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The goddess’s presence fades, and low voices bring me back to the present. The three males are discussing something, their faces all varying shades of confusion.
“Is it just me,” Atlas begins, catching my attention, “or did that whole exchange feel odd to you?”
Joel and Scott hum in agreement, the latter nodding his head.
“That is not the male I know,” Joel says, his frown deep, showing his concern and frustration.
They are right, nothing about what just happened was normal for my sweet mate. Nicolai is caring and protective, so him pushing me away isn’t something I ever expected from him. He’s lost so much, though, and I need to give him time. After all, he needs to learn who he is without his wolf.
An uncomfortable feeling fills me, dread mixed with rejection. What if he’s regretting his decision to come back to me and give up his wolf?No, I tell myself firmly.Don’t start thinking like that, you can feel his love for you. Taking a deep breath, I shake my head and lower my gaze, not wanting them to see my insecurity.
“I really don’t want to talk about it. Can we see Syn now, please? I need to know he’s okay.” There’s a note of tightness to my plea, and although they share a look, they agree to take me to see my other mate without argument.
ChapterFifteen
Syn is leaning against the invisible barrier to his cell when I arrive, staring at the ground as he draws shapes into the dust with his finger. As soon as the sound of my light footsteps reaches him, he tilts his head, listening closely. His head snaps in my direction, and I watch as his pupils dilate and he jumps to his feet.
He doesn’t pace the short length of the cell like last time, but he still watches me with a predatory focus. Syn has always been different from other wolves I’ve met, wild and untamed despite working for the council, so it’s difficult for me to tell if this is the madness from our separation or his usual behaviour. As I walked over from Nicolai’s room, I agreed with the guys that it would be better for me to speak to Syn alone first before bringing Scott and Joel in. I’m not sure how he would have reacted, and he’s made so much progress that I didn’t want to destroy it by surprising him.
Looking at him now, I think we made the right decision. He’s so still, and as I come to a stop in front of his cell, he smiles at me, but there are too many teeth on display, making it seem threatening rather than the welcome I think he’s attempting.
“Mate.” The possession in the greeting sends a primal thrill through me, sparking arousal in me and making Star squirm, wanting to be released.
I called her back to me before I reached the cells, not knowing how Syn was going to react to what I’m here to tell him. She wants to submit to her alpha, though, the ancient instinct passed down through generations of werewolves. It makes it difficult for me to concentrate on what I’m really here for, and being turned on is only going to make it harder, especially as Syn’s smile widens after scenting my arousal.
Ignoring those urges, I scan Syn with my eyes, searching for any injuries. I don’t trust the queen to keep him safe when he’s locked up here, and I don’t know where Luna is. The last I knew, she was going to keep an eye on my mate to make sure no one attempted to hurt him, but there’s no sign of her here. “Syn, are you okay?”
He shifts his weight from one foot to the other and presses his hand against the magical barrier, the first sign of his human side showing through. Automatically, I lift mine and do the same, wishing I could actually touch him right now. It would be so easy to do just that, simply stepping through the magical barrier and be with him. However, I have to speak to him first, and I know once we touch, all the talking will end.
He seems to be scanning me too, his eyes narrowing as they run over my body. Usually, in normal circumstances, this would lead to something sexual, my mate unable to keep his hands off me. This time, though, it’s different, and as his intense gaze settles on my face. He seems to be looking for answers in my expression. Our bond is muted, the magic on the cell dimming it, but I can still feel an echo of his concern and frustration.
“Something happened, something bad,” he tells me, and although it’s vague, I understand what he means. Feeling even just a snippet of my heightened emotions through the bond and not being able to act on his instincts has to be awful. So much has happened, and I’ve got to figure out a way to explain it.
Unable to put it off any longer, I sigh and nod my head. “It’s a long story, and I will tell you,” I promise. “I do have some good news though. Joel and Scott are here.”
There’s a long pause, and I can practically see the cogs spinning in his mind. A flash of jealousy appears in his eyes at the mention of other males, so I know I was right not to bring them in with me. He needs the chance to digest this information. Releasing a hissing breath through clenched teeth, he clicks his tongue. “This is good news?”
I choose to believe he’s implying that Scott and Joel must have been abducted, therefore their presence isn’t anything to be happy about, rather than a comment made through jealousy that he doesn’t get to have me to himself. Swallowing the lump in the back of my throat, I focus on the positives. “They were captured and brought here, but they are going to help us. We’re stronger together,” I insist. “A pack.”
He seems to consider this for a moment before nodding, mouthing the word “pack”as if reminding himself what that is and what being part of one feels like. It’s been so long since he’s been part of a pack, and I know our mishmash mix of people isn’t exactly conventional or what he would have chosen for himself. Yet, with us, he can have a family, a place he belongs, and not be a nomad forced to work for the council.
Something seems to change in him, and as he stands up straighter, his eyes clear, focusing behind me as though looking for someone. “They are here?”
A smile pulls at my lips at the change in him, hope fluttering in my chest. “Yes, I’ll bring them in here in a moment. I need to explain a few things to you first.”
I go through everything that’s happened since he was captured, giving him a chance to ask questions as I talk. He doesn’t have many, just listening closely, a frown marring his face. I tell him all about Nicolai’s strange behaviour, the new prophecy, the challenges I’m forced to compete in, and all of my mates being brought together. He snarls at any mention of the queen but doesn’t react other than the occasional question.
When I finish, his frown deepens. “Something isn’t right about all this.”
“I know,” I reply, wishing I had some other explanation or something that actually made more sense. There’s no evidence to say there’s anything wrong, just coincidental circumstances. The goddess’s warning that more suffering is ahead rings in my mind, but I put that down to the challenges I’ll soon be facing.
Pulling away from the barrier, he starts to pace the width of the cell, walking the few steps to one side before turning and moving to the other. I hate seeing him caged like an animal. His mental health is suffering, and until we can be together properly without limits, there’s no way he’ll fully heal.
“You’re in danger,” he snarls, his watchful gaze on me as he paces. “I need to get out of here.”
“I’m working on it,” I promise, pressing my other hand to the barrier, both palms up, as I speak earnestly.
I’ve been waiting for the right time to bring the others in, but I don’t want to leave Syn right now, and I think walking back in here with other males will just unravel the progress I’ve seen in him today. Syn seems more like himself than he did when I first arrived, but it wouldn’t take much to push him over the edge and back into madness. Reaching for my bond with Joel, I give it a gentle tug, calling him to me. He’ll know that I want him here, and hopefully he’ll bring the others with him.
