My pulse thudded in a rapid rhythm against my skull, and even though I had suspected it, hearing that I was right was like a gut punch.
Alice unwrapped herself from around me and cupped my face. “Your mother and father would’ve been so proud of what you’ve become. You’re the best herbalist I’ve ever had the chance to work with... better than me... but you getting marked by Fate Hollow Academy is a blessing. You will blossom outside of this village.”
Alice wasn’t just my mother’s best friend, but she was mated to my mother’s brother. Uncle Greg had been killed by defying Alpha Haven the day after my parents were killed, and that was all she’d told me. I wasn’t sure what he did, but knowing the alpha of this pack, it probably wasn’t justified.
Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision, as I nodded. “But what about the instinctive hierarchy? I’ve only ever been in Briesia, around other shifters.”
“Hierarchy is for the average, Wren.” She wiped her tears and smiled softly. “You’re not average. You’re much stronger than you think. You may have been sheltered, but you have a fire in you that burns bright. It’s time you let it out.”
Gathering my belongings didn’t take long. I only had three outfits, and they were scraps at best. I owned one pair of shoes, one scarf, and a book my mother had passed down to me about fairytales and mates. Alice rushed to gather the jars of medicinal creams and serums I had made the night before, claiming the pack didn’t deserve my work any longer.
I shoved everything I owned in the bag Thorn had given me, more thankful than ever for the enchantment.
After one last tearful goodbye with Alice, I left the village grounds without running into anyone.
I forced my legs to carry me forward until I came across the juniper tree. The frigid evening air skimmed across my exposed skin from not changing out of my pajamas. The thick trunk curved, letting the snow-covered branches hang over toward the ground, and I collapsed underneath it.
My butt sank deep in the thick pillowy snow, and the cold enveloped me in a familiar warmth as I laid back, snuggling into it. My emotions had elevated my body temperature, and the snow against my skin was absolute heaven.
“Wake up, Kit.” A warm hand covered my thigh where the mark was etched into my skin, and I jolted upright.
Snow dusted my skin, and my body temperature had dropped to a dangerously low level, even for me. Blinking a few times, my night vision adjusted to the darkness of the forest. “Thorn?”
“What the mirabilisare you doing out here like this?” He snapped his fingers, and a fae light floated above us, bathing us in a light blue glow. “You’re dressed in barely anything.”
I nibbled on my bottom lip as I stared up at him. I knew I could count on him.
He’d tied his hair back into a long ponytail. His facial structure was sharp, and he had an ethereal beauty about him I’d always admired.
If only he was my mate.
My gaze dropped to my mark that his large hand still covered. At least I didn’t have to part from him anymore.
“I’m not trying to invade your thoughts, but they’re screaming at me right now.” His gaze searched mine. “What happened?”
My teeth chattered as I tried to open my mouth to speak, and he muttered a string of curse words, or in his case, certain flower names the fae said in place of curse words.
He scooped me up in his arms and sat down against the tree with me in his lap and his arms around me. His warmth seeped into me, warming my blood, and his touch against my skin set my skin ablaze with something more than heat.
“Marked. I was marked by Fate Hollow,” I croaked the words out, relaxing the best I could with the stiffness of my muscles in his hold.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d been in the snow.
“I know. I saw the mark when I found you, but right now, I’m more concerned about the state you’re in.” He clutched my body to his chest. “What were you thinking of coming out here and falling asleep so close to nightfall? You know it goes down far below freezing in these woods.”
“I met my mate... or one of them,” I blurted out, and the pain from the rejection still stung within my heart. “Or rather, the matebond snapped into place.”
He froze, tensing under me worse than he already was. “Who?”
“Grayson... the alpha’s son.”
There was a thick beat of silence between us, with nothing but the wind howling through the towering trees.
“And where is he? How could he let you come out here like this, knowing what could’ve happened to you?” Anger coated his words, and his body shook under me.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. “He doesn’t care. He rejected me, and I rejected him back. Thorn, the things he said, I—”
A menacing growl rippled through the calm night air, and Thorn’s fae light grew, illuminating the forest around us.
