Andromeda's Reign

by K. S. Haigwood

  He twirled her around and dipped her backward, the palm of his big hand on the back of her head carrying the weight of her body down and then pulling her back up with finesse. Stepping behind her, he wrapped his arms around the front of her and caressed his fingers over her arms before interlocking the fingers of his left hand with hers at her hip and gripping her right hand and shoving their arms out straight to the side, and then he led her a few steps, letting their straightened arms give them guidance.

  When he paused to the beat of the music, he swung their left arms in an arc to her right side, and then did the same with their right arms in a reverse action. Taking her left hand, he spun her out then twirled her back in, pulling her tight to the stone-like frame of his body. When she started to laugh, he smiled and dipped her low, going all the way with her this time.

  “Having fun yet?” he said as he pulled her back up.

  Mena chewed on her lower lip as she nodded. “Yeah, but I think I need a drink and a place to rest for a minute. I haven’t danced this much in years.”

  He was perfectly still for a few moments, almost statue-like, and then he finally nodded once and held out the crook of his arm for her to take. “The lady wants refreshments and rest, so the lady shall receive refreshments and rest.”

  “And talking,” Mena thought. “I want to talk to you, Ace.” There was no response to her mental plea, but why would there be?

  Chapter 63

  Saturday, May 2nd 2015 8:00 p.m. CST

  St, Louis, Missouri

  Ace

  Holy shit! I had never been so nervous in my whole damn life. Actually, before all this happened, back in February, I couldn’t remember ever being nervous about anything. Nerves weren’t my only problem, though. Oh, no. I felt all sorts of crazy shit now: shame, guilt, fear, disgust with myself, sadness. Sadness! God, the depression had been killing me slowly. And then there was a new one: happiness. At least I thought that’s what I was feeling as I walked Mena to the bar.

  Fear had damn near choked me a few moments earlier, when she’d said she was tired and needed a drink. My first thought was that she was trying to get away from me. I’d racked my brain for a full ten seconds, trying to figure out how I had insulted her. But then I noticed a gleam in her eye and thought maybe she was suggesting I join her. Taking my chances that my second instinct was right, I offered her my arm, praying my luck was finally changing.

  “You must be the lovely Andromeda Keller,” Bronson Shipley said, stopping us. Before Mena had a chance to smile or say anything, the older man took her hand and brought the back of it up to his lips for a chaste kiss. All the Alphas referred to Bronson as ‘Pops’ because he was the oldest Alpha in the United States. He’d been a General in the U.S. Army for over thirty years, before he’d been bitten by a wolf shifter. Now he was leader over a small pack in Buffalo, New York.

  The lion in me rolled under my skin, needing to stake claim on her as soon as inhumanly possible. The beast in me had tried to reconnect with hers on the dance floor earlier when she’d pressed her body against mine. Even though I didn’t know this girl, my lion still seemed to know her wolf. And it was obvious he missed her. That was a good sign, right?

  Smiling all gentleman-like, I took his hand from hers and shook it. “How you doing, Pops?”

  Bronson smiled knowingly and winked at me as the skin around his eyes crinkled in silent amusement. “She’s a looker, Ace. I hear you got you a good one. Better hold on to her, son.”

  He had no idea how hard I planned to try. I think what pissed me off most about his kindness toward Mena was the fact that he’d turned down the opportunity to bond with her and save her life. Each and every Alpha here had refused to bond with her, and I knew they would all smile and tell her how pleased they were that she was one of us now. Thanks to me. Not that I remembered it or anything, but at least I did it. “All the dancing has made her thirsty. We’ll catch up with you later on, Pops.”

  Bronson chuckled lightly. “Take care, you two. You make a great looking couple.”

  Mena let out a long breath as I took her hand and led her toward the bar. “Well, that wasn’t awkward at all,” she said. “I guess nobody heard that we don’t remember each other. I wasn’t sure until just then that you knew who I was.”

