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ChapterOne
The forest around me falls silent, the quiet noises of animals moving through the undergrowth and tall grass disappearing as they sense a predator. Even the soft breeze that had been brushing against my skin seems to die, and everything is eerily still.
Everything that is, other than the threat stalking towards me—my mate, Syn.
I didn’t sense him approaching, and even now, our bond is strangely quiet. The fact that I didn’t know it was him stalking me is ringing alarm bells. We’ve been separated for so long that the pull in my chest should be celebrating with a force I can’t deny, demanding I get closer to him, yet all I feel is wariness warning me that I need to be on my guard. One wrong move could be disastrous. Is something blocking our connection, or has our separation somehow broken him?
There’s madness in his eyes I’ve not seen before, and it makes my heart skip a beat. This isn’t my overprotective, touch her and die alpha mate. This is a different male altogether, and I know I need to be careful.
Star whines at my side, not knowing whether to greet him or jump into a defensive position, sensing my fear. This is Syn, our mate, yet here he is, looking more like a threat than our lover. The darkness within me is alert but quiet, watching the new development with interest.
Syn’s past and status as a renegade alpha could well be adding to this crazed madness. Werewolves without a pack, especially alphas, become feral. I don’t know why, something to do with our pack animal nature. Lone wolves, like my friend Scott, manage to stop this by checking in with the council. Honestly, I don’t really understand how Scott can get away with just checking in now and then, but others who leave become feral.
As an alpha with no pack, it would hit Syn harder, but the council had given him a job, and it seemed to hold back the madness. For as long as I’ve known him, he’s always seemed dangerous, but this is something different altogether.
The full moon shines down on us, something I would usually take as a good omen, but this situation doesn’t feel like a blessing. Of course I want my mate, and I need him as much as he needs me, but the male before me isn’t the mate I know and am beginning to love. I take slow, small steps backwards, and with a smile that borders on a smirk, he mirrors my movements.
My rapid breathing sounds loud in my ears, and I know he’s going to hear it. His werewolf senses will pick up on my fear, only making the predator within him more excited and ready for the chase.
“Mate.”
The sound of his voice stirs something within me, and I feel that pull between us twinge, awakening at his presence. Even though he’s still watching me like I’m his next meal, I can’t help the overwhelming emotion that floods me, finally sinking in that he’s here. He found me.
“Syn.” His name leaves my lips like a whispered prayer, my chest tightening as I have to force myself to refrain from jumping into his embrace. “Are you okay?” Scanning him from head to toe, I notice no obvious injuries, only the madness in his eyes.
Somehow, he got past the magical block placed over me and found me here. Does that mean Joel, my other alpha mate, could track me down? I desperately want to see him, but that would mean he’s in danger of being captured by the witches, and that’s something I won’t allow to happen.
“How did you find me?” I ask, needing to know if anyone else will be turning up. Dread makes my blood freeze in my veins as a terrifying thought crosses my mind.What if the council could track me down? It would be an all-out war between the witches and werewolves, and it would be because of me.
“It told me where to go.”
I almost stop in my tracks, my feet stumbling as I continue backwards, slowly being herded by my mate. Frowning, I risk a glance over his shoulder to check that it’s just him here. Confused, I return my gaze to his. “Who told you?”
His smile is like that of the Cheshire cat, pulling wide at his lips and showing me his fangs that have extended in his partial shift. “The dark,” he purrs, raising a brow as if I should know this already.
My breath catches in my chest. “I don’t understand.”
“Oh, I think you do.” He gives me a look, telling me that I’m not fooling him, and I already know what he’s implying.
The dark is his magic.
Ever since I met Syn, I’ve suspected that he had some sort of magic. He’s always been able to blend in with the darkness and appear from nowhere. Most werewolves despise him, but I always thought that was because of what happened with his old pack. Could it actually be that they suspected he harboured this power within him?
Magic is forbidden by werewolves, as I’ve learned the hard way, yet Syn was spared when his pack was disbanded, given a job as the council’s executioner, doling out their justice. This power has never been spoken of, but I’ve known for a while now that he was more than what he seemed.
Atlas’s voice calls for me from far away, snapping me from my turbulent thoughts and making my heart jump in my chest, and I remember where we are and the danger we could both face if we were caught together. I had no idea he was out here when the queen approved a run under the full moon to heal the wounds I sustained after an assassination attack. However, I know how it would look to the queen—like I manipulated her into allowing me out of Haven so I could meet with Syn and run away.
“You have to go, or you’re going to get caught.” My voice is high and tight, making me sound shrill, but I don’t care. Syn cannot be found here. “I have no idea what the witches will do to you, but I know it won’t be good.” A prickle along the back of my neck confirms my suspicions as I frantically look around, almost expecting to find a wall of witches surrounding us.
“I won’t leave you.” He stalks towards me, and I see the determination in his eyes. He’s no longer toying with me, instead going in for the kill.
“Syn…” The ground becomes uneven beneath me, and I stumble over roots, trying to figure out how to protect Syn from the witches and myself from him.
My back bumps up against something firm, a startled gasp escaping as I realise I’m pressed against a tree trunk. Syn looks satisfied with himself, his plan to trap me successful. He closes the final breath of distance between us, pressing his hips against mine and pinning me in place with his strong arms on either side of my body. His eyes seem to flash, and for a moment, I think I see my Syn, but it’s gone in a second.
“Mate,” he growls, lowering his head and pressing his lips to mine in a savage kiss. It’s rough and desperate, and despite myself, I return the kiss, a small, desperate noise ripping from my throat. Yes, I needed this. I can survive and look after myself, but these males are a part of me. When they return to me, it settles parts of me I hadn’t even realised existed. With Syn, it’s a wild, savage part of myself, the one that helps me fight for my mates, family, and freedom despite the odds of success. He makes me brave.
With our lips locked together, he’s guaranteed that I’m not going anywhere, so he lifts a hand that’s been caging me in, places it on my waist, and runs it up to my chest. His large hand cups my breast, squeezing and kneading my flesh, while his fingers pinch my nipple. It’s rough and borders on painful, but I need this so fucking badly that it just turns me on all the more.
