Bound by Fate (Moon Bound Series Book 1) (30 page)

“
The pack is broken.  Our Alpha has destroyed us.”

“
What are you going to do?” she asked, wide-eyed. 

“
What can I do?  Nothing.”  He shifted again and moved further from her, signaling and end to the conversation.

“
You mean you won’t do anything,” Beth snarled.  Her legs shook as she stood, the shock of everything taking its toll.  What sort of pack had she mated into?  And how could she escape it before the night was over?

Beth had taken extra care all day with what she chose to eat and drink; she didn’t want to catch a fever too.  Much longer living like this and she would poison herself just to be done with it.  This mating ceremony was to be different from her own initial ceremony.  Whereas she was announcing her readiness to mate to her pack before, now she was just cementing her status as mated, so there were no special preparations, no primping, no preening and definitely no naked dancing under the full moon.  Just her, Bradley, the pack and the words. 

She chose a soft gown of royal green silk from the selection Bradley had ordered laid out for her, and slid it on over her bare body.  According to information she’d gleaned from Margo and Marybell, tradition indicated that any official mating ceremony where an Alpha was concerned had three stages. 

Firstly, the words, or vows.  They both had to pronounce their love for each other to the Great Mother for all the pack to witness, and usually there would be some sort of sign from the Great Mother, although nobody really adhered to the old ways anymore, so if there were none, it could be tactfully ignored. 

Secondly they both had to shimmer, whereupon they would use their combined strength of will to force a shimmer into those who were able.  Mostly, there was no force involved, and those gathered would shimmer on their own.  Displays of power were nonsense, or so some would say, unless it is to show your enemy you are stronger.

And lastly, and most embarrassingly, she would “present” herself to her mate in her wolf-form, to be mounted.  Tradition said the Alpha must mount his female for the pack to see, and whether they finished in wolf-form or human-form, any child born from this union would be blessed.

When the moon hit its zenith, the ceremony was complete, and all could feast in honor of the Alpha and his mate.  Beth had a feeling she’d be drinking copious amounts of wine this night.  And with still a little over an hour before the ceremony was to begin, she wondered if perhaps breaking into Alanna’s stores would be considered rude, even if she was to be the Alpha Female. 

Maybe she’d just have one glass, for courage, she decided as she left the Great House in search of the Mistress of Dance. 

“What brings you here?”

Beth could hear the surprise in the she-wolf’s friendly greeting.  She guessed not every woman would be out roaming the village, seemingly aimlessly an hour before her own mating ceremony.  “Oh, I just thought I could bother you for a quick sip of your delicious wine before things kicked off,” she smiled, moving farther into the room.  “May I sit?”

“Oh, of course!  How rude of me.”  Alanna motioned to a plump cushion as she rose quickly and reached behind her to a shelf containing a set of four sparkling glasses and a small, squat pottery jug.  The fruity aroma of the liquid floated through the air, and made Beth’s nostrils flare.  “I imagine it’s all quite daunting, really,” she went on conversationally, filling two glasses before settling herself on a cushion opposite Beth.  “Before, you had time to accustom yourself to the idea of becoming the Alpha Female, but now you’ve just been thrown in at the deep end, haven’t you?” 

Beth took a sip of the sweet drink and considered her reply for a moment, steadfastly ignoring the other woman’s direct gaze.  “Well, I suppose you’re right,” she finally admitted.  “Although, I am…happy,” she finished, somewhat lamely, taking a large swallow of her wine.

“Of course you are,” Alanna gasped, genuinely shocked.  “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”

“
It’s quite alright,” Beth held up a restraining hand.  “I suppose I’m a little frightened of the responsibility and all that comes with it.”

“
I’m sure you’ll make an excellent Alpha Female, no matter what.”  She suddenly grinned, her plump lips parting ever so slightly, showing off the pearly glint of her teeth.  “Bradley is somewhat overbearing, but he’s always watched out for the pack, and I’m sure you’ll make him a fine mate.”