  I rubbed the tense muscles in my neck with the hand that wasn’t in hers. “I have a confession to make,” I said, suddenly nervous as I cut my eyes over to gauge her reaction. Her eyebrows were raised, waiting. I ran my free hand through my hair, and realized the palm of the one she was holding was sweating. Shit. Was it getting hot in here? Must be all the people in the room, heating things up. I’d ask the bartender to have someone check the thermostat.

  “Ace?” she prompted.

  Yeah, I was stalling. Admitting something like this to her was a big step. She may legally be my wife in the eyes of the Council, but she wasn’t mine. We arrived at the bar and I ordered a double shot of Jack for myself, and then turned to see what she wanted. Four people on the other side of her had engaged her in conversation. I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling when I discovered those four people to be Hollis, Kai, Sinna and Karma.

  Mena was all wide-eyed as the girls hugged her, as if she was an old friend they hadn’t seen in months. That was true, but Mena didn’t remember them. I could tell that by the uncomfortable expression on her face, but she plastered on what looked like a fake-ass smile and hugged each girl back.

  I cleared my throat. “Mena, this is Sinna, Karma, Hollis and Kai. They are members of my—our—pride. What would you like to drink?”

  Mena’s beautiful, peridot-colored eyes lit up as she recognized the names. “Sinna! I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you with the mask on.” Her head turned to the others. “I’ve heard so much about all of you!”

  I grumbled to myself as the bartender handed me my drink. Fucking Slade and his late-night talks with her. Of course he would have told her all about the pride. A pang of envy coursed through me as I realized my Beta knew my wife better than I did. I guess that was my fault. I could have called her… oh, that’s right; I deleted her number. Just how stupid was I to do some dumb shit like that? Really fucking stupid, apparently.

  “I saw you two out there dancing,” Karma said, with a mischievous smirk. “You look good together.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mena trying to remove an invisible spot on her dress with her fingernail, and I made a mental note to kill Karma later. “Go bug someone else, guys, and let me order her a drink.”

  Sinna leaned in and gave Mena a kiss on the cheek. “We’ll see you later, Andra.”

  “It’s Mena,” I said, and Sinna’s dark brown eyebrows popped up. “She prefers to be called Mena.”

  Nodding slowly, she smiled as she turned back to Mena. “Alrighty then. I’ll steal you away for a dance later, Mena.”

  I downed the whiskey in one gulp as I watched the four of them retreat into the crowd.

  “They seem nice,” she said, and I laughed.

  “They have their moments. What would you like to drink?”

  “Oh, a Moscato, please.”

  I set the shot glass on the bar and signaled to the bartender. While I waited for him to wait on another customer and get to me, those damn nerves began to creep in again.

  “What was the confession you were going to make?” Mena said.

  Blowing out a huge breath, I wiped my sweaty palm on my pants and took the cell phone from the inside jacket pocket. I stared at the black screen for a long moment, and then just decided to go for it.

  The instant our faces lit up the screen on my phone, I heard an enraged, male voice behind me, and I whipped my head around to look and see who was about to get a beat-down. As it turned out, that someone was me. Or the guy obviously thought it would be me. I was betting it would be him.

  Roel pointed a finger in my face, and shouted, “Stay away from her, Keller.”

  I stood to my full height as Mena stepped in between us.


  “Go away, Roel,” she said, her voice full of authority and warning. “We’re just talking.”

  I eased out from behind her and took a step closer to Roel, just in case her Beta decided to do something stupid, like put his hands on her or something.

  “You can’t seriously be considering seeing this guy again, Mena,” Roel said. “He ruined our lives—”

  Her head cocked to the side as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I can do whatever the hell I like, Roel. You need to tone it down before I give you a direct order to return to the hotel. And for your information, my life is not ruined.”

