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Chapter 22: Aria

Chapter 22: Aria

Gentle fingertips brushed strands of hair from my face, waking me to a blurry shape in the pre-morning darkness. “Good morning, darling Aria,” whispered Lucas. “It’s 6:30 AM and time to wake up. You have a lot to prepare for today.”

My eyelids fluttered as I fought sleep. Taking in a long breath, I rolled over and found myself suddenly very close to Lucas’ shirtless body. His warmth reached into the blanket and wrapped around me, drawing me in. I froze in place with sharp uncertainty that I would regret closing the distance.

Lucas smiled, returning his fingertips to my temple to brush my hair behind my ear. I only lay there and let my body ease, appreciating the few peaceful seconds he gave me to wake up.

For the first time in a long time, the morning sun felt good. I woke feeling lightness in my chest—nothing bogged me down. Instead, it was like somebody had tied a helium balloon to my heart. Because I was waking up to the companionship of people who wouldn’t demean me, feel pity for me, or be nasty to me. I was with a pack that genuinely appreciated me and wanted me to be one of theirs. That morning felt extra special, not only because it was the day of the Perseids Celebration but because it was the day of my blood oath to the Silent Shadows Pack.

My life was going to change for the better. I finally knew what it felt like to be appreciated and wanted. Even though it didn’t feel real, I had no choice but to believe it was. I was welcomed and supported by Lucas’ packmates because they witnessed what I went through themselves. They understood why I was so broken, and they were patient and compassionate, and I wanted to let my heart open up to them. The fear of utter rejection still lingered, and I had to learn how to trust again. But I was wiser now to the signs of deception and abuse. I wanted to trust the Silent Shadows Pack, but only time would prove they sincerely wanted me. And because I wanted to trust them, my first act of opening up was to accept their offer to join the pack.

The person I yearned to trust the most was the person most dedicated to rehabilitating me. I was only just warming up to being comfortable around Lucas because he committed so much time to me and genuinely wanted to get to know me—it was more than I ever expected of him, being the Silent Shadows’ Alpha. Without him, I might never have felt the embers of happiness ever again, but my heart was only dead for a few weeks before Lucas sparked it back to life. He resuscitated me and stoked my fire until I felt alive again. But as the effect of Lucas’ compassion was so potent, so was the fear of imminent betrayal that I could lose him as quickly and suddenly as I lost Oswald. The fear was irrational in its intensity, and because of that, I still struggled to look Lucas in the eye or touch him without him touching me first. Progress was slow. I believed I would trust him eventually. Until then, all I could muster were weak smiles and shy avoidance of touch.

What I focused on more was normalizing the feeling of being a functioning and important part of a pack again and getting to know names and faces, and understanding my place among my new packmates.

I got up that morning with a clear vision of the day ahead. For the first time since my mating ceremony, there was confidence in my chest, and although it was reluctant, it was still a big step toward recovery. I had a sense of purpose. So after those few minutes of laying with Lucas, I got washed and ready for the day, fueled by optimism for a better life.

The first few hours of my morning were spent with Esther. We bustled around her kitchen, preparing and adding the finishing touches to the food for the celebrations. A spread of trays adorned Esther’s kitchen table, holding appetizers like potato skin bites, a cheese log with crackers, celery with peanut butter or garlic ranch spread, veggies and fruits, and deviled eggs. She had me at the kitchen counter putting together little chicken salad and egg salad sandwiches. All of the food looked delicious, but this was just finger food for the bored and restless before the main course of the celebrations: a live moose that the pack had captured for the afternoon hunt. I had dined on aged moose steak with Lucas after the strategy meeting, but fresh moose… it made me drool just thinking about it.

“Thanks for all your help,” said Esther as we wrapped and packed away the last of the sandwiches. “This would have taken me hours if I was doing it alone.”

“How come nobody else was around to help?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m sure somebody would have. But everyone else already has enough to do in preparation for today. I didn’t want to take anyone from their work. Besides, I wanted to spend the morning with you,” she said, smiling.

