Chapter 16

Damien

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Someone was coming in, and I was standing there like a creepy moron. A grandmotherly woman entered the room holding a white dress that she dropped to the floor once she saw me. “Please, I can explain,” I said as she looked at me and the boxes in my arms.

“What are you doing in here?” she regained her composure,”You have 10 seconds to explain before I call the guards.”

“I am Alpha Damien of Silverburn and Katla’s betrothed. She just learned that she was going to marry me this afternoon and our engagement will be announced at the New Moon Ceremony tonight. I wanted to give her these,” and I motioned to the boxes with my head.

“So it’s true then?” she asked, picking up the dress, “Miss Katla is to be Luna of Silverburn?”

“Yes and no,” I said, “It’s…complicated.”

“It always is, isn’t it?” she mused. “Miss Katla, she’s special. I’ve known her since she was a tiny pup, and I raised her after her mother passed. Her wolf is very strong, in fact, that’s her in the painting over there.” She pointed to a large portrait on the wall showing a golden-cinnamon colored she-wolf bearing a teardrop shaped crest in white on her chest above her forelegs running on a tundra. The Moon Goddess glowed and cast her light around the wolf.

“Her wolf is gold?” I asked, already knowing the answer and confirming what I had known since seeing her.

“Yes, she’s special. I’ve seen wolves of all colors, even a white wolf once or twice, but never another golden wolf.” She walked across the room and laid the white dress on Katla’s bed, smoothing the pink ribbon on the waist. “For tonight,” she said.

“Hmm,” I mused, “That seems a little…childish…for announcing an engagement to an Alpha, no?”

“Tradition is tradition,” she shrugged, “But, Alpha Damien, it seems Miss Katla will be able to make a choice,” she said, looking at the boxes. “Here, let me help,” and she lifted the boxes from my arms and placed them gently on the table under a window.

“What is your name?” I asked.

“I’m Claire, Omega to Miss Katla and the Alpha’s family.”

“Omega Claire, it has been my pleasure to meet you,” I said, smiling warmly.

“The pleasure has been all mine,” she replied. “I have been waiting to meet Miss Katla’s fated mate for years now, and I could not be more delighted.”

“What? How can you know?” I asked.

“Your eyes are sparkling every time I say her name, and I hear your heart. Give her time, she’ll know soon enough, too.” And, with that, she said she would see me later, and walked out of the room, leaving me there with my thoughts.

I walked to the bed and looked at the simple dress. It was frumpy and looked far too large for her delicate frame, more like a sack than something that an Alpha-in-Waiting should wear. I turned and left, taking in the simple surroundings of her room one last time, and went to find my family walking through the village streets.

A few hours later, I stood in a large glade encircled by torches near a large bonfire. Along the edges of the glade were forest, and I knew that somewhere in the treeline, my detail stood watch. Several rogues had been seen in the forest, but they quickly dispersed at the sight of the large white direwolves, but even then, something continued to feel off. The village was orderly, clean, and cute, and the Pack was clearly well tended to, but, just as Lucian had said earlier, there was something below the surface.

Lucian stood in the center, with the Pack around the edges. His wife stood just behind him, along with his Beta and Gamma flanking her on either side. The crowd parted and a hush fell. In the firelight, I could see the shimmer of lavender silk, and as my eyes traveled up the skirt, to the bodice, I saw the Goddess Stone flickering and dancing around her pale throat. “It’s awoken,” Sargon bowed. My breath caught, as she walked past to her father.

The way her hair was swept up, cascading in soft curls around her stunning features allowed her Pack emblem to blaze between the deep V cut in the back of her dress. Her shoulders were powerful yet soft and feminine. I could hear approval and disapproval ripple around me. Older members of Iceclaw were upset that she had rebuffed the traditional white, and younger members approved of her statement. I could sense the arousal of more than several wolves around me. “Mine,” Sargon growled in response, and I was pleased that she had accepted the gifts.