  The guy’s chest puffed up then deflated. “You had a good guy. Phoenix would have—”

  Phoenix… right, her vampire boyfriend. What did Roel mean about ‘had’ a good guy? Was the vamp out of the picture now? Slade hadn’t mentioned it, not that I’d been saying much to anyone lately.

  “Have you been talking to Phoenix?” she inquired, her head tilting to the other side. I just watched the show in amazement. The woman was a firecracker.

  “No. You know I can’t talk to him—”

  “But you talk to Lea, and Lea talks to him, right?” Mena shook her head as she smiled, but I could tell the joy her mouth was portraying was a false one. “I should have known you would find a way around the order.”

  “Look, you need to talk to him. He’s been miserable—”

  “As he should be. Actually, I wish he would just move on—”

  “He made a mistake—”

  She sighed. “He made several—”

  “He’s sorry—”

  “He most certainly is, and if you don’t walk away and cool off, you’re going to be sorry, too. I realize that you care about Lea, and my decision to rescind the pack’s alliance with Phoenix’s clan has put you in a tough spot, but he was the one who screwed everything up by asking my entire pack to lie for him. In what world would you ever think that would be okay with me? Some things just can’t be forgiven and forgotten, Roel. I’ve ended a relationship and killed for much less. Whether you like it or not, Ace and I are mated. It can’t be undone. Believe me, I’ve talked to the Council.”

  My head did a whip-around, and I stared at her with a slack jaw. She’d asked the Council to revoke the mating contract? That stung a little, you know, now that I’d met her and realized how awesome she was and all.

  Roel dropped his head. “I’m in love with Lea, Mena. I—I don’t think I can leave her and move to wherever we go to next—”

  “Is this your way of asking for a transfer? Because my pack isn’t staying and Phoenix and his clan are not coming with us. You need to be clear about your next words before they leave your mouth.”

  Roel ran his hands through his hair, but he finally shook his head as his eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “No. I don’t want to transfer to another pack.”

  “No? Are you sure, because you can hand me that Beta ring right now and I will put in a good word for you tonight with the Alpha who will take over my territory. Maybe he will start dating Phoenix.”

  Roel nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. May I be excused?”

  “After you apologize to Ace for your insubordination, you may leave us,” she said, and then cocked a perfectly arched eyebrow when Roel’s head shot up to stare at her in horror.

  His jaw muscles flexed a few times, and then his eyes cut over to glare at me. He seemed to think better of his thoughts, because his features softened a little and his words were low and polite as he spoke. “I apologize for my rude interruption, Ace. My actions stemmed from personal concern, and I let myself get carried away. I am sorry.” After Mena nodded, Roel bowed to her. “Enjoy your evening, Mena. I will be near if you need me.”

  “You know…” I started, and Roel paused in his step. “There’s another way to solve your dilemma.”

  His eyes shifted from me to Mena, and then back to me. “I’m listening.”

  “How much does she love you, your girl? Ask her to be your mate and turn her into a shifter.”

  As Mena’s and Roel’s eyes grew wide at my question-slash-suggestion, the announcer tapped the mic.

  “Attention, ladies and gentlemen. Your new territories have been posted on the east wall. Have a look at your convenience.”

  I held out my hand to Mena. “Shall we go see where we will be stationed, Mrs. Keller?”

  Chapter 64

  Saturday, May 2nd 2015 8:24 p.m. CST

  St. Louis, Missouri

  Mena

  A blush crept into Mena’s cheeks as she put her hand in Ace’s and let him lead her to where the crowd was gathering by the east wall. With so many Alphas, they had to put up several postings. Mena and Ace were stuck about halfway back, behind the crowd of people trying to see where they would be moving next.

  The lines moved at a snail’s pace, and Mena found that, after her temper had cooled from her argument with Roel, she was getting nervous again, being this close to Ace.