Joy flickered in my chest. I caught Esther’s eye and grew warm, urging myself to respond, “I’m happy to help you, Esther.”

I could tell she’d been fishing for a sign of positivity in me from the way her eyes lit up before she glanced at the clock. “Oh, it’s just about time for you to get ready. The girls will be here soon.”

As if summoned by those very words, a knock sounded on the front door. Esther welcomed two girls inside, teenagers around my age who had taken an interest in beauty and fashion and were recently accepted into an esthetician school in town.

“Are you Aria?” asked the brown-haired girl.

I nodded.

“I’m Holly,” she said, shaking my hand. “This is Paula,” she added as the short blonde girl beside her approached me, running her hands through my hair. Her sudden touch made me nervous, but Esther’s friendliness with them put me back at ease.

“I’ll be doing your hair,” said Paula. “Holly will be doing your makeup. Did you have any styles in mind?”

I shook my head. “I never used to get dressed up for anything...” Except for my mating ceremony. But that felt like it had happened an eternity ago.

Holly sat me at the vanity in Esther’s large washroom. “Don’t worry; I have a perfect look in mind. Lucas’ jaw is going to drop when he sees you!” She leaned in and winked.

All through the session, I imagined Lucas’ reaction to seeing me, growing more eager to reunite with him by the minute. Being away from him made me miss him. My heart yearned for his companionship, and when I realized that, I was struck with both excitement and dread. I was growing too attached to him. What if things suddenly went wrong today?

Those thoughts plagued me, but not for long. The girls put my red hair in a cute updo and gave me a sexy smoky eye look, then another knock at the door carried Lucas’ voice into Esther’s home.

The girls went out to greet him first. “Good afternoon, Alpha Lucas,” I heard them say.

Then I stepped out of the washroom, freshly dressed in a light-yellow blouse and brown skirt. Lucas paused in mid-sentence, brain functions ceasing at that moment to reroute all resources to responding appropriately to the sight of me. He’d never seen me dolled up like this before, and I found it increasingly more difficult to resist smiling.

“You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen,” he said finally, striding toward me with a hand outstretched to mine. I took his hand and savored his attention, his other palm running up my arm, attention wholly mine. “I don’t think I’ll be seeing any falling stars tonight. My eyes will be on something else entirely.”

By now, I’d figured out how to suppress the heat from my cheeks. What usually would have made me blush had me uttering a single chime of a chuckle instead. “Thank you, Lucas.”

“I’m so damn lucky,” he murmured for just the two of us. Then, grinning, he pulled back. “Are you ready for the blood oath?”

A sizzling sensation sat in my stomach while I nodded. “I’m ready.”

We left Esther’s house for a park in the center of the village. Surrounded by decorative conifers and rose bushes, a pebble walkway led us up to an ornate garden in which the Silent Shadows’ Beta, three elders, and Scott were awaiting us. “Usually, we’re a little more elaborate with our decorations and attendance, but given the short notice, we elected to have a smaller, more private ceremony. I hope that’s alright,” Lucas said as we walked along the path.

“It’s perfect,” I reassured him.

At the end of the walkway, surrounded by the highest council of the Silent Shadows Pack, Lucas stood me across from a tall stone basin. In the distance, a chorus of howls signified that the pack hunt was about to begin. Lucas beckoned my hand, turning my palm skyward while readying a small knife against my flesh.

“Aria Gunn, on this day, the Silent Shadows Pack formally invites you to join our ranks as Alpha Female In Consideration. You will be tested and trained appropriately for your suitability for the role and either offered the role or, should it not be the right fit, be offered a subordinate role within the pack. Do you accept these terms?”

I nodded. “I do.” It still felt impossible that I would suddenly find myself with such huge expectations—and the powerful trust—of an even larger pack than the one I’d grown up in.

“Do you vow to commit your loyalty, dedication, love, and life to the Silent Shadows Pack?”

“Yes,” I said. “With every breath, I breathe, I will live for the Silent Shadows Pack.”