Alpha Lucian outstretched his hand to embrace his daughter, and she turned to look over the crowd, standing by his right. This was a clear signal of what was to come and that she would be the next in line to lead. “Iceclaw,” Lucian’s Alpha voice reverberated through the crowd and a hush fell. “May the Moon Goddess bless us tonight as we honor tradition and welcome change under this auspicious new moon.” I saw him look at Katla, then all faces turned to the sky in a unified howl. Claire scurried past, handing out champagne flutes with the other Omegas. She gave me two, winking, and I understood that one was for Katla.

He continued, “Tonight, we welcome a special delegation from our oldest alliance, Silverburn Pack. Alpha Damien, please come join us.” This was it, I thought and began walking up the torch lined path, the crowd parting for me to walk through. I smiled at Katla, and handed her the glass. Our fingers met briefly, sending sparks between us. Her breath hitched for just a moment as she looked up at me with those eyes that saw to my soul. I stood behind her, in my symbolic place as her betrothed.

Her skin was perfect, and I placed my free hand on her shoulder. There was a electric pulse where our skin made contact, and it radiated throughout me. I had never experienced anything like it before. I leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Good girl,” smiling in appreciation. I saw chills form down her shoulder and down her spine. I scented her arousal. “She likes that,” Sargon was pleased with himself, and I straightened up, knowing that she felt the same connection.

Her father continued, “My Luna and I are overjoyed to announce the engagement of our daughter, Katla, to Alpha Damien of Silverburn. They will unite under the upcoming Mating Moon, securing our alliance for generations to come.” More howls, but all I could think about was how Katla felt beneath my skin. “But before we toast to the happy couple, it seems our family has another cause to celebrate under this new moon. Will my son, Viti, join us.”

The blond hair and black eyes I had seen earlier came up, carrying two glasses of champagne. Watching him, I could see obvious disdain for his step-sister as he glared at her. He passed a glass to his father, and I felt Katla tense. “As you know, when my Katla was born, in the same Lunar Cycle, my son Viti and their friend Hekla also joined our pack. They were pups together. This evening, Viti and Heckla have brought us some delightful news!” Alpha Lucian announced, seeming genuinely pleased.

Katla’s breath caught, and I felt the need to protect her. I felt her heartbeat quicken, and her body stiffen. I wanted to will her to breathe, to tell her it would all be ok. The girl with ringlets from the coffee shop came walking through the crowd in an oversized white dress tied at the waist with a red sash. Sargon began to growl, sensing something was amiss, but I wanted to focus on what Lucian was saying.

“Under the next Mating Moon, not only will my daughter be married, but my son, Viti, will also be wed to Hekla Iceclaw. It seems these three are destined to share in all of our pack’s traditions together!” The wolves howled, and we raised our glasses in a toast. As I sipped, I noticed the edges of the crowd. Where there had been a sea of blue eyes, some had started to shift to black and brown. I watched as a man with dark blue eyes rubbed his face, and in the next moment, his eyes had changed. “Rogues,” Sargon snarled, and he called to the detail waiting behind the treeline. Something was wrong.

“There are imposters in the Pack,” I said through our mind link. “Rogues.”

“Sir, all has been quiet here, are you sure?” my Gamma called back.

“Damnit Lyulf,” I called to my Gamma. “They have fake eyes to hide in the pack!” I noticed movement, and a few pulled out torches, lighting them on those that already were burning. Other members of the Pack started to notice the disturbance and run with their pups. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I noticed that Alpha Lucian’s words were slurring together as he was announcing the Alpha-in-Waiting.

I had dropped my hand from Katla’s shoulder as I was taking in everything around us. I looked at her and saw her looking at her father with concern. She wasn’t aware of what was happening in the back of the pack, while Viti was standing, looking at the Pack like a snake about to swallow its prey. Her father was about to make the announcement, but it was all happening in slow motion, “We are gathered to honor our next Alpha-in-Waiting, pledging loyalty forevermore. I am eternally bound by ancient decree to our next Alpha-in-Waiting … Viti?” The Alpha collapsed, blood spurting from his mouth in coughs.

Viti walked over to Katla as she began to fall, saying, “Checkmate, Bitch.” I glared at him as I caught her in my arms, willing her to wake up. Chaos erupted around us as wolves began to shift for battle.