When We Were Mates (Demetra and Emris) novel Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Demetra.

Contd

Present Day of the Bonding Ceremony.

“You look beautiful.” Seth’s voice is soft as I walk toward him.

A group of elders from his pack stands behind him. A few of his relatives are here too. His mother had come to my room earlier, and I still remember the way she looked at me with such warmth, telling me how lucky she would be to have me as her Luna.

I sat in front of the mirror for a long time after she left, thinking about how Dad is going to find out about this soon enough. How angry he’s going to get. But at least he’ll know I’m marrying into a family that loves me.

I can’t say the same would be true if I had stayed with Emris and agreed to marry into the Black Covenant Pack.

Seeing Seth’s mother look at me for the first time made me wonder where my own mother is in all this. Why wasn’t she the one holding my hands in this moment? But then I remind myself…I have Aunt Allison. Scotty. Tiffany. Including Slade, who has been checking up on me like he’s waiting for the moment I say no so he can end this whole thing at once.

I smile at Seth and let go of my white dress.

My wolf has been mourning since I woke up this morning. It took me everything to get out of bed because my bed had Emris’s scent on it even though it was only one time I had him there. Every mark he placed on my body ached. I shed tears for the end of our bond. And 1 shed them silently.

“Are you ready?” Seth asks.

“Of course.”

The elders of both packs stand in front of us with the Moon Book in their hands. It’s the book that contains the moon rites for ceremonies like this. Both of our families are here to witness.

A small mating fire burns in the center of the room. It will rise once the bond is sealed, brightening when the union is accepted, like the moon itself is giving its blessing.

“The Moon Goddess made bonds for pairing. She wove the threads of fate before the first wolf drew breath. What is joined under her light cannot be undone by shadow. What is sworn before her fire becomes truth. This rite is sacred. This rite is binding. Let no wolf break what the Goddess has blessed.”

“Today, we gather to witness the mating union of two wolves: Demetra Pride of the Lion Pride Pack, and Seth Irish of the Irish Pack.” The elder turns to Seth. “Alpha Seth… give your vows to Demetra.”

My throat goes dry. He doesn’t even know me. What kind of vows is he supposed to give?

Seth clears his throat and looks at me, his voice gentle when he speaks.

“Demetra. I know we barely know each other. I know the stakes that brought us here, and I know what you’re carrying on your shoulders. But from the little I’ve seen, I already know you’re selfless. You’re kind. You would do anything for your daughter and for your family. I want you to know that I will only ever respect and love you to the best of my ability

My heart starts beating very, very fast as the elders bring forward the rings.

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10:21 am

Chapter 83

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One of them rests on a velvet cushion, meant for me.

“This ring belonged to my mother,” Seth says. “She was the Luna of my father. And now it will belong to you.”

The ring is red like a heart pulled straight from a chest. Just as he is about to slide it onto my finger, my fingers start shaking. Hysterically. Uncontrollably. He looks at me, and I mouth I’m sorry. It’s really not something I can control, no matter how hard I try. I try to press my hands together to steady them-

“Alpha!” Robin shouts suddenly.

The ring slips from Seth’s grasp and I watch it fall.

It hits the floor, rolls across the room.

It rolls and rolls, spinning in a wide arc across the stone floor until it stops at Robin’s feet.

And from there, I catch a scent.

The owner of that scent uses his hand to bash Robin’s head into the pillar of just to get him out of the way.

My breath stops.

My heart stops.

Because standing there, ring at his feet now…is Emris. In the flesh.

I back away from Seth, almost tripping on my own wedding dress as he stares at me with daggers…like he crawled up from hell and death itself to find me. I know he came from hell because his eyes are red.

