Page 53 of Fated to the Alpha Warrior (The Wolf’s Forbidden Mate #1)
Kieran
Watching Aurora reconnect with her past, I finally realize the mistake I’d made in rejecting her.
The silence between us stretches as we make our way through the ruins of Pack Onyx land, following the pull of Aurora’s blood connection to her ancestral home.
Every step we take seems to bring more life to the desolate landscape—small signs that the magic is awakening, responding to her presence here.
I can’t take my eyes off of her. The way she moves through the old buildings with purpose and certainty, the blonde of her hair catching the evening light, her mismatched eyes bright with determination.
The failed ritual may have left her physically weakened, but she still has the same unbroken spirit that led her to become the warrior she is despite being outcast and alone for much of her life.
The thought of how close I came to losing her makes my wolf whine with distress. If I’d arrived even minutes later, if the ritual had worked as intended, if she hadn’t taken me back into her arms… the possibilities haunt me.
“There’s something here,” Aurora says, stopping near what appears to be an old temple. The stone walls smell of fae magic. “It feels different than the others. Like it’s calling to me.”
As she reaches out to touch the wall, I notice her hand trembling with emotion. Without thinking, I step forward to steady her.
“I’m fine,” she murmurs, although I can feel the exhaustion rolling off her in waves. “Just… give me a minute.”
My wolf surges beneath my skin, desperate to protect our mate, to gather her in our arms and take her somewhere safe to rest. But I force myself to step back, remembering all the times ignoring her wishes caused her pain.
“Tell me what you feel,” I say instead, craving as much closeness with her as possible. “What’s different about this place?”
She closes her eyes, pressing her palm flat against the stone. “There are memories here. From the land itself. The fae were here, but so were my people. They fought back, they…” she breaks off with a gasp, stumbling.
This time when I reach for her, she doesn’t object. Her skin is cold beneath my touch as I steady her, and I can feel tremors running through her body.
“You’re pushing yourself too hard,” I tell her, unable to keep the protective growl from my voice. “The healers said you need time to recover from the ritual.”
“I don’t have time.” Frustration laces through her voice as she pulls away from me. “The fae are attacking Pack Jade right now. They could be hurting people we care about. And the answer to stopping them is here somewhere, I just know it. All I have to do is…”
She sways on her feet, and this time when I catch her, she collapses against my chest. The scent of her exhaustion mingles with sweet honey and delicate lilac, making my protective instincts surge to the forefront.
“Aurora, please.” I guide her to sit on a fallen column, kneeling in front of her so I can look into her eyes. “You won’t be any help to anyone if you work yourself to death. Let yourself rest.”
“I can’t be weak,” she whispers, the pain in her voice breaking every part of me. “Not again. Not after everything…”
“You’re not weak.” The words burst from me with fierce conviction. “You’re the strongest person I know. Stronger than me, stronger than my father, stronger than anyone in Pack Jade who ever doubted you or put you down.”
She looks away, but I catch her chin gently in my fingers, turning her face back to mine. “Look at me, Aurora. Really look at me.”
Those beautiful mismatched eyes meet mine, and I’m struck again by how much I love her. How blind I was not to see it before.
“You survived losing your entire pack as a child. Grew up surrounded by people who feared and doubted you. Learned to fight without a wolf, to protect yourself when no one else would. Found a home in the outskirts when the pack rejected you…” My voice breaks. “When I rejected you.”
“Kieran…” She leans into my touch, softly nuzzling my hand.
“I was such a fool.” My voice roughens with emotions, “I thought strength meant never showing weakness, never admitting when you’re wrong.
But you… you showed me what real strength looks like.
The courage to be vulnerable. To keep trying, keep fighting, even when the whole world seems to be against you. ”
Tears gather in her eyes as I speak, so I reach up to gently brush them away with the backs of my fingers. “Pretty words won’t change what happened, Kieran.”
“No, they won’t.” I take her hands in mine, marveling at how small and delicate they seem, although I know the strength they contain.
“But I hope my actions from here on out will. I know now that I never deserved you—not then, and maybe not even now. But I want to spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy of you.”
The bond pulses between us, carrying waves of her uncertainty and fear, and underneath it all, a spark of hope she can’t quite extinguish. It’s that hope that gives me courage and faith in our bond.
“What if I never shift?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper. “What if there’s no cure, no answers here for me? Could you really accept a mate who can’t run with you in wolf form?”
Instead of answering immediately, I shift positions so that I’m properly kneeling before her, my head bowed at the neck. The gesture of submission makes her inhale sharply—it’s not something an alpha’s son would ever do lightly.
“I love you exactly as you are,” I tell her, my voice thick with conviction. “Wolf or no wolf, it doesn’t matter. You’re my mate, my heart, my everything in this world. And if I had the chance to choose again, knowing everything I know now, I’d choose you every time.”
“But the pack?—”
“The pack will either accept you as my mate or lose me as their future alpha.” The words come easily, because I know as I say them how true they are.
“I won’t let anyone make you feel less than what you are ever again.
If the ritual can never be undone…” My voice breaks in pain at the thought of Aurora never getting to run free as her wolf, something she deserves more than anyone.
“So be it. If it kept you alive, I’m glad.
I’d rather you never shift than lose you. ”
A small sound escapes her, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “You can’t mean that, Kieran. Your father?—”
“Was wrong about everything that matters to me.” I lift my head to meet her gaze, watching the tears fall free down her cheeks unchecked.
“He taught me all the wrong things about strength, I know that now. Real strength is about having the courage to be vulnerable and honest, about trying and failing then trying again. Strength means standing up for what matters, even if—especially if—it’s hard. You taught me that, Aurora.”
Her hands tremble in mine. “I want to believe you.”
“Then let me prove it.” I press my forehead to our joined hands. “Let me show you every day how much I love you, and how proud I am to be your mate. Let me stand beside you—not in front of you, but right at your side, as your equal and your partner.”
When she doesn’t respond, I continue, “I know I hurt you. I know it will take time to earn back your trust, and I accept that. I’m not going anywhere, Aurora. Whatever answer we find here, whatever comes next, I’m with you. If you’ll have me.”
For a long moment, she’s silent. My heart begins to drop, the hope inside me tender and delicate. Then her fingers tighten around mine as if she’s made a decision.
“Stand up,” she says softly.
I do, keeping hold of her hands. Looking down at her, I see the tear tracks on her cheeks, but with something besides sadness in her eyes now. Something that looks like cautious, beautiful hope.
“If we do this,” she says carefully, “things have to be different. I won’t be the weak mate you need to protect. I won’t let you or anyone else make me feel ashamed of who I am.”
“Never,” I swear. “You’re perfect exactly as you are. I see that now.”
She studies my face for a long moment, then nods. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Hope blooms in my chest
“I accept you as my mate.” A small smile curves her lips. “Although I’m still not sure about the bite.”
Relief and joy surge through me, so strong that I can barely breathe. Pulling her to her feet, I wrap my arms around her, breathing in her scent. The bond hums between us, pleased and stronger than ever.
“Whatever you want,” I murmur into her hair, my wolf howling his pleasure. “Whatever you need from me. I’m yours, Aurora. Now and always.”
She melts into my embrace, and for the first time in years, I feel whole. Complete.
Like I’ve finally found my way home, and I didn’t even know that I was lost before this.