Chapter 3
Another day, another ritual. Lambda had been given the morning off but was expected to relieve Gamma at noon. Jaine had a doctor appointment, and in Luven, mates attended all appointments with their partners.
So, his plan was to attend a ritual in the morning and to patrol for wild wolf packs in the afternoon. And, hopefully, a beer with Iota on the front steps before a huge dinner.
Big day.
He jogged toward the arena, ready to get it over with. He padded through the doors, up the stairs and into the viewing gallery. He nabbed a seat beside Iota, with Chi behind them.
“Ready?” Iota asked. “Who’s your money on for today?”
Lambda shrugged. “I think she’s not going to be for anyone. No way every single one of these women from Balaur has a mate in Luven.” Lambda believed in the Moon Goddess, but still. Life wasn’t a series of perfect endings lined up.
“That’s not a very positive outlook,” Iota pointed out.
“I’m a realist. We’ve had three matches already. Odds are at least one of these women isn’t going to magically be mated to someone who lives in Luven. You can’t tell me this woman—”
The moment the doors opened and the air rushed in, he smelled her. Like a storm on the air, a cloud full of lightning—
His .
His mate was here, in the building. The woman he would love for the rest of his life was just there…about to fuck Alpha. Or about to change her mind and need protecting.
Lambda steeled himself. He tried to sit still and hold back any reactions. If she needed him to save her, he didn’t want hands holding him back.
What if she changed her mind? He would be there, quick as the river, and take her away from here, deep into the wilderness where no one could ever find them. He would keep her safe. No one would hurt her now that he was there.
Alpha grumbled her name: Vallie .
Beautiful. His Vallie. Lambda gripped the sides of his pants, hoping to steady himself. He trusted Alpha, right? He was the pack leader. He wouldn’t hurt Vallie. Alpha had kept them safe, kept them out of a war with the dragons.
The dragons. The fucking dragons had kept Vallie from him. He should rip their throats out, one by one.
Lambda shook his head. He needed to focus. If he let the wolf take over, he might do something the man would regret.
“Awesome. Let’s make this quick. I’ve got shit to do.” Vallie turned around and smiled at the crowd.
A hum of laughter rose among the other wolves. Lambda shifted uncomfortably. She wasn’t scared, so that was good.
Alpha moved behind her and Lambda waited for her scent to change.
No pain, also good. But…but…Lambda took a deep breath, trapping his lips between his teeth. A scent like weak cinnamon hit the air. Was she enjoying herself?
No…not enjoying herself. Lambda felt oddly relieved. But it was almost like she was trying to? She was reaching for something in these moments with Alpha, while he gripped her hips and thrust into her…
Lambda blew out a steadying breath.
Your Alpha is taking your mate like an animal, his wolf growled. That woman is ours and he is treating her like a common—
“All done?” Vallie said. “You should really invest in some softer flooring or even a couch or something to bend us over.” She turned her face up to the crowd.
And then, he saw her.
Light brown hair like the oak leaves in autumn, a wide smile with straight teeth, a few freckles dotting her face. Beautiful.
“Hope you enjoyed the show!” she called, waved, then sauntered out of the room behind Hadie.
Well. That was definitely not was he was expecting. It wasn’t that he wanted his mate to fight Alpha or be afraid or miserable, but she seemed like she had a jolly time fucking Alpha.
And Lambda only wanted her to have a jolly time fucking him.
“Is she…yours?” Iota asked, nudging him. “You are making a very weird face.”
“Yes.” Lambda inhaled sharply. “I’ve got to go tell Alpha.”
“Wow. Well, congratulations. She seemed…happy?”
“Yeah. Something like that.” Lambda pushed his hand through his hair a few times. “I’m going to get it over with.”
“You sure?” Iota asked, jumping to his feet. “You want me to walk down with you?”
“Nah. I’m ok. He didn’t hurt her.” Far from it.
What the hell? It wasn’t like Vallie knew her mate was sitting in the room but…Alpha? In front of everyone?
