She tied the red ribbon around my wrist and the white one around Rufus’s. It felt heavy, like a shackle instead of a harmless piece of material.
“Today, we celebrate the mating of our beloved Alpha, Rufus Savage, and his chosen mate, Luna Clayton,” she said. “In the name of the Firewolf Pack, I reach out to you. Alpha Savage, state your vows toward your chosen female, so that the chaos itself may bless your union.”
Her voice was steady, and she seemed to have set her previous anger aside. But I didn’t fool myself. She’d only show her enmity toward me once I’d served my purpose and delivered two litters of pups. That gave me plenty of time to win Rufus over.
And so I ignored her and continued to focus on him. “I, Rufus Savage, take this female as my mate and vow to protect and care for her, as her male and her Alpha,” he said.
Protection and care. It wasn’t love, but it was more than I’d expected from an Alpha who was walking into an arranged mating with an Omega. Maybe this would work better than I’d thought.
As he finished the phrase, Alice turned toward me. “In the name of the Firewolf Pack, I reach out to you. Luna Clayton, state your vows toward the male who has chosen you, so that the chaos itself may bless your union.”
Our vows weren’t the same as Firewolf ones, but just like with the dress, it was easy enough to figure out what to say. I opened my mouth and echoed Rufus’s vows. “I, Luna Clayton, take this male as my mate and vow to obey him, as his female and the mother of his pups.”
Alice handed Rufus the branding iron, and Rufus prepared himself to press it against my flesh. I swallowed nervously, my stomach tightening at the sight of the metal. I wasn’t afraid of the pain, but I didn’t like what it meant.
Still, I’d already agreed to this, and I knew it was necessary, for the sake of my pack, of all our futures. I fully intended to accept Rufus’s brand, just like my father had planned. I never got the chance.
The energy we’d felt throughout the day finally snapped. The ground underneath our feet started to shake, the trunk of the giant tree creaking in protest. The shifters around me let out cries of shock and dismay.
At first, I was too confused and lost to understand what they were saying. I shook my head to clear it, and that was when I finally heard it. “Oh, fuck. It’s the chaos.”
I looked up and gaped at the sight that met my eyes. I’d never seen the chaos as an adult, and it took my breath away.
Dusk was a beautiful time in Chaos Valley. It always had been. I’d always liked the colors that painted the sky crimson, reminding me a little of spilled blood. Watching that color slowly fade had always seemed so peaceful, and maybe that was why mating ceremonies tended to be held at this hour in our packs.
But with the chaos, it was different. The darkness that swallowed the skies threatened to crush my lungs, cutting off my breathing. The moon looked bigger than ever before, and the cloak of jet black seemed to reach into me and squeeze. A heavy fog fell over all of us, making my head spin. It was a minor miracle I managed to stay upright instead of succumbing to the pressure.
Truth be told, I might have fallen had the sound of a male voice not crashed over me with almost as much potency as the chaos. “What the hell?”
The words held something strangely hypnotizing. Even if I was almost lost in the chaos’s darkness, I tore myself away and searched for the source of the voice.
It was both the easiest and the most difficult thing I’d ever experienced in my life. All I had to do was look toward Alpha Savage again, but not directly at him. Right by his side, there was another werewolf, a man I’d completely ignored in my determination to focus on my future mate.
His dark hair and green eyes were identical to Rufus’s, and he shared the Alpha’s well-muscled build. But the way he made me feel couldn’t have been more different. Because when our gazes met, I knew. This was the male I truly belonged to. I couldn’t allow anyone else to have me. Only Rowan Savage. Only my true mate.
* * *
Rowan
In hindsight, we should have been ready for it. We should have guessed the chaos was the reason for our dreadful agitation. After all, what else could have affected us so badly?
But we were not ready, mostly because never before had the chaos felt so suffocating, so overwhelming. Its power wasn’t benevolent, and it had been known to drive some wolves feral. But that hadn’t happened in the Firewolf Pack in forever. And even when it did, the effect was isolated and only appeared when the chaos struck, not before.
Clearly, something had changed. Maybe it had something to do with whatever had caused the chaos to abandon us for nine years, or maybe it didn’t. I would have cared about the reason more, had I not been hit by the sudden knowledge that my mate was right there, standing in front of me.
Luna Clayton and I looked at one another, and in her wide, blue eyes, I saw my own heart. Her silver curls spilled over her naked shoulders like a waterfall of starlight, and her creamy skin begged to be touched, kissed, and marked.
She was easily the most beautiful female I’d seen in my life. When she had come out of the tent, wearing nothing but the ceremonial gown of the Alpha’s mate, I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. She might be an Omega,I’d thought,but Rufus is still lucky to have her.
My loyalty to my pack and to my brother had helped me control my lust. But there was no controlling anything now. This female was mine—and my brother was still holding her hand.
The mating ribbons were still around their wrists. They had both said the vows, though she hadn’t received the brand yet. Rufus wanted that. He wanted to burn her skin and make it clear she belonged to him. He wanted to take my mate from me.
With an infuriated snarl, I shoved my brother away and sliced the ribbons apart. I grabbed Luna’s arm and pulled her toward me. She came easily, instinctively drawn to me just like I was to her.
In an ideal world, I would have just thrown her down and fucked her right there, in front of the pack. She would have allowed it. She would have embraced it, and I had a feeling her body would feel heavenly around my prick.
But this was not an ideal world, and my brother didn’t react well to my decision to challenge his authority. “Rowan… What the fuck?”
