Chapter 21: Unexpected Faces Silas Our day seemed to dizzy by me. The only thing I could focus on was my Lumiere ceremony. Tonight, I would be accepted into the White Ridge Pack, and in four days, I would officially become the Lumiere, the only mate to the Alpha. I just met Sydney yesterday, and now my whole world revolves around her and this pack. "It's not much different than before. Our life revolved around the pack." Bram wasn't wrong. "This feels different." I couldn't put my finger on it. "Before it was someone else's duties, we were the substitute just helping out. Now the pack looks to us as one of its leaders an example to follow." I guess Bram is an Alpha wolf for a reason. "You are probably right. A part of all this feels bittersweet. Changing my pack mark tonight puts everything into perspective." I rub my shoulder where my pack mark is. "This is where we belong now. Give it

Chapter 23: More Sydney As soon as the door to our room closes, Si pulls me to him. I see Bram's ice blue eyes flash in Si's then he crashes his lips to mine. I feel Thora push forward, reaching out for her mate. I don't want to keep them apart, but I don't know if I'm ready for this. He's not being gentle like he was yesterday. There is a fierceness and determination behind his kiss. All the tension and frustration exploded in our bruising of lips and tangling of tongues. I find it challenging to stay focused, and my resolve to resist dissipates. Si takes a second to breathe. "I want to mark you. Will you let me?" His breath is hot on my ear, and the heat reaches my core. I have to make a sound decision, think clearly, Syd. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "We should wait until the day before the ceremony. I don't want to be in heat during your ceremony." My back is pinned to the door, and Sila

Chapter 25: Call with the Alphas Sydney: "Beta Lucas, do you know what this is about?" Everyone is already gathered in my office. "Good morning, Alpha Syd and Lumiere Si. No, I don't." Lucas settles into one of the sofas. Ambrose and Kyler quickly stand and bow. "Good morning, Alpha and Lumiere." They both chime out. "Ambrose, you took the call this morning, correct? Did Alpha John say what it was about?" I take my seat behind my desk, Si standing next to me. "Ummm… actually, Alpha, I took the call." Gamma Kyler steps forward, head hung low. I'm not sure if it's out of fear or respect. "Thank you, Gamma Kyler, for taking the call. Did Alpha John say anything?" His head pops up, and his eyes are wide with surprise. I guess it was fear, not respect. "No, Alpha, he just said to contact him as soon as you were available." He smiles cautiously. "Well, not much I can do." I loo

Chapter 27: A Fight or Make-up Sydney "How dare he embarrass me like that in front of all the warriors and the pack at dinner." I put my fist through the wall. He didn't come back for dinner, so I sat alone the day after being marked. The whole pack saw it. I looked like an idiot just sitting there waiting for him. What the hell. "Our mate was upset." Thora was defending him, which made my already bad mood worse. "I don't care. He should have sucked it up and swallowed it down, and dealt with it later. We have a pack to run and don't have time for feelings." Why did he leave me? He's supposed to be my mate, and he just walked away like it was nothing. I hear footsteps coming down the hall, and I can smell him. I ready myself and my weapon. Silas walks in the bedroom door. I launch the pillow from my hand as hard as I can at his head—the impact pushing him back for a second. "Oh, you fina

Chapter 29: One and the Same Sydney "Mmmm… what? Oh, did the elders leave? I should call Alpha Gideon." Silas snapped me back to reality. "OK, are you calling him now?" Silas' had a note of worry for some reason in his voice. "Yeah, I want to see if he found anything out about Drystan after he left… was kicked out of the pack." I pull my phone out and call Gideon. There were so many missing pieces. Gideon picks up on the third ring. "Hello, Alpha Sydney." "Hello Gideon, I have you on speaker. I am with my ranked members and Beta Lucas." I set my phone down on the desk; everyone came and huddled up around it. "Congratulations on finding your ranked members. I was expecting your call." We heard him sigh into the phone. "Have you read through the file I sent over this morning?" Gideon sounded cheerful in his congratulations but talking about the file turned his mood. "No, I haven't checked my email yet. What did you find?"