Chapter 9
And so, I am faced with an impossible situation. My inner wolf is completely attached to this woman, that is undeniable and inescapable. I have a mate now. It is this woman. Does that make me a lesbian? That’s a question for another day. The most pressing question on my mind was simply.
What the fuck.
The alpha, to her credit, gives me a moment to collect my thoughts. Unfortunately, she is still naked so her standing there staring at me really isn’t helpful. I’m blushing, as red as a cherry, and not from fear.
Ziron is staring at the two of us in bewilderment. He hesitates for a good few minutes while I stare at the tall alpha in front of us. He awkwardly looks away from her naked form to look at me. He raises an eyebrow, asking nonverbal questions. I don’t have any answers for him.
Ziron raises an eyebrow at me like he’s waiting for me to explain why I look like I’ve just been struck by lightning.
I can’t. I feel like I have been. Every nerve is on fire; I’m covered in goosebumps.
She is too.
The Alpha’s lips twitch slightly, like she can see the exact moment our bond settles over me. Her nostrils flare subtly. She smells me, catching my scent. The shift in the air. The invisible thread snapping tight between us.
Her wolves behind her murmur uneasily. They want to kill me and Ziron, I can see it in their dark eyes.
The Alpha lifts one hand, silencing them instantly.
Authority rolls off her in waves. It isn’t loud. It isn’t forced. It’s just there.
“Stand down,” she says.
Her voice is low. A voice that didn’t need to shout to command obedience.
The wolves immediately lower their heads.
Ziron shifts closer to me, protective despite the fact that we both know he can’t actually protect me from anything. I appreciate the gesture regardless.
The Alpha’s eyes never leave mine.
“I didn’t expect this,” she says, soft enough so only I can hear.
“You didn’t expect what?” I snap back. “Survivors?”
Her jaw tightens slightly.
“No,” she says evenly. She tilts her head, like looking at me from the new angle will change what she sees. “You.”
My wolf hums, pleased. I grit my teeth, not pleased.
“Congratulations,” I snap. “You found me. Now what? Are you going to finish what you started?”
A flicker passes through her eyes. Something dark. Something almost… regretful?
She takes a step forward.
Ziron stiffens beside me. I don’t flinch.
“If I wanted to kill you,” she says calmly, “you would already be dead.”
The bluntness of it makes Ziron swallow hard. She’s right and we both know it. If she wanted us dead, all she would have to do would be step back and watch.
“Is that supposed to scare me?”
I tilt my chin up. She studies me like I’m a puzzle she hasn’t quite figured out.
“No,” she says. “It’s supposed to be honest.”
My wolf presses against the inside of my ribs, desperate, yearning.
Mine, mine, be honest with her, be open with her-
I take a deep breath and shove my wolf to the back of my mind.
“You burned my village,” I say flatly.
The Alpha goes very still.
Ziron’s face hardens. He’d lost everything too. He steps up beside me, us two survivors against a killer.
She’s not a killer, she’s our-
I tell my inner wolf to shut the hell up.
The Alpha’s eyes darken at the accusation.
“Yes,” she says. “I burned your village.”
No denial. No excuse. Just yes.
Rage detonates inside me so violently my hands shake.
“You killed my parents.” The words come out broken and more vulnerable than I intended.
Her jaw flexes.
“I led the attack.”
That’s not the same as admitting she struck the killing blow. But it’s close enough.
The wolves behind her shift uneasily.
Ziron steps forward now, anger overtaking fear. “You slaughtered two packs!”
She looks at him briefly, assessing. Then dismissing.
“My war was not with civilians,” she says.
“Oh that’s funny,” I spit. “Because my mother was definitely a civilian when she burned. The children you killed were definitely civilians when you cut them down!”
Her eyes snap back to mine. And there it is. A crack.
Small. Almost imperceptible. But I see it.
“There can be no one left to rebuild the pack,” she says quietly. “It is our way.”
“Do you expect me to believe you?” My voice rises. “You’re the Alpha. Everything your pack does is on you. Change your damn way!”
Silence stretches.
Then…
“You’re right.”
She exhales slowly.
I didn’t expect that. I didn’t expect to see guilt in her eyes. But before I could comment on it, accuse her further, she broke the silence.
“My name,” she says, voice steady again, “is Cadence.”
My wolf sings her name. Cadence.
It fits her. Sharp and rhythmic and dangerous.
“I am the Alpha of Moonblood,” she continues, “The only female Alpha currently recognized among the northern territories.”
There’s no arrogance in the statement. Just fact.
“I built my pack from rogues who were hunted, starved, discarded. I made them strong. I made them feared. And I made enemies.”
Her eyes never leave mine.
“Your father aligned himself with one of those enemies.”
My stomach twists.
“My father was defending our land,” I reply with barely contained rage.
“And I was securing mine,” she replies too quickly.
Ziron looks between us like he’s waiting for us to lunge at each other. Maybe I’m waiting for that too. But my wolf won’t let me hurt this woman.
Goddamn it.
We stand there, breathing hard, both waiting for the other to speak first.
Cadence takes another step closer.
Close enough that I can see the faint scar cutting across her collarbone. Close enough that I can see the tension in her shoulders.
“I came here tonight,” she says quietly, “to eliminate loose ends.”
My pulse thunders. Ziron inhales sharply. Loose ends was us.
“I intended to kill you.”
Ziron moves in front of me instantly, despite knowing it’s useless. “You’re not touching her.”
Cadence doesn’t even look at him.
Her eyes are locked on mine.
“I knew I couldn’t kill you when you bumped into me,” she continues, voice lower now, rougher somehow.
My wolf surges forward again, almost painfully.
“Really, I knew before I saw your face.”
Her throat moves as she swallows.
“You are my fated mate.”