EMBER
When did I become so bold and confident? Is it because I’m now bonded to an alpha, or did I always carry it within me? Did I always repress my true nature?
I’d never stood up and spoken in front of a crowd like that before. And I’d never used the mind bond before, either. It wasn’t something my old pack encouraged, especially for the females.
Come to think of it, they didn’t encourage the females to do anything except cook, clean, and have babies.
Alpha Stone didn’t even have a moon, though it summoned a different wolf to its quarters almost every night. I was spared a nasty scare.
I watch as they bring out the food, filling the room with the delicious smell of a feast like I’ve never seen before.
The females of the Craven Lunar Pack weren’t invited to prepare dinner either. We simply prepared the food and served it to the male wolves.
I feel my stomach growl as the aroma of tender, juicy roasted meat floats under my nose. I watch as the pack waits for their alpha to take the first bite. That will be his cue to start eating, and mine too.
But instead, Damon takes a bit of meat from the plate in front of him with his fingers and brings it to my mouth, offering it to me first.
My eyes go wide. This is more than him just giving me a bite of his food. He’s feeding me. It’s symbolic. A gesture of dominance, from the alpha to his mate. The pack gazes at us, rapt.
I do the only thing I can do. I open my mouth and allow Damon to place the morsel of meat on my tongue.
At the same time, I hear his voice in my mind for the first time. “ Lick them clean, little wolf ,” he demands.
I stare at his fingers for a moment, then take them in my mouth, sucking off the residual juices from the meat. My face flushes as a roar of approval goes up from the pack.
This is the closest thing to having a public marking, which I know some packs still do. I’m grateful that part, at least, happened in private, just for me and Damon.
As soon as I have licked Damon’s fingers clean, he cups my cheek and his lips smash into mine, taking my breath away.
Perhaps this is part of the ceremony as well, because the pack is cheering and banging on the table.
I block out the sound and savor the taste of him, opening my mouth to let him fully claim me. When he breaks the kiss, he’s smiling.
“Eat up,” he whispers. “The sooner we eat, the sooner we can get back to the bedroom.”
If my face was pink before, it must be bright red now. I want to clench my thighs together, capturing the flutter through my core. But I still can’t move my legs so instead I inhale a shaky breath.
My heart beats rapidly in my chest. I want this as much as Damon does, but it still doesn’t stop the butterflies from once again multiplying in my stomach.
Before I know it the meal has almost come to an end, and my nervousness is starting to morph into excitement at what the rest of the night will hold.
I want to broach the subject of me marking Damon. I don’t have a great amount of control over my wolf, and we don’t agree on much, but as far as this is concerned, we’re on the same page.
I hope that with our shared motivation to claim Damon as our own, we’ll be able to do a partial shift, at least enough for me to mark Damon as he has marked me.
Then suddenly, a growl from Joshua rouses me from my thoughts. I look toward him, seeing that his eyes have glazed over and are almost black.
Damon’s eyes snap toward his beta at the same time as mine do. When Joshua’s eyes clear, he swallows nervously.
“Alpha, we have a problem,” he states. He glances at me, then back at Damon. It doesn’t take Einstein to realize that the problem is something to do with me.
“Speak,” Damon growls.
Joshua takes a deep breath. “Alpha Stone is at the border with one of his warriors. The warrior says that Ember is his mate, and he’s here to claim her.”
Any color I have in my cheeks immediately pales. “H-he rejected me. I can’t go back.”
Damon takes my hand in his and squeezes it tightly. “No one is going back anywhere,” he growls.
He glares at Joshua, although none of this is Joshua’s fault. “Get that damn contraption—wheelchair—whatever you call it. Meet us outside, and have Ember’s brother taken to the dungeon.”
I don’t argue with him. The only other person who knows about my gift is my brother, and Alpha Stone would only want me back if he’s found out somehow. My brother must have told Stone for some reason, after Stone sent me away.
Joshua stares back at Damon and swallows nervously. “You’re taking her to the border?”
Damon narrows his eyes. “Ember is mine, and it’s about time that pathetic excuse of an alpha and his so-called warrior knew it.”
He stands and pushes the chair back abruptly. The pack goes silent as the chair clatters to the floor.
“There has been an incident at the border,” he says in a carrying voice. “Remain here and continue your meal. I will send word if more warriors are needed, or if any of you need to head to the bunkers.”
There are low mumblings from the rest of the pack, but Damon ignores them, scooping me into his arms to carry me from the dining hall.
“You’re mine, Ember, never forget that,” he growls lowly in my ear.
How could I possibly forget it when his every touch ignites sparks that set my whole body alight?
I feel a little guilty when we exit the pack house and I see a car parked in front. If it weren’t for my useless legs, we could have shifted and run to the border together.
Or if Damon were willing to leave me behind and deal with this by himself, he and Joshua could shift and be there in minutes.
“He won’t leave us alone. Not when we might be in danger,” my wolf chides me. I wonder if this is really the best way to keep me safe, though.
Surely bringing me to the person who wants to steal me away is more likely to put me in danger than leaving me behind at a well-guarded pack house. But I don’t say anything.
I do feel better being close to Damon, and I’ve trusted him so far. Perhaps this is a further test by the Moon Goddess, to see if I can be brave in the face of my past. Though in my opinion, the Goddess has tested me enough already.
It’s about an hour’s drive to reach the border. Joshua drives, and Damon and I sit side-by-side in the back.
