MARKED | COMPLETED

Chapter 23

The last time our pack had played host, it was for the celebration; there was no chance of anyone getting hurt, no chance that the encounter during the celebration would lead to war. Now, we were all treading through a minefield. Any step can lead to a deadly outcome.

I passed by Pike and her father, both looking up to the cabin's porch, jaws slack but eyes firm.

It took everything in me not to panic—not to be reminded of the night of my Shifting; how everyone stared ahead towards the stone slab with the shackles. It certainly felt like it. My nerves ran hot. I nearly reached for Aisling's hands when a sense of calm surged through my senses. Aisling was using the bond to his advantage, to silently tell me that everything would be okay; we would be alright.

Luna Aedan was standing on the steps, his wool coat hugging tightly to him, and his hair was wild from the run to our territory. Everything about him was wild... dangerous. He represented his pack better than anyone. His eyes were bright, burning as they found me. I watched his lips move, his words hushed and meant for someone else.

I watched his eyes flick to the woman on the porch, hiding underneath the shadows that the awning had produced. When she peered out through the shadows, I instantly realized that she, too, represented Tuaisceart entirely.

Her hair was the same bright, auburn shade as Luna Aedan's; but long and wild, as opposed to Aedan's short hair. Her eyes were bright green, with flecks of brown. She wore a plain, black tee, with tight pants and hiking boots. If there was one thing I had come to learn, it was that we much preferred to dress comfortably, and she seemed to do just that.

But it was the way she looked at me, her eyes more akin to a cat's than anything. She held a fiery gracefulness to her that showed with how she sauntered down the steps.

This, I realized, was Alpha Sorley.

She had her guards with her, surrounding her in a tight-knit formation that would have been unbreakable. I took a quick glance at Aisling to find him turning into Alpha.

"You've kept me waiting, Alpha Aisling. Surely it's unwise to leave this pack unattended to?"

She sounded more condescending than I figured her to sound.

Aisling carried a look of apathy, despite our bond giving me the clear indication that her jab had affected him. He'd straightened his back, appearing much taller, and pushed himself forward to greet Alpha Sorley.

"My pack works fine without me there."

"They're not very hospitable." She took the moment of silence to nod her head somewhere off to the side.

Shaun came walking back to the cabin. Aisling didn't even hide how unsurprising her remark was. Shaun wasn't hospitable to many people, only those he was closest to. Even then it was scarce.

He rolled his eyes before he looked back to Alpha Sorley.

"That's rich."

When Alpha Sorley moved, so did Luna Aedan. Together, they were just as Reece had described to me. They looked unapproachable and dangerous. And in that moment, they absolutely were. There was no sugar-coating their visit.

They didn't even try to look kind.

Alpha Sorley reached Aisling, and the height difference wasn't as staggering as ours was. But the closer she got, the more Aisling's stature became concrete, firm. He knew how to present himself in the presence of an enemy.

"You know the rules, don't you?"

"I do."

I couldn't help but hold my breath. The way the two stared at each other, I was sure that daggers would start flying.