Ch. 9

I snapped upright in bed.

It wasn’t unusual to hear wolves howl in the pack house. Pack warriors would sometimes get into fights, and every single wolf in the Blood Moon Pack would hear them growling and snapping at each other.

But this howl sounded different.

My stomach didn’t flip, and my heart didn’t drop at the sound.

I was so used to hearing wolves fight, most nights I fell asleep to the sound of the warriors getting ready for patrol. But this wolf didn’t sound like them.

There were no shivers racing up and down my back.

I didn’t feel as scared.

It didn’t sound angry or upset like most of the ones I was used to hearing. This howl sounded almost heartbroken, laced with desperation.

I buried my head deeper into my pillow to try and muffle the growls.

But then another one rang out even louder than the first.

I hated the sound of wolves fighting, nothing good ever came out of it.

I heard the distant sound of running above me followed by startled screams and loud gasps.

I pushed myself to the edge of the bed, tucking the loose strands of hair behind my ear to try and hear better.

What in the Moon Goddess’s name was happening upstairs right now?

My heart started racing faster.

I was internally screaming at myself to move, to go anywhere, to hide underneath my cot – to do something!

But my body refused to move.

You’ll be fine, that little voice in the back of my mind spoke up. You don’t need to run or hide anymore! No one is going to hurt you, you’ll be alright.

The voice in my mind did nothing to calm my racing heart or the shivers running up and down my spine.

The screams slowly began to fade away, but the hurried sound of a wolf running only seemed to grow louder.

Was there some sort of threat near the front of the pack house? Had some of the warriors shifted inside to get there faster?

But the sound of running didn’t fade away or stop as the wolf got closer to the front doors. Instead, the wolf’s claws scratched the stone floors as they changed direction at the last second.

Oh no, was the threat inside of the pack house?

There was a crash of splintering wood as the wolf no doubt knocked through the door that led down to the servant quarters.

I pushed myself up onto my feet as I stared at my bedroom door with nothing less than pure dread.

The wolf’s footsteps grew louder and louder until I was sure that they were only a few feet from my bedroom.

I had barely enough time to throw my arms up over my face before the door shattered, bits of wood flying out and cutting into my uniform.

The heavy, hot breath against my skin as the wolf drew closer was enough to send chills down my spine. I knelt on my cot.

Lower your arms, the little voice in the back of my mind spoke up. Trust me, you’ll be fine. Just lower them and look.

I was practically shaking with fear, but still, I slowly lowered my arms just enough so I could see who was in front of me.

A jet-black wolf, bigger than I had ever seen before, was standing inches away. Foam dripped out the side of their snout as their yellow eyes stared directly into mine.

Before I could even blink, the wolf shifted, the sound of their bones cracking and snapping back into place filling up the small bedroom.

“There you are.”

King Ambrose?

My eyebrows practically shot up into my hairline as Ambrose wrapped his arms around me and pulled me flush against his chest. His warm, muscular arms enveloped me.

It was then that I noticed the king was very naked.

The Alpha King was naked in my bedroom with his arms wrapped around me.

My cheeks were burning hot, and my heart was beating faster than it ever had. Faster than it had beat last night when King Ambrose told me that I was his mate.

“I was so worried,” he mumbled into my tangled hair as he held me impossibly close. “I woke up and you weren’t there in bed with me, and then you weren’t in the bathroom when I got up to check.”

He choked on his words. “I couldn’t find you anywhere, your scent wasn’t fresh and—” A deadly growl ripped out of Ambrose’s throat, cutting off whatever he was about to say next.

He squished me even closer to his chest, mumbling, “All that matters is that you’re back in my arms and safe.”

I couldn’t move. My arms were pinned to my sides and my face was smashed into Ambrose’s chest. There wasn’t even room for a piece of paper to slide between us.

I tried my best to shimmy out of his grip, knowing the scent of Ambrose on me would be even stronger and more suspicious to the warriors in my pack after this, but of course it didn’t work.

“Stop that,” King Ambrose grumbled at my movements. “Stay still.”

I bit back a laugh at his serious tone as he sat on my too-small cot absolutely naked.

“I just—” I managed to get out before he pulled me back into him.

“Please never do that again, Little One. You have no idea how worried me and my wolf were. I was damn near ready to tear apart this whole pack just to find you,” he said.

Just like last night, his sweet words made my heart swell.

“I had to get up so that I could start on my chores,” I finally managed to explain after a few more minutes wrapped up in Ambrose’s arms.

“Why would you get up so early to do chores?” Ambrose pulled back from me ever so slightly so that he looked down at my face with his dark green eyes.

“I make the pack breakfast every morning,” I said. “It’s my first-morning chore. I get up before the sun rises, but I was late today because it took me so long to get out of your hold.”

“Little One,” he muttered the nickname he had given me lovingly. “Do you remember what I told you last night? You’re my mate. You’re not”—he clenched his jaw—”a servant.” Ambrose spat the word out like it was poison on his tongue.

“You don’t belong to the Blood Moon Pack anymore. You’re my mate. The future Luna Queen, Little One. You don’t do lowly pack chores anymore.”

Ambrose took a deep breath in, to no doubt calm his raging wolf, but instead of calming him down, he let out a low growl. “Who touched you?”

What?

“I can smell that other wolves have been touching you, Little One. And I can also smell the fear still radiating off of you,” he growled out. “So, who touched you, little one? What wolf was dumb enough to put their filthy paws on my mate?”

“I was late to breakfast,” I told him. “The warriors that get off of patrol like to have their food before anyone else. And usually I do.” I could feel my bottom lip start to tremble. “But I was late today.”

Ambrose’s chest vibrated under me as he let out another low growl. His arms were still wrapped tightly around me.

“That will never happen again.” There was no room for argument in his tone. “I promise that I will be a better mate and protect you from everything that will ever cause you harm, Little One.”

My heart was racing again, but not from nerves like earlier. It was something else. Something that I had never felt before.

Happiness?

Love?

Hope?

I wasn’t sure. But the idea of finding out with Ambrose at my side didn’t seem like a bad idea.

So…so everything that Ambrose had told me last night was true? Everything that he just promised me right now was true? He still truly believed that I was his mate? He hadn’t just been sleep-deprived and losing his mind?

My lips parted in shock.

“You—” I swallowed my nerves. “You’re still sure that I’m your mate? I just thought that maybe—”

“Little One,” he cut me off. “You are my mate. The better half of my soul. The very thing that I’ve been searching for for decades. I’m sure of it. I’m absolutely sure of it.”

Everything felt real now.

I was his mate.

I was Alpha King Ambrose Fitzgerald’s mate. The other half of his soul. The Moon Goddess had chosen me to be his mate.

I was a lowly Omega, and I was his mate. Which meant one of those had to be a lie. I couldn’t be both.

If Ambrose, the most powerful wolf across the land was certain that I was his mate—how could I be an Omega?