Page 5 of Fated
Raelen hesitated, then added carefully, “And if you don’t find your fated mate… Well, there are other options that would allow you to demonstrate your leadership in Moonshadow. We have many strong, loyal warriors who’d make excellent chosen mates. A chosen bond with Ryker or Jace could also strengthen our bloodlines and secure the pack’s future, assuming neither of them finds their fated.”
The suggestion tightened her stomach into a hard knot. A chosen bond would guarantee her place in Moonshadow, keep her with her birthpack, but Elara yearned for more—for that soul-deep connection that only a fated bond could bring.
Every wolf knew the stories, how Selene had split one soul between two wolves to create the first fated pair. Power. Destiny. Completion. Lena had witnessed it manifest—the sudden awareness, intertwined scents, wolves practically glowing with recognition.
Elara recoiled at the thought of a chosen bond. A phantom pain tightened Lena’s chest until each breath came shallow and strained. The familiar faces of Moonshadow’s warriors flashed through her mind, bringing comfort but no spark, no primal call that made her wolf sing.
Raelen gave her a moment to process, expression softening as he watched her internal battle. “I know it’s not an easy thing to consider, but this summit will help you see the bigger picture.No matter what happens, you’ll come out of it with valuable experience.”
“I understand.” The words came out soft and uncertain.
Cian reached out, squeezing her shoulder gently. “You’ll do well, Lena. Trust yourself.”
Lena nodded, thoughts churning with possibilities as she left her father and brother to continue their conversation. The summit presented more than just a chance to find her mate; it was an opportunity to chart her own course.
She understood the rogues’ growing aggression threatened not just the northern and central borders, but the entire balance of power in the region. If she could prove her worth as more than a female just waiting for fate to decide her path, she might become the kind of leader the packs desperately needed in these uncertain times.
As Elara paced beneath her skin, muscles twitching with each phantom step, one question burned in Lena’s throat like unshed howls: Was she ready for what waited on the horizon?
CHAPTER THREE
KAI
Kai Bloodstone stood at the edge of the ceremonial grounds, moonlight casting silver highlights across the sacred stones and catching in his dark, swept-back hair. The massive clearing, surrounded by towering cedars, hummed with an electric energy that matched his mood. Pine needles crunched beneath his boots while the scent of cold stone and aged incense filled his lungs.
His skin prickled as he reached the altar, broad shoulders tensing under generations of expectation. At twenty-four, every inch of his trained physique reminded him of what the pack demanded: the perfect future alpha.
Kai’s fingers traced the ancient carvings etched into the altar’s surface, the worn grooves still warm despite the night’s chill, as if pulsing with the heartbeats of past alphas who’d taken their oaths on this very spot. In the moonlight, his striking green eyes—the unmistakable mark of the Bloodstone line—reflected centuries of tradition that would soon rest squarely on his shoulders.
Cold dread pooled at the base of his spine as he contemplated his future. Someday, he would stand here, taking the oaths to lead his pack. That moment felt both impossibly distant and terrifyingly close—the burden of legacy pressing against his lungs until each breath came with effort—the aberration of the ceremonial blade already slicing against his palm.
His wolf, Orion, circled the perimeter of Kai’s consciousness, claws clicking against the foundation of his thoughts. Each movement sent ripples of tension down Kai’s spine, muscles twitching beneath his skin as if phantom paws pressed into his flesh from the inside.
“Too quiet here.”His voice rumbled through Kai’s skull like distant thunder.“Not enough action. Not our path.”
“You’re as bad as I am.” A humorless smirk twisted Kai’s lips. “We’ll get there.”
But will I ever truly be ready for leadership?The question gnawed at Kai more than he’d ever admit.
The Bloodstone pack demanded strength, cunning, and vision—all qualities his father, Darius, wielded like weapons. Kai’s fingers curled into fists as he remembered their latest confrontation.
“The delta rank would be fourth in the hierarchy, taking over security and the elite warriors,” he’d argued, spreading the detailed proposal across his father’s desk. “It would free the gamma to focus on warrior education, pack communications,and guarding the luna. The responsibilities are too much for one person.”
Darius had barely glanced at the papers. “We’ve managed with alpha, beta, and gamma roles for generations.”
“But our pack has nearly tripled in size since creation. Our challenges have evolved. The traditional structure doesn’t—”
“Change for its own sake is dangerous.” His father’s tone had left no room for discussion. “Our strength comes from the stability of our traditions, not from restructuring what works.”
It had been the same when Kai proposed mate integration in the hierarchy power structure. And his annual gamma retreat idea. Each time, Darius’s response echoed the same theme: what had worked before would work again.
The pack needed evolution, not just tradition. The region needed a pack to lead by example. Why couldn’t it be Bloodstone?
But his father saw only risk where Kai saw opportunity. Preservation where Kai saw innovation.
The crunch of stiff grass beneath his boots echoed in the stillness as he turned away from the ceremonial grounds, each step releasing the sharp, clean scent of early spring.
His father’s towering silhouette waited on the packhouse porch. Arms crossed. Disapproval radiating from him like heat. The bitter tang of it hit the back of Kai’s throat before he’d even caught his father’s cedar-and-ash scent.
