Smoke and Mirrors
Chapter Thirty-One: New Beginnings

Sapphire Ragna Nightborne

I did not run into his arms like Chloe did; Firstly, because I was in wolf form. Secondly, I refused to let myself be blinded by the rose-tinted haze of the ‘mate bond’. The only thought that formed in my mind was: Again? Another Alpha? Was my luck really that bad? Now that I thought about it, it was probably the Moon Goddess and her trigger-happy sister who were at fault for my current predicament. I had just spent so much effort to escape from one Alpha only to walk into the home of another and the ridiculous thing was that the chances of me having an Alpha as a mate were already as rare as they come. Yet, here we are.

I had been wary of Alphas my entire life, even though it was my duty to protect them as well as their families, and one of my worst nightmares was becoming their mate, -an Alpha Female.

Alpha Female was a title that many of the women in packs coveted, they saw how this title would benefit them, how it would give them power but the only thing I saw was how it took away your power.

Cordelia was a perfect example for that. True she had always had a meek nature, but once she set her mind to something, you might as well wrestle with angels because she would not change her mind. I admired her tenacity but that all changed after she became Ryder’s mate and Alpha Female. It was as if someone had sucked the life out of her, she no longer went out to go for a run with me, she rarely ever ventured out of the main house unless it was a major pack event or an important trip to another pack. It was as if she did not have her own will anymore, she only agreed with what Ryder said even to the point of going against me when she knew my strategy was the better one just because Ryder said it was not.

I was too absorbed in my shock that I did not see his hand slowly reached down towards me, softly placing them on the scars that ran down the left side of my face, they were only there for a second before he quickly withdrew it when he saw me jerk back and snap at his hand, I refused to be pet like a domesticated puppy especially by someone I just met.

Chloe threw me a reproachful look for the way I behaved towards the Alpha but I just rolled my eyes, well the best I could as a wolf. The Alpha just raised his eyebrow before turning to Brendon. Brendon just gave a boyish smile before reaching down to ruffling the fur on the top of my head, I was in shock at his bold action to react.

“She is still a bit jumpy from just now, we should allow her to shift back first.”

The Alpha nodded at his third-in-commands words before gesturing towards one of his men who held out a small pile of clothes.

“I took borrowed of my sister’s clothes.”

I took the clothes in my mouth before running towards the forest. Normally I would have cared and would have just shifted and changed right there and then but now I needed some time to process this interesting turn of events on my own. The chirping of birds brought some type of comfort as I shifted, I pulled the shirt over my head and was glad that it fits reasonably well, just a little snug but still comfortable and easy to move in. I resumed putting on a pair of pants but my movements seemed to be on auto-pilot as various thoughts race through my mind.

I had found my mate who most probably was ‘The One’ who the Moon Goddess and her sister intended for me but that did not make feel very secure, after all, they had already screwed up once, big time, what was stopping them from messing up again. For all, I know he could be worse than Damien. Furthermore he was an Alpha, I had seen many Alphas and although some were genuinely nice and cared for their people, others were just low-down dirt, they abused their power to get who and what they wanted, they made me hate the tradition of the Alpha title was passed down from father to son and not by merit which in my opinion would have been much better.

I knew this pack well, the Shadow Mountain Pack had been and still is the most powerful pack to live, they were a nearly unstoppable military force and an alliance with them was what most Alphas strived to acquire for their packs but unlike most Alphas who stood out to travel to other packs and showcase their might, the Alpha of this pack did not, in fact there had never been a recorded event of him ever stepping out of his pack’s borders to visit other packs, that was what his family did, he made other Alphas come to him.

I heard movement behind me, usually, this would put me on edge but I had already become too accustomed to this scent.

“What do you want Chloe?”

She stilled behind me, in shock that I could tell it was her.

“You should give him a chance you know, this could be your last chance for happiness?”

I turned to her, she stared at me with so much concern that I just deflated, I let my guard drop.

“Chloe, you might be happy to stay here with your mate but I still have so much to do before I settle down, I still have to avenge my family.”

I could not let Damien go off scot-free, not with what he has done.

“But that is not the whole reason for why you don’t want to stay, now is it? You are afraid that he is going to turn out the same way as my brother, you are scared to fall in love again and that is fully understandable given what happened to you, but if you don’t open your heart to him, you are going to lose something special. Are you really going to give that up?”

I brought my hand to my temples as I processed her words. Was I really going to give this all up for vengeance? Besides, I knew I needed the help to get my revenge on Damien, I might be strong but I could not possibly orchestrate a plan to take down an entire pack by myself. I looked down to see her outstretched hand and for the first time in my life, I took it.

We exited the forest to see them waiting for us, Chloe rushed into her mate’s arms while mine jogged right up to me. I instinctively tensed and turned my head away, bracing myself for physical contact but nothing happened. I opened my eyes to see that he had stopped right in front, head tilted as he examined me, eyes stopping at the faint lines of the scars on my torso before I pulled down the shirt to cover them.

“I am not going to hurt you, so please relax.”

I slowly brought my eyes up to meet his, they were beautiful, soft grey with flecks of gold in them, framed with a set of thick lashes.

My breathing quickened as he brought his hand up to my face but he stopped his hand just inches from my face, looking deep into my eyes as if asking for permission to touch me, I slowly nodded and he placed his warm hand on my cheek, using his thumb to wipe away the tear that had escaped my eye. He brought his hand down straight after, placing it out towards me.

“Xander Lykos. Alpha of the Shadow Mountain Pack.”

Xander? I guess the Moon Goddess really had a part to play in this. I took a deep breath before placing my hand in his and giving it a firm shake.

“Sapphire Nightshade. Head Commander and Warrior of the Blackwater Pack.”

No condescending remark came from his mouth, no surprise gasps but just a small smile that made me, of all people, blush. He looked into my eyes, using his to gesture towards our hands, I gave a small nod as he entwined his fingers with mine. No loud declarations of love or jumps at physical contact but just a comfortable silence, a comfortable moment of understanding.

Maybe Chloe was right. Maybe this could be my happily ever after.