Not the soft red of sunset. Not the warm red of blood. This is the red of an inferno. The red of a Trybrid’s rage complete and utter devastation. It’s the kind of red that means anyone or anything that stands in his way will die…not quickly, not mercifully, but thoroughly. To wolves, red eyes mean loss of control. Means the wolf has taken over. But to a trybrid lunatic like Emris? It means he’s already decided who lives and who dies. And he’s not in the mood for negotiations.

Everyone scatters.

Emris‘ nostril flare with every breath and his hands hang at his sides.

“Mine.” The growl rumbles from his chest like an ancient vow, and I feel it in my bones.

“My sister is not yours!” My brother roars back.

Before my very eyes, I can tell this is about to be a bloodbath. Silver is here with Emris…he’s a hybrid while his brother is a trybrid. Together, the combo is deadly. Plus they’re not alone. If they’ve gotten into our pack like this, it means they’ve fought their way through our gammas already.

I don’t even want to consider what sort of injuries our gammas have. And now Seth is here…the very man I’m trying to marry. Emris will have his eyes on him. My family is here. My loved ones are here. If they try to stop him from coming to me in his wolf rage, he will hit anyone. He’s not thinking sanely.

“S–Slade!” I yell his name, trying to move by bunching my dress up in the way I know how.

Our ganimas are being alerted. I can see them from the glass doors, running toward the scene with backup.

When I try to move, Seth holds my hand. He doesn’t want me in the midst of the scuffle. But he doesn’t know, the hand he has on me is making the situation worse.

10:21 am

Chapter 85

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“Get your hands off her!”

“Do not speak to my husband like that!” I hiss at Emris.

Go, Emris. Please go.

“The mating fire is still burning low, little wolf,” Emris steps forward and puts his hand over the flames like fire doesn’t burn his flesh. I watch, and it really doesn’t. The fire licks his palm, curls around his fingers, and he doesn’t flinch.

“Which means he’s not your husband. Yet.” He turns to Seth. “Alpha Seth, I know your pack is important and all… but you should know there hasn’t been a thing I wanted that I did not get. Granted, you’re good with your medical shit. But I can buy a thousand of you from all around the world. So take your elders, your poor mother, and the rest… before I burst your brains and leave your pack in mourning.”

“Gammas!” Slade yells instead.

They form a circle around me and Seth, around the elders, around everyone who needs protection.

“Elders, continue the ritual. This bastard is not coming closer.” My brother bares his claws and fangs, ready to fight to the death.

No. No.

I look around helplessly. The elders don’t even ask me my vows anymore. They start fast–forwarding the Book of Bonds to the last page, and then they begin to chant.

“By moon and blood, by fire and fate, we bind what was scattered, we seal what was late-”

“I’ll give you another warning, elders!” Emris yells.

They stop.

“Continue the chant!” Slade growls.

And immediately, the fight starts.

I don’t see who throws the first claw but it came from Emris’s side. Tiffany squeals-

Gammas collide. Slade’s men have electric metal rods that crackle with blue energy. The moment they touch a wolf’s body, the wolf convulses, drops, twitches on the ground. They shove one into Emris’s gamma’s chest, and the gamma goes down hard, foam at the mouth.

But Emris’s other gamma….a scarred wolf with dead eyes rips the stick out of the guard’s hand and snaps it in half like a twig- He backhands the guard across the room. The guard crashes through a table.

More of our gammas pour in to contain them, but Emris’s men fight like they have nothing to lose

And then there’s Slade….prowling in front of me, low to the ground, shifting between his wolf and his human form like water. His jujutsu training shows in every move. He ducks under a punch, grabs an arm, twists, and throws a gamma over lis shoulder. The gamma lands on another guard so both go down!

Slade snatches a vase from a nearby table and hurls it at Emris.

Emris looks bored as the vase flies toward his face. With hands in his pocket, he just waves it like Slade’s best shot is a minor inconvenience and worst part is, Emris is doing all these and looking at me all long,

His red eyes stay locked on mine.. that’s the scariest part.

3/4

VINE

10:21 am

Chapter 85

PPP

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