Vodínaya’s voice rolls out. “Her Majesty is undergoing a spiritual awakening.”
Dušava’s tone is softer. “She has endured too much in too short a time. Her spirit is overwhelmed.”
Zárya’s piercing eyes meet mine, the fire around her turns brighter as she speaks. “Her Majesty is not yet ready. Her body, spirit, and mind are not in harmony.”
I grip Noël tighter. “What must I do to help her?”
Vodínaya steals my gaze. “She must perform the bonding ritual to awaken her full power.”
“We still have around two phases to go before the full moon.” I clench my jaw, tugging Noël closer. “What can we do until then?”
Dušava tilts her head and narrows her eyes. “Something else is trying to connect with her. It clouds her spirit, weighs on her mind, and adds to her burden.”
Zárya nods. “She needs rest. Time to heal and reflect. Only then will she regain the strength she needs.”
My throat tightens, but I agree. “I will ensure she rests.”
The three goddesses exchange a glance before speaking in unison, their voices reverberating deep in my chest. “Trust in your bond, noble guardian. Guide her and prepare for the ritual. The fate of this world depends on it.”
Each goddess focuses sharply on me as their final words echo in the air. “We cannot allow failure this time.”
As quickly as they appeared, the goddesses fade, their light dimming until the flames of the bonfire sputter out. The wind stills, and a heavy silence settles over Ávera.
I look down at Noël in my arms. Her face is pale, her skin clammy with sweat.
“No one will harm you,” I murmur, nuzzling her cheek. “No one.”
There’s a scent on her, a male’s scent. It’s weak, but it’s there.
My fur bristles, and my breaths come heavier with every inhale. My mate smells like another. My claws dig into the furs beneath us as I lean over her still, unconscious body nestled in our nest-bed. Rage simmers beneath my fur.
Who dared come near her? I do not recognize this scent, but it is vólkin.
I lower my snout, my nose brushing her hair as I breathe in. The scent isn’t there. Not her hair. My nose trails lower, past herjawline, closer to her face. The trace is stronger now, but not its source. My teeth bare in a snarl, a growl rumbling low in my chest.
I smell it—the vólkin crystal. The pendant resting against her chest, barely glowing. The scent of another male clings to it. It’s not her scent. It’s foreign. It’s unwelcome.
Who gave her this? Who thought they had the right?
My growl deepens, reverberating through the room. My jaw tightens, and my body coils as every muscle screams to hunt and destroy.
I lower my face to hers, watching the way the light from the pendant glimmers against her pale skin and the sweat on her brow. My tongue darts out to trace the droplets on her cheek. Sweet and intoxicating. My cock pushes past my fur, hardens further when her lips part at my touch.
Her face is so small beneath me. Even my claws look massive beside the curve of her cheek. The need to protect her, to shield her from the world, wars with the fury that burns in my veins. Someone dared to touch what ismine.
My erection presses against the furs beneath me. My claws grip tighter, curling into the nest. Every instinct I have demands action. Vólkin or human, it doesn’t matter. Whoever it is, they dared to touchmyNoël.
With my nose brushing against her jaw, her scent overpowers everything else. My breaths are heavy, my chest rising and falling as I fight to control the chaos inside me.
So small. So beautiful. So completelymine.
The scent of the male clings to the crystal, but it will not stay for long??—
“Theron!” Aeson’s voice cuts through my haze.
“Come in,” I command, rising from the nest to place myself between Noël and the door. Aeson enters, his usual calm masking the urgency in his steps. His white pelt gleams in thelight of the crystals around us. He looks over at Noël, then back at me.
“We found a house,” he says, “four hours’ run from the border. I think you should see it.”
