Faye had told me to arrive at noon. I made it at 12:05, with mud and demon blood on my boots, hoping beyond hope that somehow I would be able to get through the ceremony unseen.
It wasn't even that I thought I looked bad or anything—I knew that I looked good, just not in a way that was appreciated by the male wolves Faye seemed to think were my potential mates. They wanted a clean-cut, flower-smelling woman, not a bloody warrior. But I wasn't going to hide who I was.
My fighting clothes, which consisted of dark jeans and a dark tank top, weren't exactly the best outfit for meeting your future mate. I couldn't help that, though. My team and I had been tracking a small group of demons just outside the Silverfang Creek packlands. The demons had split up and we'd given chase. It was an impromptu hunt, but when we saw demon signs so close to packlands we had no choice but to seek them out.
I took on the larger group—three demons—and it had taken me longer than I thought it would to kill them. By the time I made it back to where I left Bruce, Laura, and Keifer, they had all finished their demons off and were waiting impatiently for me. I knew it was a bad look to show up to a ceremony when the Alpha's wife demanded I attend, but I was sure she'd understand when I explained.
My team, on the other hand, was not thrilled about disobeying Hector and Faye by delivering me late.
"They're going to be pissed," Bruce said as he fell into step beside me, hair blowing back from his face in the breeze.
I shrugged, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. "It's not my fault demons got close to pack territory. You know what we have to do."
"Of course I do. But that doesn't mean we won't get in trouble for this."
"I'll deal with Hector when I see him," I said firmly. My packmates sighed in unison, but I ignored them. If I could explain to Hector why I was late, then he would understand. It was just that simple.
Laura fell into step next to Bruce. She had dark hair, dark eyes, and tan skin. She was pretty in a delicate way, and all the wolves in the pack treated her like a princess. She hated it and had taken up fighting to make everyone take her more seriously and see her as the threat that she really was. She was a natural, and even though she was tiny she was one of the best fighters I'd ever seen.
"They'll probably just punish you," she said to me. "It's not fair."
"Life isn't fair," I told her, forcing my voice to stay light. I didn't want her to see how upset I was by the fact that she might be right. Faye might have been my friend, but she was also the pack matriarch. She had responsibilities to uphold, and it wasn't a good idea to disobey her. But I was only five minutes late, surely it wasn't a big deal.
We made it to the meadow where the mate match ceremony was traditionally held, and I breathed a sigh of relief seeing that we weren't the last to arrive. I allowed myself to blend into the crowd of late-comers, and I was pretty sure Faye and Hector were too busy to notice me anyway.
I could see the Alpha and his mate hovering around her cauldron, and their special guests watching intently at their sides. Danny and Naomi had traveled all the way from Athens to attend the ceremony to see how it worked before it was implemented in the Red Canine pack. I laughed to myself, thinking about Saul running a mate match ceremony—the male human witch was a different breed than Faye, tattooed and overly serious. He didn't exactly inspire romantic thoughts, and I had a hard time thinking about him fishing out rose petals from boiling water to announce new mates.
Faye, on the other hand, was a natural. I watched as she stirred her cauldron, talking to Naomi and Danny but keeping most of her attention on the match spell. Soon she would pull two petals from the liquid which would have the names of the new mates on them. Faye would read the names, the crowd would cheer for the lovers, and then everyone would disperse. Easy. And once it was done I could explain how close the demons were to the territory, and the bloody fight that had made me late. The sooner it was over, the better.
I glanced around the crowd, surprised at how many people were there. Of course everyone was curious about how the mate match ceremony worked, but it was still odd to see so many people gathered in one spot. Usually, people didn't leave their jobs unless they had to, but with Hector's announcement that the demons were getting closer and more organized, everyone had become restless.
It was a dangerous situation. Demons were already a huge threat to us. We were strong, but we didn't know how many demons were gathering, or if they were in any way organized. We had only been able to deal with small groups of demons attacking secluded areas and lone wolves.
