Raised Among Alphas

8 - Peace Is Worth Dying For

Alora POV

After half of our guests left, I spent two full days organizing Leila's Luna ceremony. All things considered, we had a great time together. She is a determined girl who knows exactly what she wants but is always open to listening to advice. In that way, she's very much like Jathred.

Leila told me about her family. She has two older brothers, and the younger one is in the same situation as Kasthor and me. He has a living mate he hasn't met and has a human as a girlfriend. Apparently, in the Mountains is common for wolves to have other love bonds before meeting their mates. Maybe that influenced Jathred a little when he found out about Kasthor and me.

She also told me the memories she had of the last war. She was only nine when the Tyrant took over her pack lands and forced her family into exile. They fled to the Black Sea Salt Islands north of the Mountains where they lived for almost two years. When the news about the Desert's victory traveled, they returned home to rebuild their packs. The first time she ever heard of Jathred, she had just turned eleven, and every wolf was talking about the great warriors who stopped the Tyrant.

The night she turned sixteen and met her wolf, she told her that one day they would meet their mate, who was a brave warrior from the lands across the river. That same night, she dreamt of Jathred without ever seeing him before. She just knew that it was him, her mate.

Leila has loved Jathred for five years without even knowing him. I couldn't help but wonder if my mate was in the same position. What if he was an impeccable man dreaming of me, counting the days to meet? Maybe there's something wrong with me? Maybe my mate bond isn't as strong as Leila's is.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Jathred walked into his room while I brushed Leila's hair, trying to pick a style for tomorrow's ceremony.

"Everything is ready. We are just working on the last details," Leila said, pointing to her hair.

"How was your day?"Jathred asked her longing for her touch.

"Long, I am mentally exhausted." Leila stood up from her chair and walked straight into Jathred's arms, provoking the half-done messy bun to collapse.

My work here was done.

The lovebirds were in desperate need of each other. Most importantly, Jathred will probably mark her tonight so she can wear his silver mark on her neck for the ceremony.

Wolf marks seal the mate bond intensifying the connection. The Mark is engraved by the bite of our mates in our necks, right by our jugular, the most vulnerable spot in our bodies. A mark made by an Alpha leaves a silver shine, a special magic for Lunas to carry and stand out from the rest of the she-wolves.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," I said as I rushed out of their room. Jathred is still new to his passionate emotions and has very little control over them. As our Alpha, his emotions flow through his aura and reach every single wolf near him. It is a unique ability exclusive to Alphas and holds an extremely powerful control over his pack members.

Before going to bed, I must figure out some things. The last four days had been an emotional roller coaster.

I finally accepted my lifelong love for Kasthor, and we are now officially together. I have been sleeping with him since the night of Jathred's party. My Alpha and Mentor finally found his Luna, but he's leaving in two days to start his war campaign. The pack safety was entrusted to Kasthor and me. Hundreds of lives depend on us, no pressure there huh? On top of that, the more time I spend with Leila, the more I am convinced my fated bond must be defective.

I don't feel the urge to meet my mate or wait for him to be able to love. Yeah. Something is definitely messed up with me.

As I walked outside in the dark night, trying to bring peace to my disrupted mind, I sniffed Kasthor's scent getting close.