There was magic afoot.
“Will you accept a ring of silver in your lower lip?”
“Yes, Alpha,” Che said, his voice as smooth as silk.
It would take the Jeweler some time to make our actual pieces—she'd also have a private consult with me later to get the designs just right—but for the ritual, she had an entire chest of silver items at her disposal, collected by Pack Ebon Red over literally thousands of years. I don't think there was a single piece of jewelry I could name that wouldn't be in there in some form or another.
After a moment, she approached us and bowed her head to acknowledge our higher status in the pack. When she lifted her chin back up, I held very still while her fingers came out and pulled my lower lip down.
'Which side?' the Jeweler asked me, her voice stiff and formal and dripping respect. I think it scared her to touch me like this.
'The left,' I said and braced myself for the pain.
Hot fire sliced through my flesh as the Jeweler not only pierced me, but scalded my body with poison metal. Oh my God, oh God, oh fuck. I felt myself trembling slightly as blood oozed down the side of my face and dripped off my chin onto my breasts.
Che's gaze stayed locked on mine as the Jeweler did the same for him. I saw his eyes widen slightly when the metal slid through his lip, perfuming the air with the smell of Violet Shadow blood. Underneath the scent of copper, there was the unique fragrance of their pack. It mingled with the woodsy smell of Ebon Red blood as we stood there and waited for Nikolina to Bond us.
“Zara and Che of Ebon Red,” she said from her throne at the top of the steps and the siren song of wolf howls filled the room, echoing off the walls as I put my hands on Che's shoulders.
'This hurts like a bitch,' he said, making me smile slightly just before I rose on my toes and kissed him.
Holy. Shit.
Che's hands found my hips and pulled me close, his tongue taking control of the kiss before I even realized that's what he was doing. Even with the taste of blood and silver in our mouths, we kissed each other like we were drowning, like this was our last grab at a chestful of oxygen. My heart took flight in my chest and I found my arms tightening around his neck. Vaguely, I realized the howling and yipping and barking in the background had amped up in volume, prodding us forward, encouraging us to keep going, going, going.
The heady scent of the packs' excitement ratcheted up my pulse, and even though Che Nocturne was a complete stranger to me, I let him lift me up and set me on the edge of the Jeweler's chest, my knees spreading so he could stand between my thighs, his hands roaming my back while I kept him pressed against me with my arms around his neck.
I wasn't, um, exactly wearing underwear and Che was only wearing a thin pair of black linen pants that were slung extremely low, with a very loose tie at the front. I could feel his hardness pressed right up against me and despite everything, I just suddenly wanted him with a fierceness I couldn't explain for the life of me.
I almost did it, too, had sex with him right there in front of everyone. I know, it sounds gross and weird, but … we weren't just part human, we were part wolf. We were werewolf. It happened a lot, sex in front of others. We didn't flaunt it or make a mockery of it, and it wasn't a spectacle; it was just a natural biological function.
But then my phone buzzed against my thigh and scared the crap out of both me and Che.
'Do you seriously have your phone taped to your leg?' he asked, and then he was pulling away from me and laughing so hard that he almost doubled over. The packs just cheered and howled, tails thumping and furred muzzles licking lips and ears. Someone threw a basket of pale yellow-orange honeysuckle flowers over Che's head. 'You are such the modern day alpha female, aren't you?' he asked, and even though his voice was only inside my head, I could hear the flirtatious undertones there.
Che folded his long body onto the floor at my left side, one knee propped up, the other leg stretched out in front of him, and licked some of the blood from his lower lip with a tongue that was just slightly too long to be human.
Our eyes met one last time before I fixed my skirt and slid off the Jeweler's wooden chest.
See what I mean? Quick, done, over. Only … I now had to do that six more times.
I took a deep breath and braced myself, blood continuously dripping down the side of my mouth. Once Nikolina saw that I was ready, she waved her hand again and signaled for the next male to be sent out.
It was Anubis, shirtless and wearing a heavy gold belt and loose flowing red pants that almost looked like a skirt. It was a much older outfit than the style of coat that both Nic and Che were wearing, used more often by packs in Northern Africa than in the States. I knew that Crimson Dusk had deep Egyptian roots—it was even rumored that several pharaohs had been Pack.
