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“Yeah, she wants out in the worst way possible. Look at it this way.” I wrap an arm around her and turn her to face Hollis and Kaedyn. “I have two virile mates. Their individual personalities balance out my volatile nature.” Pulling Ari away from the gathering mass congratulating Hollis, we go to lean under the oak tree.
“It’s not your fault you are how you are. Your parents were hands off and let you raise yourself. Do you know how many times I was worried you would become lost to your wolf?” Ari’s eyes plead with me to understand.
Sighing, I look down at the dirt beneath my feet. “Yeah, I run hot and cold with people, and I hardly trust anyone.” Turning my head, I watch my mates interacting with their friends and the townspeople. “I only truly have you, Ari. That’s it. You are my pack.” A sad laugh escapes my lips as I turn back to face my friend.
“But, you have mates?” She tugs both of my hands to get me to look at her in the eyes. “They are your pack, your home. You’re not alone anymore. I don’t have to worry about you turning feral anymore.” Her radiant smile brightens my mood slightly. There’s still that swirling darkness in my heart, the one place that no one’s touched yet.
“Trust is earned, not given Ari.” My chest constricts at the wrongness of the statement concerning my mates. Hell, I couldn’t trust my parents and you’re supposed to trust them, right? Shifting quickly, my massive wolf slowly turns away and pads off into the darkness of the forest. Some things I need to work through on my own.
Chapter18
Kaedyn
WatchingBella’s body language with Ari has me concerned. She’s closed herself off and something has hit that one button even I fear pushing. Her trust button is a hard one, and something triggered it. The way she was watching Hollis and me makes me think it’s something concerning us. Grabbing Hollis, we head over to Ari, who looks remorseful over something.
“What happened? She looks like someone murdered something she loved.” My eyes search the forest for several minutes and in the distance, I can see the green glow of Bella’s eyes for a split second before they are gone.
Ari follows my gaze, then sighs and rests her hand on mine and Hollis’s biceps. “She has trust issues, and it’s all because of her parents and how wonderful they were.” Sarcasm drips from my sister’s words like I have never heard before.
“I’m not making the connection.” Hollis looks to the woods, then between my sister and me.
“Neither of you would.” Ari screams as angry tears roll down her cheeks. I’ve never seen my sister so mad in her life. “She’s fended for herself since she was thirteen. They banished her to the GRAVEYARD because her father struck her, and she gave him nightmares for a week straight. They fear her… Let that sink in.” Her eyes glow with the power of her wolf. My normally submissive sister is standing toe to toe with two alphas for once, not showing fear.
Pacing, I digest what my sister is saying. Shit, how did I miss all the signs? She was a little freaked out when my parents showed her affection. Her tears came when Mom showed she cared about her and nurtured her. “Fucking hell!” Glancing back to Hollis, I make the connection. “The females that you hugged, dude. Think about it. She marked you and you didn’t mark her back, then allowed other females to hug you.” Fear creeps up my spine as I look at Hollis. As reality sinks in and he sees it from a different perspective, he pales instantly.
“Oh, no… I fucked up big time. How do I fix this?” He pulls at his waves to the point his hair is standing up all over the place.
Gripping his shoulders, I stand in his way, stopping him. “I’ll find her and talk to her. Hopefully, it’s just the stress of being in a new kingdom and all the killing.” I can only hope that my friend understands where our mate is coming from.
The deepest pain filled howl fills the air, ripping the wolf from me. As I glance around, everyone else has shifted as well. It’s Bella. Something’s happening and she’s summoning everyone’s wolves. Taking off at a run, I go blindly into the woods and the sounds of battle echo all around us. Growls and screams make the fur on my back stand on end. It’s not till we breach the clearing do we see what’s happening. The Fae came en masse to attack and kill Bella. The Wildlings are fighting at her side, but they are still outnumbered.
Bella’s massive beast has several arrows sticking out of its back and its fur is slicked with blood. Hollis howls and his people charge evening the odds. We attack the Fae and suffer some losses, but not as many as they do. Something the Fae have done has stopped us from using our elements.
