Chasing Freedom

XVIII

The pack had a ninety-nine hundred members. Mira rounded the number to an even hundred. The Council, he didn't count in that. At one point, before his father became Alpha it had been. Over the years, numbers had dropped. With their notoriety, they'd never rebuilt. There weren't any plans to.

Myles first recollection of pack meetings was weaving his way through the legs of others, playing tag with friends as the adults talked. That changed as he got older and began to pay more attention to what was being said. Gradually, more responsibility fell to him and and he took a more active role in gatherings, albeit behind the scenes.

Standing in the open field, he glanced around. The distant towering trees cast shadows over the damp, snow-patched grass. Familial groups stood together, kids kept close. He understood why even if he didn't agree. Mira was an unknown to the pack, a possible danger.

A misunderstanding that would be cleared up by tonight.

Mira came back from the bathroom block, skirting around a young child with a wary glance. Even amongst all of the pack, she was the one he was drawn to. Anxiety was written on the lines of her face; eyebrows pinched and expression downcast. Her arms were wrapped around her coat, holding herself together. Her heartbeat was beating at an unsteady accelerated pulse. Still, despite all that, she smiled, shaky as it was.

Myles wanted nothing more than to reach out when she was close and pull her into an embrace. He headed further towards the tree-line instead, Mira following him. It was as much privacy as they would be able to find under the circumstances.

"How are you?" he asked, pitching his voice low.

Mira's expression fell before she could guard the reaction. "Great."

The lie didn't surprise him. Mira wouldn't admit to any fear, not when the pack was around them. "There's boundaries in place for this, Mira, ones that haven't been crossed for years. I know it's a lot to take in but this pack is a family. A family you're now a part of. We support each other; stand with each other not against."

"Is that the reason I'm being glared at—as a welcoming gift?"

"That's our—my—fault," said Myles, guilt clawing at his gut. "In trying to protect you, we kept you sheltered from the rest of the pack. The distance is something that some have taken as an insult. Tonight is going to be a clean slate. A do-over. For you. For the pack."

She bit her lip, glancing back across the field warily. "Do they know about us?"

"That we're fated?"

Mira nodded.

"No. It's none of their business, either."

That wasn't the whole truth. Being so rare, fated mates were quick to announce their bond with others. Some threw a party to celebrate. Mira wasn't ready for that. If the pack found out, neither of them would hear the end of it. She needed time to heal from her trauma, not have others pressure her into a mating she wasn't ready for. No one dictated the terms of her life but Mira.

Tugging at the sleeves of her coat, Mira asked, "Will I have to challenge you, Myles?"

"I'll be one of the last," he said. "You'll have to submit. There's no other option."

The thought of it wasn't sitting easily. Mira was his equal. If anything, he submitted to her. Which was the problem. As the one who would step up as Alpha in the wake of his father, there was an appearance he had to maintain. Unless he announced their bond, which wasn't an option, he couldn't show any weakness.

"What about your parents?"

"Your Alpha accepted you into the pack. That's proof enough there was no challenge. My mother falls into that by default. My aunt doesn't, unfortunately, but I know she's spoken to you about it."