“
So.”  Blatantly changing the focus of the conversation, Beth took another quick swallow.  “How is it that a female of your good standing in the pack hasn’t been mated, yet?”

“
Well, I was mated, once.”  Her eyes took on a dreamy quality, and Beth leaned forward, hoping for at least a bit of gossip.  “He was quite highly ranked in the pack.  A Shield.”  Her delicate hands developed a tremor and she placed her wine glass on the floor, just so, taking great care not to spill any of the precious liquid.  “He was one of two Shields here in the Tall Grass pack, and we loved each other fiercely.  But, it was not to be, I suppose.  One day he was here, and we were happy, the next he had to go off on some awful assignment,” she grimaced.  “Which we argued over.  He didn’t know how long he would be, and in my anger I told him not to return at all, if that were the case.”  Alanna sighed, a deep shrug of her shoulders and wiped away one lonely tear.  “He took my advice, and I haven’t seen him since.”

“
But, surely he’s been in contact somehow?”

Alanna shook her head, denying it.  “Not ever.  I know he’s out there somewhere, through the Bond we share, but he has never come home.  I should not have given him such an ultimatum in any case.  It was not my place.”  But Beth could tell the woman was deeply hurt and still harboring a resentful anger towards the man she plainly both loved and missed. 

“You have never been tempted to break the Bond?”

She once again shook her head.  “Why should I?  They only let you down, in the end.”  Just then, she cracked a self-conscious smile and drank deeply of her own wine.  “Don’t listen to me!  Here I am telling you tales of woe on what is officially your wedding night.  Drink up!” she called, fetching the jug from the shelf.  “We have time for another before the ceremony.”

Donovan was right,
she thought.
The entire pack is broken in some form or another.
  There was timid September and her love/hate relationship with Mickey, Margo and Marybell hiding away in a cottage when they should be revered as elders, murderous Felicity, and poor, damaged Donovan himself.  Not to mention a crazy Alpha and a bitter Mistress of Dance. 

It was a short walk to the clearing beyond the village, but Beth felt as though she had been walking for miles. 
I guess everyone feels that way, when there’s nothing but pain and fear at the destination,
she thought sadly. 
So this is where it all ends.  This is how my life will be.
  If only she’d taken Gareth’s hand and fled when she’d had the chance, none of this would be happening.  Sure, they’d spend the rest of their lives running, but it would be worth it.  At the time, she’d thought she could handle what the future had in store for her, but through Bradley’s increasingly insane actions, she’d soon realized she was very mistaken. 

He would use her up and wear her out, and in the end, all she’d really have would be memories of pain and loss.  Margo had taught her how to make a special infusion of herbs that would repress her heat cycle, so as to make sure she never bore the Alpha so much as one cub.  If he ever found out…but no, she’d make sure she was discreet.  Surely he would suspect something, but she could explain it away as a medical anomaly.  He couldn’t watch her every minute of the day, and she intended to start taking the herbs from the beginning of her next heat. 

The heavy beat of drums accompanied her steps across the clearing where she could see the Alpha waiting for her, his lips spread wide in a salacious grin.  Taking a deep breath, and forcing her legs to carry her forward, she stepped into her fate.  Of Donovan, there was no sign, but it seemed that every other member of the pack had turned out for the ceremony, including, she was surprised to note, Felicity looking radiant in a blood red gown with a low neckline. 

She stood near the outskirts, not drawing too much attention to herself, and scowled like a demon, but Beth felt better knowing where she was, and what she was up to.  As a plus, there was nowhere to hide a pouch of herbs in that figure-hugging ensemble. 

“Members of Tall Grass pack,” Bradley began in his thunderous tones.  “As your Alpha, I invite you all to witness as I take this female to mate.  She has proven fertile, strong and swift, and will strengthen our ranks with the addition of many young.  I say to you, that she is my one, true, mate and I will hold no other above her, but for the Great Mother herself.  And I ask for her blessing upon this union.”