His bronzed skin was painted with navy blue ink into floral and leaf designs, vines twining down his arms and over his fingers, across his chest and the sculpted hills and valleys of his tummy. Somebody—probably his grandfather—had slicked his wild hair back from his face. As if he just couldn't help himself, Anubis lifted a hand and ruffled it up a little before speaking.
“Anubis of Crimson Dusk,” he announced as he knelt.
“Anubis Wolf,” Nikolina said, and he came down the steps to take his place in front of me.
We hadn't had any time to talk after what happened last night, but I owed him a mountain of thanks for handing over that witch hazel.
“Anubis Wolf,” I repeated, breathing in his gardenia/jasmine scent and trying not to smile at the rebellious strands of hair that stuck up every which way from his head. I bet his alpha-father was pissed. His crimson eyes burned as he looked at me, and I couldn't help but remember how grounded I'd felt when I'd clung to him and Nic in the witch's lair—and how eager the magic had been to respond to a brief brush of his skin against mine.
I went through the ritualistic words again and paused briefly before announcing my choice of silver.
'I'm sorry about the panties,' Anubis told me and I narrowed my eyes slightly. I'd almost completely forgotten about that. 'So please don't ask for another piercing. I am such a goddamn wimp when it comes to pain. I'll yowl like a cub.'
'Why would you bring up the fact that you went through my underwear drawer in the same sentence that you'd ask me for a favor? Do you really not want to be my alpha male?'
He cracked a sensual smile and then squinched up one eye.
'I did not go through the drawer. I just picked out the only matching set I could find. It was completely innocent.'
'Sure it was,' I said as he raised his dark eyebrows, the crimson shimmer of his eyes reminding me once again that he'd given me the witch hazel when he didn't have to. He was lucky as hell that he'd done that. “Will you accept a silver belt around your waist?”
“Yes, Alpha,” Anubis said, his words followed by a small sigh of relief.
We both waited as the Jeweler selected two thin chains of silver, Anubis' red eyes watching my hands carefully as I reached down and loosed the ties on the bodice of my dress. More often than not, I'd be completely naked at these functions, but for right now, I had to move my dress so the silver belt could be put right up against my skin.
Anubis and I locked eyes and I could see him pulling in a deep breath for me, just before the Jeweler slid her hands inside my dress and hooked the belt around my waist. I growled with pain as it slid down and caught on my hips, searing my flesh and making me bleed. Now there were hot drops of red on my mouth and oozing down my belly and thighs.
She moved to the Alpha-Son of Pack Crimson Dusk next, and he cringed as the metal was looped around the flat, painted expanse of his belly. To his credit, he did not yowl like a cub.
“Zara and Anubis of Ebon Red,” Nikolina announced, and I noticed a considerable amount of noise from Anubis' pack.
Since we were just about the same height, I decided to put my palms on either side of his face, and was surprised when he did the same. Heat bloomed beneat
h my hands as we searched each other's gazes. It occurred to me then that this probably really was his first kiss.
“Here goes nothing,” I heard Anubis whisper and then we were both leaning forward at the same time.
Our lips met in an explosion of vibrant heat that for a second there made me feel like I was going crazy. How could I have such a strong reaction to Nic, to Silas, to Che, and to Anubis? In the very back of my mind, I remembered reading about alpha females in the past who had more than one mate, but I pushed that aside to savor the moment of this kiss.
My piercing must've been burning his mouth, but Anubis didn't react to it at all, giving me a sensual flick of his tongue across my teeth, across my own tongue, over my lower lip. And then he pulled back and did exactly what he'd done during our meeting with Coven Triad: he cleaned up the blood. Anubis cupped my face harder, even as my own hands dropped away and dug clawed fingertips into his shoulders. His lids slid closed over his cardinal red eyes and with a slow, deliberate movement, he swept his tongue over and around the silver ring pierced through my lip. Never mind that he was making himself bleed, too, he just kept licking me until my mouth was aching and sore and wanting for his.
