Chapter 20

Jordan was lying in the extra bed that her grandmother had set up for her. She couldn’t fall asleep. There were too many thoughts running through her head, and she couldn’t slow them down. They were starting to give her a headache, so she tried to focus on her grandmother’s light breathing, but that didn’t help either. She rolled over onto her back and stared at the wooden ceiling thinking of her sister. It was now going on five days since Asher took her to Kodiak Island. Sonja was probably worried sick about her, but Jordan knew for sure that Mamma Sable and Lennox knew exactly where she had been brought.

The love she had for them both was now replaced with anger and hatred. Something she had never felt so strongly before. Now she knew the truth, that the people she lived with for so many years were the enemy. They slaughtered her family in cold blood just to steal two small children in order to breed them later on.

It scared her to think of what they were planning when she returned. During dinner, Cyprus had explained that Lennox may use Sonja as a pawn in their negotiations but that they couldn’t allow that. They would not risk Sonja’s life in any way. He explained that it would be best, that when Jordan returned, she did so after she mated with Asher, coming into her animal. She would be one of the strongest amongst their bloodline. Asher and the rest would teach her how to embrace her abilities to the fullest.

When the time came, they would bring in a small group with them including, Cyprus, his sons, and Jordan. After the mating took place, Jordan would stay for a few more days while her abilities came to her. This would allow for her to understand and use them without any doubts. She was excited at her grandmother’s words after they had supper. Jordan had explained to them what happened when she had mated with Jude. She asked her grandmother and Cyprus how long it would take for her animal to appear once the mating took place. Her grandmother smiled, looking at Cyprus and then back at her again. “Immediately. You are of noble Kodiak blood. You will have no difficulty at all.”

She kept replaying those words in her head over and over again, like she was about to receive a prize. Her insides fluttered at the thought, and she couldn’t wait for tomorrow night. She could always feel her animal inside her, but it always felt trapped, as if it couldn’t break free. It was an awful feeling like she wasn’t quite whole.

Jordan finally rolled over onto her stomach and closed her eyes. She thought of Asher, his strong hands roaming her body and his gentle smile. The connection between the two of them was primal, almost like a distinct electrical current that was only meant for the two of them. If she had ever felt a hundred percent sure about anyone in her life, it was Asher. He was her soulmate, the chosen one for her. She smiled to herself and finally drifted off into a deep sleep.

**

The next day had flown by, and Jordan was nervous as hell, particularly about everyone watching her again. There were so many that she didn’t know and that was due to many being children and teenagers. After the slaughter, the Kodiak’s worked hard at rebuilding their island, and the families that were left had made many new families of their own. Feeling a pit grow in her stomach, she recalled the night with Jude. She remembered what she was willing to give up, a life of freedom and possibly the ability to ever shift, to be with a man that she thought was the closest thing to a soulmate she would ever make. But now that this idea had been stripped from her mind and with Asher, there was nothing that would stand in the way of her happiness.

In the five days that she had been there though, she felt a bond with each and every one of them. She spent time playing with the children, and many of the teenage females felt drawn to Jordan, asking her so many questions that she sometimes could not answer. It was now going on 9:00 pm when she and her grandmother walked outside to the clearing where all matings took place.

It was encased in large hemlock trees that stood close to a hundred feet in height. She could see the edge of the water glisten against the full of the moon as they walked down to the clearing. They already had multiple fires burning, and she watched the kids running through the forest playing tag with one another. She smiled to herself remembering when she was a child; being so carefree.

“Are you nervous honey?” Mamma Crone asked.

“Not really. If anything, it’s being naked in front of everyone.” She admitted. She felt a slight burn in her cheeks.

“That’s normal. You haven’t shifted in fourteen years, so it hasn’t been a way of life for you.” She said looking around her. She pointed to the crowd that was gathered and said, “To them being clothed is not normal. To be in our naked form is natural and just know that it’s our way of life. Don’t be embarrassed— embrace it with everything inside of you, dear.” She said smiling.

Jordan looked out at the clearing. It had to have been over an acre of clear land that was made specifically for events like this. Everyone on the Island was in the clearing, and she could feel the excitement running through them all, including herself.

Her eyes then landed on Asher a few hundred feet away. He was walking slowly towards her. His dark hair was shiny and tousled and fell just above his shoulders. He had three days of stubble on his face that made him look incredible; dark and primal. He moved with such ease and strength; his white buttoned cotton shirt that he wore blew loosely to the side with the wind. He was wearing white loose board shorts that showed off his thighs that were threaded with muscle. He was everything male, and it made her weak in the knees as he approached her with a wicked smile plastered on his gorgeous face.

“Hi.” He said kissing her gently. “You look beautiful.”

Jordan smiled. “Thanks. You do too.”

A moment later, Cyprus walked into the middle of the clearing that was encased with bonfires. The full moon was shining on them.

“Thank you everyone for coming tonight. Come, gather around please.” He yelled out. Cyprus thought about everything that they’d gone through to get to this point. He lost a brother the day Lennox Warren killed Atticus, and he lost his second family to their cruel intentions for fourteen years. But now, everything was nearly back to normal. They had Jordan, and Sonja would soon follow. Life on Kodiak Island would slowly return to the way it was meant to be.

Jordan watched as everyone gathered on the outside of the bonfires forming a large circle with Cyprus standing in the middle. His eyes fell to Jordan’s and Asher, and then he motioned them to join him.

They walked to the center and then Cyprus grabbed their hands, each standing on either side of him when he started to speak to the crowd.

“Tonight is a very special night. As you all know, Jordan’s father, Atticus, was once our Alpha and my best friend since we were children. Now that Jordan has been returned to us, she can now be mated with her chosen one— my son, Asher Slater.” He yelled out and then looked at both of them. “The Raven bloodline is one of the oldest and strongest amongst the Kodiaks, with the Slater bloodline being the second. Now that Asher is 26 years old and is about to mate with Jordan, I would like to announce that when I step down from the Alpha position I will be appointing Asher and Jordan to both be the new Alphas of Kodiak Island— they will come together as one.”

Jordan and Asher both looked at Cyprus in shock. They had no idea he had made this decision, and according to all the whispering amongst the crowd, no one else knew either. The only ones that were smiling in the crowd were Mamma Crone and Erza. They were holding hands together when Jordan looked at the two women.

Asher looked at his father. “Are you sure, Dad?”

Cyprus winked at his son and whispered, “I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life son.” he said and then turned back to the crowd. “Let the mating begin!”