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Turning from the door, I go to look at the dark witch and tell him that comments like that don’t help me keep my calm, but he’s no longer there. In his place are a few wisps of dark smoke. Brows raised, I spin around, searching the empty corridor for a flash of him, only to see nothing. Kano has the gift of transporting from one place to another, so it must be a power that Ivar shares. It’s certainly one I wish I possessed.
Knowing I can’t put this off any longer, I swallow the lump in my throat and take a deep breath, preparing to meet my team that’s going to help me survive these challenges. Gripping the handle like my life depends on it, I pull the door open and step inside. It slams shut behind me, but I pay no mind to it, nor do I notice anything about the room as my gaze immediately catches on a large figure opposite me, my bond doing somersaults in my chest.
“Joel?”
ChapterTwelve
Joel is here. It’s impossible, yet here he is, staring at me like I’m a ghost.
We stare at each other for a moment, our bodies frozen at the shock of seeing each other after so long.This isn’t real,I whisper in my mind, not even daring to think too loudly in case it causes this moment to end.This has to be a dream. The goddess has gifted us with waking dreams before, where we’ve been able to talk and touch each other through our minds while sleeping far apart. This blessing has helped to keep me sane while being separated from him, the bond making me sick from being so far apart.
My bond celebrates in my chest, trying to convince me that this is it, that he’s really here, urging me to go forward and claim him. I desperately want that, I truly do, so much that if this turns out not to be real, I think it might destroy me, which is where my hesitation’s coming from. Have I fallen and banged my head and this is all a delusion? Or have I finally broken and this is a fever dream?
Eyes roving greedily over his body, I search for any signs that this could be a trick. I wouldn’t put it past the queen to toy with me like this, raising my hopes just to crush them in a moment. However, there’s no scent of magic in the room, so I don’t think he’s an illusion despite how still he’s standing. There are some immensely powerful witches here, but none of them have been able to hide or mask the scent of their magic when they are using their powers.
Hope starts to bloom in my chest like an ember. I try to keep it small and contained, but hope is a funny thing. All it takes is for a spark to ignite, and before you know it, you have a blaze burning through your entire body, uncontrollable and with the potential to destroy. Everyone believes that hope is a positive emotion, and it can be, but when they are dashed, it can be devastating.
I can’t help myself, though, my pulse racing as I take him in, committing every part of him to memory. He’s even bigger than I remember him being, his muscular body dwarfing mine. He’s one of the biggest males I’ve ever met, but he’s also one of the strongest. That’s one of the things I love about him, how safe he always makes me feel. He also goes the distance to make sure I’m safe despite the fact I’ve proved that I don’t need protection. He does it because he doesn’t want me to have to go through anything alone. As one of my alpha mates and the first male to bond with me, it’s rare that an alpha such as him would be so accommodating and allow me to make my own mistakes, even if he scowls and threatens anyone who so much as looks at me wrong.
Joel shifts slightly, his nose lifting as my scent reaches him. This seems to snap him out of whatever trance my appearance put him under. With a noise more animal than human, he lurches forward, his face filled with a need so strong I almost don’t recognise him. Seeing him so desperate to hold me breaks my frozen state, and I’m unable to hold back my sob any longer. I run towards him, tears blurring my vision as my breath catches in my throat. I don’t need to see to find him, though, so I don’t bother to waste time and wipe them away. I can feel him so clearly now through the bond, and I know he would catch me if I fell.
We collide with an audible thud, knocking the wind from me as I grip his shirt tightly, determined to never let him out of my sight ever again. He seems to feel the same as his arms band around me, holding me so closely that I can’t take a full breath—not that I care. Raising up on my toes, I press my lips to his, our kiss a hurried clash of teeth, lips, and tongue. Primal noises tear from our throats, and although I want to keep on kissing him forever, none of this is sexual. It’s the only way we can communicate our love when words aren’t enough.
Tears roll down my cheeks, but they are tears of relief and happiness. Really, I know the fact that he’s here isn’t anything to celebrate, because it means he’s been captured too, but I quickly quash it. This is our time, and we’ve been separated for so long, I’m not going to let anything ruin this moment. I’ll deal with any consequences later.
Despite what it means, I’m ecstatic to have him here. I’ve missed him more than I can express, and as one of the first males to bond with me, he’s been my protector throughout all of this. However, I’m not able to keep the thoughts at bay, and I have to acknowledge that having him here means that somehow, he was captured and is no longer safe. He was protecting my family and pack, having adopted them into his own pack to make sure everyone was safe while I was here. Without him there, they are vulnerable.