He swallowed his pride. If she wanted to like being with Alpha, he’d make sure she fucking loved being with him.
Lambda went down the back stairway, landing himself in the middle of the auditorium. Alpha was dressed by now, standing beside Beta and talking in low voices.
“Alpha,” Lambda called out, keeping his distance. He didn’t necessarily want to murder him, but he did want to threaten him to never come near his mate again.
This newfound territorial instinct pressing against every fiber of his being was disconcerting.
Alpha and his son looked up, Beta stepping in front of his father.
“She’s mine,” Lambda said simply.
“Wonderful.” Alpha sighed with relief. “The women from Balaur are shaping up to be a gift from the Moon Goddess.”
Lambda grumbled a response.
“I’ll let Hadie know,” Beta added. “Thank you for keeping your wits about you. No reason to be jumping from the viewing deck and making a fuss like Sigma.”
Lambda turned and left. He had no problem with how Sigma handled Millonia’s ritual. She wanted to get out of there, and he got her out of there.
Lambda burst out of the auditorium into the daylight. His shift started in half an hour. As far as he knew, his mate coming and fucking Alpha wasn’t a reason to make someone else work longer. He jogged to Chi’s, grabbed a coffee and a roll, and headed out of Luven.
*
The land between Luven and the wall was mostly rocky, with a few copses of evergreen trees to break up the gray. Lambda jogged through the distance, sniffing the air as he did.
It was odd for roaming packs to come this far north. They tended to occupy the land south between Luven and Michun where woods and open meadows reigned over cities and small villages.
The wild wolves liked the chaos of the Emptylands. No laws, no rules, just the animalistic nature taking over all night and day.
Lambda kept the wall on his left as he ran east. There were no scents on the air today, just the scent of clouds about to break with rain.
He let his mind wander. There’d been chatter about all-out war with dragons, which Lambda wanted to avoid if possible. While he liked working security, keeping his city safe, he wasn’t a soldier. He didn’t think he could walk into someone else’s home and kill them.
But once he met Vallie, that might change. She was his mate. And the dragons…Well, Tella, Phaebe, and Millonia didn’t give him the impression that it was a nice place to live.
Everyone had told him there would be an immediate connection—like he would smell her and his wolf would clamor out of his body to protect her. But right now…he felt so lost. He wanted her, and had the hard cock to prove it, but he didn’t know her.
Today, he’d be occupied with work. But tomorrow, he’d have to get his townhouse ready. He wasn’t messy, per say, but his breakfast dishes were definitely in the sink. And he needed more food. Maybe tomorrow would be best spent hunting.
He wondered if Vallie liked venison and rabbit. And cake. He really hoped she liked cake. He should get a couple cakes from Chi to welcome her with.
A howl rang out in the distance. Lambda raced in the direction, then slowed when he saw Epsilon waving his hand above his head. He didn’t smell in danger.
“I saw Iota! He said the woman released today is your mate!”
Lambda nodded as he approached.
“Are you ok? I know from experience, how shitty it is to watch Alpha… hurt …your mate.” Epsilon’s eyes flashed black.
“I’m ok. He didn’t hurt her. And it was over really fast.”
“Good. Good. That makes it easier. So, the two of you’ll be busy for a while, but once you’re ready to see people, Tella and I would love to have you over for a meal. Or even as soon as she is released, if you think it’ll help her adjust. It’s Vallie, right?”
“Yes. Vallie.” Lambda loved the way her name rolled off his tongue.
“She and Tella were close, in Balaur.” Epsilon twitched a bit. “If she needs a friendly face, just let us know.”
“Thanks.” Lambda looked out at the horizon. “I’ll take east and you take west today, ok?”
“Sure. Before you know it, she’ll be home with you. And safe. Don’t let it weigh on you too heavily. The prick dragon that hurt her is already dead.”
Lambda gave him a quick nod and took off east.
All he wanted to do right now was run. Run until there were no thoughts left in his head. Not even those of a beautiful brunette with an enchanting smile.