This was something different. This was a demon army, and they were getting bolder. The last thing any of us needed was a war.
Faye stepped forward to speak. Her long hair was pulled back into a braid that reached the middle of her back and she wore jeans and a loose-fitting green blouse. She looked nothing like a witch, but she was powerful, and I'd seen her use her magic for some pretty incredible things.
"Everyone, please!" she called out, waving her hands in the air.
The crowd of wolves and humans fell silent. Hector stood behind her, his arms crossed over his chest, looking every inch the Alpha that he was.
"I know everyone is anxious," Faye said. "I can feel it. But our match ceremonies, our families, and our pups are the core of the Silverfang Creek pack. Our unity makes us strong, and we can't give that up just because of some demonic threat."
People shifted around me, but I stayed where I was. Faye looked up, searching the crowd, and I knew she was looking for me. I swallowed hard. Maybe Bruce was right. Maybe I was going to be punished for being late.
Faye's eyes landed on me and she raised an eyebrow, then gave a short nod of her head. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding, relieved. She understood why I showed up looking like I had been rolling around in the dirt. Or at least she would, once I explained.
"Before I begin," Faye said, looking over the crowd again. "I want everyone to know that even the most unlikely sounding matches can work out. Case in point, Naomi and Danny here, who seemed impossible at first. Now look at them, totally in love and perfectly matched. The spell does not lie." Her gaze rested heavily on me. "Even if we don't like the results at first."
Naomi blushed and looked down, but I could see a smile on her face. Danny pulled her to his side and kissed her temple. I watched them with envy. Their love was so obvious, it was like they were almost glowing. I sighed. I wanted that. I always had. But how was I supposed to have a happily ever after when my mate could be any one of the wolves who had already decided I wasn’t worth pursuing?
"Alright," Faye said, clapping her hands together. "Let's get started. The petals are starting to rise to the surface."
She nodded to Hector, who walked over to stand next to her. He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it before letting go and taking a step back. "I know some of you are concerned about the demons that have been attacking us for the last few months," he said. "And I know some of you are afraid that you will be matched with someone outside of the pack. But the fates know best, and we will not allow the demons to break us."
Hector looked so strong and powerful at that moment. I knew the demons were a threat. I'd fought them many times in my life, and every time they got a little harder to defeat. Now that they seemed to be banding together into one massive army, they were dangerous. Hector had every right to be worried, but he was standing tall and proud, inspiring everyone in the pack to do the same.
My thoughts were interrupted when Faye let out a loud gasp, drawing my attention to her cauldron. She had reached inside and pulled two rose petals from the liquid. One of her hands was cupped around the petals, hiding them from view. I held my breath. Surely, surely she wasn't about to—
I watched Faye's throat bob as she swallowed hard, and her eyes flicked up to meet mine. Her pupils were pinpricks and her chest was rising and falling fast—she was stressed. Panicky, even.
"Who is it?" I asked, the words coming out in a harsh whisper. I wasn't even sure if Faye could hear me, but her eyes dropped down to the petals in her hand before looking back up at me. She shook her head slowly, and I could tell by the way her mouth turned down that whatever name was on those petals, it wasn't one that anyone wanted.
Hector stepped up next to his mate, and Faye looked at him. He placed a hand on her back, rubbing it up and down in a comforting gesture, and nodded to her. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, looking back at the crowd.
"Whitney Gray," Faye said loudly, and the whole world stopped for a second. "And Julian Payne."
I blinked. My brain felt like it was short-circuiting. This couldn't be happening. There was no way I had heard right. But then Faye looked at me again, her face grim, and I knew. This was really happening.
There was a moment of silence and then everything exploded into noise. I could hear my name being called, and I turned to see Laura and Bruce pushing their way through the crowd. Keifer was right behind them, and when they reached me they pulled me into a group hug. I was surrounded on all sides by the scent of my packmates, and it should have comforted me, but it didn't. Nothing could help the panic rising in my chest.
