Alpha Queen (Claimed by Wolves #4) - Callie Rose Page 0,60

day, she’s got a tenuous place set up for us in the astral realm, but she looks dead where she sits, so I cut her off for the day. We start early the next morning on trying to use the mate bond as an astral link. We try meditating together. We try chanting to get on the same wavelength. We try lying on the blanket and dozing, only for us both to fall completely asleep from the exhaustion of the past several weeks.

And we fail. A lot.

On the third day, after yet another failed attempt at drawing me into the connection, Sable throws herself backward on the blanket, arms spread wide and face pointed at the sky. “Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit. This is impossible.”

I slide across the space between us to lie beside her, and then tug her into my arms. She remains stubbornly on her back, but her side melts against me and she wraps an arm around mine.

“It’s not impossible,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “You’ve already done it.”

“Maybe I didn’t, actually.” She lets out an exasperated noise, blinking rapidly as if dispelling tears. The sun reflects on her big blue eyes, making them look lighter than usual. “Maybe it was just a dream.”

“It wasn’t. I know you can do this because you’ve done it before,” I tell her simply. “So I know you can do it again.”

She turns her head to look at me. A lock of golden hair curls down her face, and I slide it away with the tips of my fingers.

“You can do this,” I repeat, hoping if I say the words enough, she’ll believe them. “I’ve never had any doubts. So now, all you can do is believe in yourself.”

I kiss her, losing myself in the taste of her for several long minutes. She turns into me, hooking a leg over my hips, her fingers sliding in my hair, and suddenly, meditation and astral travel just don’t feel that exciting anymore. Nothing is more tempting than the feel of this woman against my body.

But before it can get too hot and heavy, I break away, breathing hard. We’re lying on our sides, arms wrapped around each other, lips still agonizingly close. I press my forehead against hers and close my eyes. “Try again.”

Neither of us really wants to stop what we were just doing. I can feel her reluctance through the bond, but she follows my urging. Her eyes close as her breathing evens out. She clutches my shirt in one hand, the other still tangled in my hair. Magic turns her scars black as she slips into the astral realm.

And a few seconds later, I feel a tug.

It’s so light that I almost think I’ve imagined it. But then it happens again. It’s as if someone’s inside my subconscious, pulling me off my feet, out of my body, but there isn’t enough strength behind the movement to get me going. My head swims, and I cling to Sable’s arms tighter.

“Is that you?” I ask roughly.

“I… think so?” she replies, her voice sounding dazed and distant. “I can feel you, but something’s keeping me from pulling you in.”

I close my eyes and focus on the phantom sensation of her consciousness in mine. I give myself over to the feeling and let her wrap around me. It’s easy to give in to it. It’s all I ever want—to be as close to my mate as possible.

“Pull again,” I tell her, hanging on tightly to her essence.

Suddenly, the world around me dips and sways. I’m no longer aware of my body or of Sable’s warmth pressed against me. There’s only darkness and the distinct sensation that I’m flying with a cold wind rushing past my ears.

Then I land on my feet in a familiar place.

The mating cabin.

When our wolves each declared Sable their mate at a North Pack meeting, the Elders suggested we all travel to the remote cabin used for mating rituals and give her wolf time to choose between us. Those early days feel like a dream now. So much has happened since then. The five of us have lived entire lifetimes together in only a matter of a few months.

And looking back now, I’m really glad her wolf decided to choose all of us instead. It wasn’t the life I thought I wanted, but it turned out to be exactly the life I need.

Sable’s sitting on the old, worn couch with her knees tucked beneath her. She stares at