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The pleasure, pain, and wariness I feel over this new Syn is a heady combination. I know If I don’t stop this soon, then we’re going to be naked and fucking in the middle of the forest where Atlas could stumble across us at any moment. Reaching out and placing my hands on his chest, I gently push against him, breaking our savage kiss.
“Syn—”
I’m cut off as he takes both my hands in his and raises them above my head, pinning them to the tree and causing my back to arch. His eyes lock on my chest, and a hungry expression settles over his face. His free hand returns to my breasts, kneading one and then the other, rubbing the fabric of my clothes over my sensitive nipples. The sensations are overwhelming.
“I missed you.” He stares into my eyes, watching my reaction as he teases my body. “Being separated drove me mad.” Lowering his head, he starts kissing along my neck, flicking his tongue over my pulse point. “The darkness was whispering things to me, such savage, brutal things, and it was getting worse. I knew I had to find you,” he murmurs against my neck.
I feel the prick of his teeth against my skin, right over my beating pulse. He bites down, and the sting of pain causes me to let out a pained moan as he marks me. I know exactly what he’s doing, and it’s something I want to do to him, visibly marking him as mine, yet my body still reacts to this savage male biting me. Straining against his hold, I pant and try to catch my breath so I can sort through my sex fogged thoughts.
His tongue runs over the mark on my neck, causing tingles of pleasure to run straight to my core. Eyes rolling back, I try to focus on staying upright.This is my mate, I tell myself.He would never hurt me. Only, this Syn is one I don’t know. The tugs on our bond keep me from fighting him off, telling me the old Syn is still in there. I swear I can feel him more the longer we touch.
“You’re the other part of my soul, and you keep the darkness at bay.” His whisper in my ear causes me to shudder in pleasure. “You are mine, and I am yours.”
As if to reinforce his claim, his hand slips under my simple dress and between my legs. His fingers waste no time pushing my underwear aside and revealing just how aroused I am, my wetness almost dripping from his fingers. He groans and palms my mound before slipping two fingers into me. It’s so sudden it makes me gasp, but I’m ready for him, so it doesn’t hurt. His movements are frantic, and I can feel him start to push another finger into me, but Star barks, warning us someone is coming.
Suddenly, before we have the chance to do anything about it, the surrounding air is filled with the static of magic. The temperature drops so rapidly that I’m frozen in place, my breath misting above my face. I don’t have time to comprehend what’s happening, and my eyes go wide as Syn roars with pain. Fear and anger war within me as I attempt to break free of the hold. As I thrash, I see a dagger sharp icicle embedded in Syn’s shoulder, yet he doesn’t move, keeping his back to the threat as he attempts to protect me with his body.
“Let her go, you piece of shit.”
I know that voice—Atlas. Fury laces his command, and I can feel how mad he is. I must have been so wrapped up in Syn that I didn’t sense his approach, and now he’s seen me like this.
“Atlas,” I gasp, shame threatening to make me blush as I try to move and cover myself up.
No, the darkness says within me.He is your mate. There is no shame in what you’re doing. It’s right, so I straighten as much as I can, refusing to look guilty.
The magic holding me suddenly releases, and I slump to the ground, watching in horror as Syn rips the icicle out and turns to face Atlas, my newly discovered mate, who just so happens to be a witch who hates werewolves with a passion. Of course, neither of them know that they are both my mates, so they only see each other as threats. A rabid werewolf killed Atlas’s family when he was young, and now he found me pinned against a tree by a werewolf on the cusp of madness. I can’t even imagine what he’s feeling right now, since the only emotions I’m sensing through our muted bond are fury and fear.
Syn is still trying to shield me with his body, but I’m able to see Atlas now. His face is set in a severe expression, and his hands glow at his sides. For a moment, panic threatens to take over as I remember the attack that led to all of this. A male with glowing palms tortured me, and my body tingles with remembered pain. Taking a deep breath, I force myself to focus and remind myself who this is—Atlas is my mate, not my mystery attackers. As if sensing my gaze, Atlas looks down at me, concern flitting across his features before his eyes drop to the bite mark on my neck.