"This can't be real," I said, pushing my way out of their embrace. "You know what kind of wolf Julian is. And you know that he's the enemy of two packs. How could we be mates?"
Keifer put his hands on my shoulders, steadying me. I hadn't realized until he touched me that I was shaking. I forced myself to look up at him, trying to take some sort of comfort in his steady presence.
"Just relax," he told me. "We'll figure this out."
Bruce shook his head. "No. There's nothing to figure out. Fuck Julian Payne “
Laura protested, "Faye said herself that even unlikely matches could work."
"If they wanted to." Bruce gave me a sympathetic look. "Whitney doesn't want a mate. You know that."
"This is different," Laura argued. "It's not like she's going to be forced to marry some guy who is creepy and old or something. She's going to be mated to Julian."
"Julian is a dick," Keifer said. I shot him a grateful look.
Laura threw her hands in the air. "Of course he's a dick! He's a villain, and everyone knows it. But Faye said the spell doesn't lie. They're mates. She has to accept that."
I shook my head slowly. I knew that Laura was right, but that didn't mean I had to like it. How could I be mated to a man who was the enemy of our pack?
"Accept it?" I parroted. "Are you forgetting that he poisoned Naomi? How can I just accept that he's my mate when he's so clearly a monster?"
Keifer nodded. "Yeah, Laura. I know you like Faye and want to believe that she's doing the right thing, but this isn't the right thing."
Laura turned to me, putting her hands on my shoulders. "Whitney, listen. I know you're mad. I get it. But there are ways to fix this. We can go talk to Faye. Explain what happened, and how you feel."
"I don't want to talk to Faye," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. I could feel a low-level growl beginning, and I forced myself to stop. Laura didn't deserve my anger. She was just trying to help. I took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then slowly let it out.
"Look, Laura. I know you mean well, but the truth is that this situation is fucked up. No, we don't have to accept the match."
"Uh, not to interrupt you two, but everyone is looking at us. Especially the Alphas." Keifer gave me a pointed look and I sighed, turning to see what he was talking about. Hector and Faye were indeed staring at our little group, and Faye looked worried. Hector, on the other hand, looked pissed. I winced, realizing that I might have made a big mistake in questioning Faye's matchmaking abilities.
But if Hector looked angry, Danny looked apoplectic. Naomi, on the other hand, had gone white, her hand resting at her throat in shock. I wondered what she was thinking. Everyone knew what Julian did to Naomi, and it must have shaken her to her core to hear his name read out loud just now.
I looked down, unable to face their accusing eyes any longer. Even though I was mad at Faye for putting me in this situation, I didn't want to make things worse.
Laura touched my arm. "You have to talk to them," she said gently. "I know you're mad, but they are going to be the ones to tell you what's going on. You might as well go get it over with."
I took a deep breath. Laura was right. The sooner I got this over with, the sooner I could start trying to figure out a way to get myself out of this mess. I nodded, but I still couldn't bring myself to look at anyone. I stared at the ground instead, and let Laura guide me through the crowd.
Faye and Hector stood together, talking to Naomi and Danny. They all looked up as we approached, and I stopped just short of reaching them. I swallowed hard, trying not to let my nerves show. I'd been in plenty of dangerous situations before, and I didn't know why this was any different. But I had a sinking feeling in my stomach, and I knew that nothing was going to be the same after today.
Naomi stepped forward, and I was surprised when she took my hands in hers. She gave me a weak smile, her eyes full of sadness.
"I'm so sorry about this," she said, looking over her shoulder at Faye. "I never meant for anything like this to happen. If we hadn't come up to see a mate match ceremony maybe—"
"It's not your fault," I told her, pulling my hands out of hers. "No one is to blame here except Julian. He's the one who has made himself an enemy."
"Enemy or no," Faye started, standing behind Naomi. “He's your mate."
"How can I be mated with someone I'm pretty sure all of you would kill on sight given the chance?" I asked. I knew that I was being rude, but I couldn't help it. This situation was messed up, and I didn't know what to do.
