“You will need to detangle the threads in order to tug on the right ones,” the headmaster murmurs, nodding slightly. “In time, you’ll find that your bonds are woven like intricate tapestries. Only for now, while you are learning, is the distinction necessary.”
I pretend to understand what he means and nod along. “Detangle the threads. Tug on the right ones. Got it.”
His smile turns into a smirk. “In the meantime, you will be enrolled in remedial classes with the other students whofailed tonight’s Mating Games. I believe your wild mate and the Navarro boy will be participating, though I haven’t followed the score board in the past few hours, admittedly.”
“Revyn and Callum failed?”
“Intentionally, I believe.” He chuckles again. “They’re quite fond of you.”
Warmth radiates inside my chest, and I have to fight a smile. Those fucking idiots. “What about Alistair?” I ask, biting my lip. “Did he fail for leaving early?”
“The opposite. He is our top scorer for the evening.”
My eyes widen. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He was with me for hours. There’s no way he scored the top spot with half the time. The firepopsloudly behind us, and I jump, turning to find that the headmaster and I are alone.
“He was quite motivated,” Loreander murmurs cryptically. “Alpha Dire held the record for decades, but now Alistair’s surpassed even that. I believe his final score was one hundred and two points, which is five above his father’s.”
And I scored, what, fifteen? Twenty?
“Do not fret. There is plenty of time to catch up to your mate.”
“He’s not my—” Sighing, I rub my tired eyes. “Never mind.”
Loreander hums gently and plays with the fire in the basin, drawing his fingers through the closest of its flames. “Mates are funny things, Sienna.” A wistful smile curves on his lips. “They arrive when you least expect it and prove themselves when you need them most.” He studies me from the corner of his eye. “The question becomes whether or not you accept their help and strengthen your bond...or if you reject it.” Closing his fist, he extinguishes the closest flames until only the barest whisper of warmth and light curls in his palm. “Only you can decide your fate, Sienna. Despite legend, it is not all up to the stars...or thegods.” Lifting my hand, he places the violet flame in my open palm. It tickles my skin and waves as though alive.
“It can’t all be up to me,” I murmur, suddenly feeling as small and fragile as the flame in my hand. “I don’t even know what I am.”
“You don’t have to know what you are, Sienna.” Headmaster Loreander’s eyes glow with an ethereal beauty, their depths smoldering like embers. “So long as you know who you want to be.”
Chapter 25
Alistair
The momentmy father and I are out of earshot of the other council members, he grabs my arm and drags me down the staircase to the next lowest floor. His anger radiates in waves, each one coming on stronger than the next, until we reach an empty classroom and he unleashes his fury. The door slams shut, and he rises to his full height as he turns toward me.
I back into a desk, making it far too easy for him to trap me.
It’s like I’m six years old again, as afraid of his power as I am in awe of it.
“You!” my father hisses, baring down on me. “You knew what she was, didn’t you?”
I’m speechless for the half second it takes my brain to catch up to my pounding heart. “She is my true mate,” I answer honestly. “Of course I found out that she’s a hybrid.” The alleged dangers of hybridity aside, I came to terms with her shifter form as easily as I breathe air. She can’t change what she is any more than I can change my feelings for her, as unforgiving as they both are.
I only wish I knew if my attraction goes beyond our bond as fated mates or if I’m only so keen to be a part of her life because of an ancient tradition I have no power to control.
“I will not have you mating with a half-breed!”
“She is half wolf!”
“And a complete abomination!” My father’s eyes flash as his wolf threatens to rise. “There is a reason why hybrids are outlawed. Any children they have do not possess the full qualities of their dominant shifter form, if they are even capable of shifting at all. Let me guess: does it take her longer to shift than normal? What is her default animal form like? Smaller than a wolf? Does she even have fangs?” His lip curls, revealing his own set of razor-sharp teeth. “Without knowing her lineage, we can only guess what she’s mixed with. A human or witch parent will only shorten her lifespan and dilute her natural wolf instincts. Another breed of shifter, regardless of the type, means that she will be the weakest member of any wolf pack she joins and put them all at risk. There is no home for her, Alistair, not in the wilds, not in this pack, and least of all not with you.”
I have a hard time reconciling what he’s saying with what I’ve experienced since meeting Sienna. I’ve seen her in combat; she moves fluidly across the battlefield, and her smaller stature assures that she’s agile and quick. She may not be able to compete with a full-blooded wolf shifter’s strength, but you don’t always need strength to dominate an opponent. Besides, wolves hunt in packs. She would never be alone once she joins one.
My frustration grows with my father’s refusal to consider the alternatives to Sienna’s hybridity. There could be benefits that outweigh the alleged downfalls.
“The gods would not pair me with someone unworthy.” Warmth fills my chest and a certainty snares my spine, making me stand taller than ever before. “Ever since I was a child, you’ve preached the sanctity of a fated bond. You can’t tell me that she is unworthy simply because she is different.”
“She isdangerous.” Grabbing my jaw, my father digs his fingertips into my heated flesh, the burn Sienna gave me lastnight still struggling to heal. “Must you burn alive before you believe it?”
