Fated for the Alphas: The Complete Collection (Nine Book Paranormal Romance Box Set) (20 page)

“Coming, Sequoia?” Ronan asked.

She poked her head out from behind a stone wall. “Coming where?”

“Lia’s about to be bound to the pack. You know, the reason we’re preparing a feast for tonight?”

“Oh.” Sequoia looked at Lia. “Congratulations. So you’re staying, then?”

“Yes,” Ronan said, “she’s staying. It’s time for the ceremony.”

“Don’t you think someone should watch the den?”

“Everyone attended your binding.” Ronan’s voice was level, but strained. “You’ll attend Lia’s.”

“As you wish, Alpha.” Sequoia slunk out ahead of them, refusing to meet Lia’s eyes. Shifting into a red wolf, she loped across the meadow.

“She’s nice,” Lia said. “I like her.”

“That makes one of us,” Ronan muttered. “Still, you can’t like all your pack members all the time. Then life would be too dull. I think that’s why Kane acts the way he does. He knows I can’t stand to be bored.”

Ronan took her hand, and together they set off toward the pools.

Everyone was waiting for them, ringed around the lowest basin. She couldn’t hear much over the sound of the cascading waterfall, but she didn’t need to. Kane reached out to take her free hand, his gaze fierce but proud. Dove and Cricket waved. Behind them, Huck gave Lia a small nod.

She saw Lark, who was holding a bowl filled with something red. Paint, maybe. Lark grinned, like she had a million things to tell her about what had happened while Lia had been Turning.

Lia scanned the rest of the crowd. Flint winked. Fox wiggled his eyebrows. Dash gave her a small smile. Blossom held a hand over her heart, and her friends Rain and Violet leaned against each other, the picture of contentment. Ivy and Clove seemed to be trying not to look too interested, but Orion, beside them, gave Lia a thumbs-up. Della looked at her, eyes shining, like this was the happiest day of her life.

Tears pricked Lia’s eyes. The entire pack was here, and they were here for her.

Della walked into the middle of the basin, beckoning Lia to join her. Kane and Ronan let her go. She stepped into the cool water. It was shallow here, only coming up to her shins. She stood before Della, trying not to tremble with joy.

The rest of the pack moved into the water, forming a loose ring around them. It was like they all stood behind her, lending her strength. She stood taller.

Della took the bowl from Lark. “This clay comes from the bottom of our rivers. Light clay from one, dark from the other. Only when mixed is it the color of blood. This is your pack’s blood, Lia. It lies in our veins and in our hearts. Every member of this pack who came before you has been painted with this clay, and so will every member who comes after.”

Taking some of the clay in her fingers, Della touched Lia’s face, just below her eye. She ran her hand down Lia’s body, undulating back and forth, leaving a streak like a river. The clay was cold, and sent chills up Lia’s spine. Della painted down her leg, all the way to her foot. The clay held fast, clinging stubbornly despite the flow of water.

“The pack is an endless river,” Della said. “It’s ever changing, yet it remains the same. Wolves will join, wolves will leave, but the pack is eternal. It will go on.” She painted down from Lia’s other eye, trailing clay over her breast and belly. “It will always go on, as long as our Alphas are wise and strong.”

Della nodded, and Kane and Ronan stepped forward to stand beside Lia. Ronan couldn’t stop gazing at her, his smile like a ray of light. Kane looked outward, as if daring someone to challenge him. He held the arm nearest her at the ready, as if he were prepared to shield her from anything. Lia looked at the two of them, feeling like her heart was about to burst.

“You are bound not just to the pack,” Della said, “but to the Alphas as well.” Taking Lia’s hand, and Kane’s, Della clasped them firmly together. She painted three clay rings around Lia’s arm, starting with one just above her wrist. “With the blood of the pack, I bind you to Kane.”

Kane gripped her hand, his palm blazing with heat.

Della took Lia’s other hand, putting it in Ronan’s. She drew three more rings. “With the blood of the pack, I bind you to Ronan.”

He gave Lia’s hand a soft squeeze.

“You are marked now,” Della said, “as the mate of the Twin River Alphas. You have been Bitten, and you have been claimed.”

Lia stood there, before Della, holding tight to her two Alphas, ringed by her new pack. She was glad for the rush of the waterfall, because she might have let out a tiny sob.

“You have been born a second time,” Della said, “and woken as a wolf. You are one of us now, Lia River of the Twin River pack.”

