Chapter 1
Bursts of fiery color lit up the night sky, exploding overhead.
Excited wonder gripped my heart as epic melodies pounded away inside my brain from the live band nearby, perfectly accompanying the fireworks like a dream.
Air caught in my lungs, and I stared wide-eyed, feeling the music wrap around me. Its touch was as tangible as Ryker’s warm hand in mine, rough and strong.
Ryker Finch, the rogue Alpha of Obsidian Lake, was my Destined Mate and the other half of my soul. The male responsible for gifting me this experience.
My Canary.
I couldn’t believe I was actually here, basking in the warm glow of a Summer’s End Festival outside of Onyx Moon.
It was being held in a wonderful little town an hour out from the entrance of Obsidian Lake, where creatures of every species lived and thrived together in harmony.
The village of High Hollow.
It was a mind-altering experience.
I felt so free, untethered.
My whole life, I lived for others, an Omega forever in service of Alphas, afraid to step a toe out of line.
I never thought I’d ever leave the confines of the pack, to get to feel this, to see the magic bouncing through the air, or meet all the different supernaturals that walked happily alongside—to my shock—humans.
I actually got to meet a flip-floppin’ human!
But here I was, surrounded by music and magic, wrapped up in the splendor of a world I’d never seen before.
And none of this would have been possible if a melty canary yellow stare hadn’t stolen my breath in a rose garden.
In that moment, my life flipped upside down, changed forever.
The Call wrapped around me like a hug as the beginnings of a destined bond took root, and the rest was history.
And though the beginning of our relationship was anything but smooth sailing, we found our footing, developing a love that was stronger and deeper than fate.
It took effort and a lot of understanding, navigating obstacles that stood in our way.
My ex, Braxton, for one...
He was the heir of my home pack, Onyx Moon, the next in line to inherit the Alphaship.
Not that he was deserving of the title.
He believed he was entitled to me, to my body, my subservience, and insisted on trying to stake his claim at every turn.
He’d even threatened to mark me against my will at the annual Claiming Run, so there would be nothing I could do to stop it, and he wouldn’t get push back from his father about mating an Omega.
Then, there were the ghosts of Ryker’s past that haunted him, holding him back.
But after a long talk filled with tears and pain the night before the Run, his demons seemed subdued, and we finally came together intimately for the first time, completing the first part of the mating.
But just before he was going to sink his teeth into my neck, giving me his claiming mark, everything came undone.
One of those demons reared its ugly head in the form of a phone call.
His sadistic paternal uncle, Atlas Finch, a male he’d thought had died a decade prior in a raid that decimated Obsidian Lake, was very much alive and was holding Ryker’s brother captive, torturing him as we listened through the phone.
I was horrified, Balor’s screams bouncing off the walls of my skull.
And I knew he needed to go.
The atrocities those two males had suffered at the hands of the adults that were meant to protect and love them...and now, here one of them was, held hostage and brutalized by one of those very tormentors...
I would’ve shoved Canary out the door face-first myself if he hadn’t done it himself.
But all he needed from me was a smile, something to tell him I’d be okay, a promise I’d be here when he got back.
So, I gave it.
Even as my heart silently broke, because I couldn’t actually guarantee anything.
The Claiming Run was the next day, and he had no clue.
I was on my own, and I needed to utilize every skill he’d taught me to outrun and defend myself against an entitled Alpha that refused to take no for an answer.
And I’d been succeeding.
But then Braxton caught up to me, cornering me.
Somehow, I’d managed to hold him off for as long as I could until I thought I was done for.
And that was when salvation leapt in front of me in the form of a marvelous white wolf barreling into my ex, knocking him out of the way. And, as another kind ally held my ex at bay, Canary finally claimed me.
He’d saved his brother, faced his demons, then come to my rescue.
But that wasn’t the end.
Braxton made him fight to keep me, formally issuing a challenge.
It was nerve-racking, waiting for the inevitable showdown.
Not that it should have been.
Ryker wiped the floor with him.
When victory came, and everything was finally right with the world, he scooped me up and whisked me away to a place where we could be alone.
I claimed my mate, solidifying the rest of our bond.
And I’d been floating on cloud nine ever since.
Then, on the way home to Onyx Moon, he got the call from the current Beta of Obsidian Lake, begging for his help, and it was decided we’d be leaving this morning.
It’d taken about eight hours altogether of riding his beautiful motorcycle with mandatory breaks enforced by my mate to get to this little village, and by the time he’d checked us into an adorable little bed and breakfast smack in the middle of Main Street, I was ready to face-plant into the nearest pillow.
Which I did.
With gusto.
I was out cold for close to two and a half hours before he woke me, letting me know the festival had started.
As soon as I stepped foot outside into the dimming evening light, I was bombarded with the smells of decadent deserts and succulent meats, upbeat music from a live band that coaxed your feet to move, and colorful magic orbs that glowed as they danced through the air. Twinkle lights and lanterns were strewn in a zigzag up and down the street, illuminating the stalls that lined both sides with games and vendors selling anything and everything I could dream of.