I pull away from his mouth and bury my face against his chest, inhaling his comforting scent in the hopes that it will calm me. Everything is so complicated, I just want this moment to enjoy Joel all to myself, yet I’m unable to, the queen has seen to that. She’s shown that she can get to Joel, which means she could also reach my family. Would she hurt them if she knew it would get to me? The answer is grim, and the possibility makes me shudder, prompting Joel to rub a large hand across my back, a low, protective growl rumbling in his chest.
Taking a deep breath, I reassure myself. They are surrounded by a whole pack, and besides, they are werewolves, so they are not defenceless and know how to protect themselves. Scott will still be there as well, and I know he will keep them safe.
Just as the thought crosses my mind, my sense of awareness seems to shift, and I realise there’s someone else in the room.
I attempt to pull away from Joel, but he just growls low in his throat, his arms banding around me tighter and refusing to let me go. Although I would never admit it aloud, part of me loves this possessive behaviour, the werewolf in me craving it. Besides, the fact that he isn’t reacting to someone else being in here shows that he doesn’t consider them a threat. I do need to see for myself who’s here though, and I twist in his hold to get him to release me, but trying to break free from someone as muscled as Joel is like wrestling with a brick wall. Seeming to know I’m not going to stop, he turns us, lifting me easily, so all I need to do is turn my head to the side, and I’m able to see who’s here with us.
When I lock eyes on the male, I feel like I’ve been hit by a sledgehammer, my eyes widening as I recognise the figure leaning against the far wall.
“Scott?” I exclaim in disbelief. “You’re here too?”
I must be dreaming, I tell myself, but the feel of Joel standing behind me and Star’s reaction to seeing Scott says otherwise. This is real. As I had with Joel, my eyes take in my friend, noting every detail.
Wearing his usual jeans and biker jacket, he watches us with a quirked lip and raised brow. His shaggy brown hair is longer than the last time I saw him, falling into his eyes. It makes me want to run my fingers through it, grab it tightly, and hold him to me. Blinking at the sudden thought, I shake my head, not quite sure where that came from.
Scott isn’t my mate, so I shouldn’t have these types of feelings for him, nor the constant pull I feel. I’ve never felt this connection with anyone before. It’s a different sensation to how I felt about my mates when we first met, as I instantly knew who they were to me. Scott feels… different. Having him here now also opens up a whole new slew of feelings. I’d known that I missed him, my heart ached without him here, but I didn’t have an explanation for why. Now, it hits me just how much I missed him. The realisation of having here, paired with the ache in my soul, makes it hard to believe that I got through any of this without having my mates with me.
Scott must be able to read the conflict on my face, his own expression softening as he drops his arms to his sides. “Hey, Laelia.”
His voice washes over me, and I burst into tears, conflicting emotions overwhelming me. Concern flashes in his eyes, and before I know it, he’s striding across the room, taking my face in his hands, and scanning my face intently. For a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me, but he doesn’t, instead wiping away my tears with his thumbs. “Don’t cry, Laelia. We’re safe.” He sounds wounded, like seeing me upset causes him pain.
Joel grumbles behind me, not happy about having to share me or my current distress. His hands drop to my hips, which allows me to turn and face Scott fully while still keeping me close.
Crying in front of them is the last thing I want to do, and I was so strong while we were separated, but seeing them now has broken me. All of my mates are here and in danger from the queen and her unknown plans. So much has happened, all of it because of me, and I don’t know how I can fix this or keep them safe. Guilt sits low in my gut at the fact that part of me is rejoicing at all of us being together. This isn’t something to be happy about. They are in danger here, and it’s going to make everything more complicated.
Dropping my head, I rest it against Scott’s shoulder, my sobs making my back shudder. His hand comes up and begins to stroke my hair, the soothing motion helping to settle me, yet the tears keep coming.
Joel grumbles again, shifting his weight from foot to foot, desperate to do something, anything, that might help me. “Stop crying, mate,” he coaxes quietly, leaning over my body until he presses his cheek against mine. “Otherwise, I’m going to start tearing heads off.”
Taking a deep breath, I force myself to regain control. Crying isn’t going to solve anything and will only distress my mates who can feel my despair. My breath shudders as I lift my head from Scott’s shoulder. Joel stands upright, allowing me to straighten. It’s only now that I realise how close I am to the two of them, sandwiched between their bodies. Star and my bonds are going crazy in my chest, stirring my desire to life. While I would usually be all for losing myself in my mates, now is not the time.
