CHAPTER 17
August’s plan to keep her with him had hit a snag just a single step outside the cabin in the Altay pride’s village.
Maya secretly smiled to herself behind the thick red scarf covering the lower half of her face in the way she always did whenever she relived that moment. She had been so caught up in him, in how good it had felt to be back in his arms, that it had taken her a moment to realise why he had stopped.
Talon and Grey had blocked his path down the steps, both of them far too naked for her liking, their powerful arms folded across their bare chests and their bright eyes locked on her.
August had done his best to cover her so her brothers and the subdued members of the Altay pride didn’t see anything, and had told Talon and Grey that they were leaving, and he was going to take her to his home.
Her heart had done a strange flip in her chest at that.
While part of her had wanted to rebel, everything she had been through pushing her to escape his hold, afraid he would be like Pyotr, her heart had calmed her and told her that everything would be perfect if she went with him, that he would never force a bond upon her or treat her as Pyotr had treated his females.
He would be gentle, tender, and would take care of her.
His eyes had told her more than that when he had looked at her, promising her that he would never try to overpower her or control her, that he wanted her to stand at his side as an equal, as his partner.
Talon had sort of obliterated the moment when he had told August no.
Grey hadn’t helped when he had denied her fated one too, stating that she needed to go back to their pride.
August had looked at her then, and gods, she had wanted to tell him to ignore them and run away with her.
But her brothers had been right.
She still hated the way August had looked at her when she had told him that, and announced she would return to her pride.
He had looked as if she had plunged a knife into his chest and twisted it.
So she had been quick to give him a balm to soothe his pain, telling him that it would be a temporary parting, a necessary one because she and her brothers needed to speak with Byron about everything that had happened.
August’s silvery eyes had softened then, and although she had sensed his reluctance to let her go and his fierce need to keep her with him, he had agreed to it.
On the basis that she come to him within two weeks.
Her smile widened.
Gods, she had loved the way he had growled that he would go ‘fucking insane’ if she kept him waiting any longer than that.
Byron looked back at her, knocking her out of her memories.
She shivered as a frigid wind swept down the broad valley in front of her, whipping up ice flakes and blasting them into her yellow waterproof jacket and black trousers.
Byron’s gold eyes told her everything he was feeling, and she agreed with him about a few things. Most notably how it was too damn cold up on the mountain and that August was already insane because he lived in this unholy place.
The snow crunched beneath her boots as she trudged onwards, trailing close behind Byron as he followed their guide along the narrow path at the base of a towering cragged mountain.
Maya looked off to her right, her breath catching as she glimpsed the village nestled on the plateau high above her for the first time.
August was there, waiting for her and her brother.
Could he feel she was close now?
Did he want to run to her as she wanted to run to him?
It had only been nine days, but she had missed him, had been going out of her mind, needing to be close to him again.
It turned out she was the one who had gone fucking insane.
Byron had grown so sick of her switching between moping around the village and arguing with him that he had stepped up her departure, bringing her to Bhutan four days early.
Her brother had wanted to make August wait right until the fourteenth day before bringing her to him.
She could understand her brother’s reluctance. He had been genuinely distraught when Talon and Grey had told him everything she had been through, and had apologised to her countless times since then.
He had also smothered her, refusing to let her out of his sight.
It had taken threatening to leave and go to August with Talon and Grey’s help to make him confess that he didn’t want her to go, that he was worried August might hurt her, that she might not be happy with him.
Maya had told him to come with her and meet August for himself.
She wanted her brother to see that August was the only one in the world who could make her truly happy.
“Is it not quicker that way?” Byron hollered over the wind and pointed towards the sweeping valley to their right that separated them from the village.
The guide, a male dressed in neon green protective clothing, laughed. “Only if you’re talking about meeting your death.”
She frowned at the back of the male’s head.
He looked over his shoulder at Byron and swept his right hand out. “This whole area is riddled with crevasses. Only a mad person would choose that way.”
Maya was considering it.
The trail was taking too long.
She could feel August was close now and she needed to see him again, would risk death to achieve that.
Byron pushed the hood of his black jacket back to reveal the dark orange woollen hat he wore over his black hair and looked back at her, his amber eyes warning her that he had sensed her need to run. He glared at the white world around them.
“It’s fucking horrible here,” he muttered from behind the black scarf wrapped around his nose and the lower half of his face.
Maya looked around her.
It was beautiful.
The journey had been long, and a little frightening in places.
They had landed at the local airport yesterday and had been met by their guide, who had driven like a demon along a track that had taken them deep into the forest. From there, it had been a long walk along trails that had followed the course of a river, bringing them past splendid waterfalls as they rose higher into the hills.