  She had anticipated this night for weeks, feeling nervous and excited at the same time. She had so many questions, but, he couldn’t answer any of the ones she really wanted answers to. She wanted to know about the things they’d talked about, the plans they’d made and, if she was being totally honest with herself, how she had made him feel. The biggest question she wanted an answer to was if they had been intimate. She’d never asked Slade. That was a bit too personal. If it had happened, she felt that it should only be shared between her and Ace. Sadly, neither she nor he could recall anything that had happened between them.

  Mena only had the dreams, and if she let the dreams answer that particular question, the answer was a definite yes.

  Ace ran his thumb back and forth over hers, absentmindedly caressing her skin. It felt natural to hold his hand and let him touch her like this. So why did this whole night feel so awkward to her? It had thrown her for a loop when he had called her Mrs. Keller, but it hadn’t upset or offended her. Since then, though, his eyes had never once looked in her direction; they had been scanning the crowd, as if he were looking for someone. With everyone still wearing masks, she didn’t know how he could find anybody he knew.

  The lines inched forward, and Mena took a step forward when he did.

  “I’m nervous,” she blurted.

  Ace turned his head and looked down at her, a crooked grin appearing where a frown had been only seconds before. “About where you will be moving to?”

  She was actually pretty excited about that. At least after the move, she wouldn’t worry about Phoenix showing up at her house after dusk and talking her into letting him back into her life. Getting away was definitely something she was looking forward to. Phoenix had always been good at persuading her to do anything he wanted. Even though she felt stronger mentally, she was afraid he would always be her Achilles’ heel.

  Mena shook her head as her eyes fell to look at the floor. “No,” she said quietly, and even though the room was filled with people talking and laughing, she knew he’d heard her.

  Out of her periphery, she saw his chest expand as he drew in a deep breath. After a few seconds, he exhaled then leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Do I make you nervous, Mena?”

  Her eyes fluttered closed at hearing his voice and feeling his warm breath on her neck. A heated coil inside her unfurled at the sensations, quickening her breath. She only nodded as a reply.

  “Good,” he said, and her eyes shot open. She hadn’t been expecting that. His smile was shy as she raised her head to look at his face. “That makes me feel a lot better. You scare the shit out of me, like nobody else ever has.”

  The corner of her mouth turned up as the coil inside loosened slightly. “Really?”

  He rolled his eyes as he nodded. “I feel like I know you, but I don’t, so…” He rubbed a hand down his face and let out a long breath. “I feel off balance and not in control.”

  Mena laughed a little. “Exactly.”

  Ace released her hand and took his phone from the inside po
cket on his tux jacket. He huffed as he looked down at the screen, and then his eyes cut over to her before he handed it to her. “My confession,” he said.

  Mena’s eyes grew wide as she stared at a picture of them together she must have taken, his lips on her cheek and her practically beaming at the camera on the phone. It was the first real evidence that they had been happy together as a couple. The video had made her sad for him. She could tell he was honestly hurting because he felt he was losing her, but this picture proved they had been happy together.

  “You’re freaked out,” Ace said. “I shouldn’t have shown it to you. Here—”

  As Ace reached out to take it from her, she jerked it away. “Why don’t I have this picture? I’m almost positive I would have sent this to myself or asked you to do it if it was taken with your phone.”

  “You would have had to have sent it, if it happened at all. I’m pretty sure I was blind that day. My pride filled me in on a lot of things that happened while you were with us.”

  Mena frowned, and then clicked on his Gallery of photos. She wasn’t snooping through his stuff, but she did want to text the picture of them to herself. It was the first photo that popped up, but there were a few others that made her smile. “Is that Chaos?”

  Ace nodded, without even glancing at the screen. “I’m pretty sure my dog would live with you if he had a choice in the matter. He hasn’t eaten much since… well, you know. I think he misses you.”

  She picked out her favorite one of the three of Ace and Chaos and sent it in a text to her number, and then sent the one of him and her together. Not wanting to appear nosy, she handed the phone back to him. “Your confession is that you have a picture of yourself saved as your wallpaper? A bit conceited, aren’t you, Mr. Keller?”