Chapter 9 - Thane
In a matter of two days, my life has changed drastically, and where there was once hopelessness now lies a feeling of confusion about the future.
When Brooks and Rissa brought the news of their shared vision and a mystery woman who was the fourth witch in the prophecy and my fated, true mate, I didn't suspect that it might be the woman who got away—Willow.
I thought I'd buried the memory of her years ago when I returned to Girdwood as a sub-alpha of Snehvolk, but fate had other plans. Perhaps, subconsciously, I knew Willow Barker was my fated mate, but I just couldn't see it until I found her again.
Now, I'm supposed to enter a mate bond with her through an official ceremony, and I'm not sure what to expect. Last night, after I heard her crying restlessly in her sleep, we shared a moment when I woke her, and she touched my cheek.
But that moment was snatched like a rug pulled from under me when she shut down and became numb again—something I've noticed she's capable of doing.
One moment, there's life in her eyes, emotions, feelings, and the next, her eyes became blank orbs of blue, as vast and endless as the ocean, as empty as the uncharted depths.
Gulping and pulling myself from my thoughts, I glance over at my fellow alphas, Dawson and Brooks, seated on the benches in front, while a few other trusted pack members attend as witnesses to this mate bond.
As I’m the only sub-alpha without a beta, Elias is beside me, wearing a joyous smile as if I'm not freaking out internally.
This is meant to be a joyous occasion, but something about it just doesn't feel right. Perhaps it's because it hardly feels organic; it's forced.
And the last thing I wanted to do was force Willow into anything, especially since she'd been somewhat of a prisoner in Blood Claw. But I don't have much of a choice when the demons are approaching again.
A sighting was reported in Whittier just last night, and Willow's powers need to be unlocked so we can complete the ritual the witches have seen in their visions—the ritual that is meant to help baby Emile seal the gates leading to the underworld for good.
Between the alphas of Snehvolk and the witches who are their mates, none of us know how Elias's child will be the key to sealing the gates, but what we do know is that we need all four witches on board so that when the time arises, we're all prepared.
The only trouble is that I have no idea how I'm supposed to help Willow unlock her mystic powers when I've agreed to enter this mate bond with the promise of not touching her.
Her powers are meant to be unlocked through mating, not just the mating ceremony that's only completed as a formality.
Taking a deep breath, I give Alpha Elias a curt nod before turning to the back doors of the pack den. The mating ceremony would have taken place in the main hall, but with Willow's reluctance, along with having to hide this from my grandfather, we decided to go through with the ceremony in the den.
Grandfather Charles despises omegas, and I can only imagine his disdain when he discovers that Willow is a wolfless omega, at least until Willow emerges as a witch.
She'll have a hand in saving our pack, and my grandfather will have no choice but to accept her as my mate. Until then, I'll have to live it down and figure out how to woo Willow.
I'm caught between a rock and a hard place, and I'm about to plummet into the rock when Willow enters the pack den with Rissa. The other witches—Yvonne and Luna Aurora—turn to Willow and smile, but her hard expression means she's closed off again.
It's hard to imagine that someone as breathtakingly beautiful as Willow Barker can be so cold, but it isn't even enough to stop me from dragging my eyes over the dress she's wearing.
Clad in white silk, she flaunts curves that were not as noticeable as when I first found her in Seward.
A rush of heat floods my being when I meet her eyes, and for the first time since she returned, I catch a glimpse of the young woman lost to my misgivings of the past.
I see the old Willow, wide-eyed and curious and openly innocent about the world. Like a pure dove who only needs to be protected, I remember the same look in her eyes the night she revealed her feelings for me, and I rejected her.
And that's when I'm gripped with a tight pang of guilt.
How could I have been so mean to her?
Though Willow has agreed to the ceremony, she remains cold and unfazed by the extent of its significance, walking in with Rissa with her chin held high in defiance.
Suddenly, the den feels smaller, the candles flickering, casting an eerie glow on the stone walls, the restless shadows matching my own internal restlessness.
This is only a formality.
It's what I keep reminding myself of, even as Willow approaches, her beauty knocking out any sense I'm trying to cling to.
