Chapter 32: Our Bond, My Feelings Sydney I can finally breathe. Being in the middle of a fight was the worst time for my heat to start. Thora was completely out of control, and it was terrifying. It took everything I could to hold her back. Keeping her under control was the only thing I could focus on when I felt Silas with me; Thora’s rage became a yearning that was even more intense. I couldn’t keep a hold on her any longer, and control over my body was yanked away. “Sydney, I’m here. It’s OK.” I could feel Silas pulling me into the bond; it was oddly comforting. Thora and Bram were going at it in the shower, but I was disconnected from what was happening. “I’m an emotional mess right now.” My spirit is shacky, and I honestly just want to scream, but at the same time, I want Silas to hold me close as he did hours ago. “Focus on me. Let it all go. I’m not going anywhere.” I search through the bond till

Chapter 34: Before the Ceremony Sydney It was like déjà vu and an out-of-body experience at the same time. The rushing around me, the poking a prodding, the crying and giggling. It’s just like before but with a different set of nerves tearing through my body. This mass chaos swirled around me, and I couldn’t focus on any of it. It was like I was watching someone else’s life. I just needed to get my mind right. I just finished my first heat, which started at the worst time possible. I’ve kept myself away from everyone for fear of accidentally hurting a pack member. Being forced to spend all that time with Silas wasn’t as bad as I thought. Especially the moments we got to be in the bond space together. I’ve never experienced anything as claiming and peacefully before. Now it’s back to reality. I am more nervous about the Lumiere ceremony than I was my own. This ceremony was significant to our pack’s recovery. It

Chapter 36: Brothers Sydney “What?” Silas keeps trying to look at his own back. “Goddess, help me. I think his ceremony fired his damn brain.” I raise my head to plead with Selene herself. Watching him, I let out a sigh. “You look ridiculous. Stop it.” “Well, you said I had a star. I want to see it. Take a picture with your phone.” He spins around, and I swear Bram’s tail is out wagging. “Yeah, this damn dress has a place for pockets. I’ll do it later, but we seriously need to figure this out.” I pinch his arm to bring him out of his happy daze. “Ouch!” Silas rubs his arm. “What the hell.” “Silas! Focus!” My temper is starting to show. “OK. I’m sure it’s just part of the connecting pattern, and it doesn’t mean anything.” Silas waves me off. “I don’t think it’s part of the connecting pattern. I don’t know what it means if it means anything.” I sigh and turn him around to take a good look at his mark. It is pretty

Chapter 38: Finding the definition Sydney “Alpha, aren’t you going to join your mate and his father at the training grounds?” Kyler looked up from his laptop. I sink back into my chair and let out a sigh. “No, I need to get caught up on pack business.” I’m behind on pack work because of my heat and the Lumiere ceremony. Now that the other Alphas have left, I can focus on cleaning this up again. Why did Silas’ parents decide to stay an extra few days? I always feel like I’m walking on eggshells around them now. “What was all that noise about at the after-party, Alpha?” Ambrose cranes his neck backward over the sofa to look at me. A sucker stick poked out between his lips. I know he’s being nosy and trying to act casual about it. “It was nothing. Don’t worry about it.” I don’t want to bring it back up right now. It still bothers me. I focus on the reports in front of me. “Nothing? You sure rushed out for nothing then.” Ambrose knows how

Chapter 40: Monster Cookies Sydney “Is this really a good idea?” I whisper to myself as I slow my steps walking toward the packhouse kitchen. “Hurry up. Why are you so slow?” Thora tries to take over for a second. “Hey, knock it off. You just want to eat. Whatever she made is not going anywhere.” I push her back and maintain control. “You don’t know that. Beta Christine is nice, and she could have already given the good stuff away.” My mouth starts to salivate as Thora pushes forward again. “You are acting like a starving pup. We eat all the time.” I stop walking and stand still in the hall, taking back complete control. I’ve never put myself on a diet. With the consistent training and shifting, the need for calories was immense. Now with the added workload of the pack, I was eating even more, as they call it, brain food. “This is different. This is special. Just calm down, alright. Ever