And then she did sob. She had a name now. And a home. The Alphas, both of them, enveloped her in a crushing hug. Della took the next, and then Lia was whirled off in a blur of limbs and bodies. It seemed the pack wanted to celebrate its new member.

She had to extricate herself once Huck and Orion hugged her one after the other. They were both a little too enthusiastic, and her ribs needed some time to recover.

The pack set off toward the den, passing around the bowl of clay. They took turns painting themselves with stripes and whorls, and applying clay to others, until they were more red than anything else. Kane gave a lump of clay to Lia, offering his chest as a canvas. She smeared a heart onto him, thinking it would throw him, but he seemed to be immensely pleased. He strutted away, looking more like a peacock than an Alpha wolf.

“He gets a heart?” Ronan complained. “What about me?”

She painted a sun on him, and he was satisfied.

Flint and Duke lit a tremendous bonfire, the pack whooping as the flames rushed toward the sky. Lia sat on one of the logs, nestling between her Alphas. Cricket and Dove passed around pheasant legs and chunks of venison. They had also whipped up a kind of shish kabob, with chunks of meat and vegetables impaled on a stick, which the shifters could roast to their liking.

Huck leaned over, passing Lia a plate. “Don’t forget to try the boar.” He pointed to where a monstrous creature turned over a spit. “We caught it especially for you.”

“Is that…”

He winked at her. “Bon appétit.”

Pitchers of birch beer were passed around, as well as skins of ice cold spring water. Baskets of mushrooms and roots got sent around the circle, and Ronan let her keep one for herself. Lia ate her fill, but felt too guilty keeping it for long. This was a night for the pack, after all, and she was happy to share with them.

The pack grew louder with every passing hour, and with every cask of beer emptied. Their tales also grew taller. Lia didn’t quite believe that Flint had ever tangled with a dragon, but his theatrics were quite entertaining.

“He tried to rend me with his claws, but I leapt back just in time. I had forgotten, of course, about the fire breath.” He paused dramatically, looking over his spellbound crowd. “Just as he let loose the flames, I held up a golden shield from his hoard. It melted, and the fire stopped. I heard the dragon screaming. ‘My prized possession! You’ve ruined it!’ I ran from his cave while he mourned his lost treasure.”

“Then what happened?” Blossom asked breathlessly.

“Well, I couldn’t defeat him alone. I had to flee. But sometimes I see a shadow across the sun on a cloudless day, and I know he’s still hunting me.”

Blossom gasped. Sequoia rolled her eyes.

“Hey, Flint!” Fox called. “Your dragon’s back, and ready for round two.” He held up a squirming lizard, and the pack roared with laughter.

“Don’t make fun of him,” Dash said. “I know for a fact that the dragon was twice that size.”

The pack gleefully picked apart the holes in Flint’s story, except for Blossom, who stroked his arm and told him he was very brave.

Trying not to laugh, Lia got up to stretch her legs and see if there was any more food. Lark stood by the boar, shaving off meat. Lia hesitated. She was about to go back to her seat when Lark waved her over.

“Still hungry?” she asked. “There’s plenty left. We’ll be eating boar for days, mind you.”

“I’ll have some.” Lia watched as Lark dumped meat onto her plate.

“What is it?” Lark asked. “You’re supposed to be wildly happy tonight. You just joined the best pack there is.”

“I am,” Lia said. “It’s just… You aren’t mad at me, are you?”

Lark furrowed her brow. “Why would I be mad at you?”

“During Delirium, Fox and Dash seemed to… want me. I didn’t know what to do, but I tried not to encourage them. I’m so sorry.”

Lark laughed. “Don’t worry about it! We’re wolves, Lia. That’s what we do. Especially during Delirium, all bets are off. If I could, I’d share Fox and Dash with you. Look at Dove and Cricket, they share Huck. And trust me, you’d enjoy my boys. They’re very creative. But the Alphas would kill anyone who laid a hand on you, so it’s probably best not to risk it.”

Lia blinked. “So you’re… fine, then?”

“More than fine. I got a new packmate tonight, and I quite like her.”

Lia dabbed her eyes, and Lark pretended not to notice.

“Let’s get back to the fire, Lia. Someone has to eat all this food.”

Lia sat back down. Kane and Ronan were both pleased with her return, though Kane seemed more interested in the slab of boar meat on her plate. She handed it to him, and he made short work of it.