But the real show stopper was the absolute magnitude of creatures out and about, mingling with other species and humans alike.
Dragons with their jewel toned leathery wings, and horns on human-like bodies.
Faeries, some with delicate, iridescent wings and others with sturdier, fussy, moth wings with intricate patterns.
Sirens, who had sealed up gills on their necks and bright colored scales over different parts of their bodies.
The plethora of different shifters and humans.
Visibly, there was no discernible difference between them, but there were subtle little things here and there. Like scent and strength.
Even vampires came out once the sun dropped beneath the horizon.
They were easier to distinguish, their skin pale and and their eyes glowing in a neon colors.
It was a brave new world, and I felt like a fish out of water, but…
It was exhilarating.
And one of the most memorable moments of my life.
Dragging my eyes from the show, I wanted to thank him from the bottom of my heart for showing me this small part of a world I’d only imagined in my wildest dreams.
Turning my head, I found his mesmerizing honey stare already on me, seemingly transfixed.
I froze, gazing into those eyes, ensnared by their intensity as I drank him in, dwarfed by his towering frame.
He was devastating in his beauty.
Those canary yellow eyes that shimmered with love and dedication.
The icy white, shoulder-length hair I longed to comb my fingers through.
The black tattoo winding its way over the shaved side of his head and around his ear.
He was kind and thoughtful. I’d never felt more cared for, revered even than I did wrapped up in him.
I was moonstruck, head over heels in love, and as he pulled me close, his body molding to mine like a puzzle piece, my heart skipped a beat.
The festival fell away as his lips grazed mine, his fingers tangling in my golden curls, and I smoothed my hands over his sides, gripping his soft, white T-shirt tightly as my breath hitched.
I ached for his touch, overwhelmed by his hypnotic scent of warmed honeyed bourbon and frost. I wanted to breathe him deep into my lungs and lose myself.
I would follow this male to the ends of the earth, devotedly.
My eyes fluttered shut as his tongue flicked out, tasting my lips, and I opened for him, desperate for the feel.
For him.
Nothing else in the world mattered more than this male, than his hands, his kiss.
Even the fireworks exploding above us were muffled in the haze as the iron cage of his arms came around me, locking me in.
That was fine.
I’d throw away the key.
Finally, his lips pressed to mine, and my breath hitched, like I’d been waiting a century for the contact. My fingers tangled in his hair as his hands came up to cup my cheeks, holding me steady as the kiss deepened.
Moaning softly, my lips parted and he took advantage of the opening, his tongue diving in to dance with mine.
Drunk on the taste of him, I pressed harder into the firm ridges of his body, not caring who saw or what anyone thought of me. I just wanted him. Needed to feel him touching every inch of me, but then he groaned against my lips.
And it sounded more like pain than anything pleasurable.
“W-what?” I stammered, peering into his handsome face as he touched his head to mine.
“I want to throw you over my shoulder and shut us in our room for the rest of the night.” He ground out, frustration bleeding into his tone.
Heat speared my gut, making my hips roll into his, and I whispered, “What’s stopping you?”
“Once I get you in that bed, you’re not leaving it till morning.” He growled but then softened, his eyes darting away. “But, I haven’t gotten you anything from the festival yet.”
I quirked a brow. “What? Yes, you have. You’ve been buying me food from practically every food stall.” Turning my body, I pushed out my belly comically far as I rubbed the mound lovingly as I pouted up at him. “I’ve got a bona-fide food baby thanks to you.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if we tried something from every food stall, from savory, succulent meats fire roasted by dragons, to decadent desserts covered in melty chocolate, artfully spun sugar candy made by faeries, and even magickal sweets that glowed and fizzed in fruity flavors, crafted by witches.
I’d never eaten so much in my life.
He fought it for a good second, but a smirk eventually tugged at those delectable lips and a soft chuckle clawed its way out of his mouth as he rubbed his temple.
“Look, you sexy little goofball,” he stepped back into my bubble, gently gripping my chin to make me look into those honey eyes again. “I meant I wanted to get you a…” He paused, looking for a word. “A memento, I guess. Something you can keep as a reminder of tonight.”
My heart melted in his tender, calloused hands.
This sweet male was going to spoil me rotten, and I couldn’t lie…I liked it.
Reaching back up, I smoothed his hair away from his face, pulling him down to softly kiss the corner of his lips. “You don’t have to do that, Canary.”
“You’re right. I don’t.” His hand moved to my neck, and his lips found my cheek. “But, I want to. Please let me.”
His voice was so soft, so warm and sweet, almost pleading.
How could I say no to that?
“Okay, Canary,” I whispered, kissing his lips. “Do you have any ideas?”
A small smile pulled his cheeks. “A couple.”
