Page 17 of Alpha Mates

“We’ll figure this out,” Michael promises, stopping me mid-step with the reminder that there are others here. “For now, it’s imperative that neither of you does something rash like rejecting the other.”

I hadn’t even considered rejection, and the word settles in me like a bomb. Rejecting Julian as my mate would set me free from him, but it would also mean the ruin of both of our packs.

I’d never seen it, thank Goddess, but a mate’s rejection is worse than death. To have your other half, the one meant to love you like no other, declare they don’t want you is enough to send any wolf mad.

Even if I were the one to break our bond, I already know I couldn’t lead as a jilted wolf. My people come first, always. But would Julian feel the same?

Risking another glance in his direction, I prepare myself for the worst, but not for the apprehension swarming him as he looks at me.

“Don’t.” It’s a quiet, stiff whisper, but it’s still enough to tear me apart.

“I’m not going to reject you,” I mutter, as I force myself to look away before I do something stupid like go to him.

The sigh of relief that comes from him shouldn’t please me as much as it does, nor should the way he straightens himself with his usual confidence afterwards. Almost as if he’d been waiting for those words before daring to.

“For now, we should complete the rest of the ceremony,” he says, as he quickly reclaims his usual certainty. “The packs will want to see forthemselves that all is well with their new alphas.”

I nod, busying myself with thoughts of my people instead of the fuckfest that I’d fallen into.

“I’ll push back my first run with the pack as alpha,” I say, looking to my Dad, who nods. “I’ll leave Emitt to lead the one tonight while we try to figure this shit out.”

“I’ll do the same,” Julian agrees, meeting my eyes for a fleeting second. I swallow hard.

“That seems best,” Michael agrees, but it’s clear the last thing he wants is to go along with this. “You two must be civil until then. Now more than ever, the packs will need to see strength and unity, especially from their new leaders.” His glare sharpens. “Make it through the ceremony without ripping each other’s throats out, and we’ll discuss next steps after. Can you do that?”

We both manage stiff nods and nothing more.

“Alright,” Dad says with a forced smile. “We’ll go gather everyone back inside.”

Left alone for the first time, Julian and I stand idly on the stage while we watch our fathers head for the doors. We try not to look at each other, but hellish instincts force us to every now and again.

The next time our gazes meet, I open my mouth to tell him to fuck off, only to fall short because when he looks at me, the rest of the world blurs to make room for him.

I still hate him, still want to strangle him with my bare hands.

But I also want to hold him. And that is the part that makes no fucking sense.

“We should take our positions,” he says after a moment. “We’ll be the ones overseeing the transfers now.”

I nod, forcing myself to move to my side of the stage instead of towards him, where the scent of somethingrightdrifts. Julian’s scent had always been foul to me, but now I only smell lemons and watermelon. It’s a sweet mix that smells like summer, and I try like all hell not to breathe it in, but I can’t help but inhale secretly.

By Goddess’s grace, why does he have to smell so fucking good?

The Hall fills, wolves whispering among themselves as they enter. We ignore them and face their stares head-on, refusing to waver in front of our people.

Inside, I’m the opposite of my calm exterior, but as their new alpha, I will not appear weak or unsettled to my pack when they need me. Julian, thankfully, does the same, presenting as an unflinching force that soon has the whispers dying down.

When everyone’s back, settled in their places, and the elders are waiting on stage, I step forward.

“We—”

“Let us—”

I snap my attention to Julian as he does to me, looking every bit as annoyed as I am by the interruption. There were rehearsals to ensure our fathers didn’t clash like this, because alphas were notoriously proud, but this is different.

I want to take the lead as an alpha, but also as a mate, and Julian apparently has the same idea. My eyebrows dip and his fingers flex at his sides as he meets my glare with one of his own.

“We’ll keep the ceremony moving swiftly,” dad says as he hurriedly climbs the stairs to the stage. “Starting with the betas. Betas! Please join us.”