“Okay,” I said, not knowing what else to say.
“That’s it?” Haden raised his brow at me.
“Yeah, just wondering what to expect when I meet my mate.”
Haden narrowed his eyes on me as he stepped forward. I stilled when he moved even closer to me. What the fuck was he staring at?
“You can tell us if you are not wondering about your mate. We won’t judge you. For fuck’s sake, Abram, look at what Della and I went through for each other.”
I wanted to tell them about Elowyn, which was a problem. I wanted to spill the words that she was my wife. It felt wrong that I wasn’t letting everyone know she was mine. Something possessive lived inside of me, and it wanted to claim Elowyn.
No.
“I’m not. I’ve got to go.”
I didn’t bother waiting for them to say anything. They’d see right through my lies if I stayed, and that was not happening. My star mist wrapped around me, and when it disappeared, I was standing in front of the fireplace in my home.
Elowyn was sleeping on the couch. I averted my eyes immediately so I wouldn’t be tempted to move closer to her. But I stepped forward anyway and stood over her. Her dark hair was messy, and her shirt was riding up her body. I felt my stomach tighten at the sight of the smooth skin of her soft hips. Quickly, I grabbed her blanket and moved it over her.
My hands hovered over her face, and before I could pull back, I slid my fingers over her cheek, moving her hair out of her face. Her skin was soft and warm. My eyes closed as I prayed to understand what was happening to me.
Show me her future, her fate, so I can move on from this.
And for the first time in my begging, the heavens granted me a vision of her fate. Behind my eyelids, a vision of her future flickered before me.
“I love you,” she whispered.
Gods, my chest ached at the way she was looking at whoever she said it to. But she didn’t look happy. Her eyes filled with tears, and she ripped her arm away from whoever held it.
Just as the vision was about to show me who she loved, it cut away.
I shook my head as I opened my eyes. Elowyn was still sleeping, and I yanked my fingers from her as if she had burned my skin. Why the hell were the heavens fucking with me by showing me that?
I looked at her and felt ill knowing that she was going to fall in love with someone. But I lied to myself and said it didn’t matter because I had a mate I’d be in love with soon. I moved past her and went to my bedroom.
I needed to avoid her before she ruined everything.
Chapter 6
Elowyn
The house was silent as I waited for Abram to come home, and when he did, I still didn’t know what place I was supposed to take in his life. He usually came home and checked in with me about my day, but then hurried to his bedroom. Maybe I was reading too much into it, but I didn’t like how quickly he disappeared.
I wanted to do something nice for him for going along with this marriage and letting me hide out there from my coven. My gaze moved around the space and smiled softly at all of his artwork.
I turned back toward the kitchen to the bags of food I went to the village to get. It shouldn’t have felt like a risk to cook in his kitchen, yet it did. He said this was a marriage in name only, so I didn’t want him to think I was trying to do anything romantic.
But he was looking for his mate, and I was cursed to not find mine.
What if I am his.
Would he be able to see our mating bond if I couldn’t? I tried not to be hopeful because if he wasn’t mine and I let myself fall, it would cost me. But my heart rate spiked when I thought of him being my mate. Is this what our life would be like—quiet and peaceful?
With a heavy sigh, I went to the kitchen and started cooking to distract myself. Self-doubt crept inside of my mind if I thought about it too much. But I was determined to find out if there was a reason he’d ended up here with me.
I’m nothing he wants.
He had said that more than once. I swallowed and kept stirring, refusing to let the thought settle too deep. Abram could have anyone. That didn’t mean I was nothing. But it still stung.
