Chapter 5 - Rhys
The pale sunlight shimmers above, filtered by the tossing leaves of the trees. The courtyard behind the manor feels more like a prison yard than a decorative garden, and even though there isn’t a cloud in the sky, the sun can’t seem to bring light to this day.
I’m waiting on the circle of gray stone with Rafe, who is to perform the marriage ceremony. Thorne and Neville stand on either side of me, more like they are keeping me prisoner than supporting me on my wedding day.
My eyes flit down to the crowd, a gathering of about fifty wolves, mixed from all three packs. Owen and Shane are in the crowd, and when Owen sees me looking, he gives me a thumbs-up. I just shrug.
Wait until it’s your turn, tough guy. I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing up here.
I know Sadie is being prepared in the house with Faye, Sylvie, and Darla. Cassie is with her, and I’m not crazy about them all being alone together. I try to tell myself that the pack needs Sadie too badly for them to let anything happen to her, but memories of Darla’s hatred are strong in my mind.
They won’t hurt Cassie, I know that much. I get the feeling they couldn’t even if they wanted to.
Last night, I tried to talk to Sadie and Cassie at my house, to put them—and myself—at ease, but all I did was unleash more stress on myself.
The three of us sat around the kitchen table, the tension in the room rising to an incredible pitch while I asked extremely dumb questions like, “What have you been up to the last three years?”
In my defense, I don’t think there’s a social pleasantry in place for this situation. Maybe I should have asked, “How’s this for a kidnapping? Comfortable?” or “Is this your first time?”
I ended up showing Sadie to the guest room and making sure the house was locked up tight in case she decided to escape.
Sadie complained that the two of them were still in their pajamas and Cassie hadn’t eaten all day, so I got a robe for Sadie and an old shirt for Cassie and left them in the bathroom while I went to make sandwiches.
What an utterly ridiculous situation. Has a kidnapper ever said, “Hey, do you like peanut butter and jelly?”
I almost groan aloud, and Neville pats me on the shoulder.
“Cheer up, young man. It’s a special day! No matter what happens after this, it will always be remembered as your wedding day.”
“Shut up, Neville,” Thorne mutters. “You make it sound like a goddamn fairytale.”
“It could be,” Neville shoots back, “if all of you could get your heads out of your own asses long enough to give a human a chance. If you think—”
“It isn’t what I think,” Rafe cuts in. “It’s what I know. Sadie is inferior—her whole species is. We take what we need from her, and then we move on. There’s no need to get romantic about this.”
“She gave birth to a pureblood shifter,” I say, very softly.
The silence that falls in that moment is so deep, I can almost hear the worms moving in the earth under our feet. The council didn’t find out about Cassie until this morning, and the reactions were mixed.
Everyone was pleased to see a shifter child. Everyone was pissed about the mother being a human. And me moonlighting and fucking a random woman three years ago? Well, thankfully, no one wanted to talk about that.
In other circumstances, I could have gotten into deep trouble for something like that, especially if I was alpha when it happened. Any werewolf wasting seed on a human would be subject to punishment, but to actually produce a child would be a grievous crime.
And if I’d been alpha when it happened, I’d have been locked up, maybe even killed. Sadie would have been executed, and most likely Cassie as well.
Because of the current circumstances, an uneasy peace about the situation was declared. The act itself happened three years ago, and the result was a pureblood shifter, not a half-breed.
The spell also chose her as my mate. They can’t execute her. All the old rules just aren’t simple anymore, are they?
My skin tingles a little as if something is crawling up my spine. I get the sudden feeling that all our old traditions have run out, and the future of our packs is going to reshape our society. It gives me hope, but it scares me, too.
The old ones will never allow it.
As if summoned by my thought, I see Darla at the back of the crowd. People move, creating a path for her, and Darla strides regally towards us, her bright blond hair offset beautifully by a dark blue gown.
She approaches the raised stone circle we stand in, and I see Sadie entering the garden with Faye and Sylvie behind her.
Definitely not an ecstatic wedding march. Being marched to the firing squad, more like.