Ari charges the Fae with a glowing staff. He must be the one stopping us from using our Gaia given gifts. He’s not paying attention to her little wolf, and that is his big mistake. She leaps into the air and the fear in his eyes tells me he was not expecting her to attack him. Her jaws clamp down on his neck and she thrashes her head from side to side. A large rust-colored Earth Wolf rushes over to guard her while she finishes the Fae. The minute he takes his last breath, the suppression of our powers stops.
Bella howls her death song, and it shakes everything around us. I feel the power behind the howl, and I am in awe of my mate. The darkness culminates around her, and she seems renewed. Bella lowers her head, and the darkness shoots out from her. Black inky spikes impale the Fae one by one. She’s directly connected to each of them and starts turning them to husks, then dust. When the last Fae falls, she turns to look at me and the light goes out of her eyes and her beast collapses.
Rushing to her side, we shift back and check her over. Her pulse is weak and thready. All this time she’s been bleeding and using the last of her strength to save the pack. A very naked Bella lies on the ground with the arrows sticking out of her back dangerously close to her spine. Carefully, Hollis scoops her up and we head back toward the castle. Half the pack runs ahead to get the medical equipment ready and meet us at the edge of the woods.
Slow, steady steps carry us to the edge where the castle’s entire medical team is waiting for us. Gently, we place Bella on the gurney, and she’s wheeled back to the infirmary. Hollis and I stand there shoulder to shoulder in shock over what has happened. They struck our mate down and we don’t know the true extent of her injuries. Cautiously, we make our way back inside the castle and first to our rooms to shower and change and then back to sit outside the infirmary. Hour after hour passes and it feels like forever and a day before the doctor steps out and waits till Hollis’s parents’ approach.
“It was touch and go for a while. She almost didn’t make it. If it wasn’t for the fact she was shifted when she was shot, the end result would have been grim.” Hollis shakes the doctor’s hand and looks back toward the doors.
“When can we see her?” His voice is rough with emotion as he tries to hold it together.
Sadly, the doctor looks between Hollis and me, then drops his gaze. “Her fully bonded mate should go in first. His wolf can awaken hers. After she wakes up, then you can join him. She’s going to need rest and a lot of love and affection,” the doctor says, then turns to leave.
Hollis is crushed, and it shows in the way his shoulders sag. I know his heart is aching. He shakes it off and heads down the hallway in the opposite direction of the infirmary. Walking slowly behind the nurse, my heart thunders in my chest, thinking about how my mate is on the precipice of death. Stopping suddenly, the nurse turns to me and her eyes dart back to the door before us and I reluctantly open the door.
Stepping inside, the cold sterileness of the room sets an ominous tone for the visit. Bella lays there looking more like a porcelain doll than my mate. Hesitantly moving forward, I take the seat closest to her and take her hand. Her hand is icy and fear grips my heart as I hope for a response from her in some way, shape, or form. Eventually she grips my hand tightly and gives it a squeeze and I feel better slightly.
“Bella, you gotta get up. You can’t leave me. I fucking love you so much it hurts.” Lowering my head, I rest it on the bed next to her hip and try to rein in my reaction. I was never good at dealing with my emotions. After all, an alpha isn’t supposed to show weakness. Fingers thread through my hair and I stop breathing, feeling them.
Carefully, I raise my head and see the faint glow from Bella’s eyes. “Shhh… I’m mostly okay baby…” She forces herself to speak, and it breaks my heart listing to how frail her voice sounds.
“We thought you were going to die. The one arrow barely missed your heart.” Standing, I move up the bed and press my lips to hers softly. Caressing her cheek gently, I try to assure myself that she’s going to be okay. Reluctantly, I break the kiss and look her over again. Some of her color has returned, and the light is returning to her eyes.
“I almost died. They hunted me. I can promise you one thing, Kaedyn.” She draws in a rough breath and takes several minutes to recover. “I will hunt down everyone that tried to kill me and deliver them straight to hell myself.” The fierce glowing green returns to Bella’s eyes as she proclaims her vengeance.
