Chained By The Ruthless Vampire Lord

vin opened his eyes to see her staring back at him. He realized only seconds had passed since she touched him. Everything was going as it went. But it felt like ages had passed s

into night. She might be amongst them, but it did not mean for a second of the day that she was one of them. Bian, the new sage, could force her to shimmy into a red dress and come here, Khloe thought, but she was not obligated to participate. It was not as though she could if she wanted. Like Cassie had said, she was, in their eyes, still the Cursed Wolf. That was all that she was to these people. Perhaps, it was all that she was ever going to be to them. The thought did not faze her the way it used to. But she was not going to sully herself further mingling with people who already thought she was unclean, unfit to be among them. The music quietened, slowing down until it died down completely, giving way to silence. First the flutes, then the harps and the banjo. The quietness that filled the hall was the sort of silence that paid attention, the kind that demanded a speech. This was because Tybald had risen to his feet. He, unlike Caleb and most of those sitting at the dais, had not had a drop of wine. Tybald's was solemn and severe disposition. He was what Khloe thought an Alpha should be. Taciturn, calculating, and shrewd. Khloe was not certain she had seen the Alpha grin, except through his son's face which was a replica of his, perhaps at a younger age, which was also always grinning. 'My son is a man today.' He said in the absolute silence. He glanced around the room at the somber, watchful faces, his hand on the buckle of the leather belt he wore around his waist. 'We the Westerners of the Blood Moon pack, we say that a wolf is strongest when it belongs to a pack. We are all one pack, one wolf.' The gathered crowd cheered in agreement, laughing and clapping and hooting. The cheering tapered off soon. Tybald waited patiently for the people. When they stopped, he continued. 'Today, Caleb choses a woman to be his mate, one of our very own, to begin his journ