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“Syn?” I ask quietly, biting down on my lip as I lean forward on my hands and knees, wishing I could reach out and touch him.
His eyes snap open and lock on me immediately, his pupils constricting to tiny dots. “Mate.”
Slowly, but with the fluidity of a werewolf, he sits upright. He quickly scans the cell he’s in and the new clothes he’s wearing, his nose wrinkling as he sniffs them. He clearly doesn’t approve of the scent clinging to them. Flicking his attention over my shoulder, he takes in the others behind me. Recognition flashes in his eyes as he sees Nicolai, his head tilting to one side in a move that makes him look more animal than human. Moving onto the person on my other side, he scans Luna from head to toe and quickly seems to write her off as a threat. Going purely by appearances, I don’t blame him for that judgement, as she’s practically asleep and propped up in Kano’s arms—little does Syn know, she’s one of the strongest witches in Haven.
His gaze sharpens as he looks at Kano and Atlas. Can he sense their power like I can, or is he more alert because of how close they are to me? His nose wrinkles and his lips pull back in a snarl as he shifts into a crouched position, ready to pounce at any moment. Atlas seems to be the cause of most of this aggression, so Syn’s glare is now locked on him. Does he remember that Atlas was the one who found the two of us before he was captured? Or can he tell that the witch is something more to me and has taken that as a threat?
My breath hitches in my throat, my emotions threatening to overwhelm me. I have no idea how to handle this, but I know that Syn needs me.
Hearing the catch in my breath, Syn focuses on me, his pupils widening and then dilating as he sees my uncertain expression and internal turmoil. “Mate.” That one word holds so much power over us. It’s both a name and an honorific, and it’s said with so much authority, he’s claiming me in front of these people. Along with a streak of possessiveness, there’s a surety in the way he says it that no one can deny. He knows that I’m here for him, and he’ll do anything to get to me.
I’m acutely aware of the others watching us closely. “Syn, do you know where you are? Do you remember how you got here?”
He stands up and stalks towards me with a determined expression. I’m not quite sure what he’s about to do, nor do I know if he realises that he’s locked away right now. The answer comes to me quickly as he smacks into the magical barrier. The whole thing seems to shimmer with a blue light, letting me see it for the first time, and the air fills with the metallic scent of magic.
He seems stunned and looks down at his hands, his brow pulled down in confusion. Tentatively, he raises a hand and reaches out, flinching as it brushes the barrier, lighting his face with an eerie blue glow.
My head starts to pound as the muscles in my shoulders and neck tighten with stress, and my limbs feel twitchy as if getting me ready for fight-or-flight mode. Watching the realisation hit him, I feel nauseous as his hands ball into fists, and he backs up. I need to do something, yet I feel so useless, knowing that there’s nothing I can do here. The queen ordered him to be locked away and made it clear what the consequences of disobeying her would be.
“Are you okay?” It’s a stupid question, since he’s obviously not okay, and I’m not really expecting him to answer. At least the barrier didn’t seem to hurt him, and the way he’s moving around makes me think that the wound to his shoulder has healed.
“Laelia,” he says, and I don’t know if he’s trying to call me to him, or if that’s all he can manage to say. Pacing the length of the cell like a caged animal, he stares at the empty space where the invisible barrier is, his hands clenching and unclenching with anger. I can feel his need to get to me and the simmering rage at being locked away.
Glancing at my brother, I plead with my eyes for him to do something. I’m not sure what I expect him to do, yet as he meets my gaze, he nods.
Rolling his shoulders back, he gently releases Luna and stands up so the two males are at the same height. “Alpha Syn.” Kano addresses him formally, the title catching my mate’s attention.
With the grace of a predator, Syn turns to face Kano, his eyes narrowed, showing his disgust at being spoken to by a witch. He doesn’t say as much, yet you don’t need to have a connection with him to work it out, as it’s written across his face. Kano stiffens at the silent insult, and I feel Atlas step closer, his anger close to boiling over. However, he seems to get control of himself, standing just behind me, resting a hand on the small of my back.