I can’t take my eyes off Sadie, and as she gets closer, I’m struck by how beautiful she is. The sunlight that seemed dull and cruel a short time ago suddenly feels warm and bright, and the wind that had been cutting my cheeks settles into a mild breeze that plays with Sadie’s long brown hair.
The women have dressed her in a cream-colored gown with a straight, off-the-shoulder neckline.
The bodice is tight, flaring out over her hips into a long, full skirt.
Lines of delicate embroidery decorate the front of the dress, detailed loops of flowers, vines, and leaves that flow from Sadie’s breasts all the way to the hem of the dress.
Cassie walks beside her mom, holding her hand tightly. To my surprise, my little daughter is in a gown of vibrant red. Even though the skirts reach the ground and Cassie walks with her head held high, she doesn’t trip once. She levels her eyes on me as she walks up the pathway.
I have to admit, she spooks me a bit, even though she is my kid.
Behind them, Faye and Sylvie walk together, almost making a living blockade.
Even though Sadie doesn’t look like she’s about to run, there are signs of tension all over her, and I have no doubt that if she thought it was possible for her and Cassie to get away, she’d try it without the slightest hesitation.
She comes up beside me, and I hold out my hand. When she takes it, a powerful thrill sweeps through me, and I get a hint of her delicious scent. Suddenly, I can’t look away from her. My eyes are devouring her, inch by inch.
Her breasts are held high in the tight bodice, gorgeous, creamy mounds that sway a little every time she moves. Her bare arms seem to beg for my caress, and the curve of her waist looks made for the shape of my hand.
I sink into a brief fantasy, my rational mind disappearing as if I’ve dropped under a wave, leaving my head above the surface to let the rest of my body play in the under realms. I stare at Sadie so hard, my mouth starts to water, and tension bleeds through my body until I’m almost rocking on my feet.
Neville slaps me on the shoulder, and I come back to myself with a start, almost dropping Sadie’s hand. She glares at me, her dark brown eyes almost black as she tries to conceal her anger.
“Careful,” Neville whispers. “You wouldn’t want to go falling in love, would you?”
“No,” I answer. “Definitely not that.”
I look past Sadie to Cassie and try to tell myself the intense connection I feel is just because we have a daughter together.
It’s my blood tie to Cassie I can feel, not a mystical pull to some ordinary human woman. That would truly be beneath me.
Rafe speaks the final words, and I have to disguise my shock.
I was so lost in my own thoughts that the entire thing slipped by without me even noticing!
The elders lead us to a different section of the garden, and the rest of the crowd follows. Under a wide, covered area, some snacks and champagne have been set out, as well as a smaller table for the kids. Cassie runs off straight away to be with them, and Sadie follows her.
I grab a glass of champagne, hoping to find Owen and Shane immediately, but Darla steps into my path.
“Rhys,” she says, her voice hard.
“Darla,” I say, trying to go around her.
“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about this.”
“About what?”
She sighs, a light growl rattling at the end of it. “We’re doing this for our kind, to find a solution for the wasting disease. Once we figure out the answer, we’ll get rid of her and find you a worthy mate.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” I retort. “Is there anything special I’m supposed to be looking for, and do you know how long it’s supposed to take?”
I see her face twist, and it gives me some satisfaction because I meant to put her in her place.
She has no fucking clue.
“We don’t know,” she answers, trying to sound confident. “It might take a while, and we’re prepared to give it some time. I just wanted you to know you should be proactive about this—we want to get rid of her as soon as possible.”
“Okay,” I say, nodding. A splinter of anger has pierced my hard-won calm, and I feel like shouting at her, but I don’t even know what I’d say.
Just that this feels wrong… my instincts are screaming at me to protect Sadie, and Cassie, too… And how can they possibly expect to keep Cassie as my heir if they’re going to get rid of her mother?
Before Darla can say another word, Owen steps in to save me, throwing an arm around my shoulder and pretending to be a lot drunker than he is.
