Page 27 of Hidden Nature

“No, nin mel, that is all you. I haven’t let my magic out yet, since we need to know just what you are capable of.”

My eye popped open and I stared at him slack-jawed. “That can’t be right. How the hell is that even possible?”

“I wasn’t lying when I told you that you are powerful. This is the reason it is going to be impossible for you to hide your magic away. It is too much for one person to hold. As you live and learn these woods, they will help store the extra magic that oozes from you. This place will become a power source, and in return, the environment here will thrive unlike any other. It is the symbiotic relationship we have with nature.”

Flopping back into the grass, I looked up at the gray-blue sky with clouds blocking out the sun. Everything in my life right now seemed so overwhelming, and all I wanted was to go back to the days when I lived in ignorance. I knew there was no way to go back. It was inevitable that I would come into my magic and I should be grateful that I had Rath here to teach me these new skills. Otherwise, I could be so much worse, and who knew what the Organization would think or how they would try to use my powers.

“How do I control something like this? It feels so wild, as if it doesn’t really belong to me,” I shared.

A hand wrapped around mine, curling our fingers together. “Every person’s magic is different, but I have a feeling that your wolf has something to do with its wildness. Open yourself up to me. Let me feel what you are feeling so that I might understand better what you’re talking about.”

Frowning, I thought I’d already done that, seeing as we now had a much different connection than the previous day. Yet I trusted him, and this time, instead of focusing on my shield, I reached out to him through our bond. When I felt him, it was almost as if I took his hand and led him back, opening the door for him to enter. Rath gasped as I felt him encounter my magic for the first time.

“Finley…” Rath murmured in awe. “Never did I think I would see the day when our people might have a chance to restore themselves to this world, but you, my love, you give me hope.”

While Rath was speaking, I could feel his emotions, the truth of his words, even the hope he was feeling. It was as if I could feel it myself though I knew it was his. Now I understood why he’d been so bothered by the fact we didn’t have this connection right away. For him to know that a bond like this existed but not be given the chance to experience it, I would be upset too.

“Is this how it is for all mated elves?” I asked, turning my head to look up at him. “Will I get this same connection with the others even though they aren’t elves?”

Rath seemed to contemplate my question a moment before answering, “I would be remiss to think anything for you is impossible. They are your mates just as I am, and even though your wolf had picked some, your elvish nature did too.” Releasing my hand, he got up. “Wait here. I think it’s time we experiment while the woods draw out your excess magic.”

Curious, I watched as he headed back into the house, returning a few moments later with Lane and Elias in tow. What amazed me was that the twins didn’t follow them out since they were so nosy about everything.

“Please, would each of you take a seat on either side of her,” Rath instructed. Elias sat on my left while Lane, the other, looking as confused as I was about what was going on. “Perfect, now pick one or the other, Finley, and I want you to do the same thing you just did with me. One of these men was picked by your wolf, the other by your elven nature, but you are mated to both. This will tell us if they can all have the same bond that we do.”

I moved to sit up, but Rath stopped me. “No, you need to keep your body connected to the earth as much as possible. It will keep you from doing something else to them you might not intend to as you work through this experiment.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” I muttered, relaxing back into the grass.

Deciding to start with Lane since he was picked by my wolf, I held out my hand to him. “Just relax and trust what your wolf tells you to do. I don’t know how my magic will affect you, but I know that I will never do something that will hurt you.”

“Sweetheart, I trust you with my life,” Lane answered as he kissed the back of my hand. “Just tell me what I need to do and I’ll make it happen.”

Unsure how to proceed, I looked at Rath for help. “Think of it like you are trying to build a pack connection with Finley, but instead of you being the leader pulling her into it, she’ll do that part.”

Now I understood why he picked Lane to experiment on instead of one of the others. Colt and Zander would have a much harder time having the patience to let me figure this out without them trying to take over. Closing my eyes, I centered myself, reaching for the mate bond I had with Lane, and much like I did with Rath, I followed it down until I found Lane’s energy. He, of course, didn’t have magic as Rath did, but in some ways, there was magic in being an alpha and the power they had in that.

When I pushed deeper, I heard a snarl and found myself face to face with Lane’s wolf. Startled at his sudden appearance and the bared teeth, I froze. The moment he realized I was the one who was pushing into his space, he settled down, wagging his tail slowly as he watched me with the same gold-flecked brown eyes as Lane. Slowly I reached out a hand to him and he ducked his head so I could pet him easier. My fingers sank into his fur, making him step forward and lean against me, begging for more attention.

“Will you come back with me and meet my wolf?” I asked, feeling in my gut that this was what needed to happen.

Lane’s wolf yipped his excitement, prancing in place, ready to go as soon as I was. Grinning at the wolf, I curled a hand into the thick fur on the back of his neck, which wasn’t as soft as I would have thought and I pulled us both back into my body, tugging on the thread of pulsing music that was anchored in my body. When I returned, I found it was to a different place than where my magic lived, but when I spotted my wolf sitting there eagerly awaiting us, by the jubilation I got from her, I knew it was right. Lane was chosen by my wolf, so of course, that is where this would lead to.

The two wolves played for a bit, making me smile to see their simple affection, then he started to lick my wolf’s face, grooming her. I could feel the love and trust between them and knew this was Lane showing me how much I meant to him. Pulling back from this space, returning to my own mind, I noticed the bond with Lane was much stronger and seemed to hum with all the emotions I was feeling from him. He was excited to have this added connection and thrilled to get a better insight into my own emotions. While I was much better at showing them from when we first met, I still had much to learn.

Grounding myself, feeling the earth and the cool air around me, I opened my eyes once I felt certain I was back to reality. I found Lane lying on my chest in his wolf form, tongue lolling and tail wagging when I opened my eyes. It would seem that doing whatever I had done pulled his wolf to the forefront. My instant reaction was to feel guilty about doing that to him and hope he wasn’t upset with me. No one but an alpha should be able to pull out someone’s wolf as I’d just done.

Lane growled at me, catching wind of what I was thinking, and immediately sent me reassurance. Moments later, I had a naked Lane lying on top of me, his hands cupping my face.

“Sweetheart, it’s fine, you did nothing wrong, and I’m not at all upset with you. Neither of us knew what was going to happen and when you called to my wolf, I went willingly. You told me to trust my wolf and there was nothing he wanted more than to follow your call.”

Leaning down, he captured my lips with his own, and through our improved connection, he showed me just how happy he was. Unable to keep my hands to myself, I let them roam over his muscular back down to the round of his ass, but I stopped myself from progressing further. This wasn’t what we were here to do, no matter how much my body begged me to continue.

“No one here is going to stop you if you choose to keep going,” Lane whispered against my lips.

I chuckled and pressed on his chest. “How about we come back to that idea later when I can take my time exploring you better?”

Lane groaned but rolled off me in acceptance.