My gaze slides towards my cabin, a tug in my stomach urging me in that direction.
Fuck.
“How?” I breathe, my shoulders decompressing; I’m finally accepting what she’s saying. The pull is too strong to deny and has been since the second we met. “She’s a different species. Why would nature pick a non-shifter for an Alpha’s mate?”
“I wish I knew.” She pushes a few curls away from her face, pulled there by the breeze. “But Ryder, that’s all this is—an unknown force choosing her for you. You don’thaveto accept it. From what your father explained, a force pushed him towards your mother, but nothing was settled until they formally mated. In theory, she’ll be free to go, no matter what happens this week.”
My wolf growls at the thought of her leaving, but it’s relieving. There’s no way we’ll be bonding. She’s a witch, she’s a stranger, but more importantly: she’s the agreement to get Dadhealthy again. There will be no sex, no biting, nothing that’ll solidify the connection.
“Does she know what’s happening?” Last thing I need is Carina’s twisting this in her favour.
“Assuming she isn’t feeling what you are, which I don’t believe she would, then no, not unless you tell her. I also think you need to be very careful in considering your next steps.”
“There are no next steps,” I snap, turning until my back faces the camp. “She’ll go to that coven, and Dad will get better. She and I should never have even crossed paths. Thanks, Marissa.” I back away from the elder, needing away from this conversation before she somehow twists me into actually accepting this traitorous bond. “Get some rest. You’ve done a lot today. That’s an order.”
She stops me from leaving with a hand to my lower arm. “Tell your father about her when you can. He’ll have more information. And…be careful. If you’re feeling this already, I fear for the next few days.”
“It’ll be fine.” Except, I’m not sure it will be. “She’ll never know what’s happening and will be gone soon. Life will move on.”
With a resigned look I can’t quite read, Marissa leaves me standing by the edge of a camp where my fated mate who’s also my captive witch waits.
And inside, a wolf is hungry to claim her.
Second Intermission
FREYA
Well, isn’t that fucking hilarious.
Question: is Alec kidnapping Harlow to sell her vampirism cure blood to others in revenge but later learning she’s his Bride less or funnier than a wolf who’s only trying to save his father, but learns it’s hisnîkâkîstiswho he needs to hand over to enemy witches?
Ryder’s situation is a bit sadder, since his father’s life is on the line.
As for why the fated mate bond is a family trait—while I don’t know the precise answer, my theory is fate. She’s a bitch and central to everything, if you haven’t already noticed.
Carina and Ryder were written into the stars long ago. To get to this point, most of his family has been lucky enough to experience such a bond, getting his bloodline into the present to meet her.
I live for this kind of drama.
But also, fuck the wolves and fuck their life in the woods. I much prefer the bloodsucker’s castle. At least it was warm.
I’msonot made for this outdoors camping shit.
I’m skipping popcorn this round. Hot chocolate to counter the chilly outdoors perhaps?
Eight
CARINA
Ryder is gonefor a while and given how late it is and how oddly comfortable the chair is, my eyelids grow heavy. Sleep will be nothing like it is at home. Positioned upright with my arm above head sounds like a fate worse than death.
Hopefully he’ll pity me.
Pulling my legs onto the chair, I position myself as best I can for warmth. My eyes shut but I refuse to sleep. Instead, my mind drifts back to this morning; to how my sneaky trips down the mountain ended withthis. It can’t be a coincidence the same day he saw me is the day he made me the annual request.
There are too many unknowns.
Why would he waste the pack’s annual boon onme?
