She hadn’t even realized she’d wanted the chance at love until it was there in front of her, within her grasp, and yet so very far away. She could see the desperation in Skender. He wanted her, that was obvious. The wolf looked at her like a man dying of thirst, staring at the last drop of water on earth. He wanted her, but he would never let himself have her, not even if she said she could forgive him. He wouldn’t accept her, even if she never asked what he did. Even if she said she wanted a clean slate, he would say no. Of that, she had no doubt. Did that mean there was hope for him?
“Stop it,” she snapped at herself, careful to whisper so the cameras wouldn’t hear or she wouldn’t wake up Torion and worry him. She was a mess. There was no point in walking down a path that would never be. The only thing she would have with Skender was his devotion to keep her and Torion safe, and that would have to be enough. Even now, she could feel his wolf reaching for her, as if he couldn’t help himself. She knew it was the wolf and not the man because the wolf’s feelings were straightforward. There was no confusion or doubt. There was simply resolution. This was his true mate and a child he’d claimed. The wolf would destroy the world in order to protect them. It was that simple. A mate was supposed to fight for their bond. A true mate was supposed to want his mate so badly he’d kill anything that kept him from her.
“Not when his own sins have the potential to destroy her,”the wolf said through their bond.“I will protect you even from him. Even if he wasn’t willing to give you up when the time comes, I would never allow him to touch you. A true mate is precious above all else. Neither of us deserves your light. Darkness isn’t only the absence of light, precious one. It can be the complete rot of the soul, where light can no longer live. I would ask that you only hold the bond long enough for us to keep you safe. Then ask the Great Luna to destroy it.
“Live the life you deserve and find the love of a male who can give you all of which you are worthy. That is what a true mate does. He puts the needs of his mate before his own, no matter the cost to himself.”
Tenia felt the cry of her soul at the thought of destroying the bond. It raged at the idea. How could she ask for a part of herself to be destroyed?
“If your son’s hand was rotten and could cause the rest of him to get sick, would you not cut it off?”the wolf asked.
“Yes,”she said immediately.“If it would save him, yes, I would.”
“Then you must do this so you can save yourself.”
Tenia hadn’t thought it possible to feel any more fear and desperation than she’d felt when Alston had taken her son and gained control of her power. She’d never thought it could get worse. She’d been wrong.
“I don’t want to know what he did,”she told the wolf.“Please, as your mate, I’m asking you to protect me from that knowledge.”
“I will do this for you,”the wolf told her gently. She could feel his own grief, his pain at not having his mate.
Tenia had no idea how the wolf would keep the knowledge from her, but she hoped he could keep his promise. Maybe it made her a coward, or maybe it made her naïve. She didn’t care. Right now, with everything else she was facing, she couldn’t handle knowing what her mate had done. She’d felt through their bond Skender was willing to die to pay for his sins. As soon as she and Torion were safe, he was going to take his own life, though it wasn’t clear how he would make that happen.
Tenia had felt the connection of the true mate bond. Now, she understood what it meant to never be alone. Knowing that, the thought of being on this earth without Skender was a type of anguish she hadn’t known was possible.
Her mind was a mess of thoughts, and her gut twisted with sorrow. She wanted to sleep. Alston had been happy with the information she and Myanin had given him, so he’d said she could have more time with her son. The underlying threat was clear. Keep feeding me information, or your son gets taken away. Tenia put the thought out of her mind. She was just thankful to be with him. Now, she wanted to forget everything going on around her.
Tenia picked herself up and walked over to the bed. She crawled on as carefully as she could and wrapped her arms around her son—her life, the only person she’d thought she’d ever love and breathed in his precious scent. She forced herself to relax and swallowed down the tears that wanted to continue to fall. For Torion, she would hold herself together. For Torion, she would forget the possibility of something more with Skender. If Skender felt the need to protect her from himself, then she would give him that trust, and she would accept the protection he could offer. Then she’d do what his wolf asked. She would break the bond. The fae would move on with her life. Tenia would forget him, forget that she’d ever had a true mate. It was the only thanks she could give him for what he was doing. It was all she could give of herself to him.
“Sleep, mate,”the wolf said gently.“We will keep you safe.”
Tenia closed her eyes and asked the Great Luna to give her peace, if only for this night. Somehow, she’d been given the gift of a night with her son, and she just wanted to hold him.
“You have my peace, Tenia. You have asked and so you shall receive.”The goddess’s voice was the last thing she heard before she drifted off into a dreamless slumber.
Skender felt his mate fall asleep, and he let out a relieved breath. He didn’t want to be the reason she didn’t get the rest she so desperately needed. He leaned against the door of her room; it was the closest he would come to her. It was more than he should get, but he thanked the goddess for it regardless of the torture it caused. His time with her was limited. His days on this earth were numbered. Every day that passed, his death drew closer, and part of him welcomed it. Perhaps death was a peace he didn’t deserve either, though he doubted the afterlife he would receive would be with the Great Luna. He imagined there was a special place in hell for traitors such as him.
“We will accept our fate with humility, if for no other reason than it is whatshedeserves,”his wolf growled.
“Yes.”At this point, he’d given the wolf complete control. The beast would accept nothing else.
“She wants to know nothing of what you have done, and you will give her this peace. Even if you need to request a fae lock the memories away from her somehow so they can’t get through the bond. We will honor her request.”
His wolf’s words surprised him. Skender had assumed Tenia would want to know. But he’d give her whatever she wanted, regardless. If that was what Tenia desired, then she would have it. She would have whatever he could give her from now until his life was gone, and their bond was broken.
Epilogue
“There is something amazing about new life. It’s not just the joy of seeing a baby brought into the world; it’s the hope of what that baby represents, all the potential possibilities. It’s the innocence wrapped up in the precious bundle. So much potential, expectations, and joy.” ~Jacque
“Da-mut.” Ten-month-old Slate Lupei babbled the word over and over as Jacque glared down at a grinning Thia.
“Jennifer.” Jacque growled. “I am sorry to have to tell you this, but you’re going to die before you get to see the culmination of this joyous celebration you’re planning. I hope it has been enough to simply decorate and sing fa la la la’s for hours on end.”
“You’re making a big deal out of nothing, Red.” Jen sighed as she wrapped another string of lights around their fifteen-foot tree. Jacque hadn’t been counting, but she was pretty sure it was the twenty-fifth strand.
“His first word was supposed to be Da-da, or Ma-ma, or anything other than a curse word,” Jacque snapped.
“Da-mut, isnota curse word. Believe me. I should know. He’s obviously sayingthemutt. As in one of our smelly, flea-infested mates. He’s probably heard one of us say it and decided that must be what he’s supposed to say.”
