Chapter 8
ALARA
Something was wrong. I felt it a half second before the shouting started. The courtyard around me blurred as fear rolled over me, tightening every muscle in my body. Then warriors raced down the tree-lined path and into the open space.
My breath was caught in my chest until Booker finally appeared.
Blood streaked down his forearm, and his broad chest rose and fell with each deep breath he took. My shoulders slumped in relief when I saw that he still held the sacred lynx totem in his fist.
Caelan stormed forward, authority rolling off him in thick waves. “What happened?”
One of the warriors pointed at Booker. “The wolf almost shifted.”
Furious gasps shot through the courtyard.
Instinct roared inside me, and I stepped between Booker and every shifter gathered there. My lynx surged under my skin, ready to bare teeth at anyone who came too close.
My mate let out a growl behind me, a low warning to anyone who would dare try to go through me. Kace and Keane strode forward, flanking me on both sides in an unmistakably protective move.
That extra intuition ignited, expanding outward in a crackling sweep. I didn’t sense any deceit from the warrior who’d spoken, but Booker only vibrated with protective fury.
There was something off coming from the tree line, though. A shadow slipping away that was wrong.
I swallowed hard, turning my head just enough to catch Booker’s eyes. They were still rimmed in gold, wild with the effort of holding himself together. The sight only deepened the dread pooling in my stomach.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Another warrior pushed forward. Tarek was one of our most trusted defenders. His face was streaked with dirt and his breathing uneven, but his eyes were steady.
“The ambush began as planned.” He spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. “We struck from the agreed positions. Nothing unusual.”
Murmurs rippled around me. Every lynx here knew Tarek could be trusted.
“Then someone else joined the attack,” he continued. “Not as part of the trial.”
My stomach clenched as the shadow I’d sensed earlier scraped along the edge of my mind again, faint but unmistakable.
Tarek shook his head. “Whoever it was moved fast and kept to the blind spots. They aimed for the totem, but when that didn’t work, they tried to get to us.”
My breath caught, and the protective growl behind me sent a shiver of awareness up my spine.
Tarek turned to Caelan. “Booker didn’t break the rules. Not once. He protected the talisman, and when Rian slipped on the slope”—he motioned toward the limping warrior being supported by two others—“the wolf pulled him out of the way before the saboteur could reach him.”
Gasps echoed off the stone walls surrounding the courtyard, but Booker’s gaze stayed locked on my brother, steady and unflinching.
“He still didn’t shift. Not even when the attack turned real,” Tarek finished.
A hush fell so heavy it pressed against my skin.
Caelan stepped closer, studying Booker with that unreadable alpha stare that showed no hint of the big brother I grew up with. I held my breath, waiting for the verdict, my lynx clawing at my ribs.
Finally, he nodded once. “The trial is complete. Booker Redmond has more than proven himself.”
Murmurs of approval and reluctant respect swirled around me. Some of the older warriors even dipped their chins in rare acknowledgment for an outsider.
My chest swelled so full of relief and pride that it almost hurt. Booker turned toward me, and his wolf flashed in his eyes. The mating bond was pushing me hard, and I knew he had to be feeling the same.
The moment Caelan dismissed the chain and sent guards to sweep the perimeter, the courtyard began to empty in a swirl of tense whispers and hurried footsteps. Booker didn’t move at first, not until Kace and Keane each clapped him on the shoulder.
Kace grinned. “Told you he wouldn’t need our help.”
Keane snorted. “Never doubted him for a second.”
“Sure,” Kace muttered, shaking his head.
Keane’s lips twitched. “Fine. Maybe a little. But I’m glad we came.”
“Me too.” Kace’s gaze slid toward me. “It allowed us to be the first from his life to meet you.”
Heat prickled behind my eyes at how sweet that was. Booker had people who deeply cared about him, and they came all this way for me, too.
Kace winked at Booker before pulling my brother aside for a terse conversation about what needed to be done next, with Keane joining in. The moment they stepped a few paces away, Booker closed the remaining distance between us.
His gaze swept over my face like he was cataloging every flicker of emotion. Then he reached out and brushed his thumb beneath my chin. His touch was so gentle that I almost sobbed.
“You okay?” he murmured.
I gave him a jerky nod and shoved weakly at his chest. “I should be asking that. You’re the one who’s bleeding.”
A wolfish smile tugged at his lips. “It’s nothing.”
“It is not nothing. My heart almost stopped when the warriors returned, and you weren’t with them,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “You could’ve died.”
His expression softened, all the fierce lines melting into something unbearably tender. He cradled my face with both hands, his large palms warm against my skin. “It never would’ve come to that. I have too much to live for now that I found you.”
“You should’ve shifted,” I grumbled, hating that he’d been in danger because of my brother’s decision.
“I didn’t need to, kitten,” he reassured me, dropping his hands to interlace our fingers. “And I didn’t want to because I needed to meet that third trial. I had no way of knowing how your brother would react if I shifted, even with good reason. It wasn’t worth the risk.”
My lynx purred in my mind, pleased with his answer. But I wasn’t as happy with what that cut on his arm meant. “If it ever again comes down to your safety and some challenge Caelan has given you, you do whatever it takes to come back to me, whole and healthy.”
“You don’t need to worry, Alara.” His lips curved into a smile. “Now that I've jumped through the hoops your brother required, I’d burn down your borders before I let anyone decide you’re not mine.”
Butterflies swirled in my belly at the possessiveness in his voice. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his blue eyes as he slowly lowered his head, giving me every chance to step away. Which I didn’t even think of doing. Instead, I rose onto my toes, closing the last inch between us.
Our lips met in a kiss that started soft, barely a brush of our breath. But it was no less devastating. Almost like a promise we were making to each other without any words needing to be said. Then the mating bond surged through me so fast I gasped.
Booker took full advantage of the parting of my lips, his hands sliding to the back of my neck to pull me flush against him as the kiss deepened. It grew hungrier, and it felt like years of loneliness were burning away in the space of a single heartbeat.
Lost in the moment, I didn’t even realize I was clutching his shoulders until I felt the faint tremble there. We broke apart only when footsteps echoed across the stone. Caelan’s voice carried toward us a second later. “Alara.”
Booker’s thumb swept over my lower lip before he stepped back. My pulse thundered, and so did his.
Everything had changed. And absolutely nothing could push us back to where we’d been before that kiss.