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Aaron looked down at his arm and then at Marshall, who was doing the same. Their eyes met, and Marshall shrugged. He obviously couldn’t see anything either.
“Does this thread have a name?” Elder Lee asked, leaning forward in his chair, looking between Marshall and Aaron.
“Anima Vinculum.”
“What does it mean?” Aaron asked. He knew a little Latin, but he’d not come across the phrase before.
“Soul bond.”
Saint’s voice had everyone turning his way, and Aaron was surprised to see a faint blush on the tiger shifter’s face at the attention.
“Correct, young man,” Alice said with a smile.
“What does it mean?” Aaron asked. He was a little confused. He understood the words but couldn’t grasp how they related to the situation.
“Exactly what it says,” Alice said. “You and Marshall have a soul bond. Another way to put it is that you are fated mates.”
Aaron’s wolf sat up and wagged its tail.Mate. Bond. Ours.
Goosebumps raced across Marshall’s flesh at the old woman’s words.Soul bond? Fated mates?How? Why?
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Are you doubting our Pack Witch?” Rafe all but snarled from across the room.
The tone was familiar, and Marshall blinked, trying to remember where he’d heard it before.
“No, of course not. I’m sorry, this is just so….” he waved a hand in the air. He was exhausted. It had been a hell of a long day; from traveling, to having three seizures to now finding out he was the fated mate of a wolf shifter. He slumped back into the sofa, closing his eyes and resting his hand on his forehead. He had a headache, but this was different from the ones he usually had.
“Marshall, are you okay?” Sam asked in concern.
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired, that’s all.”
“I can imagine.” Marshall opened his eyes and found himself looking into Aaron’s deep amber eyes. He gave the other man what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
“Okay, Alice. Tell us as much as you can, as quickly as you can, and then we can reconvene tomorrow when everyone has had some rest,” Aaron said.
“From what I can remember, ananima vinculum,or soul bond, only happens once in a generation. It appears Aaron and Marshall are this generation’s pairing.”
“Doesn’t it only happen between shifters though?” Vaughn asked. “I remember my mother mentioning a story of a fated pair when I was younger. She told it like a fairy tale, but I’m sure it only happened between shifters.”
“That seems to have been the case in the past,” Alice agreed. “Kyr and I are going to go through the archives and see if there is a mention of a shifter/human pairing at any point.”
“But how does this explain the symptoms we’ve both been having?” Marshall asked.
“Once a soul meets its twin—its fated one—until both mates seal the bond, you will experience symptoms like the ones you have been having.” She gave him a gentle smile. “I should have thought of it when Aaron’s symptoms first appeared, but like I said, it’s very rare, and I’ve never seen one before.”
“But Marsh and Aaron have never met,” Saint interrupted. “So how can they be fated mates?”
Alice shrugged. “I honestly don’t know,” she said. “I have foreseen nothing, so Kyr and I will start looking for any possible reason why you are soul bound.”
“He’s not going to turn out to be the chosen one from a long-ago prophecy, is he?” Blake asked with a chuckle.
“No, there’s no prophecy. No portent of doom overshadowing him or the pack. That much I have seen,” Alice replied. “Although there are some storm clouds gathering, nothing of great importance at the moment.”
“How is our bond different from a normal mated bond?” Marshall asked.
“I’m not sure how much you know about shifter mates,” Anna said, “but when a shifter meets their mate, there is a connection between the two of them. Sometimes it’s instant, but most times it builds as the couple gets to know each other. Once their animals recognize each other as mates, a mating ceremony is held. Their bond is connected through their alpha’s magic and by marking each other when they consummate their relationship.”