"He's not here," Hector growled, and when I looked at him, I realized that I read his expression wrong before. He wasn't mad that I had balked at Faye's spell. Instead, he was pissed for me, not at me. "And I have zero intention of putting one of my wolves in danger, Whitney. He's going to know you're his mate sooner than later, there's too many people here for it to be kept a secret. So let's go figure out a plan to keep you safe, and if we can't then we will get you out of here. You can go into hiding until this whole thing is sorted out.
I nodded, feeling a bit calmer now that I knew that Hector wasn't upset with me. But I wasn't sure if running away was the best answer. The demons were getting stronger, and from what I understood, the only way to break a mate bond was death. I had no intention of dying, which meant…
"Wait," I jerked my head to Danny, and then back to Hector. “Alphas, excuse my bluntness, but you're not planning to kill him are you?"
Hector and Danny shared a look, and then Hector spoke up, "That was the first idea. But Faye isn't so sure that will work. The mate bond is magic, and killing him may not break it. We need to find out more about how it works because killing him might end up hurting you."
I put a hand on my forehead, feeling a little dizzy. "So if you can't kill him, then what?"
"You're going to have to be his mate," Hector said grimly. "If he dies, it could affect you. If he rejects the bond, it could affect you. We don't know how any of this works. And there's no guarantee that we'd find another way."
"So I'm stuck with him?" I asked, trying not to sound as disgusted by that thought as I felt.
Hector nodded slowly. "It's the only option we have at the moment. Unless you want me to get rid of him in a different way."
I thought about that for a moment. It would be so much easier if Julian just died and everything went back to normal. But then again, if something went wrong and our brand-new bond messed me up somehow, it would be a disaster. Fear rose in my throat at the idea. I didn't want to die, and I didn’t want to end up messed up in the head either.
Plus, there was the fact that Julian is both an Alpha and Danny's ex-best friend. Something told me that as much as Danny hated Julian, he'd still be torn up if one of us ended him.
No. No matter how much I hated this whole situation, I knew it wasn't going to get any better if Julian died.
I shook my head. "No. No death. At least not yet." I exhaled, blowing a stray strand of hair off my face. My heart rate was slowing as the gears in my head started to turn. "Okay. I won't fight the bond right now, but I'm also going to avoid Julian at all costs. I mean nothing will change, right? It's not like we've given each other the mating bite. If I have to spend the rest of my life staying out of his way, so be it. Anything is better than being his mate."
"And I'll try to see if I can find a way to get you out of the bond," Faye said, as quietly as she could while still being heard by our small grouping. "But don't breathe a word of that. I don't even know if it's possible, but the pack needs to keep believing in the power of the mate match ceremony. If they know there is a way to break the bond, a lot of that power will be lost."
"I understand." I gave Faye a quick nod of acknowledgment. She was putting herself on the line for me, and I knew it. "Thank you."
I could feel the crowd still staring at all of us, and I had to swallow my anxiety down. It was obvious that they were waiting for some kind of statement. The Silverfang demon hunter mated to the Reckless Stalker's evil Alpha. Someone had to say something to restore order, to make things make sense again.
Clearing my throat, I stepped forward, unsheathing one of my spelled knives and holding it up until it caught the light. "Attention, everyone!" I yelled over the din, and the pack fell silent. "Thank you for your concern, but I am fine. This spell doesn't change anything. I'm still one of the best hunters the Silverfang Creek pack has ever had, and that sure as hell isn't going to change!" There were some murmurs of agreement, so I pushed on. “Let it be known here and now, with the entire Silverfang Creek pack as witness, I will be Julian's mate in name only. I, Whitney Gray, refuse to let a villain like Julian Payne ever touch me. And if he tries, I'll kill him myself."
The crowd roared and applauded, but the Alphas all looked grim. I knew they weren't happy about it, but it was the only solution that would keep both me and Julian safe.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Hector said.
I let out a shaky breath, and looked up at my Alpha. “Yeah, so do I."