Between my thighs, I felt a warmth brightening in my core that had stared with Che and was now amped up into this throbbing pulse that was almost impossible to ignore. I had no idea if there was some sort of ancient magic in the air or what, but if this is how all alpha-heirs felt after their Bonding Ritual, no wonder they usually lost their virginity before dinner.
With one last peck, Anubis kissed my lips and backed up into a bow, dropping to his knees in front of me to acknowledge my position, the silver belt clanging against his gold one, speckling the floor around him with tiny droplets of blood. And then he put his palms down and moved on all fours to his position on my right.
It was about at that point that I realized I'd forgiven his pervy ass for going through my panties.
If he did it again, however, I might just rip his throat out.
Nikolina waved her hand again and I swallowed hard, tasting coppery blood and heat that the first two alpha-sons had somehow managed to stamp across my lips. I can't possibly have a physical reaction to all of them, can I?
Majka was grinning wickedly down at me from her chair, wolf teeth firmly shifted between her thin lips. I had a feeling she was laughing at me for the desperate want curling in my belly. No doubt she could smell my desire; they all could.
I decided that at least for now, I'd blame my reactions on ancient magic, steeling my shoulders as Nikolina waved her hand yet again.
This time, it was Montgomery Graves that came around the corner and down the first set of steps, announcing himself as a member of Pack Ivory Emerald and taking a knee at my mother's feet. I noticed that as soon as he entered the room, the packs sobered. I spotted the little girl Montgomery had shown up with—I was pretty sure she was his younger sister—standing at the edge of the crowd, her white-white hair threaded through with flowers and leaves.
“Montgomery Wolf,” Nikolina said, the commanding strength of her voice softening slightly as the man rose to his full height, white braid hanging down his back, a collar of branches and leaves around his throat. He wore a pair of black leather pants against his pale skin that made my throat feel tight when he moved, the fabric sliding over his muscles like it was painted on.
I greeted him with the formal title of Wolf as he paused in front of me and I tried to decide who was taller—him or Che.
“I am your Alpha and you are my mate. Do you accept these terms as they've been given?”
“Yes, Alpha,” he said gravely, all formality and uptight rigidity, the scent of fresh cut grass and roses clinging to his skin. I noticed one perfect red rose blooming on the handmade collar around his throat, opening up right then and there while I watched. Like I said, flora sometimes behaved strangely around my people.
“To represent our union, we'll each wear a piece of silver. Will you accept a crown of silver atop your head?”
“Yes, Alpha,” he replied again, studying my face with a certain measure of desperation.
I don't expect you to pick me as your mate, he'd said to me the other night, but I do trust you to find the missing—or at least figure out what happened to them and why. Montgomery was counting on the Contribution to find his family members. I hadn't had the chance yet to tell him about the piece of Ebon Red flesh I'd received from the Crone, but I had a feeling it might break his heart in half.
Already, I ached for him.
The Jeweler approached us with a pair of crowns in her bleeding hands, placing one atop my bloodred scalp and the other atop Monty's shock white hair.
“Zara and Montgomery of Ebon Red.”
The words were like a gong, calling Montgomery to arms. It was in that moment that I understood why he'd helped with last night's cover-up. First and foremost, he was a warrior and he would do anything to fight for his family—including helping me hide my sins, including Bonding to me, kissing me. And it was also in that moment that I realized I wanted him to like me. I didn't often feel like that. I was the White Wolf and the Alpha-Daughter; it didn't matter if people liked me.
But Montgomery Graves … I felt like gaining his trust was some sort of noble pursuit.
“Kiss me,” I commanded him softly, just to see if he'd do it.
He did.
His right hand came up and slid gently into my hair, long fingers curling around the back of my head as he leaned down to search out the soft bloodied warmth of my lips. Just before our mouths touched, he gave a soft sigh, like he was relieved to be standing here, doing this. Maybe because it put him one step closer to finding his family? I'm not sure.
As soon as our lips met, the reason why didn't seem to matter so much anymore.
Ah, this is the kiss of a prince, I thought, feeling like I'd just dropped into a fairytale.
