Ramos clasps our hands together, his wound touching mine and our blood mixing. I can feel the pack magic enter my body, asking permission to bond with me.
“Marilyn Cross, do you accept the pack bond as my chosen Luna? To support and provide the motherly love the pack needs?” Ramos asks, his eyes staring into mine.
“I do,” I answer, giving the man before me a demure smile. The bond snaps into place instantly, and for a moment, the pack links crowd my mind as many welcome me into the pack with fake acceptance. Before the chatter could cause a migraine, I shut the link off and breathed a sigh of relief. So far, nothing has gone wrong.
Another omega appears, this time handing Ramos a wet towel. He cleans the blood from my palm, placing a soft kiss on the closing wound before cleaning his own hand. After handing the sullied towel to the omega, he pulls me flush against his body.
“As is tradition here in Oak Fur, Marilyn will now be marked for all to see. After such, I will take her into the woods and claim her as my mate before the Moon Goddess,” Ramos announces.
Some wolves in the crowd cheer, waiting to see a good show. Some of them believe my pup is not Ramos’. If Ramos marks me and the pup turns out not to be his, I’ll lose the pup in my womb and most likely be sent back to my father. But I know for certain that the babe inside me is his—he’s the only wolf I’ve fucked without a condom.
Ramos breaks me from these thoughts, his lips descending onto mine once more in a heated kiss. His tongue dives into my mouth, claiming and dominating me. His right arm is wrapped around my waist, keeping me pressed against him while his left hand moves to fondle my sensitive breast.
An involuntary moan escapes my lips, and Ramos growls in approval, his lips trailing kisses down my jawline towards the crook of my neck. I can feel his canines poking my sensitive skin, and my breath hitches when he finds the perfect spot. I shiver, hands clenching his shoulders as my eyelids flutter close. Then it happens.
His canines pierce my skin, the bond of chosen mates clicking into place. I can feel his arousal for me as soon as I accept this bond and feel my own body responding in kind. The moment Ramos pulls away, he scoops me into his arms and marches past the cheering crowd. Some of them may not like me, but gaining a new Luna has strengthened the pack.
Ramos carries me towards the tree line. No one will be allowed in the forest until Ramos and I return to the packhouse, and he’s branded with my own mark.
33
Kaylee
Sitting in the dining hall, a mug of hot chocolate in my hand, I watch as Devon refills the buffet table. He has grown thinner since last week when he, Lucas, and I visited him the day after finding out he and Ash are mates. He sang like a canary that day, explaining Ramos’ plans in detail to us, including how he wanted Lucas and me dead so that the pup Marilyn carries would not have to worry about Lucas staking a claim to Oak Fur.
Ash remained silent the whole time, watching Devon for any hint of a lie. Thankfully for him, Devon was truthful and even suggested methods of hacking into Oak Fur’s cell phone network to help us spy on Ramos and Marilyn.
Lucas relayed this to David, who quickly put the suggestions into action while Ash and Devon talked. When David confirmed an hour later that our tech team could get into Oak Fur’s network, we decided to call it a day before leaving the dungeons.
Ash seemed happier and more hopeful than the night before. I even felt like Devon really had no choice but to spy on us, and so, with a promise to talk to Amelia for him, Ash went off to form a hunting party. He promised to return tomorrow night with new prey to fill our freezers.
The talk with Amelia ended favorably for Devon, with Amelia agreeing to a probationary term. Devon would be given a room in the packhouse and guarded day and night by our spies.
Marco, Kurt, and two other warriors transported Devon from the dungeons to his room, where he was told of the terms and conditions of his second chance.
For the next year, he’ll be stuck as an omega and work in the packhouse. A tracker will be put on his ankle that would shock him if he went ten meters from the packhouse’s outer walls, and a silver collar will be placed around his neck. The silver won’t kill or burn him, as the collar is inside a leather band, but he won’t be able to shift until it’s removed. The only way that would happen is either the year has passed or he’s earned our trust.
So far, Devon has been compliant with this deal. The spies assigned to watch him have told me that he takes each task seriously, no matter how menial or degrading they may be—all to prove to Ash that he is serious about being in his life.
“How is he doing?”
Jumping at the question, I turn to find Lucas smiling at me. David had taken him from our cottage early this morning for impromptu beta training, and its toll can be seen in the dark circles under Lucas’ eyes.
“Good. He’s kept up with the demand for food well, and no one seems to be giving him a hard time,” I answer, smiling when Lucas bends down and kisses my forehead softly.
Ever since he moved into the cottage, our relationship has improved. I spent the last week teaching Lucas how to clean and cook, which helped us bond and become closer than we’ve ever been.
“He looks like a weight has lifted off his shoulders,” Lucas muses with a chuckle, and I can’t help but agree. After stating he plans to grab food and asking what I want, I watch Lucas make his way to the buffet table, stopping to talk with Devon for a moment before returning with two plates filled with food and a bottle of apple juice tucked under his chin.
“Devon asked if he could have the tracker removed tonight for a date with Ash,” he mutters as soon as the food has been put onto the table and the bottle is no longer under his chin. Reaching for a sausage, I think over this request. It’s been a week since the tracker was placed on Devon’s ankle, and in that week, he’d been compliant and well-behaved.
“Link Amelia and see what she says. If she says yes, you can get Ash to take it off him. I’m sure those two would appreciate this gesture,” I finally answer, taking a bite of the breakfast sausage and scrunching up my face. Honey garlic flavor—disgusting. Lucas chuckles as I push the sausages onto his plate, taking his hashbrowns instead and happily munching on those.
His eyes glaze over before his lips turn into a wide grin.
“Amelia said yes to the request,” he says with a wink, making me smile.
We managed to eat half our food when a frazzled-looking Marco came rushing into the dining hall, making a beeline to our table.
