Mia did not remember the motion of her feet — just the thunder of her heart and the blur of the trees rushing by as she ran. The cold burned on her cheeks. Her wolf churned deep within her, wide-eyed and panicked, as if just as shocked by the experience as she was.
She jammed the brakes on the edge of the small stream that ran through the woods on the east side. Her breathing was short, gasps. She hunched forward, hands on her knees, seeking the reason for the storm in her chest.
He looked at me like I was his.
No, that was not possible. Alphas and omegas did not belong together. Not even in fairy tales. Not even in Silverpine.
But Mia was not dreaming of the way the flesh on her still tingled, the heat in her chest that had not dissipated since their gazes met. Her wolf — normally so shy — scratched at the confines of her soul like it was desperate to escape. Like it was desperate for him.
It is a mistake, she told herself. It must be.
But the wolf whined.
He did not follow after her — at least, not yet. His jaw was tight, his hands curled into fists at his sides as he glared at the spot where Mia had gone into the forest. With each moment that she was gone from his eyes, another thread of fear ran through his body.
His wolf was running around, snarling.
Go to her. Claim her. Guard her.
But the looks around him were full of judgment. Elder Garran stepped forward, arms crossed behind his back.
"She is no Luna," Garran said, his voice low and confident. "The bond made a bad choice."
He turned to him, slowly. "The bond never makes the wrong decision."
The elder's eyes narrowed. "You would stake the future of Silverpine on a girl who winces when spoken to?"
Lucas did not answer. Not because he agreed, but because the storm inside his chest had not yet subsided. Because he could still feel Mia's fear, her confusion. The bond was not emotional only — it was psychic, physical, and spiritual. And here, all of Mia's uncertainty was spilling into his.
He needed to see her. To understand.
"I will speak with her," Lucas said at last. "Alone."
You will reject her, Garran said bluntly.
Lucas didn't respond.
Mia sat on the edge of the stream, knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her skirt was crumpled, and sticks clung to her hair, but she didn't take the time to fix either of those things. Her mind was spinning too fast.
She did not detect the footsteps until it was already too late.
You shouldn't have run.
The voice was deep, firm, and considerably kinder than she had been expecting. She turned.
He stood several feet away, with hands wide at his sides as if he was worried she'd take off running again.
"I didn't know what else I could do," Mia admitted, barely whispering.
He drew near, measured and slow. "I felt it, yes."
The two of them stood for a long, oppressive silence. The stream flowed by, bubbling as if trying to fill the void.
Mia gazed down at the earth. "Why me?"
He knelt down before her, not touching, but close enough for the heat of his body to be felt. "I don't know. But the connection doesn't lie."
She blinked, her throat closing up. "Everyone thinks it is wrong."
Lucas sighed. "Everyone is looking for me to pick a Luna that will make the pack stronger on paper. A beta. A fighter. Someone whose name has meaning."
"I am none of those things," she said quietly.
He reached out, hesitated, then covered hers with his. "You're mine."
Her heart stuttered.
"But," he continued, his tone firming, "I have to think of the pack."
And then it was. The crack. The hesitation.
Mia backed away, slowly rising. "Then don't come here anymore unless you're ready to choose me. Not the pack. Me."
Lucas stood up with her. "Mia, she was already going away.