She huffed. “You’ve never wondered why we speak the common tongue used in Anorra?”
“But why did I know nothing about this? And why do you know it?”
“Our history and secrets are heavily guarded.” Freya lifted her chin. “Known only by the leaders of the krampuses and the spiritual guides. There is no need for anyone else to know.”
Then she stared at him, eyes narrowed as if studying him. She exhaled. “To complete the bond with a non-krampus, you must reverse what you initially did. You must pull the life essence that you poured into him into yourself. Not all of it. Just part of it. That will seal the mate bond. Use your instincts. They will guide you.”
“Why are you telling me this?” She’d been so enraged and disgusted with him moments ago. And she’d just made this red ball that would break the partial mate bond. Now she was telling him how he could properly mate Jasper?
“Because you are in love with him!” she said, voice strained. “And you have never been happy amongst us. Never.”
She shook her head. “I will not be the cause of you suffering for the rest of your life. But if you mate him, you cannot remain in the forest. You must leave and not return. Grandmother will not tolerate you mated to a human. Not her grandson.”
The back of his neck prickled.
“She’d leave your human unbothered. He is not worth her concern. But she’d probably capture you and forcibly break the bond.”
Kraghol frowned. A completed mate bond could not be broken. Everyone knew that. “But?—”
“There are ways to break a mate bond,” she said, pre-empting his question. “Then she will send you away. By force if necessary. So if you mate that human, you must leave and not return.” She paused. “You could not see me or any of the family again.”
He stared at the ball in his hand. It was a lot to process. He wanted a future with Jasper. He wanted it with every scrap of his being. But how could they have one? Where would they make a life together?
“I have to go speak to Jasper,” he said.
His sister nodded as if expecting that. Then, after a second, she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tight. Kraghol didn’t respond for a moment, too shocked to move. They’d never hugged before.
But over the years, his sister had always shown her love for Kraghol by watching out for him and by trying to mould him into a krampus that he could not be. Even whilst disappointed in him, she’d never given up on him.
And now she had told him how to complete the mate bond with Jasper, even when she despised the idea.
He wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you. Thank you, Freya.”
She abruptly pulled away. “If you decide to mate him, I will not tell Grandmother. I think it best you just disappear. Hopefully, she will assume you’re dead.” Then she strode away, not looking back.
He watched her go, uncertain if this would be the last time he ever saw his sister. Then he turned and followed Jasper’s footsteps through the snow. He broke into a run, needing to reach Jasper before he left the forest.
Chapter
Thirty-Nine
Jasper sat on a tree-stump. He leaned forward, placing his throbbing head in his hands. He struggled to draw breath into his lungs. His limbs ached. Everything ached.
What is happening to me?
He’d been unable to continue any further. So he’d stopped and sat, waiting for his body to recover enough so he could leave the forest and go home. There he planned to break down completely.
He’d never hurt like this before. He’d never felt like his entire body had rebelled against him. And he had to deal not only with the physical pain but with the knowledge that Kraghol had decided to break the bond with him and move on.
Kali placed her paws on his legs. She rubbed her nose against his knees. Then she bounded up onto his lap. Jasper wrapped his arms around her warm, lean body. He buried his face in her soft fur.
“Why won’t he even try to find a way for us to be together?” Because it would be one thing if Kraghol just wanted to break the bond so Jasper would heal. But it was not just that. Kraghol still saw no way for them to be together.
Kali whined.
“At least I still have you,” he whispered.
Kali licked his cheeks. Jasper curled himself around her, as if he could block out the world and the hurt.
