Chapter 9 #2
And then the music started—something soft and instrumental—and everyone turned to look at the back of the room.
Nina appeared in the doorway, and I felt tears prick at my eyes.
She looked absolutely radiant. The late afternoon sun streaming through the windows caught in her hair, making her glow.
Her dress flowed around her as she walked, and her face—God, her face was pure joy.
She was looking at Nate like he was her entire world, and when I glanced at him, I saw the same expression mirrored on his face.
This was what the mate bond was supposed to be. This certainty, this joy, this sense of rightness.
Nina walked down the aisle alone—no one to give her away, since her parents were gone—but she didn’t look lonely. She looked strong and sure and so, so happy.
When she reached the platform, Nate stepped down to meet her, taking her hand and helping her up the steps. They stood facing each other, hands clasped, and I could see Nate mouth the words “You’re beautiful” to her.
Everyone took their seats, and the elder stepped forward.
“We are gathered here today,” he began, his voice deep and resonant, “to witness and celebrate the mating of Nate Reeves and Nina Castellano.”
I tried to focus on his words, on Nina and Nate, on the ceremony itself. But I could feel Ryder’s eyes on me. The pull was almost physical, like a string tied around my ribs, tugging me toward him.
I resisted for as long as I could, but finally, I gave in and looked up at him.
Our eyes met, and the world seemed to narrow to just the two of us. The elder was still talking, his words washing over me, but all I could hear was my own heartbeat, all I could feel was the mate bond thrumming between us.
“The mate bond is sacred,” the elder was saying. “It is the universe’s way of bringing together two souls who are meant to be one. Two halves of the same whole.”
Ryder’s gaze was intense, almost burning. I could see everything in his eyes—want, need, regret, hope. It was overwhelming.
“Mates know each other in ways no one else can,” the elder continued. “They feel what the other feels. They understand without words. They love without conditions, accepting each other’s flaws and celebrating each other’s strengths.”
My chest felt tight. These words—they were beautiful, but they also hurt. Because this was what Ryder and I were supposed to have. This certainty, this acceptance, this unconditional love.
But we’d lost so much time. He’d pushed me away, made choices that had hurt us both, and now we were here, staring at each other across a room full of people, connected by a bond neither of us had asked for but both of us felt.
“The mate bond is not just about passion,” the elder said, and I saw Ryder’s jaw tighten slightly. “Though passion is certainly part of it. It is about partnership. About choosing each other, every day, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.”
I couldn’t look away from Ryder. It was like we were in our own world, the ceremony happening around us but not quite reaching us. I could feel everything he was feeling—the longing, the frustration, the desperate need to close the distance between us.
And I knew he could feel the same from me. The confusion, the hurt, but also the love that I’d never quite been able to kill, no matter how hard I’d tried.
“A mate is the person who sees you at your worst and loves you anyway,” the elder said. “The person who knows your darkest secrets and doesn’t turn away. The person who will stand beside you through every storm, every challenge, every joy.”
Ryder’s expression softened, and I saw something like pleading in his eyes. Please, they seemed to say. Please give us a chance.
I felt tears prick at my eyes, and I had to look away before I started crying in the middle of Nina’s ceremony. I focused on my best friend instead, on the way she was looking at Nate like he’d hung the moon.
This was what I wanted. This certainty, this happiness. But could I have it with Ryder? Could I trust him not to hurt me again?
The elder’s voice pulled me back to the present. “And now, we will perform the blood ceremony, binding these two souls together for all time.”
I watched as Ryder stepped forward, pulling a small ceremonial blade from his jacket pocket. It was beautiful—the handle looked like it was made of bone or antler, carved with intricate designs.
Nate held out his hand, palm up, and Ryder made a small, precise cut across it. Nate didn’t even flinch. Then Ryder did the same to Nina’s palm, and she bit her lip but stayed still.
“Join your hands,” Ryder said, his voice carrying across the room with an authority that made me shiver.
Nate and Nina clasped their hands together, their blood mixing. I could see the moment the bond snapped into place—both of their eyes widened slightly, and Nina let out a small gasp.
“The bond is formed,” the elder intoned. “Two souls, now one.”
But Ryder wasn’t done. He made a small cut on his own palm, and I realized what was coming next. This was the part where he accepted Nina into the pack.
