After last night, I could never imagine a life without Sienna by my side.
I was already in bed when I heard her come in the front door, and when she walked into our room, I was almost expecting her to give me another tongue-lashing regarding my mother.
But instead, she’d crawled into my arms and asked me about my day.
She’d seemed strangely subdued, yet at the same time, more at ease than I’d seen her since the Fertility Festival.
We simply lay in each other’s arms and talked. We talked about anything and everything. We talked until the sun came up.
It was so simple and easy, like reconnecting with an old friend after spending decades apart, reminding me how crazy I was about her, what a perfect mate she was…
***
A sharp rapping on my door distracted me from my daydream.
“Addy, the press are here for your update on the new festival.”
“Yes, I’ll be right there, Mother.”
“Good. It’s poor form to keep the press waiting. Idle minds write fanciful stories.”
Had she always been like this, having to impart some bit of wisdom? Always needing to have the final word?
I walked toward the press room with a churning in my gut, still unsure of what I wanted to say. But whatever it was, I needed to be prepared to stand by it. An alpha never wavers with his words.
I arrived to see my parents, Sienna, and the rest of the council flanking the podium in two neat lines. Reporters were crammed into the rest of the room like sardines.
As I stepped up to the podium, I felt everyone’s eyes on me, tracking my every move and facial expression.
My mother and father were both smiling as if nothing had ever been amiss between us. Then I caught Sienna’s gaze; her expression was more reserved than theirs but ten times as genuine.
This was going to hurt, but I’d made up my mind.
I placed my hands on either side of the podium and leaned into the bouquet of microphones pointed at my face.
“Good morning,” I began. “A few days ago Sienna and I announced that we’d agreed to reschedule the Fertility Festival ritual to the next full moon. Since then, we have released very little follow-up information.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught my mother nodding along, looking pleased that everything was going as she’d planned.
“Well, the reason for that is…I’ve decided to respect the decision of my mate and indefinitely postpone the ritual altogether.”
I could hear my mother’s sharp inhale.
“And when Sienna and I are ready to start having children, we will let the pack know, but for now, our decision to start a family will not be dictated by anything except our own personal desires. Thank you.”
A litany of objections shot from the crowd along with eager hands, but I had no intention of answering their questions. All I cared about in that moment was being with my mate.
I turned to Sienna, who was beaming, and she mouthed a silent “I love you” that filled me with pride and joy.
Everyone else, including my council, looked dumbfounded. My parents were fidgeting, eyes twitching, as they desperately tried to maintain their composure in front of the cameras.
“Meet me in the council chamber in ten minutes,” I said to my mother, kissing her on the cheek. “Dad, you’re invited as well.” Both of them were too furious to utter a proper response, but I honestly didn’t care whether they showed up or not.
I grabbed Sienna by the hand and planted a soft kiss on her lips. “I’m just sorry it took me so long.”
***
“Oh, Addy! I can’t believe you would be so foolish!”
“This is not the decision of a strong alpha, son. You’re setting a dangerous precedent.”
I stood behind the chair at the head of the conference table, Sienna beside me, taking everything my parents could sling at me with unexpected glee.
There was something oddly humorous about how all the vitriol they’d bottled up was now pouring out in a desperate flood.
“Whatever ~that girl~ has done to you,” railed my mother, pointing her finger at Sienna, “it’s the result of selfish motivations. She couldn’t care less about the pack or this family.”
“Your mother and I tried to steer you out of the mess she created, but you’ve just gone and jumped in head first.” My father scowled. “Say something, dammit.”
I contemplated the two fuming figures in front of me.
Nothing they could do or say would ever make me as happy as Sienna.
Nothing they could provide would ever make me feel as complete as I did when I was with her.
“Mom, Dad, ever since you got here, you’ve made one thing clear to me: your priority will always be protecting our family’s legacy. I thought that might have changed when Mom hosted that luncheon, but I was clearly mistaken.
“You’re both so caught up in what’s best ~for~ the family that you have no idea what it means to ~be~ family. Sienna is my mate. Period. End of story.
“There is no one else in this world with whom I want to navigate life. And nothing is going to compromise our partnership. Not you, not the pack, and certainly not when—or if—we decide to have children.
“I don’t expect you to understand, so I’ll say it another way: I don’t want to see either of you anymore. Is that clear enough?”
My father’s face turned red as he clenched his jaw. But I didn’t care if he was pissed. He’d brought this on himself; they both had.
“Yes. Crystal.” He moved behind my mother and put his hands on her shoulders. “I’m glad Aaron isn’t around to see what kind of wolf you’ve become.”
My mother stared at me in disbelief, shaking her head as her eyes welled up with tears. “Addy, oh, Addy. I’m so disappointed.”
They turned and quickly left the room, but made sure to close the door behind them with a cold, unceremonious click.
I waited for the guilt I was so sure I’d feel to materialize. But there wasn’t a drop. My father’s attempt to use Aaron’s death to his advantage had only made my decision to cut them loose easier.
I turned my attention to Sienna, who, for the first time in recent memory, was speechless.
“I didn’t just do it for you,” I said, uncomfortable with her silence. “I’ve needed to stand up to them for a long time now.”
She slid her hand around my waist, then pulled me in for a passionate kiss.
I closed my eyes and lost myself in her embrace.
I took in his familiar smell as our lips pressed together in a fiery friction, then pulled away, still savoring his taste, and grazed his cheek with my fingers.
I let my thumb come to rest on his delicious lips, and he opened his eyes, silently pleading.
I was ready to release him from this agony. Release us both.
I pushed my thumb against his lips, and he allowed it to plunge into his mouth, his warm tongue engulfing my finger, sending tremors through my body.
I felt my nipples harden, and my whole body began to tingle. My vision blurred, and my legs gave out from under me.
As I collapsed, I felt his strong arms wrap around me, pulling me tight against his sculpted body.
Every inch of me was screaming for him, and my sex was aching in anticipation.
He ran his hand through my hair then pulled my head to the side, exposing my bare neck. I gasped as his teeth bit at my skin and his mouth massaged away the pain.
Lost in the ecstasy of Aiden’s touch, I ripped open his shirt and sent buttons flying across the floor.
“Take me now or not at all,” I said, half plea, half command.