Mated To The Cold Hearted Alpha
Chapter 61

And now, as much as I understood I shouldn’t have let it go so far, I also understood it would not help his mentality for me to constantly be telling him I was going to leave. For now, we just needed to get through the next four weeks on friendly terms, and I would face our goodbye when the time came. I decided to change the subject.

“Did Alpha Cyril and your mother complete the ceremony?” I asked curiously.

The abrupt change in his demeanor was startling. Tension rolled through his body. His spine went rigid. He let me go and backed away. I spun around to face him. “I’m sorry! You don’t have to answer that.”

He’d lost his mother about six months before we met. Apparently, it was still a tough subject for him.

He stared with darkened eyes. It was like he was staring at me but also staring through me at the same time, lost in his memories. A muscle in his jaw twitched.

I waited silently, not knowing what else to say, worried I might say the wrong thing.

After a long moment, he purposefully drew in a breath and pushed it out slowly, his shoulders relaxing just a little bit. His expression turned apologetic. “No, it’s okay. I just…wasn’t prepared for the question.”

I nodded like I understood, but really, I had no clue how to navigate this minefield. I made a mental note not to bring up his mother again.

“Yes. They completed the ceremony. I was conceived at the same time.”

“Were any other pups conceived?”

He nodded. “Ever and Asher.”

“Really?” My eyebrows rose. “But I thought they would be stronger than other wolves. Wouldn’t that mean it would be easier for them to conceive, not harder?”

His expression twisted.

“You would think so. They are most definitely stronger than a normal Wolf. Their prowess on the battlefield is unparalleled. We do not know exactly why neither has been successful in creating a pup. It isn’t the norm. Most wolves born as a direct result of the claiming ceremony have no trouble bearing young.”

I just nodded, thinking about what he’d said. It did seem unusual, but I knew even less about it than he did. I didn’t really have anything more to contribute to the subject, so I reached for his hand. I breathed a small sigh of relief when he curled his fingers around mine.

We walked for about another mile in comfortable silence and came out in a clearing. I sucked in a sharp breath. Not only was there a perfect little cottage, but the landscape around it had been meticulously planned and cultivated with mixed grasses, flowerbeds, and saplings. The structure sat on the edge of the lake.

Leander squeezed my hand. I looked up at him. Violet and cerulean orbs practically glowed as he stared at me intently. “What do you think?”

I struggled to come up with words. Even from the outside, it was obvious an immense amount of love and care had gone into crafting every detail. “It’s beautiful,” I answered honestly. The word beautiful was pitifully inadequate, but for the moment, I didn’t have a better adjective.

His full lips curled into a stunning smile. Pride radiated in his eyes.

Something stirred in the pit of my belly. I loved seeing him happy. It made me happy. He squeezed my hand again. “Come on.” He guided us forward to an area with a large fire pit and cut logs, providing seating for several wolves.

About twenty feet away, close to the tree line, I noticed a large pit had been dug. I motioned with my hand. “What is that?”

Leander followed my line of sight. “It’s where they’ll cook the pig.”

‘The pig?” I murmured. “Like an entire pig?”

“Yes. It’s quite an elaborate production. The night before, a huge bonfire will be set. The wood will burn through the night until it has turned into charcoal. Early the next morning, the pig will be rubbed with seasoning and wrapped in cabbage leaves and aluminum foil, followed by several thicknesses of newspaper, and lastly, wrapped in burlap and wired closed. It will be placed in the ground, covered with coals and then dirt and left to cook until the evening.”

I considered his words. “So the mated pairs will be here ahead of us?”

He continued, “Yes. On the first day of your heat, your Wolf will decide when she is ready to come to the den. Normally, it’s close to the evening after the sun has gone down. The mated pairs will already be here. During the day, the males play ancient drum beats, the same songs our earliest generations played. We’ll be able to hear the music from the pack, and many who remain behind will join them in the music, playing back and forth. The music is a call to your Wolf, a supplication of their love and a plea for her to come and give them what they need.”

My breath caught in my throat. Almost the entire pack would be serenading my Wolf for hours. My Wolf was listening to Leander’s words very intently as well. No doubt, her body would respond as nature intended, but she was just as unaware of exactly what would happen as I was.

“Once she is ready, you and I will come. We’ll walk through a line of wolves, similarly to the Announcement Ceremony. We will all be dressed in tribal leather. The females will dance while the males continue to play.”

I drew in a deep breath, trying to keep my heartbeat from careening out of control. “What happens after that?”

“Once we go inside, the music will quiet down. The wolves will be restless. Many will shift so they can hear and smell better.”

Heat ran up the back of my neck, turning my cheeks pink. I remembered this part of his story from before. “They’re going to be listening to us,” I whispered.

Leander took my face in his hands, his response gentle, “Yes.”

I shook my head slightly, my eyes pleading with him. “Leander…I-I don’t know if I can do this.”

He rubbed his thumbs over my cheeks. “You can do this. When the time comes, you will only be focused on me. You’ll know they’re here, but you won’t care.”

Somehow I doubted his words. I couldn’t imagine, not caring so many wolves would be listening, to our every word and sounds, smelling our mating pheromones and arousal. Nothing would be hidden from their ultrasensitive ears and noses.

“Come on.” He released my face and tugged on my fingers. I silently walked with him as he guided us around the left side of the cottage, to a large open deck. The deck hovered right over the water, more like an expansive dock. I looked out over the beauty of the water and then turned around, only to suck in a shocked breath. The entire wall of the cottage was open!

No wall and no door, just gauzy curtains that ran along the length. The curtains were currently open, held with tiebacks, making the room-and large king bed-inside completely visible!

My skin tingled with panic and adrenaline running through my system. “You said they could hear…and of course, I knew they’d be able to smell… but you said nothing about watching us!”

His eyes were tight. He spoke soothingly, “Just listen to me for a minute-“

“No!” I cut him off, shaking my head vigorously. No reasoning would change my mind. “I can’t…I’m not going to have s*x in front of anyone!”

He gathered me into his arms. “Shh…everything will be okay. I promise.”

I trembled against his chest.

His chin rested on the top of my head. “Watching us is not a prerequisite. And no one will force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

I pulled back, staring up at him in confusion. “But why then?”

“I know this is hard for you, but the more immersed they are into our mating the more they can hear, smell, see and at the end, touch-the higher their chances of conception. We can keep the curtains closed throughout the claiming if that’s your choice, but I’m asking you to consider it.”

I shook my head mutely. He couldn’t possibly think I would agree.

He grasped my hands. His expression turned pleading. “We are the participants but since we will not be trying to have our own pup…,” his voice broke. He swallowed hard before continuing, “The ceremony is mostly for them. Please. All I’m asking you to do is think about it, remember the anguish you heard, the sorrow you saw. That was just one moment in time. Many have endured that same sorrow and pain and hurt for years. If there was something we could do, even if it’s uncomfortable or embarrassing, to take their pain away and give them the most amazing gift in return, wouldn’t you do it?”

I didn’t know what to say. His words tugged at my heart. Of course, I wanted to help them. It was the reason I was going through with the ceremony. I just wasn’t sure I was capable of that. He saw the conflict in my eyes and whispered again, “Please…”

I couldn’t tell him yes…but I also couldn’t tell him no. I bit my l*p. “I—I’ll think about it.”

His lips curled into a breathtaking smile. He pulled me to him and pressed his lips against my forehead. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

I held him tightly.

What had I gotten myself into?