The Alphas stared at the fire, expressions content. They both let out a small sigh, then leaned toward Lia. She had never been more aware of the fact that they were twins. Her twins. As if they had read her thoughts, Ronan curled an arm around her waist, while Kane rested an arm on her shoulder. She looked at the rings on her arms, marking her as theirs. She hoped they’d never wash off.

The sun sank in the most spectacular way she’d ever seen, painting the sky with streaks of red as it plunged below the hills. Everything was warm, from the fire to the company of the pack, to the skin of the Alphas beside her. Everything was perfect. She was Lia River, and she was home.

Chapter Three

Lark invited her to bathe with them the next morning, but Lia declined.

The shifter tried to hide a grin. “The clay doesn’t come off that easily,” she said.

“Ask me again in a couple days,” Lia said.

“All right. But I’ll ask you sooner if you start to smell.”

They left her, laughing as they headed out. She watched them go, her heart feeling too big for her chest. It felt so odd to know that they would always ask if she wanted to join them, and that they actually wanted her to come along. They were more than friends now. They were her pack.

She walked through the meadow, humming to herself. Colors seemed to be brighter today, birdsong sweeter. Wherever she stepped, flowers bloomed. She had eaten far too much food yesterday, yet she felt lighter than air. She was a wolf now. Ronan and Kane were her Alphas. All was well.

“Lia!”

She turned to find Sequoia approaching, carrying a steaming tray.

“Hi, Sequoia,” she said cautiously.

“Hey, Lia! We baked some pastries this morning, would you like one? They’re filled with wild strawberry preserves.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Lia wasn’t hungry, but she took one anyway. Sequoia was trying to be nice, and it would probably be unwise to reject her offer.

It seemed Sequoia wasn’t going to leave until Lia ate the pastry, so she popped it in her mouth. She chewed as Sequoia watched. The shifter seemed to be waiting for a reaction.

“Mmm,” Lia said. “Delicious.”

“Oh, good! Let me know if you want any more.”

“Thanks.” Honestly, Lia hadn’t been able to taste much. Sequoia was making her a bit anxious. She was watching her almost like Magda had.

“Any time! Just let me know if you need anything. We have some extra jars of preserves if you want any.”

Lia smiled, and Sequoia seemed satisfied. She offered another pastry, which Lia declined, then headed back to the den. Lia hoped that Sequoia was coming around now that she was a member of the pack, or at least that she hadn’t spit in the pastry.

The wind shifted, blowing away the scent of flowers and meadow grass. For a moment it smelled like old ash. She looked toward the bonfire, but it was upwind. Her hair stood up on the back of her neck. Had Sequoia laced the pastries with something?

Even if she had, that didn’t explain why Lia’s skin crawled like someone was watching her. And she had that same prickling sensation she got whenever Magda pointed her staff at her and threatened to turn her into a toad.

“Hello?”

No one was in sight, but for some reason she felt a pressing sense of danger, the urge to run back to the den as fast as she could.

The smell of ash grew stronger.

“There you are.” Ronan loped toward her. “I was wondering where you’d gone off to.” He paused, peering at her. “Are you okay? Did you drink too much birch beer last night?”

“Do you smell anything weird?” she asked, trying not to sound panicked.

He sniffed the wind. “I don’t think so. Why?”

“The wind must have carried it away.” Lia rubbed her eyes. “Or I imagined it. Maybe I ate too much food yesterday.”

“I hope you’re feeling better now. We wanted to invite you on another hunt.”

“Another? Now?”

“I know we just had a feast, but that depleted our stores. We don’t like running low, not with all the mouths we have to feed.”

She hesitated. “And you’re sure Kane’s all right with me hunting?”

“He suggested it. We’re hoping you’ll get your first kill today. We’ll try to flush a nice pheasant or a rabbit for you.”

Her heart sped. She wasn’t sure she was ready to kill anything. Her wolf, on the other hand, seemed very interested in tasting fresh blood.

“Do you want to join us?” Ronan asked.

“My wolf does.”

“Excellent. Let’s go round up the others.” Grabbing her hand, he led her back to the den. “What was it you smelled, by the way?”

Lia shrugged. “Probably nothing.” The feeling of danger seemed ridiculous now that Ronan was here. She was safe. Besides, she didn’t want him thinking she was paranoid.

“I hope it wasn’t a buck. Your wolf may feel she’s ready to take one down, but we’re going to try to get you some smaller game. Anything bigger than a turkey, you leave to us. Shift back into your human form to keep your wolf under control. Think you can handle that?”