All Chapters of THE OUTCAST’S ALPHA MATE: LOVE AND REDEMPTION: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Corien was in Dax’s office. He had been with him for the past hour, letting the Alpha seethe and rage.Dorien and the Luna had been present as well, but they had left earlier, leaving only the two brothers, the two enemies, together.Dax sat in his chair, his back to Corien, staring out the large window behind his desk.“Once the Alpha King hears of this from Anna, he will come for her,” Dax droned. Finally calm after his last outbursts with his family.“Not if we claim her,” Corien replied calmly.Dax did not respond.Corien continued.“We don’t have to do so immediately. We can plan for it, as we do for everything,” he stated firmly as he approached the large desk and stopped at the edge, adjacent to Dax’s wide shoulders.“If you put everything aside, you will know that what Dorien has suggested is the best solution,” he continued carefully.Silence.

Years ago, the Lightmoon pack had hidden Corien’s gift of dreams.His gift had been a secret known to only a few, all of whom were sworn to secrecy – not just a promise, but a blood bond sealed through spells had been made.This had been done to protect not only Corien but also the pack, as they gained great advantages in attacks and advances from their rivals and enemies through his premonitions.In public, within the pack, no one ever spoke loudly about his strength, his healing, or his proficiency in battles.Whatever their thoughts may have been, whatever fantasies anyone dreamed up, at most, Corien was referred to as ‘special’, or ‘different’, or ‘unique’, when shifters praised him, when they were in their cups, or when they gossiped, nothing more.Then the war happened, and he became ‘token’, ‘prize’, and ‘fallen’.After half a year to two years, for th

The Marian he had dumped had not been the vibrant she-wolf he had fallen for. She had not been the lively, bold, outspoken girl he had taken into his heart, and into his bed.After the battle, she had lost her shine, her light. She became dull in her manner, in her speech. They had had to sneak around to meet.He had even let other she-wolves touch him before going to see her, on purpose. And she never said anything, never called him out.He continued making promises to her even as he purposefully kept away, and she had not challenged him in any way.His real, original Marian would never have let anything like that slide.She had changed, and he had lost interest.==========But, upon her return, right from their first exchange, he had finally seen the girl he had known for almost ten years, and his pulse had quickened.His heart had beat like it used to when they had first kicked things off.His woman.An alpha she-wolf and warrior of no mean ability.Someone who was his before anyon

As far as every pack member knew, Alpha Dax had never been so magnanimous in the past. At previous ceremonies, he was never seen until the event commenced.Today, he was seen everywhere. It was both comforting and unnerving.In addition, the Alpha heir was also in tow.Though many whispered that this might have something to do with his growing responsibilities within the pack as he would soon turn twenty-one and there were things he ought to take over from his father, sooner rather than later, it was not usual either.The heir usually moved about on his own, with their Luna-in-waiting, Risa, accompanying him, but today she was nowhere in sight.The pack was also aware that their guests were still around.Normally, they should have left after Christmas, but they were all still around, and the compound was still in lockdown.They had every reason to be somber, to be uneasy.As the pack stewed in their doubts and hope for a peaceful ceremony, Marian and Reyland were stewing in something m

“I told you that we need to talk,” Reyland continued in the same hoarse tone.Marian could feel that he was no longer erect, and she deflated as well as she focused on listening to him this time.“And we really need to.”Without looking at her, he reached for the last potion and held it between them.Marian leaned back, still sitting across him.“Drink this. Eat. And let’s talk,” he said softly, raising his eyes slowly to meet hers.Marian, who had been gazing at his lashes since he had stopped looking at her, met his sapphire eyes with tears in her own.She swallowed.She wanted to say many things to him, to assure him that she would accept anything from him, anything at all.Instead, as she listened to his racing heartbeat and heavy breathing, her mind calmed.She parted her lips as she stared at him with meaning, her erstwhile sultry gaze now humble.Reyland’s lips twitched as his darkened expression brightened.He pressed his lips together to keep from smiling as he raised the bowl