54. Shya

Chapter fifty-four

Shya

1 day later

The night air was cool against my skin as I stood at the edge of the sacred grove, my bare feet relishing the feel of the soft earth. It had been only a day since Mason and I had defeated Tristan, but it felt like a lifetime ago. Tonight, under the light of the full moon, Mason and I would be bound together as mates.

The grove was alive with energy, filled with members from both the Three Rivers Pack and the Bridgetown Pack. I could see Mai, with Ryan's arm around her waist, staring up at him with such a look of love on her face. I wondered if that was what I looked like when I looked at Mason. Derek stood nearby, his eyes doing their perpetual scan of the area, only resting when they hit Sofia, who was chatting with Marnie and Summer. Wally and Thomas were there, too, holding hands and looking dashing in matching black suits. Sam wasn't here, and I knew Mason was missing him. The witch had disappeared after the battle; there was no trace of him, not even a scent to follow. Sam had set off as soon as Mason and I had returned, hoping to track him down, and hadn't returned yet.

AJ and Milly had left, too, as soon as he woke up in human form. They were going to search more of Tristan's camp for signs of AJ's mate.

A bell chimed, and everyone moved to their places. Earlier today, Ryan had severed Mason's bond with the Three Rivers. It had been painful to watch him lose his Pack, his family. I had thought he was going to collapse with sudden loss, but then his eyes had sought out mine. I did the only thing I could: I held his gaze and willed my love and admiration for him to shine through. Then, Mom had sealed his new Bridgetown Pack bond. It would take him time to get used to it, for the bond to settle into place, but he was one of us now. I could feel him through the Pack bonds, and he could feel me.

For my second mating ceremony, I'd asked Henry and Tucker to walk the circles with me, to show unity in our Pack and support for Mason.

I smiled as my brothers walked toward me, both looking handsome in their formal attire. Henry looked so grown up in his suit, his lanky frame somehow more dignified. His watchful brown eyes, so like our mother's, scanned the area before settling on me with a warm smile. Tucker, in contrast, was practically bouncing with excitement, his whole being vibrating with energy.

"Ready, Shya?" Henry asked softly, offering me his arm.

I nodded, taking his arm and reaching for Tucker's hand. "Thanks for doing this, both of you."

Tucker beamed up at me, his ever-present smile even wider than usual. "Are you kidding? This is so cool! I get to be part of the ceremony!"

Henry shushed him gently. "Remember, Tuck, we need to be respectful."

"I know, I know," Tucker said.

I glanced down at my little brother and grinned. "So you don't have a car on standby this time?"

Tucker looked thoughtfully toward the circle where I knew Mason was waiting for me.

"Nah. He'll do. Though if he hurts you …" His voice turned serious, and for a moment, I could feel the power coming off my brother. I almost took a step back; the threat was so real. "He'll have to answer to me."

He might only be seven, but Tuck was going to be one hell of a powerful Alpha one day.

"Sounds like a good deal, Tuck."

As we began our walk to the outer circle, I felt everyone's eyes turn to me. The simple white dress I wore fluttered gently in the breeze, and I held my head high. This time, there was no pretense, no forced smiles. I was barefoot and unadorned. This was me. For better or worse, I had no armor anymore. Mason was mating the real me.

The chanting began, a low hum that grew in intensity with each step I took. This time, the sound seemed to buoy me forward, propelling me to my future. I searched the faces in the crowd, no longer seeing expectation or judgment but hope and acceptance.

We walked the circles in no time at all, and as I reached the innermost circle, I saw Mason waiting for me next to Mom. She was smiling at me. After seeing Mason throw Tristan's head into the ranks of the Bridgetown Pack, Mom had relented. She would bless our union and step down from the Alphahood in the next few weeks. I didn't think she would stay for long after that. I could see in her eyes that she yearned to mourn Dad properly.

My gaze swept over Mom and came to my mate. The rest of the world dropped away as our eyes met. Mason's eyes were locked onto mine, igniting a fire that coursed through my entire body. In that moment, I felt as if I could see into his very soul and he into mine. It was as if every step I had taken in my life had been leading me to this exact moment, to him.

Mason's lips curved into a smile that was meant only for me. I felt my own lips respond in kind, unable to contain the joy and love that threatened to overwhelm me. The air between us seemed to crackle with electricity, charged with the promise of our future together, and in that moment, I knew with absolute certainty that this was right. This was where I belonged. With Mason. I was home.

