An Alpha can only mate with whoever fights besides them. Taking aloverwould be acceptable, but not amatewho didn’t earn the right to lead beside me, who could influence me unduly if we were bonded.
Being with Josh without actually biting him and cementing our bond… well, it’s better than nothing. I’ll be with him any way I can.
But it’s not enough.
We’re going to be bonded mates. He deserves that, we both do.
“Bane, please,” Wynn pleads. He paces back and forth in front of me, looking like he’s about to start pulling out his hair. “I can’t stand here and watch you get slaughtered.”
“Then don’t,” I tell him. “Go find Josh.”
“What?” That stops him short, and he gapes at me. “Bane, you can’t think about that now. You need to help yourself.”
“I’m afraid he’s in trouble.”
“You’rein trouble,” Wynn corrects me.
When we were teenagers, Josh was a stranger. Rejecting me was plausible. Not everyone seeks or waits for a true mate.
It’s different this time. I know Josh. He never gave up on me. He fought harder than anyone for us to be together. No way in hell would he quit now.
Which means he’s in trouble.
With a labored groan, I gingerly rise from my seat and stand with him. My cousin approaches in an instant to steady me, and I grasp his arm tightly. “He wouldn’t have abandoned me, Wynn.”
“I believe you, man. About what Elias did and that Josh isn’t who we thought. Still...”
“Trust me,” I implore him. “I have something that will help you. Just go find him.”
Wynn hesitates for a moment, but I feel it when he makes up his mind. His grip tightens and he nods seriously. “Okay. I’ll go fetch your man. You just hang in there until then.”
I’d do my best, but… easier said than done.
23.Prison Break
Josh
Elias is a bastard.
When trapped in the dark and futilely struggling to free myself, there’s plenty of time to reflect on just how much Bane’s father sucks. No matter how much I attempt to bring out my wolf or call on magic to help me, it’s no use.
“Come on! Break free. Break free… right… now!”
Elias said I was trapped here and that my magic was tied up too. Since I’ve been studying potential crafts and spells while searching for my calling, his veiled comments ring a bell. A tether hex. An object mutes my magic and traps it here.
I won’t be able to leave, practice magic, or change forms until I destroy whatever is trapping and blocking me. It must be nearby, here somewhere in the cabin.
But even starting to look for the object is impossible with me tied up and blinded.
I’m stuck here. Helpless, miserable, and safe. Safe while Bane faces his siblings alone.
I never thought I’d crave danger, but if that’s where Bane is, then I need to be there too, watching his back.
A faint sound reaches my ears. At first, I think I’m imagining it, but the noise gets louder. Could it be...?
“Bane?” I call out. “Is that you?”
The front door suddenly bursts open, then the hood gets yanked from my head. I blink, my eyes adjusting to the dim light of the cabin.
