"You, alpha. And you, omega," Terranus murmured.
The hair on my arms bristled. My bear rumbled inside me, disliking his tone.
"Not every pairing is fated. But you two are," Terranus said. "And together you create something extraordinary."
So it was true. Ashe and I were fated mates after all. But my flood of joy and relief had to wait. Now wasn't the time to gush about it.
"And as payment for letting you live that day, alpha," Terranus said, rising slowly, "you will give all that magic to me."
What magic was he talking about? Whatever it was, it didn't matter. I wasn't giving him anything.
"No."
"What was that?"
"I refuse."
Terranus roared so loud it felt like an earthquake shaking the tunnel. He reared, the spines on his back stabbing the ceiling and crushing it. Earth poured all around him, flooding down like water. I held Ashe tightly and braced myself against it.
Day was all around us now. Terranus had broken the top half of the tunnel, exposing it to the light.
But I had no time to appreciate the sun on my skin or the smell of fresh air. Because I saw Terranus clearly now for the first time. He took the form of a heavyset land-bound dragon. Without wings, he resembled an overgrown lizard more than anything else. His scales were the color of rock and the spines on his back looked like stalagmites.
And he was very, very angry.
With a mighty roar, Terranus charged.
My body acted on its own. I shifted into my bear form. Motion blurred in my peripheral vision. Ashe had shifted, too. He bounded off the crumbling heap of earth with his agile hooves.
I steeled myself against Terranus's incoming blow. But as big and strong as a grizzly bear was, it was smaller and weaker than a spirit. Terranus bowled me over like a lion knocking down a lamb. I grunted as my body spun and hit the ground.
"Bear!" Ashe cried.
"Give me your magic," Terranus snarled, "or I will take it by force!"
I pushed up on all four paws and shook myself off. Terranus wasn't making any sense. I didn't possess any magic. Why did he think I did? I was a normal shifter.
He struck the ground with his claws, sending another shockwave of earth towards me. I threw myself out of the way in time to avoid getting smacked by stalagmites.
"Bear!" Ashe bounded to my side, pressing against me. His flanks rose and fell with his rapid breathing. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, exhaling a hot burst of air. I signed as well as I could with my paws. "I don't know what he wants from us. I'm not magic."
Ashe levelled a glance at Terranus, who was staring us down.
"I think I might know what he's talking about," Ashe said.
"What?"
"I don't know for sure," Ashe added quickly. "But another spirit said something similar to me. About how we're extremely powerful. I think..." He looked into my eyes. "I think it has to do with us being fated mates, Bear. It ignites a kind of magic that spirits can use. Or in Terranus's case, steal."
I was so confused. Magic? Me? It was impossible. I was just a bear shifter who couldn't speak. There was nothing magical or special about me.
...No, that wasn't true. That summed me up, but it wasn'tallthat I was.
I was Ashe's fated mate, his alpha. And a father to our unborn baby. Maybe that was a kind of magic, too.
A growl rumbled in my throat as I glared at Terranus. Had he really only 'saved' my life to extort me later? Fuck that. He acted like he did me a favor but I didn't ask for it. Whatever he wanted from me, I wasn't going to give it to him.
