The Stargazer's Alpha

Ch. 15: Blake's Pledge

Scarlett raised her left arm above her head. Her moonstone ring glowed on her finger like a beacon in the night.

"In times like this," Scarlett said, smiling, "I feel that we must return to our roots. To our most sacred traditions."

"No," I whispered. "No..."

Scarlett's voice gained strength. "Traditions bond us, no matter which pack we run with!"

Applause met this punchline. With my heart in my throat, I whispered no again and again, quieter with each repetition, until the denial became only a breath on my lips.

"I decided to revive the ancient custom and prayed to the Goddess for a fated match!" Scarlett's beautiful hand waved through the air above the crowd. "And here it is, the double star of the fated!"

I couldn't see the twin pattern in Scarlett's moonstone, and I doubted many others could, but howls of cheer erupted all around the room.

They didn't know Miss Scarlett was a hypocrite, who laughed at the mates' ritual when Blake had spoken of it only yesterday. All they saw was a young and beautiful Luna. She was hopeful, and it was enough for them to forget their own troubles that plagued them.

But wait! That wasn't all.

"With how fast the Goddess responded to the spell," an excited woman's voice yelped, "I bet your fated mate is someone very close!"

The speaker was the girl in mauve, the one I bumped into earlier. Was she one of Scarlett's cronies who insulted me on purpose, or was I paranoid?

All eyes turned to the man standing next to Scarlett.

Blake, the pack's Alpha. Blake, my fated mate. Blake, whose heart I was going to win no matter what it took.

"Alpha Blake, if I were you, I'd check my ring," the older man next to Blake said, grinning from ear to ear.

My heart constricted. I knew that if Blake showed his ring now, there'd be a double star. Even if he tried to reveal me as his true fated mate, nobody would believe him.

Did Scarlett think, actually think, that he was hers?

"Blake!" someone yelled, slow-clapping. Was it the girl in lilac?

I didn't have time to look, because another voice joined, then more, turning their Alpha's name into a happy chant.

I chewed the nails on my hand, forgetting they were trimmed to perfection and painted with mother-of-pearl polish.

"Can one person have two fated mates?" I whispered to no one in particular.

Harold heard, despite the chanting of Blake's name and clapping.

"No," he replied. "Not simultaneously. Only if there is a death of one's fated mate involved."

Blood drained from my face. For Miss Scarlett to get Blake, she had to murder me and her true fated mate, whoever that was. Blake had to be aware of that fact as he stood next to Scarlett. If he stopped her lies by announcing our match, he would risk my life and someone else's.

But his silence felt like a sign of agreement with her.

"Blake! Blake! Blake!" the pack chanted, eager for good news.

"Blake," I whispered, completely out of tune with the rest of the room. "Blake, please."

He lifted his chin and looked across the room straight at me.

"Blake, do something." I hoped that somehow he heard me.

"Blake, acting decisively? Not a chance. He's used to getting things the slow way." Harold watched me even more closely, brow furrowed, but I didn't care. Let him guess at the truth. Nobody would believe it anyway.