Montgomery's lips stirred up my emotions like a flock of birds, the wind teasing their feathers as they rose into the sky like a cloud, coming to rest on sun dappled tree limbs. Even as I was being blinded by blood from the fiery burn of the crown (an idea I'd borrowed from Majka), I kept my eyes open. Monty did the same, viscous red drops collecting on his long lashes as our tongues danced a romantic waltz that did absolutely nothing to quench the thirst growing inside of me. I knew then that sex with Montgomery would be a slow, sensual embrace, a transcendent exploration of bodies, featherlight kisses and deep, rhythmic thrusts.
Whoa, Zara Castille, get ahold of yourself, I scolded as I pressed my palms to Montgomery's warm chest and deepened our kiss. Droplets of red dotted his white scalp, like tiny roses, and dripped down our foreheads, our noses, sluiced between our lips. I guess all my kisses today were destined to taste of blood.
Slowly, as if the separation might kill us, we drew away from each other and I noticed that it wasn't just my hands that were trembling.
“It's an honor, Alpha,” Montgomery said, assuming a very formal and uncomfortable looking crouch next to Che.
Three down … I thought as the piercing in my lip ached, my belt burned, and my crown seared.
How the hell was I supposed to survive five more pieces?
Majka really was cruel, wasn't she?
The next alpha-son to reveal himself was Silas and I swear, I almost sagged with relief. At least I actually knew the boy from Pack Obsidian Gold. Once upon a time, we were both curious teenagers with questions about kissing and sex and hormones, questions that we answered by finding each other's lips in the dark one night.
And poor Silas … he'd paid the price for it. His father, the Alpha Male of Obsidian Gold, had almost blinded him in his beautiful golden eye. My own eyes flicked to the left and found Silas' dad standing amongst the crowd in an outfit eerily similar to his son's—a chocolate brown military coat open over a heavily tattooed chest and a pair of matching cargo pants riddled with pockets.
As if he could sense me looking at him, the alpha turned his gaze t
o me and gave a terrifying half-smile that had my hackles raising and my hands clenching into fists. A small growl scraped past my lips as he turned his eyes away and then shifted into wolf form, padding off through the crowd and leaving his clothing behind.
I so did not trust that guy.
“Silas Wolf,” I said as the alpha-son paused in front of me. I knew he could tell where my gaze was directed.
'Let it go, Zara,' he pleaded as he drew my attention back to his face, making me remember his words from Tuesday night. I'm afraid of what he's going to do if you don't pick me. I still wasn't entirely certain that Silas wasn't using his fear of his dad as a ploy to become my mate, but I knew that no matter what happened, I would fight to protect him from Obsidian Gold's ranking members. It wasn't just the alpha male of that pack who was known to be fierce and cruel: the alpha female, beta female, and beta male were all rumored to have heavy hands.
We stared at each other for a really long time, my eyes taking in his gold ones, trailing down both of his inked arms, hands, fingers. I redirected my attention to Silas' face, to his espresso brown hair and cocky smile. He smelled like his pack—like vanilla and cherries—but he also had his own unique scent of tobacco and cloves, probably from all the cigarettes he smoked. I still for the life of me couldn't understand how he stomached them. But I guess since he was a werewolf and therefore immune to cancer and lung disease (or rather, our advanced healing abilities addressed those issues without need for treatment), it didn't matter if he smoked them or not. No consequences.
'No matter what happens at the end of this, at least I'll be out of that son of a bitch's grasp for the next year.'
'Silas, stop. I'm not going to just cut you loose at the end of this and let him hurt you. I'll be Alpha then—THE Alpha. What makes you think your dad would lay a hand on you ever again if I ordered him to stop?'
'Cut me loose?' he asked, and a small, dark chuckle escaped the sinful slice of his mouth. 'Got it. You've already decided on your alpha male. I mean, come on, you fucked Nic last night, managed to convince your mom to bring him into the Pairing. It's not like we all didn't see this coming.'
Pack Ebon Red (The Seven Mates of Zara Wolf Book 1) Page 16