Damon doesn’t say much, but his whole demeanor has become dark. If I didn’t know better, I would think he was pissed with me, but I know that’s not the case.
His arm is wrapped around me tightly, pulling me flush against his side. Perhaps he is hoping the contact will calm his wolf. It doesn’t appear to be working, if his grimace is anything to go by.
When the car pulls to a halt, Joshua turns to face us. “It’s about five minutes from here. I suggest we go the rest of the way on foot.”
Damon nods and opens one of the back doors. He gets out, then leans back into the car, scooping me into his arms.
Joshua has already pulled my wheelchair out of the boot of the car, and Damon gently places me in it. Joshua offers to push me, but Damon waves him away, navigating me carefully over the uneven ground.
Me alivia que le haya hecho señas a Joshua para que se fuera. No tengo nada en contra de Joshua, pero Damon me hace sentir segura. Sus fuertes brazos le dan a la silla de ruedas la estabilidad que tanto necesita en el terreno accidentado.
Cuando llegamos a la frontera, la bilis me sube a la garganta al ver a mi antiguo alfa parado allí con Noah a su lado, flanqueado por dos de los guerreros de Damon que deben haber llegado mucho antes para vigilarlos.
Cualquier sentimiento que alguna vez tuve por Noah se ha ido. Nuestro vínculo de pareja se ha roto, y por eso estoy agradecida. Me inclino hacia atrás y toco la mano de Damon, saboreando las chispas que me recorren desde mi verdadera pareja, mi segunda oportunidad.
Al acercarnos, Alpha Stone da un paso al frente. «Vengo por Ember. Su compañero se ha dado cuenta de su error», afirma.
Entrecierra los ojos mientras me mira, sorprendido por la silla de ruedas. “Y justo a tiempo, porque parece que ya está herida”.
Damon gruñe. Sabe tan bien como yo que la apariencia de preocupación es una artimaña. A Alpha Stone no le importa si me lastimo. Solo le importa lo que puedo darle.
—Me iría mientras aún puedan. Ember es mi compañera y mi Luna. —Damon me aparta el pelo con suavidad, dejando al descubierto su marca.
Noah da un paso al frente. No estoy seguro de qué le habrá prometido Piedra Alfa, pero debe ser algo. Es solo un peón, usado para llevarme de vuelta a la Manada Lunar Craven.
—Ember es mi compañera predestinada. No tienes derecho a marcarla —sisea Noah.
Damon sale de detrás de la silla de ruedas y se pone a mi lado. «Cachorro tonto», gruñe, «la rechazaste. Nunca se separará de mi lado. No solo lleva mi marca, sino también la de mi manada».
Me toma la muñeca y me quita la venda, revelando la marca de la manada de plata celestial. Todavía me duele un poco el brazo al aire, pero me enorgullece poder demostrar mi lealtad a mi nueva manada.
Oigo a Joshua jadear. «Ya está curado», exclama.
Miro mi brazo. ¿Cómo es posible? Nunca he podido sanar tan rápido, a menos que el sanador tenga razón y sea Damon quien me esté curando.
Alfa Piedra gruñe. “Me importa un bledo. Volverá conmigo”. Levanta la mano y oigo el silbido de las flechas al volar por el aire. Piedra debe de tener arqueros escondidos en el bosque circundante.
Parece que todo sucede a cámara lenta. Las flechas dan en el blanco. Damon, Joshua y los dos guerreros caen al suelo.
Una flecha por persona no debería ser suficiente para incapacitar a los temibles guerreros de la Manada Luna Oscura. Pero al parpadear, no se levantan. Entonces lo huelo. Sangre y acónito.
“Agárrala”, gruñe Alpha Stone.
Noah se abalanza sobre mí con una sonrisa burlona, pero antes de que llegue, algo dentro de mí se quiebra. Toda mi frustración contenida se libera.
No seré una víctima, nunca más.
Aprieto la mandíbula. “¡No. Me. Toques!”, digo entre dientes, con una voz apenas reconocible.
Mientras las palabras salen de mi boca, el cielo se oscurece y el viento sopla con fuerza, sacudiendo los árboles que nos rodean.
Un rayo impacta en uno de los árboles y lo parte por la mitad. Un lado se cae, tirando a Noah al suelo, inmovilizándolo.
Él forcejea, con aspecto aterrorizado. «¡Ayúdenme!», grazna.
Alpha Stone me mira con horror, luego niega con la cabeza y le dice a Noah: “Cachorro estúpido, estás solo”.
I hear the sound of bones breaking as he moves and runs into the trees and crosses the border.
“ Coward ,” my wolf growls.
I jump out of my wheelchair and crawl over to Damon. I reach out for him, and when my skin brushes against his, I feel a jolt.
He moans. Finally, my gift will be of some use. I feel my wolf fade slightly as it absorbs the venom coursing through Damon’s body, but it’s worth it, so much more to be able to help.
His eyes snap open and he looks at me in dismay. “Stop it. That’s enough,” he growls.
I shake my head. If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t be hurt. I need to do this. It’s the least I can do.
As the last of the wolfsbane leaves Damon’s body and enters mine, I feel my wolf fade away completely.
I watch as Damon pulls the arrow from his shoulder and tosses it to the side. Now he’ll be able to heal. Then I feel him pull me into his lap as my vision blurs.
The last thing I see before I lose consciousness is more warriors running toward us. Luckily, they’re Damon’s.
As my vision darkens, I hear Damon’s panicked voice. “No… Ember… Why?”
