Alpha King’s Wolfless Mate by Scarlett Higgins

Chapter 64

**Nora POV

The moment the sun broke over the horizon, we were heading back to the castle. We were both exhausted. Blake hadn’t slept a wink all night and I was plagued by strange dreams when I did manage to fall asleep.

The images were stuck in my mind as we made our way toward home.

I couldn’t remember the details of the dream clearly, except that Graham was far closer to me than he ever should’ve been. I was drawn to him despite myself, and had tried to run. He had chased me and it was clear that he was going to catch me. In the dream, I wanted him to. The heavy, leaden feeling of trying to run in a dream had lingered when I woke up.

However, before Graham could catch up to me, the dream had faded and morphed. The image of a beautiful crimson wolf was burned into my brain. I had no idea what it meant and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“What’s wrong, love?”Blake asked softly.

I looked up at him and forced a smile.“Nothing,”I said.“I just didn’t sleep well.”

He nodded slowly and put his arm around my waist. “We can take some time to rest once we’re home,”he promised.

I leaned into his touch and sighed.

Why wouldn’t I get Graham out of my mind? The weird moment we had shared in his father’s studykept creeping back into my mind. Why did he tell me that he didn’t have a mate if Kelly was his mate? Why did he insist on standing so close to me all of the time and why did I hesitate to push him away?

What is wrong with me?

I’ve never felt so uncertain of myself. Maybe it was a mistake to even consider moving forward with the ritual right now. With the state of mind I’m in, there’s no way that it could go well. I didn’t want to risk my conflicted thoughts negatively impacting the outcome of the second chance.

Blake helped me out of the car when we stopped and I stayed close to his side as we approached the front door. I was so distracted that I didn’t notice there was someone waiting for us at first.

When I did finally notice the tall, red headed woman, I stared openly. How could I have missed her?

She was dressed in a black tank top and tattered, olive colored fatigue pants. Her hair was in a single, tight braid down her back. Her toned arms are covered in tattoos and there’s a small, glittering ring in her nose. I hadn’t seen anyone like her in the territory before. She smiled broadly at us as we climbed the stairs toward her.

“May,”Blake said in greeting.“You’re finally back.”

“It took longer than anticipated,” she repliedapologetically.

Blake nodded in acceptance of her words.“This is Nora, my wife,” he introduced.

The woman looked at me and inclined her head politely.“It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Maisie,please call me May.”

I looked at Blake questioningly and he grinnedproudly.“May is the best military strategist in the kingdom. She’s been aiding the Alpha of Summerdrive to prepare for a possible attack from outside of the kingdom. She’s the only one I could trust to advise him.”

May smiled at Blake’s words.“How have things been progressing with the recruits while I’ve been away?”she asked.

“They’re coming along on their hand to hand skills,but I’ll need you to ascertain if there are any natural talents when it comes to tactical instincts.”

Blake’s pride was clear when he spoke of the young men he was training.

May nodded at his words.“I’ll start observing the training sessions tomorrow. Is there anything else I should be aware of?”

A grave expression fell over Blake’s face and he motioned to the door. Masie’s eyes hardened as she understood that Blake wanted to talk to her in private. She turned and marched inside.

I wasn’t sure if I should be involved in whatever it was Blake wanted to discuss with her, but he held my hand all the way up to his office, so it seemed like he wanted me there.

Blake sat at his desk and I settled into one of the nearby armchairs. Maisi e stood stiffly before the desk with a serious look on her face. Her expression only got colder as Blake told her everything that had happened with his uncle.

It was clear that the news disturbed Maisi e as muchas it did Blake. She placed one hand firmly on her hip.

“I’m not surprised that snake is back,” she growled.“I don’t trust him.”

“Neither do I,”Blake agreed.“I’d like to discuss thissituation with you further. We need to be prepared for whatever it is he’s planning, but that can wait for one night. Take the rest of the day to recover from your travels.”

“I will sir,”she said.“You get some sleep, too. Youlook like like hell.”

My jaw dropped open at her brazen words, but Blake just smiled and chuckled as she left the room.

**

Blake insisted on spending the day catching up on communications and meeting with the dozens of people that were waiting around the castle for a chance to see him.

I admired his work ethic, but by the time I’d seen him again at dinner, he looked like he was ready to pass out. The dark bags under his eyes made it clear that he hadn’t slept properly in a long time.

I felt guilty for not noticing it sooner. I was so preoccupied with my own fears that I hadn’t even noticed that Blake was struggling as well.

I watched Blake as he prepared for bed. His movements were slow and lacked the poise he usually displayed. He climbed into bed beside me and sighed softly.

“We should prepare for your ritual tomorrow.”

I frowned deeply at the thought.“I think it shouldwait until we’ve resolved the situation with your uncle.”

“Are you sure, love?”he asked groggily.“We’vedelayed so much already…”

“I’m sure,”I said firmly.“We can’t risk the distractionright now. For all we know, he’s just looking for an opportunity to make a move.”

Blake let out a breath.“Thank you,”he said softly. He leaned over and k*ssed me, then pulled me into his arms.

I snuggled into his chest and sighed in contentment. I could feel the moment that Blake fell asleep. His arms remained around me, but they were limp. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes.

I wasn’t going to be able to sleep now that he’d brought up the ritual, not after the bizarr e dream I’d had last night. It felt like the dream was trying to tell me something, but I didn’t understand it. Why had Graham been chasing me and why had I enjoyed it?

Kelly said that she was his mate, but he said that no man in his family knew their mate. Who was telling the truth? Why lie? It didn’t make any sense.

If I had these lingering thoughts about Graham in my mind when I did the ritual, would it impact who my new mate became? I had no idea. For all I knew, it would be completely random. I couldn’t risk it, though.

Maybe if I knew more about the ritual, I could conquer these fears that were plaguing me. I only had Helen’s word that this was how the ritual worked and that it was the only way to get Clara back. Was I being na ive to believe her? I didn’t even know where to start trying to find out more about the ritual on my own.

I listened to Blake’s heartbeat under my ear and tried to force the thoughts aside. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Blake. I couldn’t. If it meant that I had to give up Clara, then I had already decided I could make that sacrifice. I’d been without her for nearly a year now, I was used to it.

I felt uneasy, but exhaustion was quickly winning out. My thoughts got more indistinct and fuzzy as I tried to focus on Blake’s heart. This was all I needed. As long as Blake and I remained together, everything else would work out.

At least, that’s what I told myself.