Her Savior Alpha

Thelma brushed my hair, as I stared at the mirror before me, my lashes feeling heavy with mascara. Pale gold dust glittered on my lids, my lips gleaming with a natural rouge gloss. My cheeks were rosy enough from the slight nerves tingling in my belly for the day to come. Today marked the day of my official union with Reily. I had no idea what was going to happen, except that the Alpha, my grandfather, was to introduce us as mates to the pack and we’d do some sort of traditional ritual to mark the first day of our lives together.

“I think you look gorgeous, girl,” Thelma said, massaging my shoulders. She’d pinned my long hair up into an elaborate coil at the nape of my neck, brads intertwined with each other in a swirl. Simple pearls perched on my ears, complementing my long neck and the wide collar of my simple, flowy white dress. It exposed my arms whenever i moved them with its wide fluttering sleeves, and it ended at my knees. It was innocent and pure looking, but still thin enough to show my silhouette beneath. It was given to me by Grant, grudgingly, to wear for the ceremony. The formality made me even more confused.

“Thelma, I have no idea what’ll happen today,” I whispered. Thelma brought her head closer, oval face pale like the moon and blonde hair pinned with white flowers on either side.

“I know what you mean,” she said. “It’s a bit weird that Alpha Dane agreed so easily. You’d think he’d want you away from happiness. On the other hand, he might want you out of his house.”

“Do you think I made the right choice?” I asked her tentatively.

She hesitantly before responding. “Vera, there is no right or wrong choice in life. It’s about choosing for yourself and accepting what comes with it. And as your best friend, I’ll always respect your choice no matter what I think.”

Hmm. So in other words, Thelma wasn’t completely sold on this whole mate thing with Reily. I couldn’t blame her. Doubts popped into my mind from time to time, myself. I could only trust the bond of my soul and hope this was for the best.

“C’mon, let’s go down to the event,” Thelma said softly, and I nodded, getting up and following her down. “I have to go guard my post, I’ll meet you there.”

Thelma had guard duties today and couldn’t be with me every step of the way. At the bottom, on in the living room, I we parted ways as she slipped out the front door. The alpha was murmuring with his advisors around him, and Grant stood impatiently in one corner with a clipboard, barking orders at a messenger. It seemed even preparations were still under way. My veins thrummed with nervous energy.

The event was to be held at the central courtyard between the residential area and the pack town. It was a large, round cobblestone area with a modest fountain in the middle depicting the ethereally beautiful figure of the so-called Moon Goddess, a powerful looking woman with long hair that curled around her body, a crescent-tipped staff in her extended arm. Beside it was a dais on which the Alpha would stop, an intricate chair on which he can sit. On a lower level of the dais was another chair, presumably for Grant. The courtyard was filled with pack members milling around, chattering softly in anticipation for the event. The Mount Hunter pack didn’t care what was going on, so long as it was a spectacle, and food involved certainly was a bonus.

Various tables set around the courtyard carrying an array of delicacies; platters of fruit, meats, olives, wine, cheese, and other goods. White streamers flew in the wind, attached to poles carrying lanterns every couple meters circling the courtyard. Thelma held my hand as we walked behind the entourage of the Alpha, Grant, his advisors, guards trailing behind them. Upon arriving, I first saw Archer and Clive standing at the front, awaiting me. Their faces looked neutral, Clive with a bit of apprehension and Archer looking like I was about to dig my own grave. When we passed by them, I paused, letting the entourage go ahead.

Clive looked at me with a warm but worried glance. “Reily left early to prepare with his group…not that he tells me anything. I just saw him leave with them when I was on my way to our family house this morning. He should be here any moment.”

“Oh, okay,” I said breathlessly. My heart ached slightly.

“Are you ready?” He spoke softly, taking my fingers in his.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said, trying to reassure him even though I knew he was trying to comfort me. My gaze flckered to Archer beside him, who seemed nearly mournful.

