Chapter 1
Chapter One
Two days later…
“Sienna, do you promise to love and honor your mate, Jayce… To accept his guidance and care… To learn from him the ways of our pack… To lean on him in times of sorrow… To laugh with him in times of happiness… To accept his protection from harm… To obey his directives… To cherish him for eternity?” Jayce’s father asked.
“I do,” she whispered when it was her turn to utter those two simple words. Just three letters. Not complicated and yet they stuck in her throat.
Her mate had made a similar promise to her just moments ago. He’d been standing in front of her where she kneeled on the floor, supporting her physically and emotionally with a hand on the top of her head.
Sienna wasn’t certain how she’d managed to get through this ceremony without passing out.
She was breathing heavily. Fear held her in its grip.
The entire process was relatively quick, but the room seemed to be spinning as both her parents and her mate’s parents quietly exited the round ceremonial room.
The sound of the door snicking shut made her flinch. This was it. In a matter of seconds, she would face her mate for the first time and verify if her visions had been accurate or not.
Jayce bent and swooped her off the floor and into his arms, cradling her against him.
She squeezed her eyes shut, not ready to face reality yet.
He kissed the top of her head and chuckled, the deep tone making her want to wrap her arms around him and hold on forever. Instead, she burrowed her face against his suit jacket and bit her lip.
“I know you’re scared, Little one,” Jayce said. “You’re probably afraid to look at me and find out if I’m the man you’ve been visiting in your dreams. I promise I am. Amber says you have the prettiest green eyes. I can’t wait to see them. Will you look at me, Baby girl?”
She shook her head, feeling oddly defiant, which wasn’t like her.
She was never this ornery. In fact, she’d spent twenty years being taught to obey this man who would be her master.
A man her mother told her she would service in every way for the rest of her life.
And here she was defying him at her first opportunity.
In a strange twist, she’d learned from her visions—if they could be trusted—the mates of Alpha Protectors didn’t seem to hold the role she’d been raised to believe would be expected of her.
She’d seen no evidence of any of the mates cooking or cleaning.
On the contrary, she’d witness the opposite.
It appeared that Alphas took care of their mates in every way instead of the other way around.
Madness. Nothing made sense. And because the world she’d been snooping around in was so far off what she’d been taught to expect, she found herself totally doubting the validity of her visions.
Cradling her with one arm as though she weighed nothing, Jayce stroked a hand down her cheek before tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
“This dark silky hair is exactly as I envisioned it. Amber told me how pretty it was. She was right.” He threaded his fingers in it and dragged them through the length, which took some time considering it reached her butt.
As was customary, she’d never cut her hair. As was also customary, she’d worn it down most of her life, only pulling the front of it back in a clip or a small braid. Today she had intricate braids running from her temples, the two thin lengths clipped together at the back of her head.
“I know you’re scared, Sienna. It’s normal to feel nervous, and doubly so considering what I suspect you’ve been experiencing. I want you to know that there’s nothing wrong with you. You have a gift. Together we’ll learn to explore it and find out what it means.”
She trembled in his arms, melting a little when he stroked her cheek with his fingers.
“Will you look at me, Baby girl?” The endearment was so odd. He’d used it several times out loud so far, but he’d also written it on the sign he’d made her. Considering her small size in comparison to him and the fact that he was cradling her in his arms, she shouldn’t be surprised.
But who was she kidding? She’d witnessed so many things lately that most days her head had been spinning. If even a tenth of what she’d visualized turned out to be true, she was in for an awakening.
When Jayce stroked her eyelid, she realized she still hadn’t obeyed him. Finally she held her breath and opened her eyes. For a moment, she simply stared at him, both shocked and relieved to find he was exactly the man from her vision.
His smile was huge and kind. “Hi.”
She licked her lips. “Hi.”
“I’ve waited so long to meet you, Little one.” He lifted her higher so he could kiss her forehead. “You’re even prettier than Amber described. And you smell amazing. Gardenias?”
She nodded. How did he know?
He breathed out a dramatic sigh of relief. “Amber thought she’d smelled gardenias on you, so I bought you bath soaps in that scent.”
“You did that for me?”
“Of course. I did everything I could think of to prepare for you. Unfortunately Amber didn’t know what your favorite color is, so you’re stuck with a rainbow of colors until you decide to change things. But you know that already, don’t you? You’ve seen your nursery, haven’t you?”
She slowly nodded. She’d seen every inch of his house, including the room he’d worked so hard to prepare for her. She’d watched him paint it late at night. She’d seen how much effort he’d gone to, arranging everything in the room for her.
The nursery. Because that’s what it was. It even had a crib and changing table. Toys and games. A rocking chair. Though she hadn’t been able to fully wrap her head around the lifestyle she’d witnessed in other homes, she knew now with certainty everything she’d seen had been accurate.
She had a million questions, but they were stuck in her throat.
“Did you see my sign, Little one?”
She nodded again. “Yes, Sir,” she managed to murmur.
His grin… It could stop traffic. “I hope it brought you some peace.”
“It did,” she whispered.
“I’m so glad. I wish I had thought of doing something like that weeks ago. The idea didn’t come to me until a few days ago. It suddenly occurred to me that perhaps I could communicate with you even though I had no way to receive a reaction. I bet you’ve been so lonely and afraid.”
Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. He had no idea how unnerved she’d been. She was struggling to believe any of this was really happening. She hoped it was all true. Well, most of it. Some parts made her very nervous.
“I have so many things I want to say to you,” Jayce said, “but I’d rather get you out of here and home before we continue. Is that okay?”
He was asking her permission? “Yes, Sir.”
He kissed her forehead again. “I’m going to carry you up the mountain in my arms. I have a vial in my pocket with a potion that will let you sleep during the journey. Would you like that, Sienna?”
She gasped, stiffening. “No. Please don’t.”
“Okay, Little one. I want it to be your choice. If you get too scared, let me know, and I’ll stop and put a few drops under your tongue.”
Unable to resist, she rolled her body more fully against his and wrapped her arms around his neck. It felt so good. Right. His scent was woodsy. Outdoors. Masculine. She could inhale it all day.
For weeks, all she’d had were visions without the other senses. Now she could finally add his scent, the sound of his voice, and the feel of his touch. A part of her wanted to stick her tongue out and taste him, rounding out her senses with that one last piece.
The idea was ludicrous, of course, so she refrained. But she held him tighter and couldn’t stop herself from rubbing her nose against his neck, scenting him so deeply she could almost taste him.
A deep growl rumbled through him, startling her, causing her to ease her grip and jerk back a few inches. Maybe he didn’t like the way she was crowding against him as if she were clingy and needy.
He shook his head and slid a hand up her back to her shoulder blades. “Don’t stop, Baby girl. Hold on as tight as you’d like. It feels so good to have your arms around me.”
Oh. With less trepidation, she resumed gripping his neck and nuzzling him. She’d never been this close to another person—not in her memory at least. Wolf shifters in the valley weren’t particularly demonstrative. She’d never even seen her parents snuggle in this close.
It was instinctive, though. She needed to be pressed against him. A part of her couldn’t wait to do so without all these layers of clothing. And where did that thought come from?
“Ready?” he asked as if she had options.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good girl.” His hand slid into her hair and cupped the back of her head as he spoke those words. Words that penetrated deep in her heart and endeared her to a man she’d met only moments ago.