Edmond and Garrett waited for most of the ceremony to be completed before they put in an appearance. As they stepped into the sacred grove, a hush fell over the gathered werewolves, and I knew something was wrong. The circles parted as Edmond and his brother strode forward. Edmond's face was a mask of calm composure. Beside him, Garrett's eyes darted around, a mix of defiance and contempt in them.

"Edmond," Mason growled in warning.

"Enough, Mason. This is wrong," Edmond called out, coming to a stop in front of us. "Shya's mate should come from our Pack, not an outsider. This is what we agreed, Camille."

"It was." Mom inclined her head. "Of course, that was before Mason and Shya put their lives on the line to stop an attack on our Pack and killed the one who murdered my mate while the insider, the one from our very own Pack, ran and hid."

Edmond's mask cracked a little as he drew himself up and hissed, "I did not hide. Someone had to oversee the defenses. If Tristan had broken through, the whole Pack would have fallen."

Mason stepped forward. "You keep telling yourself that."

Edmond glared at Mason, and his fists clenched.

Yeah, Edmond's cool, calm exterior was definitely under some strain.

"Whatever your opinion of my actions, it is immaterial. The next Alpha must come from our Pack."

"I come from our Pack, Edmond." I took a small step toward him. "And Mason has joined us. He is one of us now." I lowered my voice. "Please don't do this," I pleaded, searching his face for any sign of the man I'd known and respected.

Edmond's mask slipped even more. His blue eyes flashed with fury, his frame trembling with barely contained rage. "It's not right," he snarled, all pretense of calm evaporating. "You're the link to the Alphahood, Shya, but it's not your choice. The fate of a whole Pack and its future should not rely on the fickle reasoning and passing fancies of a woman."

Garrett moved closer to his brother, his voice low but carrying. "That's right, Ed. Show them what real leadership looks like."

"Of course," Mason murmured behind me, as if he had just worked something out. His hand found mine, squeezing gently before he addressed Edmond. "You're the mole. You tipped off Tristan about what we were doing. Did you tell him where to find Shya the day she was taken, too? Did you tell him where to find Michael?"

I heard the collective intake of breaths from the Pack around us.

"Don't be ridiculous!" he scoffed. "I was supposed to mate with Shya. I'd be Alpha. Why would I hand the Pack to Tristan?"

And there it was. I wasn't a person, just a thing to pass around. The key to the kingdom for anyone who mated with me.

Mason's gaze swung to Edmond's brother. "Why indeed, Garrett?"

Edmond's face paled, his composure cracking further as he looked between Mason and Garrett. "What is he talking about, Garrett?"

When Garrett didn't answer, Edmond stared at him, horror etched across his features. "Did you tip off Tristan?"

For a moment, silence reigned in the grove. Then Garrett laughed, a harsh, bitter sound.

"You're damn right I did," he declared, squaring his shoulders and lifting his chin defiantly. His eyes, so similar to Edmond's, now blazed with anger and twisted pride. "I saw the way Shya treated you, brother. The way she treated our family. As if we were beneath her."

Garrett's eyes swept over the crowd, his voice rising with each word. "We're better than the Littles. We always have been. Our bloodline is pure, our heritage unmatched. Why should we bow to them?" He spat the last word, his face contorted with disgust as he turned to me. "To her? She's a prissy little bitch. And she made you plead to mate with her, all while she was fucking an outsider behind your back!"

Edmond looked aghast, but Garrett paid him no mind. He was on a roll now, years of pent-up resentment and twisted ideology pouring out of him. "Tristan understood the truth of the world. Werewolves should have their pick of females. We should have our pick of the humans. Tristan was going to make sure we all got what we deserved. A return to the old ways, where real wolves ruled by strength and right."

"How could you?" Edmond was horrified. "You betrayed this Pack; you betrayed our family. And for what? So you could fuck whatever little tart took your fancy?"

Garrett's lips curled into a sneer. "I was proud to help him."

Edmond snapped. I saw it a moment before he lunged at his brother, hands reaching for his throat.

Mason saw it, too, and slammed into Edmond, pushing him back before he could attack Garrett.

The crowd murmured in shock and anger. I could feel the tension building, the air thick with the promise of violence.

Danni and Ivan were there immediately, glancing between me and Mason.

"There will be no bloodshed on my mating day," I said firmly, my voice carrying the weight of my newfound authority. I nodded to Danni and Ivan. "Take them away. We'll deal with them later."

Neither of them went quietly. In the end, Garrett was unconscious as Ivan and Ethan carried him away. Edmond hadn't put up much of a fight. After all, he wasn't a fighter, more a strategist.

I waited until they had left, then turned back to Mason. "Now, where were we?"