“Brother!” he says, hugging me and almost spilling both our glasses of champagne. “I just had to congratulate you! What a day this is.”
Darla moves away in disgust, her eyes flashing with malice as she shoots me a final glance.
I know what she’s capable of, but I won’t let it come to that. I’ll work this out, somehow.
“Is she gone?” Owen asks, his voice low.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Good. She looks like she was about to take the stick out of her ass and beat you with it.”
“I’d prefer she did,” I mutter. “It’d be easier than dealing with her verbal minefield. Where’s Shane?”
“Caught up with the rest of the elders and just generally mingling.”
“Where’s my wife?”
“At the kids’ table. If you didn’t notice, I’ve been slowly maneuvering you in that direction.”
“Oh,” I say, looking up in surprise.
There are about ten shifter kids sitting around the small wooden table, and all of them are looking at Cassie as if she’s a star fallen into their midst. Sadie stands over her, glaring at the other kids as if she has to defend her daughter with her life.
“Sadie,” I say.
Owen whistles under his breath, does an about-face, and disappears into the crowd. Sadie looks over at me, fury brewing in her dark eyes.
“What?” she asks.
“You don’t have to stand over her like that. They’re just kids.”
“Shifter kids,” Sadie says. “Like you.”
“Like Cassie,” I correct. “She’s a pureblood.”
“How can that be?” Sadie asks, losing her hard tone. “She’s mine. How can she be all yours?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. But it’s true.”
Sadie’s face falls, her dark brown eyes swimming with confusion as she tries to think it through.
After a moment, she shakes her head as if to clear it, then pats Cassie on the shoulder as she steps away towards me.
Cassie gives her mom a wave, a big smile on her face as she talks to the other kids.
At least someone’s having a good time at this party.
Sadie pulls me out to the edge of the crowd, her fingers digging into my arm. “I want you to know, this wedding means nothing,” she hisses under her breath. “Don’t expect anything from me—I didn’t ask to be here, and I’m certainly not fucking you after I’ve been forced into marrying you.”
A spike of pure ego-driven rage pierces through my forced calm, and I take a step back, shaking off her hand.
“You think I want to?” I scoff. “You’re deluded. My kind looks down on humans. This entire wedding is little more than a sham—we’re bound in name only. If it wasn’t for Cassie, you’d probably be in chains right now.”
And I’d be in front of a trial committee, but you don’t need to know that.
Sadie takes a step back, eyes flashing with an emotion that might be anger—but could easily be pain.
I don’t care.
“Furthermore, my kind see humans as fickle, weak creatures. You can’t be trusted. They fully expect you to break any agreement made, so of course I wouldn’t get further involved with you than I already am.”
“Fickle?” she repeats in a menacing whisper. “You left me, remember?”
“After you told me you weren’t ready for anything serious,” I shoot back. “Or do you not remember that part?”
“It’s all coming back to me,” she says angrily. “I was relieved to find you gone the next morning!”
“And I ran out of there like a banshee was on my tail!” I almost yell. “That turned out to be too close to the damn truth!”
The murmur of voices around us ripples, like a stone being thrown into a still pond, and I realize our argument has been noticed. I step back from Sadie, taking a deep breath to pull myself under control. Sadie looks around, suddenly noticing the hostile crowd, and I see fear in her eyes.
“Don’t worry,” she whispers, sounding like her throat is suddenly full of gravel.
“I’ll remain civil until you can find your ‘solution’ or whatever.
But it’s for Cassie’s sake. She’s one of you—she has your blood.
I have to help you in case the disease comes for her, too.
But I will never promise to stay, or give you my body ever again. ”
Before I can answer, she turns and walks away, her head held high as she takes quick strides through the crowd, going back to Cassie. I try not to look, but I can’t help myself from admiring her.
She’s beautiful, proud, and so incredibly strong. There is more to her than I ever guessed.
Before I can wander too far down the trail of those thoughts, I turn away from her and grab another glass of champagne, desperate to mingle with my own kind and forget this confusing attraction to a human who cannot possibly satisfy me.