“Don’t look at her, witch,” Syn snarls, the sound more wolf than human. The madness has fully returned, washing away any signs of the mate I know. He’s acting purely on his instincts, and it’s only a matter of time before he’ll shift. He’ll do anything to protect me, and in his mind, Atlas is a threat to both of us. The witches took me from him, and they are trying to do it again.
This is going to get messy, and I need to stop it.
“Step back from the female,” Atlas orders before I can do anything or even contemplate how I’m going to calm the situation. There’s no room for compromise in Atlas’s voice, and the air seems to get impossibly colder as his magic surrounds us.
Somehow, Syn seems unaffected by the change in temperature, his alpha blood and protective haze stopping him from feeling it. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of me, my teeth chattering as I lean back against the tree for support, the freezing air taking away my strength. Star whines and wraps herself around me as if it’s going to help warm me. While it does slightly, I find the gesture comforting and run my hands through her fur, grounding myself.
This can’t be said for Syn though. Hearing the noise of distress from my wolf, he glances over his shoulder at me, and whatever he sees seems to send him into a protective rage. “Mine,” he growls through gritted teeth, widening his stance in front of me while glaring at Atlas, as his hands ball to fists at his sides. The skin over his knuckles whitens, and I see the tips of sharp claws pressing against his skin, just begging to be released. Honestly, I’m surprised he’s managed to hold it back. Perhaps he isn’t as far gone into the madness as I thought.
“He’s one of my mates,” I call out, finally finding my voice. It’s weak and croaky, but it does the trick, pulling Atlas’s attention towards me for a moment, the static feeling of his magic dipping with his concentration. “He managed to track me down.”
A myriad of emotions crosses over his face, ranging between shock, anger, disgust, and disbelief. Meeting my other mates was always going to be difficult for Atlas, given his upbringing and belief that all werewolves are evil. Accepting me as his mate was one thing, since the goddess predestined us to be together and he can’t deny the bond between us, but actually seeing one of my werewolf mates here is something different altogether. It also doesn’t help that Syn is on the cusp of losing control.
I can see the exact moment that it clicks in his mind as he realises that Syn and I have an unbreakable bond, and if he hurts Syn, it will hurt me too. Shaking his head in a short, sharp motion, he clenches and unclenches his hands at his sides, the spheres of magic cupped in them dimming and brightening as he does so.
“That’s impossible,” he bites out, glancing between me and the male impeding his way to me. “The block should have stopped that.”
Laughing without humour, I shrug. “I know. I don’t know how he found me.” My words are honest, and I know they ring true with Atlas when some of the tension in his jaw releases. Seeing that he believes me, I reason with him. “Atlas, something is wrong with him. He’s not well.”
I don’t know how to explain what’s going on with Syn when I don’t really understand it myself, but he needs to know that this isn’t my usual mate. Syn needs to get away from here before we’re discovered by anyone else, but that strange darkness that sometimes surrounds him is flickering behind him, and I have no idea what will happen to his magic if he loses control. It could be disastrous.
Atlas looks over Syn again and seems to realise just how dangerous he is. He takes in his hunched position and stiffens when his eyes catch on something over the alpha’s shoulder.Did… Did he just see the darkness? I ask myself, stunned. No one other than me has seemed to notice the dark shadows that sometimes flit around Syn. At least, not until now.
“Laelia,” he calls, his voice steady but firm. He keeps his eyes on Syn now that he’s re-evaluated how dangerous the male is. “You need to come with me.”
Using the tree trunk to steady myself, I slowly stand, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. There isn’t much choice for me other than to return to Haven, not with everything the queen has hanging over me. However, I have no idea how I’m going to convince Syn to let me go.
Sensing my movement, he shifts his weight, his back bowing as he snaps his head from me to Atlas. “Mine,” Syn growls, his body quivering as he tries to hold back the shift. Sharp claws finally break through the skin of his knuckles and extend into long, razor-sharp claws.