“I know you are Vera,” Clive’s eyes met something past my shoulder. “Oh, there he is.”

I whipped my head back to see Reily approaching the courtyard from the other side, flanked by the usual group that used to bully me. I’d assumed that they wouldn’t treat me the same now that their leader was my mate. He was looking dashing in a black button-up shirt and fitted cropped pants that highlighted his long legs. I stared for a moment longer, wishing he would meet my eyes...and in a second, he did, as if he read my mind. His eyebrows rose playfully and I hooked one side of my lips into a grin.

“I’ll be right back. I need to speak with him,” Clive patted my shoulder and left, leaving me with Archer.

His eyes were like stones, sparkling in their intensity. “Vera,” he breathed. “What about what we talked about?”

I remembered that day in the medical hall, when Archer helped me tend to my injuries and brought up the topic of running away. I had wanted so bad to leave the Mount Hunter Pack, a place I wasn’t a part of. But now, I had the tiny chance to find my place here. Maybe Reily’s change was the start of the pack forgiving me and accepting me.

I stared at him, eyebrows furrowed; I was still torn. I still yearned for the taste of freedom beyond these borders. “I still want to run, but now…I don’t know. I’m sorry Archer. I want to see this through first.”

His dark brows were low, eyes deep with understanding, but something like disappointment roamed within. “Okay, Vera. It’s your decision.”

Grateful, I gave him a watery smile. “Thank you,” I whispered.

Bells twinkled in the air, announcing the start of the event. Archer squeezed my arm, motioning for me to go to my place by Reily, who already stood beside the dais. The Alpha, was already on the dais, with Grant on the lower platform. Two guards flanked it with stony faces and straight-backed in their dark soldier gear.

I went to stand beside Reily, who gave me a bright, promise-filled smile. The expression was still disarming, I had yet to get used to this new side of him after being acclimated to the sight of anger and disgust marked on the lines of his face. His longish hair was pulled back neatly behind his ears, brown eyes like darkened honey in the sun.

“Vera,” he said with a sweet voice. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

I tried to smile, but it felt like walking through quicksand. “Of course. You look….good.” Indeed, the bond that was fluttering in excitement agreed, he was looked better than ever in such fine clothes compared to his usual gruff style of ripped clothing, leather, jeans, and chains. The piercings stayed on though, double hoops on both ears.

“How are you feeling?” he asked me. Our conversations were still a little stunned, to say the least, as we were getting used to new sides of us in this new relationship. I hoped this union would make us closer.

“I’m good, excited. Just a little nervous,” I said honestly.

“Me too, but mostly, it feels like I’ve been waiting for this day all my life.”

Near us stood a table of treats and drinks, and I eyed it. Reily noticed, grabbing my arm and pulling me to it. “We must eat and celebrate this wondrous day...not to mention dull those nerves of yours.” He gave me a wink, putting a glass of pale golden wine right into my hands. I took it uncertainly, not wanting the alcohol to dull my senses, or worse, make me do something embarrassing. But reading Reily’s kind looking expression, I took it anyway. What’s the worst that could happen? Today was a day of fun and celebration.

I threw the flute of champagne back, gulping half of the bubbling drink.

I laughed a little, but before I could reply, a voice spoke through a mic. “Hello my fellow Mount Hunters,” Dane stood on the dais, a large, looming figure with a special, ceremonial robe around his shoulders only for certain occasions. He looked kingly with his gray hair slicked back and his freshly trimmed beard, tan skin glistening healthily despite his aged lines. A warm, majestic smile graced his face as he looked upon his brethren; one would think the Dane who abused me was an evil twin running around. “Today, we are gathered to witness a beautiful union, one that we have known well to have had a difficult path. In life, we must go through hardships and come out the other end with new knowledge and perhaps, new beginnings. Vera, Reily, you too have undergone a tumultuous journey. Your relationship before might have been full of discord. But when I found out that you two were fated to be one complete pair of soulmates, I was delighted with the prospect of a brand new start. While our minds cannot forget the past, we can forgive. And it is with my pleasure that I announce this event, a celebration of this union, a ceremony to overcome past trauma and turn over a new leaf.”

