Let’s get this over with,” he muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone else.
Nick’s knees met the sunbaked earth with a soft thud, sending a cloud of dust around his boots.He kept his head high, his gaze locked on Vincent’s calculating eyes.
“I, Nick Reagan, pledge my loyalty to you, Vincent Foley, and to the Sunburst Pack,” he intoned, each word measured and deliberate.
Vincent loomed over him, a dark silhouette against the dying light.The alpha’s presence was oppressive, a force that seemed to push down against Nick.
With a snarl that pierced the dusk, Vincent began to shift.His human form contorted as bones snapped and muscles reknitted themselves into the powerful frame of a wolf—a creature of raw dominance and unyielding authority.Fur as black as pitch rippled across his expanding body, and soon a massive wolf stood where the man had been.
The transformation complete, Vincent circled Nick once before leaning in, his hot breath carrying the scent of aggression.Nick remained still, his pulse thundering in his ears, not from fear but from the exertion of restraint.
Vincent growled, a low rumble that resonated through the air.
Nick lowered himself further, his shirt scraping against his chest as he lay flat upon the ground.The act of capitulation was foreign, a bitter taste in his mouth, but he allowed it—allowed the alpha to press a heavy paw against his back, pinning him to the parched earth below.
Beneath Vincent’s paw, the protective instincts that defined Nick roared fiercely.Javier needed him, and no amount of pride would keep Nick from ensuring the boy’s safety.
Silence fell upon the mesa, the pack watching, gauging the genuineness of the moment.
Vincent finally lifted his paw and stepped back, allowing Nick to rise but not to reclaim his full stature.
Nick pushed himself up on shaking arms, dust clinging to his sweat-dampened skin.He rose to his knees again, meeting Vincent’s lupine gaze, then dropping his own gaze to the ground.
This was a temporary surrender, a role assumed for a purpose far greater than any pack hierarchy.
