Page 26 of Rituals & Runes

CHAPTER10

Electric energy buzzed in the frigid, winter air as bright white moonlight filtered through the forest branches. I prowled the perimeter of our territory with my Beta Ethan, sniffing the air. The hair on the back of my neck and my forearms tingled. I couldn’t smell anything out of the ordinary, yet my?wolf and I stood on alert.

My heart revved in overdrive and I had a relentless hard-on. Every damn nerve in my body was strung out. Sexual energy coursed through my veins, driving me toward one goal, and one goal only—Aila.

But with pack mates dying every damn night, I had to shove that aside, focus my mind, and put the pack before me. As much as it shredded me to pieces.

“Place half our team along the edge near the entry roads, and the other half intersperse them near the ceremony.” We patrolled alone for a few minutes so no one else heard my strategy. I’d already discussed that someone had to be leaking information to Firebrand Pack to Ethan. “I’ve scanned the pack links but I’ve come up with no clue as to who might be our snitch. I can’t smell any wolves that don’t belong to us, but I don’t trust anyone outside of our enforcer team.”

I’d left Aila with two of my top enforcers, both of them female, and the pack women, who would be preparing her for tonight’s ceremony. If Caitlin tried to pull anything, which I doubted, those enforcers wouldn’t hesitate to put her in her place. A dull ache in my chest pulled at me, still not wanting to accept what approached tonight.

The loss of my mate.

I’d stayed up the entire night, my mind spinning to try to find a proper solution—but I’d come up with nothing.

Ethan paused along the edge of the pine trees. Our pack had grown close enough together that they had become a living wall. On the other side, a twelve-foot fence with an additional barbed wire protected our territory, but as wolf shifters, we preferred to see the trees.

He glanced around the area then said in a low voice, “Something’s off. I can’t sense from where or from whom either, but you bet your ass I’m staying on top of it. Call up the rest of the team.”

Through our pack link, I directed my closest team to gather at our location, still far away from any others. Already aware of our meeting, they arrived in minutes, pulling up in cars to not lose their clothing through shifting too early in the evening. We had too much ahead of us.

“Circle up.” I gestured for them to gather close to my Beta and I. Many of them fidgeted, shifting from foot to foot, or playing with a zipper on a jacket. Not one of them was nervous because of the job. They never faltered as my protection. And it had nothing to do with the fact I had a rat among us because I hadn’t told them.

It had everything to do with the wild, feminine pheromones relentlessly careening through the air, even a mile away, coming from one sex-starved female—Aila.

Her heat had come on full force, so hard, I had to lock the hallway, and room where she stayed. I thanked my fucking lucky stars I had four alpha female enforcers, two of which had remained with my mate. The rest of the pack males had to stay far away from her—or risk dying by my hand. Because tonight, I wouldn’t be giving second chances. Tonight, if anyone dared to lay a hand on her, they’d end up six feet under.

“Tonight is crucial for our pack to have an opportunity to lift our curse and we don’t want this to get ruined. I already threw out Firebrand Pack, but I don’t trust them. They want revenge. We need to be on our highest alert. Additionally, do not allow anyone into the compound tonight who doesn’t belong to our pack. Not even a friend or a guest. Only those that belong in our pack will be allowed to remain within our walls. The last thing, keep an eye on those three we discussed. I don’t know who could be the mole, but until we do know, we can trust no one. Is that clear?”

My men nodded and answered back, clear. Some took a deep breath while others shook themselves to try to stay focused when we all wanted to satiate the hounding need of Aila.

I questioned my sanity going through with this. Questioned how the hell I would make it through the night.

“Since I’m in charge of the ceremony alongside Dan, refer to Beta Ethan for any questions from here on out. I will remain next to the ceremony altar so you know where to find me.” I mashed a fist into a flat hand. “And if needed, be prepared to kick some ass.”

I left Beta Ethan with the enforcers and then headed to the center of the compound in my Jeep. After parking, I headed into one of the main compound rooms. Heated gazes from some of my pack members burned into my back. Pressure had been building for me to agree to sacrifice Aila. I’d never made a public announcement, and many wondered if I stood on the fence, though I had agreed to allow the council to set up the ceremony tonight.

Deep down, I had hoped against all hopes to figure something out. As I opened the hallway entrance leading to the room where my beloved mate had been preparing, her heady, feminine scent hit me like a brick wall, shooting straight to my cock. Making it jolt in my jeans. I took a deep breath as I followed the scent which grew richer, deeper, and threatened to overcome my senses the closer I got.

On arriving at the door, I opened it a crack only to catch sight of the most breathtaking woman I’d ever seen. A graceful Wolfling, with creamy skin, her chestnut brown hair in a half-up hair-do, the rest cascading over her delicate shoulders which had been left exposed by her lilac dress. It hugged her perfect, petite breasts, her slender waist, and the curves of her narrow hips. That color brought out the green in her soulful, hazel eyes.

The pack women surrounded her, styling her hair, applying makeup, and preparing her for the ceremony. Including Caitlin, who glanced over her shoulder at me and then continued to slip a pearl decorated beret into Aila’s hair.

Aila's head turned in a slow, calculated motion, her gaze zeroed in on mine, and her plush lips parted. Her skin flushed a soft, delectable pink, giving her skin a dew-like appearance that had my mouth watering to taste her. To run my fingers over her nude flesh, and draw her arousal out of her body until her pussy clenched around my cock. Her pheromones and her feminine scent begged me to take her, to leave my seed deep within her slick walls.

I sucked in a sharp breath and cursed. “Aila, I can’t go in there.”

My wolf and I craved to hear her sweet, aroused sounds and have her body writhe under mine, her mouth begging for more.

My nostrils flared and my cock strained against my zipper. My wolf growled and rode me hard to drive toward her and take her this minute. My pulse thundered in my ears as I watched her respond to my mere thoughts.

As if her mind and senses picked up on my aroused intentions, her eyes closed and she tilted back her head. A soft moan rolled from her elegant throat. Her hands smoothed over her middle, leading toward her breasts as if she sought relief from a raw, sexual need.

Though every fiber of my wolf and I screamed to complete this, to fulfill her needs, the words of my pack about their family members dying jarred me back to the cold reality we faced.

With every ounce of restraint I had, I pulled my wolf and myself away from our sinful fantasy.

"Aila." My authoritative voice broke the spell between us though the fire in my low abdomen remained.

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