That attraction, that pull, snapped together and became a tangible thing tying us together—binding and unyielding.
I looked down as if I could see it, and Ezra did the same. He reached for my hand, and sparks jolted through me. His scent was consuming, powerful, a drug.
I blinked at him, the sensations overwhelming.
“Mates?” I asked both him and Aksala.
Did you know? - I asked only my wolf.
No - she responded - I felt connected to his wolf, I felt as if I could trust them, I knew I could immediately. But I did not know they were our mates.
Ezra held a hand up, and I placed my palm against his. Those sparks and tingles danced around them and through me. “You are my undoing, Simone," Ezra Rumbled, his mismatched eyes looking at our hands. "Tied forever together.”
Forever suddenly felt like not long enough.
He pulled me against his warm chest and encircled me in his arms. I hovered between sleep and wake in a state made of pure buttery golden contentedness, a state I wish I could stay in forever.
But life pushed in, grasping its black talons into my happiness and demanding my attention.
“We must go meet Nolan,” I murmured.
“Who?” Ezra asked as his fingers trailed over my bare back, eliciting goosebumps in their wake.
“The man who is running this pack,” I grumbled into his hardened chest; the faint scars and wisp of dark hair made it impossible to remove myself from him.
“One more minute with my mate,” he replied.
I glanced at the blackened tattoo from where I lay. It was now a light faded white, a scar like the others. Not entirely gone, still lingering, a part of him a visual representation of a choice he had made. I wondered what my own marks would look like if my choices left behind stains on me.
We finally managed to pull ourselves apart; the mate bond made it almost impossible.
The charged, crackling feeling was our bond suppressed. But the fated bond only heightened the sensations, the touches, the smell. But the visceral feelings, the love I felt for him, did not change. That was real and raw, and I knew it would stand despite the bond. But the bond did alleviate some of the anxiety, well, all of it, worried that his mate was someone out there who was maybe not a murderer, and I would be depriving her of him and him of her.
I felt… I felt good—whole almost.
The bond and warmth saturated into me, not pushing the anger down but helping dissipate it.
I leaned against him, hands intertwined as we walked in silence to the Alpha office. Once we got to the door, I settled into myself, not a mask anymore, but shifted to the woman who had to make decisions as an Alpha instead of the girl intoxicated by love.
Ezra knocked, and Nolan called for us to come in.
I noticed the rug was gone, made from my fathers… my father’s pelt, his fur.
“I have put together their contact information and took notes of questions they had. They know they can reach you here in the future while you're getting established,” he said. "I hope that’s okay.”
“Yes,” I agreed.
“Good.” Nolan nodded, going back to the desk. “I told them mail is best for now, as you won’t be by this phone, but I will procure you a cell phone,” he added.
“Thank you, Nolan.” I took a step forward and paused before plopping on the chair across from him and taking his hands in mine. I waited until he looked at me.
“I know this must be hard; I- I can't imagine what you’re feeling. I can to some extent but I know it is never the same, two people, two situations are not, even if they are similar.” I shook my head. “I do not want you feeling tied to me, to this, not out of fear.”
I took a deep breath. “You are free, Nolan.” I grabbed his hand across the desk, and he looked at it with wide eyes. “Do with that what you will go elsewhere, do what you want. You are free," I repeated.
He swallowed when he met my eyes again; his were glistening. “I do not know what I want,” he told me. “But I have found meaning in the past few days I have not known. I do not want to lead; that much I know. I never have, I don’t- I don’t think I ever would have wanted to even if it were my birthright, but I want to do something, I want to matter, I want to do good. I want to help you,” he said.
I glanced at Ezra standing behind me, and he mouthed the word I was thinking.
“Nolan?” I asked. “Would you like to be The Gamma of Blood Moon?”
His eyes were wide, his cheeks flushed, and a real bright smile lit up his face.
______
Most of Black River wanted to move to Blood Moon. There were some that chose to go elsewhere and even fewer that wanted to stay on their land. Black Forest’s pack wasn’t in ruin but it was not cared for, separated so much from the packhouse it seemed as if it were another pack entirely.
Their loyalties did not lie with The Alpha and Luna, the previous ones, at least. But I understood the ties to the land, the place where you called home, that your ancestors did as well.
We offered the land with Black Forest’s pack cottages to go to White Forest, the closest one with bordering lands, where Sam’s friend Carrick was the Beta. I trusted them as much as I could and they promised to take care of their new members as their own.
The others moved into Black Forest’s packhouse as we rebuilt Blood Moon. The werecats were working on their own house further away. After they took a look around Black Forest's packhouse, they seemed to stay away unless necessary.
Many of Ezra’s brothers stayed to help, but I did not know their actual number. They stayed in the shadows, only emerging for a silent call.
They took care of clearing out Blood Moon’s pack cottages. They weren’t in as much disrepair as the packhouse was but needed a good clean and some minor repairs.
Anything of sentimental value we buried with the pack members, other things we sold to fund the pack, I hoped they would be okay with it. But it was that or storing it for far too long, and I couldn’t hold on to every piece of the past forever. I had to rebuild the pack for the new members, and I thought—I hoped they would be okay contributing to that.
It made me feel better thinking of it like that, intertwining them not only in my blood, as Nova said, but also helping to create something from the destruction.
We operated out of Black River’s pack house, too, while the renovations were happening. The renovations, at the moment were mostly removing rubble and cleaning, which we could do ourselves.
I was still trying to sort out what we could afford to do past Ezra's brother's expertise, but thankfully, their knowledge was vast, and they were willing to help me or help because of Ezra. Either way, I was grateful, and I owed them a debt I would repay.
Miles had cleared the bank accounts and pack funds he had access to, but we found one that was untouched apparently only The Alpha could access, and a hefty savings funds. Well, one of Ezra’s brother’s found it, and it took a while to access it, we had just gotten through the final step as I had no identification left, besides a bit of a charred birth certificate. I didn’t know if they had faked documents or found my original one, but it did not matter.
The funds were mine; they belonged to Blood Moon, and I was happy to have something to start with, even if we needed to find a way to source income again.
Many packs had outside businesses, but I had heard my father, and his father before him, preferred to focus solely on the pack and instead traded and invested to increase pack funds—two things I knew absolutely nothing about.
Small problems, we can figure them out, or someone can - Aksala reminded me - We have many capable members.
You’re right. We have enough to get us re-started, and then some, I just cannot lose this pack again - I shared my fears.
We will not over something as trivial as money - she huffed as if I were insulting her.
I closed my eyes and shook my head, but her words helped lift the burden of anxiety.
It all felt so small and inconsequential—things like money—but it also felt overwhelming. There were so many pieces that needed to fit together past regaining my territory.
I did not think I could have done it alone. I knew I would not have attempted.
I looked at the man next to me, studying the ledgers we found predating Mile’s terror. He pursed his lips, scanning the pages, flipping forward and back, mentally calculating something before he turned to me.
He raised a brow in question.
I’m just lucky you’re here - I linked him - My pack would not be here without you.
Our pack - he corrected with his half smile that tugged up my favorite scar.