Dane certainly loved hearing himself speak, I thought distractedly. I couldn’t help but look over at Archer and Clive, who looked visibly furious at the way Dane spoke so vaguely, so lightly of the years of torment I incurred under Reily’s (and his) wrath. I was more surprised at how much Dane knew about Reily and I before this mate ship, and that he never bothered to do anything about it - not that I was surprised.

Pack members watching enraptured by the speech casually popped some of the appetizers in their mouths, but I was too nervous to eat.

Dane continued, “During this event, we will unite Reily and Vera in an age-old tradition used only for the most unique of mate ships: a ceremonial chase. Reily and his entourage will chase his beloved in the forests as their true forms, symbolizing his unyielding desire to claim her as his. Vera will lead the chase, feigning their prey, to test her mate’s potential: will he catch her or not? Instead of the chase ending with bloodshed, it will end with the merging of these two souls.”

I understood the significance of the chase, based on what Dane said about it “overcoming past trauma. It was the perfect way to shift the narrative of the relationship between Reily and me. Instead of me being his victim again, I would be his lover, effectively cutting the ongoing cycle. The audience’s eyes gleamed at the beautiful sounding words, but inside, I chuckled darkly at the irony. I couldn’t say I was a fan of tradition.

“Let us all drink to the start of a beautiful mate ship!” Dane picked up a goblet from a guard who stepped forward at the right moment. He raised it up high.

Everyone cheered and I met Reily’s gaze, who had tacked on a lovely grin that had hints of something I couldn’t read. I wondered how life would be with him, and f this event would really put everything put us. Despite all my talk of forgiveness, I did have in it to do for others what had never been done for me.

“Now let the two stand facing each other, with Reily’s entourage beside him,” Dane ordered.

The crowds gave us a wide berth as we stood facing each other in the middle, with me standing closer to the edge of the courtyard, and Reily between me and the dais. Behind him, in a straight line, stood the usual group that bullied me, with softer, neutral faces. The buzzcut, the long platinum-braided girl, the guy with the hair bun, and finally Gina, who had muted dissatisfaction on her face, but looked otherwise harmless. I supposed she was still a part of the group no matter her relationship with Reily. They all stood at attention, dutiful and proud, and I vaguely wondered what Reily’s group had to do what our mate ship.

To the side, Archer and Clive stood with arched brows and apprehension as they stared at the scene. Their caution didn’t get rid of any of the nervousness scuttling within me. Yet the chase was to begin, and I had no time for second thoughts; I had to put my faith in my wolf and Reily’s.

A touch at my side shook me out of my thoughts. Reily’s arm had brushed mine, tugging on my long, diaphanous sleeve. His pinky finger hooked around mine first, gently and warmly, then the rest of his fingers followed, sending a thrill fluttering through my veins and in my chest. His touch made me feel whole and complete, and it chased away all thoughts of doubt. Taking my hand, clasping it tightly and weaving our fingers together, he motioned for us to walk to the center of the courtyard, where the audience left space, as well as a pathway out to the woods. I held his hand firmly and walked beside him. I realized I still had champagne in my other hand and kept it close to me like a comforting brace.

“Now, Vera,” his voice murmured to me softly, his lips dusting warm breath across my cheek. “We will shift into our forms first, and then you will do the same.”

I nodded, slightly grieving the pretty white dress I would have to leave behind. Or maybe I could take it off first.

We approached the line of Reily’s group, and the aura around them felt chilly and unforgiving, but I ignored it, chalking it up to feelings I associated with them from the past. Reily wouldn’t let anything happen to me. Besides, I didn’t really have the time or the wherewithal to discern if his friends still hated me or if I was seeing things, since seconds after, Dane bellowed, “Now let the ceremonial chase begin.”