“He’s dead,” I admitted in a whisper, hardly able to believe that Drelic was really gone.
Zander’s shoulders sagged momentarily, and relief flooded his face. But realizing that he probably looked more pleased than he should upon hearing about my mate’s death, he forced his shoulders to scrunch up again pretending to be filledwith tense grief.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Lair.
“He saved me from the jagwa’s,” I added.
“He was a good male then. He died for a worthy cause.”
I was a worthy cause to die for? I wasn’t so sure about that. Drelic had glowed for me. He was biologically bound with a needto protect me. His actions made sense, but I doubted anyone else would feel the same.
“I’ll take you home,” Zander assured me. Then continued to hold me as he walked down the path.
“You don’t have to carry me. I know it’s a long journey back the the mountain.”
“We’re not going to the mountain. Dameron was slain and his hunters were kicked out of the village,” Zander informed me.
Hope swelled in my heart. Dameron was dead.
“That doesn’t explain why we aren’t going back home,” I pointed out.
Zander looked down at me with a smile filled with pride. “Tarak has been named the new Savrix. We are one dekes. Everyone will enjoy the bounty and safety of the village now.”
“Everyone except the hunters I hope.” I didn’t want to live in the valley with the same males who had drug me out of my home.
“Everyone except the hunters,” Zander smiled. “Oh and Kahina. Holey was named the new priestess and Kahina was banished to the mountain.”
“It seems I missed quite a bit while I was gone.”
“A lot can happen in just one night,” Zander replied.
His words carried with them more meaning than he could have ever realized. I’d glowed for Drelic. I’d accepted him as my mate. If the jagwa had not killed him, I’d be walking to the village right now with Drelic by my side still wondering if I’d made a mistake.
I’s gotten exactly what I’d wished for, and I’d regretted it more than I thought possible. I’d never been more relieved to have my dreams dashed so thoroughly.
Chapter 3
Zander
She’ssafe, I reminded myself. I resisted the urge to press her even closer to my chest as proof. I thought I’d lost her. When I saw Fatima pinned down under that beast, I thought my life was over.
Acting on instinct, I shifted and pulled the jagwa off her as fast as I could. Then I broke its neck so it would never pose a threat to Fatima again.
Shetold me she glowed for Drelic, and it felt like my heart was breaking in ways I hadn’t experienced since my mother died.
I should not be happy to hear of her mate’s death, but by the goddess I am. That might make me a bad male, but I couldn’t find it in my heart to care. I lived and breathed for Fatima. As far as I knew, the sun rose and set simply because she willed it. My world had revolved around Fatima since the moment I laid eyes on her.
I knew it was a long shot. I could not lumines for anyone. My mate had died before we could even seal our bond. But I had hoped that there might be a small chance Fatima might see meas something other than a broken male who could not glow for her as I wished to.
I was not sad that Drelic had died, but I was sympathetic to the grief she would feel. I had felt the same lossmany years ago when Riella died. We had been so young when we glowed under the light of the full moon. She had been my friend. I’d never seen her as anything more, but when we lumincesed, I resolved to be the best mate for her that I could be.
Riella hadn’t seen me as a romanticpartner either. I could see the disappointment in her eyes that night. She turned her gaze to Henerix, the male she had fallen in love with. He looked devastated, and I questioned why luminescence could get it right for everyone else but so wrong for us.
While I packed my things to join Riella in her house for the night, she and Henerix ran into the forest together. I’m not sure if they had only planned to say goodbye, or if they were trying to run away from the village entirely. In the end, it didn’t matter. Neither of them were found until the next morning. Much like Drelic and Fatima, they’d run into a pack of jagwa’s. They didn’t survive
Fatima was safe. I reminded myself again. History had not repeated itself. I’d gotten there in time. I’d heard her cry and saved her from the jagwa.