“You’re at the witches’ sanctuary and are currently our prisoner,” Kano continues, his voice clipped. Any kindness he might have been willing to extend because of me is now long gone. “You have been locked away for both your safety and that of the rest of the residents here. Laelia, your mate, has assured your safety, but you will remain down here in the cells.”
Growling at my half-brother, Syn leaps forward in a movement too fast for the eye to see until he’s right against the barrier, his palm pressed against it, making it visible as the blue light ripples out from where his hand is. “Let me out,” he snarls in a voice I don’t recognise. Without meaning to, I make a noise of distress at seeing him like this. It’s quiet, so quiet I don’t think the others in the room heard it, but of course he picks it up with his werewolf hearing.
Atlas surprises me by moving his hand from my back to my shoulder, squeezing it in support, showing me that I was wrong and he must have heard me. Seeing the movement, Syn looks back at me, and his eyes narrow on Atlas’s hand on my shoulder. This seems to be the undoing of him, and I see my mate begin to disappear, giving into his instincts.
“I can’t do that,” Kano replies firmly, having missed my little moment. “If you can control yourself, we can facilitate visits so you and Laelia can remain connected.”
Taken aback, I look at Kano with surprise. The way he’s talking is making it sound like there’s a possibility that Syn and I won’t be able to see each other. They have another thing coming if that’s what they think, and honestly, the comment sounds more like he’s trying to antagonise him, which is exactly what it does.
“I need my mate,” Syn snaps, slamming his fist against the barrier. Kano and Atlas instantly go on alert, not looking beyond the aggression, but I see the twitch by his eye as he speaks and hear the note of desperation in his voice.
“Syn—” My voice breaks, and I try to step forward, but Nicolai takes my hand in his. He stands and shakes his head silently, warning me not to step closer while Syn is upset. I don’t know what they expect to happen when he’s locked up. It’s not as though he can reach through the cell and grab me.
Twisting so I can look at Kano and Atlas, but still keep Syn in my peripheral, I see their firm expressions. “The reason he’s getting aggressive is because you’re keeping me from him and threatening him by saying he can only see me if he follows your orders.” Even if Syn wasn’t battling insanity, giving an alpha wolf ultimatums is never going to go well. Shaking my head in exasperation, I press my hands together like I’m praying as I petition my half-brother. “Just let me speak to him, I can calm him down.”
“Absolutely not,” Atlas snaps, and it takes everything in me not to snarl at him in response. “This animal stays locked in this cell where he can’t touch you or anyone else.”
Kano is the one who has authority here, so I attempt to ignore Atlas and cross my arms over my chest as I wait for my half-brother to make his decision. His jaw is locked as he stares over my shoulder at the snarling Syn.
“Kano,” Luna calls out with reproach, clearly wanting him to step in and make his decision quickly.
Hissing out a breath through clenched teeth, he looks first at Atlas, and then to me, tilting his head to one side. “It’s not often I agree with Atlas, but he’s right. I can’t leave the two of you alone, and I certainly won’t let you into his cell. Not until he learns to control himself.”
Dumbstruck, I stare in disbelief. He’s been leading me on this whole time, letting me think that I was going to be with my mate, but no, this is as close as he plans to let me get. We both know full well that Syncan’tcalm down without me, and the madness taking over him will just get worse and worse. Disgusted, my face twists. “How dare you?”
Syn must have heard enough of the conversation to work out that they are not going to let us be together. “Mate!” he shouts, anger twisting his handsome face into one I don’t recognise as he bangs both fists against the barrier. I can see the madness start to descend over his eyes, his darkness hovering around him as he gets more and more worked up.
Slam. Slam. Slam. Each blow of his fists seems to pound in sync with my frantic heartbeat. The skin on his hands starts to split as he continues to hit the barrier, blood smearing across it. He either doesn’t feel the pain or doesn’t care, still desperately trying to get to me.
