Total pages in book: 182
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Hesitantly, she stepped forward. My wolf couldn’t contain his pride as he circled her, watching. She stepped again, and again, walking in a straight line, nowhere near as wobbly as a normal first-timer. After a moment, she tried moving a little faster, the equivalent of a brisk walk. Her movements were halting at first, but she quickly got the hang of it. Then she went a little faster within the circle of dragons, up to a light jog. She didn’t attack anyone as some had feared, and I still hadn’t felt her reach for Hadriel’s bond. She had control—of herself, and of her power.
“She’s a natural,” my wolf said as we felt her elation through the bond. He beamed with pride now, watching his little mate practically prance through the wild grasses and budding flowers.
He ran to join her, unable to help it. He licked her muzzle in a show of devotion before running his face over the back of her neck. She stretched for him, angling her face back to him as he ran his muzzle toward and over her shoulders. Heat worked through the bond as both of them reacted to their proximity for the first time.
“Uh . . .” I said, a little confused. “Besides the fact that we’re here to shift, not fuck, I thought this didn’t happen until the female entered her heat . . .”
My wolf didn’t respond. He stood with his head braced over her, an indication of his claim, as was the beginning of her mating ritual: her tail swishing for him, leaning toward him, her head curved around submissively.
“Chill out,” I told him. “We’ve got business to attend to.”
He knew I was right and pulled his head from over her back, turning until he was standing beside her. Fuck’s sake. It wasn’t as bad as crawling out of a castle window without wings, but this wasn’t a great time for him to lose control.
We looked at Hadriel’s wolf lying on his stomach. His ears suddenly flattened—he was clearly unsure what would happen next. The plan had gotten as far as using him for bait to see if she would usurp the bond, but she’d passed that test without even flexing. It was time to push her a little more and see how she reacted.
My wolf directed the bond toward Aurelia’s wolf, magically guiding her to it, the task so much easier with the mating bond. We’d try to handle it together and see what happened. It was a gamble to bring in a powerful, untrained wolf in a situation like this, especially one who had the potential to snatch away the bond.
The only alpha true mate pairing I’d ever heard of were the king and queen, but they were dragons. They had a mating bond, yes, but dragons didn’t form pack bonds. Their agreement to share leadership was verbal.
An alpha wolf pair leading a pack was different. They had to hold the bond together, working cohesively to balance the power dynamic. Their mating bond had to flow freely at all times, and sometimes compromises needed to be made in a fraction of a second. I’d never heard of an alpha wolf pair leading successfully for an extended period of time.
But I’d also never heard of an alpha true mate wolf pairing, period. I had to assume nature had gotten it right.
The sensation of her wolf taking hold of Hadriel’s pack bond was featherlight, soft and serene and full of trust that my wolf would steer her. Then the bond swelled with power, a wave of it rushing through the pack bond straight for Hadriel.
His wolf whined, standing quickly and backing up. His lips pulled back from his teeth and his hair puffed, his fear of the power bearing down on him evident. Wolf and man tensed up; I knew Hadriel was probably screaming inside.
Nyfain’s dragon, reading Hadriel’s cues, took a step forward. A wave of panic swept through Aurelia, but my wolf gripped her power tightly, reclaiming her focus, staying the course.
The power washed over Hadriel’s wolf, sloshing around him, probably dragging him under. The wolf growled, braced himself . . . and then the magic settled. The same iron hold still tethered us to Hadriel, but now Aurelia’s connection existed all around, too, the soft sort of embrace something I’d never felt before. If I was the hard ground under their feet and the hot sun beating down onto their flesh, she was the bees buzzing around the flower petals and the birdsong high overhead. It was peaceful and tranquil.
Perfect, just like her. Just like us together.
“This is natural,” my wolf said, leaning against her side and rubbing his face against her head. “This is what wolf leadership was always meant to be. A true mate pair holding the bond, both nurturing and guiding the pack. Both of us, working together in perfect unity.”