After camping in the forest, they had trekked across open land and arrived at the base of a sheer cliff several hundred feet tall.
Their guide had climbed it as if it was nothing, no rope to protect him if he fell. When he had reached the top, he had dropped a rope and harness for them. Byron had insisted on going first, not trusting the strength of the rope. She had the feeling he was going to be overly protective of her for a while, his guilt driving him to coddle her.
Talon and Grey had given him hell when they had return to the pride with her.
For the sake of Byron, they had waited until they were alone, none of the pride within earshot, but they had really given him both barrels.
She had to admit that she had given him a little hell of her own too, had made it very clear that his behaviour over the past few decades had hurt her, and that she wasn’t something he could trade like a commodity.
She was his sister.
His flesh and blood.
Byron had been quiet for a few days after that, withdrawn from the world, more distant than he had ever been. Whenever she had started to feel guilty, Grey had reminded her that Byron had brought it upon himself, and that he deserved to suffer for what he had done. He did, she felt that too, but he was also her brother, and despite the things he had done, she still loved him and it hurt her whenever she saw him in pain.
When he had finally talked to her, it had been to apologise, to beg her forgiveness and to ask her to put him out of his misery, because he wanted to make everything right.
She only had to tell him what to do.
Maya had told him straight that there was only one thing he could do.
Let her be with August.
She could understand his wariness, but his fear was misplaced.
August would never hurt her.
She was going to make her brother see that.
She stared up at the plateau.
Gods, she needed to see August.
The trail swept around a bend and her breath left her in a rush as the beauty of the world August called his home hit her full force.
The trek had been hell, but gods, it had been worth it.
She was starting to see how August managed to live up here, high on the mountain. Such a view was worth putting up with a little cold.
It felt as if she could see the whole world.
The valley dropped below her, a swath of white that ended at the cliff. Beyond it, the green of the forest stretched far, covering the lower half of the mountain range. At the bottom of the winding valley, a river glittered in the sunshine, and the spray from a waterfall caught the light, casting a rainbow. On the other side of the river, mountains rose again, coated with green at their bases but fading to pure white at their cragged peaks.
The valley extended forever, forking into more valleys to her left, and dropping into the plain to her right.
Above them, the sky was purest blue, the sun bright and dazzling.
“Maya,” Byron said, and she realised she had stopped walking.
She looked over her left shoulder at him and smiled, unable to contain it. His amber eyes narrowed with the smile his scarf hid, and he held his gloved hand out to her.
She went to him but didn’t take his hand. He turned away from her and kept walking, catching up with their guide. She looked up ahead of her at the plateau.
As she drew closer to it, awareness of August grew inside her, becoming stronger with every step she took.
He was waiting for her.
She wanted to be there now, in his arms again, but the damned trail turned away from the village and continued to skirt the edge of the mountain.
Maya fought for patience. She had been waiting days to see him again. A few more minutes wouldn’t kill her.
She felt eyes on her.
Lifted her head.
Her heart soared.
Ahead of her on the path, a lean figure clad in a red jacket and black trousers was striding towards them, his footing sure on the slippery trail.
August.
His wild hair matched the colour of his jacket, tousled by the wind as he hurried towards her, his handsome face shifting from a pensive look to one of sheer relief edged with a note of desperation as he spotted her. His pace quickened, until he was jogging.
His silver eyes were dazzling in the sunlight, liquid precious metal with a corona of gold in their centres around his dilated pupils.
She was sure her own amber eyes were equally as bright, a blue shimmer around her pupils that gave away her excitement and her heritage.
She was past Byron and their guide in a heartbeat, running to meet August.
He swept her up into his arms the moment she was within reach and spun with her, holding her high above him. She planted her hands on his strong shoulders and smiled down at him. He slowly lowered her, his smile fading as his gaze dropped to her lips, and her heart kicked in her chest, anticipation fluttering in her belly.
She let her hands slip from his shoulders and tangled one in his short red hair, ripping a low growl of pleasure from him.
“Gods, I missed you,” he rasped so earnestly that her heart warmed and melted a little.
Before she could tell him that she had missed him too, his lips were on hers, searing her with their heat, chasing away the cold that had seeped into her bones despite the thick layers of clothing she wore.
His grip on her tightened, his left arm banding around her waist, hand clutching her ribs, and his right hand holding her backside.
She lost herself in his kiss, in his taste, her heart singing and soaring.
Someone cleared their throat.
They broke apart.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t her brother.
The guide rolled his pale golden eyes. “You were meant to stay at the village.”
August glared at him. “I am at the village.”
The male huffed, pulled his scarf down and shoved the hood of his green jacket back, revealing long silver-gold hair tied in a ponytail.
“This is not the village.” The male pointed towards the plateau. “That is the village.”
