Page 84 of Binding His Fated Mates

“No,” I said firmly. “I don’t want to go with them at all. I want to stay here. This is my home.”

“Yes,” Reed agreed solemnly, nodding. “It is.”

“How powerful are they?” Harris asked.

As if on cue, the door to the mess hall flew open with a bang.

I whirled toward the sound.

And then my brother walked in. His lips twisted into a cold smile. “We’re very powerful.”

He was alone. No mom, no dad, and no Rowan. Just my older brother, broad-shouldered and dark-haired, his expression carrying the particular smugness of someone who had come to do damage and was looking forward to it.

Then my heart stopped in my chest when I realized he was holding my private journal, which contained the research I’d gathered over the years on how to put Lee and Hunter back together. And, at the very end, my breakthrough. The fully completed spell to do just that.

He’d taken it during the search, I realized, numb horror spreading through me.

While I’d been standing in the cabin in shock, while my family had been rifling through my things, Micah must’ve pocketed my journal and I hadn’t even noticed.

“Get out,” Hunter said immediately, stepping forward.

Micah ignored him. His gaze swept the room—the assembled wolves, Reed and Harris in the center of the room, the whole pack watching—and a thin smile crossed his face.

“I thought your pack might want to know something interesting about Daniel,” Micah said. “Since he seems so determined to stay. And you seem so very determined to allow him.” He paused. “I wonder if your minds will change?”

“Micah,” I said. My voice came out strangled. “Don’t.”

“First things first.” Micah’s gaze settled on Hunter and Lee. “These two aren’t twins. They’re the same person. They were split into two people by a forbidden spell Daniel cast two years ago, so that he could gain more power.”

Micah’s eyes danced when they met mine—he was enjoying himself.

He continued, his gaze sweeping the room, “Hunter Lee Jameson and my brother were inseparable, ever since they were eight years old. The family didn’t approve, of course.” He paused, an over-the-top regretful note entering his voice. “But no matter how close they were, he was collateral damage in my brother’s quest for power. And then, once the damage was done, Daniel brought them here. He had your pack turn both halves into wolves to keep them alive, against their will. He made your pack clean up his mess.”

The silence that followed was profound.

Horrified, I looked around the room, bracing for shock, for revulsion, for the pack turning on me.

But what I saw was… less dramatic than I’d feared. Reed’s expression didn’t change. He’d already known the truth. Harris glanced at his mate and gave a small nod—he’d known too. Either Reed had told him or he’d figured it out on his own. Lacey’s jaw was set, her eyes hard, but not with surprise.

Sarah, however, was visibly stunned. Oliver’s eyebrows had climbed toward his hairline and he was blinking rapidly, his lips parted with dismay. He hadn’t had a choice in becoming a wolf, either. Emma, at the back of the room, closed her eyes and let out a quiet breath, as if Micah had just confirmed something she’d long suspected.

My brother frowned at them and his eyes narrowed in displeasure. Clearly, it wasn’t the bombshell he’d been hoping for. The pack hadn’t immediately and vocally turned on me.

“You piece of shit,” Hunter swore, breaking the silence. He started toward Micah, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

My brother cast a spell, lightning quick, that froze Hunter in mid-step. “I think you’ll all want to hear this next part,” he said, his eyes lighting up in triumph. His gaze lingered on Hunter, then slid to Lee. “Especially you two.”

“Micah, don’t do this,” I said, my voice coming out as a choked whisper, as I realized what was coming next.

“That was all setup,” Micah said, ignoring me. “That’s not the interesting part.” He opened my journal to the last entry. “The interesting part is what Daniel’s been doing about it.”

“Micah, stop!” I lunged forward, prepared to rip the journal from his hands, if that’s what it took.

My brother snorted derisively and, with a flick of his hand, forced me to step back and sit down in my seat. Like all Henbanes—except me—he specialized in spells to control the minds and bodies of other people. And not even my parents were better at it than him.

While my brother’s magic forced me to sit perfectly still, my eyes locked on him, unable to even blink, my mouth clamped shut, Micah began to read aloud.

“‘The reversal spell framework is complete. The containment structure, limitations, and necessary circumstances are all in place. The only missing element is the catalyst—a spell capable of merging two separate magical signatures into one unified whole without destroying either of them.’” He looked up, his eyes bright with malice.