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Its eyes went to the grey wolf’s; she went up to him, rubbing her nose and head under his jaw. Sawyer’s wolf started to lick Danika’s face and ears. I’d had my suspicions that they were to be mates, but the mate bonds were so weird, and sometimes you couldn’t predict who would be and who wouldn’t be.
They finally shifted back and were handed clothes to wear. Seeing the love in their eyes made it more of my goal to have that. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be loved like that? To realize no matter what, they were yours and you were theirs. I glanced back up at Nolen; this boy had turned into more of a man over the time he had been here. Making me believe things that I thought he might sense too.
My father went back up to the front, his face alight with happiness as he wrapped his arms around them both. “Meet your future Alpha and Luna! I am proud to have our Delta’s daughter as my daughter-in-law! Now, let’s feast!”
Everyone dispersed, and I went up to Sawyer and Danika, hugging her and then my brother. Nolen and Sawyer shared a hug, and he dipped his head to Danika. “You both look great! I’m glad that you found each other.”
“Don’t worry, man, here in a few short weeks, you will be eighteen, and then you will find your mate.” Sawyer smiled and pretended to box with him. Nolen chuckled as he juked Sawyer’s punches.
“We will see.” Nolen’s face held that familiar look on it when he talked about finding his mate. He really thought that he wouldn’t have a chance to have a mate, to experience the love that only a mate could give you. If only I could be his, if only I could put him at ease, because deep down, I had feelings for him.
My face fell as I thought about him leaving next week, but this was not something that I needed to deal with at the moment. Plastering a smile on my face, I glanced over to Danika. “Congrats, Danika, I hope you can keep him in check. Excuse me; I’ll be right back.”
I left the group because I would cry over losing one of my best friends if I didn’t. When I thought I had made it out of everyone’s sight, I started to run up the stairs to put as much distance away from him and from the depression that began to consume me, to bring me down.
Nolen
I gazed at Amora as she walked away from us, and the further she went, the clicking of her heels faded away. I turned to Sawyer, and he shrugged, his arm wrapping around Danika’s waist. He placed a kiss on her temple, making her giggle.
Seems Amora is upset, Nolen. Sarge was pacing in my head, making me uncomfortable as well. I wanted to follow her to find out what had bothered her.
Yeah, I saw that.
We are now the third wheel.
I turned, watching everyone at the party. Next week I would be at my pack, the wolves that I have come to call friends would be a thing of the past. I might end up seeing Sawyer and Danika, but the others I would never see again.
In a few months, everyone will know me. The wolf in my head curled up and laid down. His ears drooped. My eighteenth birthday loomed closer, and I was ready to meet Sarge, but I was unprepared for the other change. That would pull me from the people here, but it was coming, and fast.
Chapter Nine: Rhyolite Pack
I told everyone goodbye other than Amora; she had not wanted to come down from her room and said she was not feeling well. Hoisting my bag over my shoulder, I gazed down the hall to where her door was closed. I sighed and walked down the stairs for the last time. This was not how I wanted to leave things with her.
The SUVs traveled down the road toward my pack; my mom and dad had sent a few warriors and Archer’s third in command, Gamma Lucas, to come to pick me up. He didn’t speak much to me, which was fine by me. I caught him glancing over at me a lot, but I ignored him.
He had been staring at me for the last five minutes; it seemed like he wanted to say something, since he kept starting to speak and then backtracking on it. Finally, he spit out a sentence. “So, Nolen, you’ve changed a lot.”
I turned to him, looking at him entirely for the first time during trip. The crimson-haired young man before me was burlier than he had been when I left, but I had also gotten stronger. His light green eyes tried to hold my gaze, but I could sense Sarge pushing forward, making his inner wolf submit. “Yeah, not like I wanted to. I could have lived being in Archer’s shadow.”
Lucas sighed, then leaned back; he gave me a saddened glance, running his hand through his hair. “Naw, man, Archer didn’t want you in his shadow. That’s why he pushed you so hard. He wanted you right up there with him. This would make him proud.”
I couldn’t figure out what to say to that. Sitting back in my seat, I closed my eyes. Lucas had been one of the kindest members of the pack to me. He and Archer had kept people at bay. Well, other than Axel, but that was because he was of lower rank and couldn’t order Axel around.
Axel, the wolf that had tormented me behind Archer’s back, now my Beta, concerned me. I understood that when I took over the reins as Alpha, he would be second in command, and all I could do was hope that he had done some growing up.
If he hasn’t, we will put him in his place! Sarge snarled, his hackles raised. Shaking my head at this crazy wolf of mine, I gazed back out the window as we pulled through the gates of my pack. Lucas smiled at me and nodded to the view. “Welcome home, Nolen.”
The pack had changed in the four years I had been gone. Constructions on new buildings were underway, while other finished projects stood vacant, awaiting tenants, and training pups were fighting on new training fields. The smell of sawdust and freshly cut trees was everywhere. Driving down the newly paved road, all the wolves in the center of the pack stopped to stare at the vehicles heading up to the packhouse.
We pulled up to the steps, and Lucas got out on the other side, but I couldn’t bring myself to exit the SUV. Those steps had changed my life forever, where I had watched my mother hug my brother for the last time, covered in his blood as she wailed to the Goddess, who could have allowed him to live to take his rightful place as alpha.
“Come on, Nolen.” Lucas stuck his head back in the SUV.
I glanced back at him, pity written all over his face. I nodded and glanced back; my father and mother stood on the steps waiting for me to join them. My father’s Beta and Axel were also standing there, and I took a deep breath and opened the door.
I’m right here with you, Nolen. Sarge had his eye on Axel.
Straightening up once I dismounted the vehicle, I heard my mother squeal, and the unavoidable smile that lit up on my face encouraged her to race down the steps to me. She stopped in front of me and had to incline her head back to gaze into my face. I had missed her so much, even though we spoke on the phone often. My mother would be the only woman that would love me and be at my side. Her hands came to my cheeks, and tears built up in her eyes. “My Nolen... you have changed so much since I last saw you. You have grown so tall!”