“It’s the path to the village,” August countered, and Maya had the feeling their guide was more than just a regular member of the pride.
He ran his hand over his hair in a way that screamed of frustration. “I said I would make sure she reached you safely… to trust me with her… and you said you would.”
“I did… I do… but she’s here now.” August grinned up at her. “Come on, Dalton… don’t ruin the moment. Be mad at me later.”
Dalton huffed again. “I’ll be mad at you now. What were you thinking running down the path like that anyway? One slip and you end up down there.”
When Dalton pointed, Maya looked down, and her stomach turned at the drop to the valley and the wide crevasses that ran across it like scars, dark blue in their depths.
“I have good footing,” August said, and she realised he was talking to her when he gently lowered her to the trail. “I wouldn’t have dropped you. Dalton is just trying to frighten you.”
She got the impression Dalton was trying to scare some sense into August, not frighten her.
Byron growled. August narrowed his eyes on her brother.
Gods, she wasn’t sure she was ready for this.
Talon had called to tell her that he had spoken with August and clued him into the fact he needed to win Byron’s approval or her brother was unlikely to leave without her. She just hoped that August could hold back the anger she knew he felt on her behalf.
He blamed Byron for what had happened to her.
She blamed her brother too, but she knew when to forgive and forget, and this was one of those times. She wanted to be with August, without the constant threat of interference from Byron, free to live her life how she wanted, and to achieve that she was willing to let go of the past and focus on her future.
August needed to do the same if he wanted to be with her.
She turned her back to August, coming to face Byron. “So… this is August. August, this is my brother, Byron.”
August extended his hand over her right shoulder. Byron looked as if he wasn’t going to take it and then reached past Dalton to shake it.
She squeaked when August wrapped his arm around her waist and squeezed her, bringing her back into contact with his front. Gods, he was so warm. She wanted to snuggle into him and hibernate.
Among other things.
“Come… let’s get you both warmed up.” He took her hand and led the way along the trail.
Dalton muttered things behind her about how a pride’s alpha was meant to be safe at all times, and how reckless August could be. He didn’t sound angry though. He sounded as if he had expected August to meet them here, had known his alpha wouldn’t be able to wait for them to reach the village, and was thankful August had been able to hold on this long before coming to her.
She was glad that he had too.
She didn’t like the thought of him climbing down the cliff face.
Being hauled up it had been frightening enough.
“It was nice of you to agree to come here to meet me,” August said over his shoulder, and glanced back at her brother. There was a shimmer to his silver eyes that made him look mischievous. As he turned away, he spoke in a low voice. “The cold might slow you down enough to stop you thinking about trying to kill me.”
She smiled at that.
She could feel the trickle of dread that ran through his feelings as he clutched her hand and led the way towards the village. She squeezed his hand, silently letting him know that she wouldn’t let Byron kill him.
He was wrong about her brother anyway.
Byron had been upset by what had happened, but he had taken making reparations with the Altay pride and the ruling council of their kind in his stride, had been willing to do whatever it took to smooth things over.
Thankfully, the council had been on her brother’s side when they had heard her account of what had happened and the accounts of the females Talon and Grey had freed from Pyotr’s cages.
Her pride’s reputation had remained intact, and the Altay pride had been handed over to another pride in the area, one who would make sure the surviving males were reformed and the females were taken care of in the future, given the rights they deserved.
Byron hadn’t come all this way to kill August.
He had come here to thank him.
Although she did suspect that there might be some growling involved and a few death stares, and the odd threat about what would happen to August if he didn’t take care of her.
She stared up at the back of August’s head, letting the fact she was finally with him again soak in.
It felt as if the journey here had been long, difficult, and it had challenged her, pushed her to her limits, but it had been worth it.
She had been tested, they both had, but now they were finally together.
Nothing would keep them apart.
His head turned slightly and he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, his lips curved into a soft smile, as if he knew her thoughts and he liked them.
“Not far now,” he said as they left the trail and hit a wide expanse of snow.
Footsteps littered it, and there were places where it had been tamped down, marked with long scrapes.
Someone had been playing there recently, making snowballs.
One whizzed past her head.
She barely dodged it.
August growled, stopping dead and pivoting on his heel to face whoever had thrown it.
A young girl in a pink jacket and purple trousers stood frozen a few metres away, wide silver eyes full of fear. The boy she had been playing with crouched closer to Maya, his back to August, little shoulders rigid beneath his jacket.
Maya released August’s hand and stooped, and felt his eyes on her as he turned her way. She gathered a handful of snow, formed it into a small loose ball, and tossed it gently towards the little girl.
It tapped her on the leg and broke apart, showering snow onto her black boots.
The girl looked down, frowned and then looked up at her. “You make bad snowballs.”