It's as if time slows down, the faint rustle of her white silk dress the only sound in the room as she comes closer. The sight of her steals the breath straight from my lungs, the way the fabric of her dress catches the candlelight, gliding over her curves like water, as soft and pure as she is. Her scar glints faintly with the angle of the soft candlelight, and I can’t help but appreciate how it makes her more beautiful.
Behind that scar lies a deep pain that only she has experienced, and that's why she appears untouchable now.
Her champagne-blonde hair has been ironed out to appear like armor down her back to the base of her spine, her eyes crystalline blue, just like the eyes of the mystery woman that had been described to me.
Everything makes sense now, and yet, it just doesn't feel right. Especially when Rissa places Willow's hand in mine, and I don't feel the sensation of the mate bond flowing through me.
It's as if that bond has been severed, a cord cut by her indifference as she takes her place beside me. I frown as I stare at her face and her unwillingness to meet my eyes, knowing there's no way I could have imagined what I felt yesterday.
If Willow denies her witch powers, she's underestimating herself by a far stretch. If she has the ability to switch off like this, she surely has the ability to wield powers beyond her wildest imagination.
Even mine.
Turning slowly toward Elias, who stands before us, the weight of what we're about to do settles on my shoulders, pinning me in place. The head alpha's expression is calm, but his eyes carry that quiet knowing only another alpha could possess.
He's been in my shoes before—back when Luna Aurora, his mate, wasn't more than an omega, and the elders were ready to sacrifice her to the demons. Back then, no one knew that the witches were the key to defeating the demons for good, until Aurora had a vision and Elias believed in her.
Back then, Elias and Aurora couldn't see eye to eye, and it took them some time to overcome their differences and find love and safety in each other's arms.
Right now, there isn't much hope for Willow and me, her indifference clouding any hope that we can overcome this.
She's been through too much, and it's all my fault.
“Thane Savage,” Elias begins, his voice steady as he nods at me. “Do you stand here on your own free will, to claim this she-wolf as your mate in front of the Snehvolk Pack?”
“Yes, I do,” I say firmly, feeling Willow's aura tightening beside me.
Elias turns to Willow then, his tone softening slightly when he asks her the same question. “And you, Willow Barker, do you stand here on your own free will, to accept this bond before the pack?”
The silence that follows stretches longer than it should, prompting me to turn slightly to see her face, the scar on her cheek glowing as if something in her pulse ignited it.
My heart slows down, each beat like the tick of a clock, a countdown before she finally speaks, her voice cool and clear. “Yes, I do.”
Her agreement shouldn’t sting, but it does. She says it like it's been rehearsed, a monotonous response stripped of meaning. And yet, hearing it from her lips after everything that's happened still feels like a blow and a gift all at once.
A gift I don't deserve.
Elias nods. “Then, by the law of Snehvolk and the power bestowed upon me as the head alpha, I request that you turn to each other and make your vows.”
He gestures for us to step forward and join hands with a nod, and I hesitate briefly before reaching for Willow's hand. She stares at mine for a moment, as though considering whether it’s worth touching me at all. Then, finally, she places her hand in mine.
The spark that shoots up my arm nearly makes me flinch. I see it hit her, too, when her lips part on a gasp, her eyes widening just slightly before she blinks it away and looks past my shoulder.
Even now, she’s pretending nothing happened, pretending not to feel anything, pretending that this means nothing.
Elias clears his throat, the sound breaking through the terse silence and prompting me to continue.
I take a deep breath and stare at Willow's face while she refuses to meet my eyes.
“Before the pack and the Moon Goddess, I, sub-alpha Thane Savage of the Snehvolk Pack, claim you, Willow Barker, as my mate.”
The sound of my words fills the den, heavy and final with the echo that lifts Willow's eyes as she meets my gaze.
Another bout of silence falls over the pack den before she parts her lips and squeaks the words out, “I, Willow Barker, accept your claim, sub-alpha Thane Savage.” She snaps her mouth shut as soon as the words are out, and her hand slips from mine almost immediately.
She takes a small step back, raising her chin again, her gaze fixed on the floor. She doesn’t look at me, doesn’t offer a flicker of response. Her calm composure cuts deeper than her anger ever could, my heart gripping with guilt and disappointment.