“Do you vow to protect your packmates, honor and respect them, and strive toward bettering them, yourself, and everyone else you may work alongside?”

“Yes. I want nothing more than to see the Silent Shadows Pack flourish.”

My answers pleased Lucas—at least, I swore I could feel the stirring in my heart matched by his satisfaction, unsure of what else it could be.

“Then, with this blade, I will draw your blood to share in the vessel of the Silent Shadows Pack, which represents our territory, unity, and home.” Lucas met my eyes, making sure I was prepared before slitting the blade against my palm. I gritted my teeth for only a second, but this small cut was nothing compared to worse pains I’d felt.

Together, we watched a thick gob of blood bead from my palm, ambling down my hand and dripping into the stone basin. The instant it hit, a fiery new force awoke in me. A fresh bond had just opened up between myself and the Silent Shadows Pack—my new home.

“You are now physically and spiritually tied to the Silent Shadows Pack,” declared Lucas, smiling. “Welcome, Aria. You’re one of us.”

Truly, my spirit sang, knowing that I was beginning my new life as a member of Lucas’ pack. It was real now. The wolf-shifters gathered here had witnessed it, clapping for my introduction to the pack. Lucas clasped my bloody hand and held it high before the crowd. Tears threatened to prick my eyes, but for the first time since I could remember, they were tears of joy. I smiled and laughed, reveling in the brand-new feeling of being celebrated. I was accepted. I was... home.

Much of the Perseid Celebration was a blur. As I reunited with the pack after their moose hunt, faces I had come to know and recognize cheered in congratulations. Esther hugged me tightly, promising that she would show me what true friendship felt like. Holly and Paula bragged to everyone that they had done my hair and makeup and told me privately how they would bring me up to speed on the pack gossip. I flitted between everyone, thanking them or introducing myself and then gradually joining in the celebrations. We feasted and drank and danced in the hall until the sun began to set and stars glimmered out of the dusk.

I stood in the field outside the village with Lucas, watching his packmates—our packmates—transform and run under the sky. Already there were streaks of light illuminating the night. The meteor shower summoned the collective voice of the pack, singing in honor of the stars.

When the last packmate turned wolf and raced off to merge with the group, Lucas squeezed my hand. “Before we join them, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”

As he gazed down at me, I became lost in the depths of his sweet hazel eyes. That lock of silver among his black hair hanging over his brow tempted my fingers to brush it aside. I wanted to draw closer, but wonder held me in place. “What is it?”

“Do you feel it too?”

I swallowed. “Feel what?”

Lucas bent his head down, his lips hovering by my ear. “Our mate bond.”

The words alone were enough to send my heart into overdrive. “I—I don’t know.” In truth, I did know. It was that little ember burning away in the pit of my stomach, changing shape with Lucas’ moods, reflecting everything he felt. Happiness. Satisfaction. Annoyance. Distress. Sympathy. Love. I struggled to admit its existence because I feared what it meant. Was I ready to be so completely vulnerable with Lucas? To risk my heart being shattered again?

Sensing my hesitation, Lucas gently lifted my chin. “I think I have a way for you to tell.”

My breath trembled out of my lungs. Lucas leaned closer, close enough for our lips to brush. The embrace of our lips melted my insides, weakening my legs until Lucas had to actively hold me up. He laughed behind the kiss while I struggled to compose a single thought in response. But I couldn’t. He swept me off my feet, and I was helpless to resist.

Lucas Black was my first kiss. I wished this moment could last forever.

It only ended because two wolves reappeared before us. Lucas broke the kiss, smiling with a promise to continue later. But our light, amorous mood wasn’t destined to linger.

The scouts that came to us were wide-eyed with panic. “Alpha Lucas! We must pause the celebrations at once. Our pack could be in danger.”

“Why?” Lucas furrowed his brow.

“We found two wolf shifters at the border. Covered in blood. They’re dead, Alpha. Someone killed them and left them there. We fear it’s a warning to you.”

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