He took Nina’s other hand, clasping it firmly, and I saw Nina’s eyes widen again. This was different from the mating bond—this was the pack bond, connecting her to every wolf in Ryder’s pack, allowing her to mindlink with them, changing her scent to mark her as one of them.
It was intimate and powerful, and I felt a strange pang in my chest watching it. This was what would happen to me if I accepted Ryder as my mate. I would become part of his pack, connected to all of them, bound to them in ways I couldn’t fully understand.
The thought was both terrifying and thrilling.
Ryder released Nina’s hand and stepped back, and the elder raised his arms.
“I present to you Nate and Nina Reeves, true mates, bound for all time!”
The room erupted in applause and cheers. Nina and Nate kissed, and I felt tears stream down my face—happy tears, for once. They looked so perfect together, so right.
“Please join us in the next room for the reception!” Nate called out, his arm around Nina’s waist, both of them grinning like idiots.
I stood with everyone else, wiping at my eyes and hoping my mascara hadn’t run too badly. People started filing toward the doors that led to the reception area, but I hung back, waiting for the crowd to thin.
Nina and Nate were at the front of the room, accepting hugs and congratulations. I made my way up to them, and when Nina saw me, she pulled me into a tight hug.
“Thank you for being here,” she whispered in my ear.
“I wouldn’t have missed it,” I said, squeezing her back. “You looked beautiful. You both did.”
I hugged Nate too, and he grinned at me. “Thanks for keeping her sane while she was getting ready.”
“That was all Margaret and Jenna,” I said. “I just did her makeup.”
“Well, you did a great job,” Nate said, looking at his mate with such open adoration that I had to look away.
I left them to talk to Nate’s family, who had swarmed them with hugs and congratulations, and started making my way toward the reception. The room was nearly empty now, just a few stragglers chatting near the doors.
And then Ryder was beside me.
I hadn’t heard him approach—he moved too quietly for someone so large—but suddenly he was there, matching my pace as I walked toward the reception area.
“Are you done ignoring me?” he asked, his tone casual but with an undercurrent of amusement.
I kept my eyes straight ahead. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I wasn’t ignoring you.”
He laughed—that same rich, warm laugh from earlier—and I felt it all the way down to my toes.
“Yeah, right,” he said. “The day after we kissed, you almost got run over by a car running away from me.”
My face flamed. “Maybe I was ignoring you. Apparently, you didn’t get the message, since you’re talking to me now.”
He laughed again, and I couldn’t help but glance at him. He was looking at me with such open affection that it made my chest ache.
“Oh, Em,” he said, shaking his head. “I told you I was going to show you that I want you as my mate, and that’s a little hard when you run the other way every time you see me.”
I felt my blush deepen because he was absolutely right. I had run away from him. Multiple times. Like a coward.
But then his expression shifted, became more serious. “You’re only here for another week or so,” he said quietly. “I don’t have a lot of time left.”
I stopped walking and turned to look at him. There was something in his voice—something desperate, almost pleading—that made my heart clench.
He looked... vulnerable. This powerful Alpha, this man who commanded respect from an entire pack, looked vulnerable because of me.
Before I could respond, he grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward a different door—not the one leading to the reception, but one that opened onto a patio.
“Ryder, what—”
“Just come with me,” he said. “Please.”
I let him lead me outside. The sun was just starting to set, painting the sky in shades of pink and orange and gold. The air was warm, and I could smell the flowers that lined the patio—roses and jasmine and something else I couldn’t quite identify.
Ryder led me down a stone path, past the main patio area, to a more secluded spot where a stone bench sat hidden behind flowering bushes. It was private, intimate, and my heart started racing for an entirely different reason.
He turned to face me, still holding my hand. “Em, I’m serious about wanting you as my mate.”
I pulled my hand away, wrapping my arms around myself. “I don’t know, Ryder. You really hurt me when you ignored me for almost two years, then came back and the first thing I see is you kissing another girl.”
He ran his hand over his face, looking pained. “I’m sorry, Em. I was so dumb and let myself be influenced by the wrong people.”
I opened my mouth to respond—to tell him that sorry wasn’t enough, that he’d broken my heart—but he held up his hand.
“Can I finish before you rip into me?” he asked.
I pressed my lips together and nodded.