Maya smiled, hoping to hide that it had been the point. She was hardly going to make a solid snowball and hit a child with it.
August maybe, but not a child.
“You’ll have to show me how it’s done,” she said, and the girl beamed at her, her fear forgotten. “We’ll make a play date… if you’d like that?”
The girl nodded.
The boy shot to his feet so fast he slipped, and August had to snatch his wrist to keep him from falling on his backside.
“Me too,” the boy said as he stood with his arm hanging from August’s hand, holding him upright.
She nodded. “Of course.”
The boy and the girl glanced at August.
He released the boy.
“If… it’s okay… with…” the boy stammered, his pale gold eyes locked on August.
Maya stooped while August was distracted, scooped up a handful of snow and rose back on her feet.
August cocked a red eyebrow at the boy. “She’s free to do as she pleases.”
That was good to hear.
Because right now she wanted to do this.
She tiptoed, caught the hood of his red jacket and shoved the snow down his back.
August roared and twisted, tugging at his jacket as he spun in a circle, a pained look on his face. The boy and girl laughed hard, and she giggled along with them as he fought to get the snow out.
A few of the people passing by stopped to stare, some of their lips twitching as they struggled not to laugh at their alpha too. Two of the females cast her smiles that warmed her, eased her nerves and made her feel welcome.
“Godsdammit.” August shuddered and pulled at the bottom of his jacket, and snow tumbled out of it.
He stilled, his eyes locking on her.
A shiver ran down her spine.
Her instincts screamed to run.
“You,” he said in a low voice.
Maya shrieked and ran.
She made it two steps before August had tackled her, taking her down into the snow. She fought him, laughing the whole time as he struggled to pin her down. He grinned when he finally caught her shoulder, and she shook her head, her eyes wide as he gathered a handful of snow.
“You wouldn’t.”
His smile said that he would.
“I’m a guest—”
Her words cut off in another shriek as he quickly tugged on the front of her jacket and stuffed the snow down it. It was a smaller amount than she had thrown down his, and he had only shoved it between her jacket and jumper, but it was freezing, sending a blast of cold over her chest. She shivered, teeth chattering as she pushed him off her and rolled to her knees, and opened her coat. The snow dropped out, leaving her dark orange jumper covered in white flakes.
“Oh, this is war,” she said.
August was on his feet before she could grab him, his kissable lips curved in a broad grin that made her heart thump harder. Gods, he was gorgeous.
Hers.
Dalton cleared his throat.
August froze and looked at him.
Maya beaned him in the side of his head with a snowball.
It rolled off his face, down his chest, and hit the snow with a thump.
He sighed and shook his head. “I’ll get you back for that later.”
He held his hand out to her.
Maya placed hers into it.
And pulled him down into the snow with her.
He landed on top of her and stared down into her eyes, his silver ones bright with excitement, with happiness.
He dropped his head to kiss her.
Dalton cleared his throat again, a little harder this time. Byron huffed.
August groaned, rolled off her and helped her onto her feet, muttering under his breath, “Spoilsports.”
She was right there with him, but she supposed Byron had come all this way to meet with him as two alphas, and August was so swept up in her that he was probably making a bad impression.
Although, the warmth in Byron’s amber eyes said that wasn’t the case at all.
He looked happy.
For her.
“I didn’t climb up a mountain to watch you two frolicking in the snow,” Byron growled with no trace of real anger in his tone and followed Dalton as the male led him deeper into the village.
He liked seeing it though. He liked seeing her happy.
“Is your brother always this gloomy?” August said as they trailed behind them.
Maya thought about that as she glanced around the village, meeting the eyes of some of the pride and smiling at them. “Always. He used to smile… before our parents died and he became alpha.”
August nodded. “He sounds like Cavanaugh. He was alpha before me, but he didn’t want it. He wanted the freedom to choose his mate, to be with his fated one, but tradition expected him to mate with a highborn female.”
She stilled, heart thumping hard against her chest and all the warmth rushing out of her.
August stopped and looked back at her. He shook his head, stepped towards her and caught her cheek, tipping her head up so her eyes met his.
“Fuck tradition.” He lowered his head and kissed her, sweeping away her fears, the thought that he might not want her as his mate after all and might choose one from among his pride, forcing her to see him with another. He broke away from her lips, pressed his forehead against hers, and sighed. “You’re the only one I want, Maya. If it meant giving up the pride as Cavanaugh did, I would do that so I could be with you.”
She pressed her brow harder against his and nuzzled him, his words warming her heart and chasing the chill from it.
She felt the same way.
If she had to give up everything, she would do it without hesitation.
She would do anything to be with August.
Not because he was her fated one.
Because she was in love with him.