Page 207 of Star Claimed Omega
Torches flickered in the warm breeze, casting golden radiance over driftwood benches and woven rugs. At the same time, the scent of wood smoke and sizzling meat thickened the air with a kind of ancient joy.
Santi had an arm wrapped around Soleil from the moment they arrived.
It was a grounding touch she inclined into as he led her toward the fire pit where his pack was already gathered.
When he caught the subtle hitch in her breath, the soft tension in her spine, his hold became more deliberate, protective, and anchoring.
While she spent time with Zev, she hadn’t done the same with the rest of the group, let alone altogether in one place.
She was nervous meeting them all at once.
‘They’ll love you,’ he murmured against her temple. ‘Like I do.’
‘Why, though? I used to wear a crown of blood and ash,’ she whispered, voice tight. ‘What if they still see it? In a spectral sense?’
He kissed her forehead and smiled. ‘Then they’ll bow to your commitment to change. But they won’t reject you,mi sol. They’ll welcome and adore you like I do.’
She shot him a grateful look, straightened her back, and let him lead her closer to the fire pit.
Zev and Boaz took charge of the grill.
The pair argued over the merits of dry rub versus marinade.
Ignoring their bickering, Mak threw sliced peppers into a cast-iron pan and tossed them.
Rigo had already uncorked too many bottles and was singing haunting love songs while strumming a guitar.
Kaal stood with a drink in hand, eyeing Soleil now and then with a quiet assessment that lacked judgment.
Xander, the Alpha and Signet’s leader, was a silent observer.
Leaning back on a sun-warmed boulder, Savvine tucked beside him like a blade sheathed in silk, he observed the action unfold.
Santi guided her to the group, never removing his hand from her back.
The pack welcomed the couple with nods, a few jokes, the kind forged by shared history and deep trust.
She also got a hug from Savvine and Miral, and she grasped them tight, grateful for their kindness.
Still shy, however, Soleil lingered on the edge of their conversation, smiling when she had to, but her gaze drifted to the fire, flickering shadows, lost in thought.
Until Xander approached her.
He didn’t speak at first; he just stood with her at the bonfire circle, his presence and aura vast and still.
In time, he swiveled, his violet and gold eyes catching hers.
‘Soleil, we don’t judge you,’ he rasped in his gravelly timbre.
She jolted. ‘What?’
‘What they did to you. What they took. That none of it was your choice. We’ve all danced with monsters, Soleil. Yours just wore your uncle’s and father’s face. Santi also praised your bravery in seeking justice for your mother. That alone absolves you of all the shit you’ve gone through.’
Her mouth parted, but no words came.
Then his ancient, silver-black, spectral lycan spirit moved like mist from his chest.
It circled her once, before folding into her crimson wolf form.