There were some muted ramblings at this.  Perhaps naming her his one, true mate was a tad too uncomfortable for them, since most of them had been around to hear him say so of his former mate, Lissa.

A small nudge brought Beth out of her musings.  “Oh, yes,” she mumbled.  “Members of Tall Grass pack,” she began, trembling.  “I present myself to you all, uhm…” 

Her mouth had gone bone dry, and she swallowed a couple of times before she could begin.  What were the words, again?  “I present…I present myself to you all, fertile, swift and strong, and ask you to witness our uhm, our mating, in accordance with pack tradition, so that you may all bless us…”

“Beth,” Bradley growled in warning, startling her. 

Face burning like a furnace, she continued on.  “I say to you that he is my…my one, true mate, and I–”

“This is nonsensical!” came a screeching voice from the crowd.  “She cannot even say the words.  Look at her.  Go on, look!”  Felicity came storming out between two young males, her face like an angel of death.  “She no more deserves him as a mate than she deserves a place in this pack.  Bringing her here was a mistake.”

The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves.  Bits and pieces of conversation reached  Beth’s ears and she got the sense that most of the pack members were wondering what Felicity thought she was doing.  Didn’t she realize that she was interfering in tradition, and messing up one of the only good things to come about in years?

“Felicity, I command you to remove yourself from these proceedings.”  Bradley was furious.  He barely seemed to keep a handle on his temper, and everyone could see it.  Everyone, that was, apart from Felicity, who should have known him better than most.  “Remove yourself to your Den House.  I will speak to you when the sun rises.”

“
I will not!” she spat.  “I will not remove myself from a ceremony that should have been my own!  I have the right to challenge a wolf I deem weaker than I.  Tradition,” she pursed her lips.  “States that only the strongest female may be Alpha.  You!”  Hand steady, Felicity raised a finger to point at Beth accusingly.  “I offer you fair contest.  I dispute your place in this pack, and I dispute your status as Alpha.”

The gathered crowd erupted into absolute pandemonium.  While it wasn’t against the rules of the pack, it was certainly unheard of to be issued a challenge at the ceremony.  Usually these sorts of imbalances in the pack had been sorted out long before Alpha status was reached.  But Beth was again an outsider, untested and just slotted into the rank of Alpha Female without having had to work her way up the hierarchy. 

“
No,” Bradley snarled.  “The ceremony has already begun.”

“
I will not be ruled by a subservient she-wolf!” Felicity continued screeching as if her Alpha had never spoken.  “Challenge is issued.  Do you accept?”

This was her way out, she realized.  If she could suppress her instincts enough to hold back in the fight, Felicity would certainly win, and she would be free, if Felicity didn’t kill her first.  A cool breeze wafted up, chilling her.  “Yes,” she whispered, filling her lungs with cold, evening air, tasting the confusion and excitement in the atmosphere.  “I accept your challenge.”

“Then let us begin.”  Felicity strode toward her, long legs eating the distance in the blink of an eye. 

“
Wait,” came the feeble, but insistent shout of an elder.  Margo, made her way to the front of the pack, elbowing and nudging people aside roughly.  “The Challenger can dictate the when, but the Defendant must dictate the form.”

“
Well,” Felicity spat again, every inch the scorned woman.  “How will you fight?”

“
In wolf-form, of course,” Beth replied quietly.  It would be unseemly for them to roll around in the mud like humans over a man.  This was pack tradition, and she was wolf.  She may not wish to win the fight, but she had her pride.

“
So be it,” Margo spoke flatly.  “Let both opponents remove themselves to a sufficient distance and shimmer.”

As always, the shimmer came easy to Beth, and she realized how much she’d missed being in her wolf-form since joining this pack.  She’d been human far too often because of the difficulty in communicating with the pack, a decision she regretted – her wolf-form felt stiff and drowsy, her limbs heavy and uncoordinated.