Dominic
"I would like to inform you of my intention to immediately begin formal courtship of Sasha Mooncrest." Dominic announced to a deadly silent council chamber.
Dominic forced himself to overlook the painful fiery ache in his chest as he faced the council members. Their expressions ranged from shock to strategic approval, but it was the satisfied smile on Victor's face that told him he'd done exactly what the Beta wanted. He drew on mental reserves to keep his mask of authority on. He could not show weakness, not now, when it mattered most.
"The relationship with the Mooncrest Pack will strengthen our standing," Dominic said, feeling more hollow as he spoke. "I will formally begin courtship of Sasha Mooncrest with the next full moon."
Elder Grayson leaned forward, his lined face unreadable. "Alpha, this is... unexpected, in light of yesterday's events."
Dominic felt his jaw clench. "Yesterday's unfortunate event does not change what the pack needs. We must put safety first."
"Exactly," Victor said smoothly, rising from his chair beside Dominic. "The Alpha has made the only rational decision. An alliance with the Mooncrests gives us added strength when we need it most. And Sasha's lineage is unblemished."
Dominic saw the glint in Victor's gray eyes. The flicker of victory carefully hidden behind the mask of feigned submission offered by his Beta. Victor had been lobbying for this arrangement for months, inserting him as intermediary between two strong packs. Now he'd got exactly what he wanted, and Dominic had little choice.
The council meeting ended with details regarding the coming courtship rituals. Dominic strode out of the chamber, ignoring hushed conversations that started behind him. He held his shoulders square, walking tall and strong, maintaining an air of confidence despite the pain twisting his guts.
Not until he retreated to his office's seclusion did he allow himself to wince, one hand instinctively going to his chest where a ghostly mark seemed to be searing his skin. He ripped open his shirt, staring down at the pale silver outline beginning to form over his heart; his mate bond mark.
"Impossible," he breathed.
The mark shouldn't have appeared. He had rejected Sierra. That breaking of the bond should have erased any possibility of a mark, yet here, on his chest, was proof otherwise. The silver lines were faint yet very real, laying out early stages of ancient symbols that identified mated pairs.
A soft knock forced him to hastily button his shirt. "Come in."
His younger brother Liam entered and closed the door, his expression telling Dominic everything. The trackers had failed.
"She crossed into Timber Ridge territory before the trackers could intercept her," Liam said blandly.
"And the trackers?"
"They followed a false trail for three miles before figuring out they'd been duped." He let satisfaction slip into his voice.
Dominic narrowed his eyes. "You helped her."
It wasn't a question, but Liam still responded. "Yes."
The word hung in heavy silence between them. Normally, such blatant disobedience would have earned punishment; disrespecting the Alpha was nothing to joke with. But this was not normal and they both knew that.
Dominic turned his gaze from Liam to the window; in the small, fenced training ground below, young wolves were sparring under vigilant pack enforcers. "You weren't supposed to help."
"You would prefer Victor's men had taken her?" Liam challenged. "You showed me what happened when you touched her after the ceremony. Do you remember that silver light? The way it burned you? Something's going on with her, Nic. Something we don't understand."
Dominic shut his eyes, the memory burning through him as painfully as the exact moment had been. He had gone to Sierra's cabin after the ceremony, trying to explain what he couldn't say out loud. When he reached for her though, silver light had flared burning his chest and palms, sending him staggering backward.
"It doesn't matter now," he said coldly. "She's gone. The pack comes first."
"That's bullshit." Liam challenged him directly, which was unusual. The tone sharp enough to make Dominic turn. Liam's face was a mix of disappointment and concern.
"What the hell happened? This isn't you, Nic. Everyone saw it! You stared at Sierra for years, everyone was expecting you to claim her, and suddenly you're rejecting her and chasing after Sasha instead? The timing with the Mooncrest deal? That's a little too convenient."
A dull ache started at the back of Dominic's temples. "You're crossing the line, brother."
"Someone has to." Liam stepped closer. "You haven't been yourself since father passed. The pack is talking about it, and Victor is fueling that talk. Now Sierra has disappeared, with strange marks on her, and you're standing there pretending you aren't in pain."
Dominic lost his composure for a split second, but it was enough. A growl escaped his chest and his eyes flashed gold. "Enough!"
Liam didn't back down, but responded to the Alpha command by baring his neck slightly. "You're in pain. I can feel it. The rejection affected you as well, right? That isn't supposed to happen."
The truth of his brother's perception dismayed Dominic. He turned away again, refusing to confirm what should be impossible. An Alpha who rejected a mate suffered no consequences; it was the one who was rejected that suffered the pain, shame, and likely physical consequences.
"It isn't anything I can't handle," he finally said.
"And the mark?" Liam asked quietly.
Dominic's head snapped up. "How do you know about that?"
"I saw you rubbing your chest during the meeting. The same spot where mate bonds typically form." Liam's expression softened. "I'm not your enemy, Nic. I want to help."
For a split second, Dominic was tempted to tell him everything: about the unexpected visit from Marcus Bloodclaw the night before the Recognition Ceremony, the chilling threat on Sierra's life, the impossible position he was placed in. But the warning had been clear: tell anyone and she dies. Even now, with Sierra outside his immediate protection, he didn't want to risk it.
"I know there are things going on within this pack that I don't quite understand," he simply said. "Things that don't add up. Father's death, apparently killed by Timber Ridge hunters, I wasn't convinced by the evidence. The increasing number of injuries among wolves who pledge loyalty to me. The timing of the Mooncrest alliance proposal."
Liam's eyes widened slightly. "You suspect inside sabotage."
"I'm suspicious of everything and everyone at the moment," Dominic said grimly. "That's why you need to be careful. Victor has too many eyes and ears."
"And Sierra? Was denying her part of your inquiry?"
The question hit deep, but Dominic wouldn't let it show. "Sierra is safer away from here for now. That's all you need to know."
Liam studied him long before nodding slowly. "When you're ready to tell me the whole truth, I'll be here." He turned and walked away before stopping at the door. "By the way, I asked Elder Grayson about the silver streak in Sierra's fur. He looked disturbed by the occurrence and said he needed to refer to some ancient texts. Might be nothing, but..."
"Let me know," Dominic said. "Quietly."
After Liam left, Dominic locked the door and moved to the far corner of his office, where a recessed panel concealed the most private of his belongings. He placed his palm against it and felt the ancient magic react to his bloodline. The panel opened, revealing a space carved directly into the mountain itself.
Inside rested a beautifully polished wooden box lined with silver and moonstone, the ceremonial box that held the claws of the previous Alpha. It was customary to preserve the claws of the deceased Alpha when a new Alpha took over, a symbolic passing of strength from one Alpha to the next. Dominic had performed this solemn task the night the pack received his father's body back, shattered and bleeding from what looked to be a territorial dispute.
He carefully lifted the box and set it on his desk, opened the finely crafted lid, which was lined with red velvet designed to have ten claws fitted in their independent depressions.
And Dominic finds that his father's claws have been disturbed from their ceremonial resting place, and one of them was missing.