AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t bother to explain the injury to Syn’s shoulder, his werewolf blood will quickly heal that. However, if he turns feral, that’s a whole other matter. Concern flashes across Nicolai’s face. We all know what happens to feral wolves. Syn worked for the werewolf council and would be sent out to track down and execute lone feral wolves. However, being one of my mates makes him part of a pack, even if it’s only a pack of four, so that should have protected him.
“Something about being apart from me has broken him.” My voice croaks as I explain, my guilt eating me up. While I don’t know this for sure, his behaviour in tracking me down at all costs would point to it being a factor. “What if I can never get him back? What if the witches hurt him?” My chest tightens with each question, a tear escaping and rolling down my cheek.
“They won’t,” Nicolai soothes.
“That’s not true,” Atlas comments from behind me, his voice flat. “They would if they thought it would work for them. You need to be very careful.”
I turn around, not missing the dark look Nicolai gives Atlas. My stomach churns, and I’m dizzy, nausea making me feel like I’m about to vomit. Sinking down so I’m sitting between them, I stare at my hands. I have no idea what to say in response, because he’s right. The queen will take anything I do that she doesn’t like out on Syn.
“You couldn’t have put that in a nicer way?” Nicolai snaps at Atlas, settling down beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “We’re supposed to be comforting her.”
“I won’t lie to her.” Atlas shrugs, but he shuffles closer and pulls me back against his chest.
Nicolai makes a noise of annoyance, but he moves over so I’m squashed between them, their bodies pressed up against any exposed piece of skin they can find. They help hold me together, quietly comforting me with their touch, but I’m still desperately aching for Syn, knowing that he’s here somewhere and hurting.
Time passes, but I have no idea how much as my brain ticks over everything I know. Nicolai and Atlas have a short conversation at some point, but I tune the two of them out, lost in my own thoughts. Eventually, I take a deep breath and shake my head.
“It’s an impossible situation,” I say hopelessly, my voice nothing more than a whisper. “Whatever I do, someone will get hurt.”
Leaning in, Nicolai presses his forehead against mine. “That’s why you have us, Laelia.” His voice is quiet but firm, not allowing for any doubt. “The goddess brought us all together for a reason.”
Atlas rests his chin on the top of my head. “I hate to agree with him, but he’s right.” His chest rumbles against my ear as he speaks, his touch a warm comfort. “You’re not alone in this.”
Despite everything that’s happened to me and the fact that one of my mates is injured and locked away somewhere, their comments bring me some semblance of peace. Their declarations are so raw and honest that it’s impossible not to believe them, so with them holding me tightly and their words in my mind, I slip into an exhausted slumber.
ChapterFour
I’m too exhausted to dream, and like floating through a fog, I become aware of the warmth of two bodies cocooning me. My bond supplies their names for me instantly without having to search for them—Atlas and Nicolai—although I would have figured it out pretty soon from their scents.
My body still aches, and I’m still in the same position I fell asleep in, making me think that I’ve not been out for long. Given how much everything hurts, including my pounding brain, and the fact that I’m still drained, I don’t know why I’m awake. The answer becomes clear as a quiet voice speaks in front of me.
“We can’t leave her,” Nicolai whispers, his voice earnest. “One of us has to stay with her at all times.” From the tight way he’s speaking, I’m guessing that the last thing he wants to do is trust a witch and put my safety in Atlas’s hands, yet he knows it will be impossible for him to do this alone.
The unamused snort behind me tells me exactly what Atlas thinks of that possibility. “That’s easier said than done.” His whole body tenses beneath me. “You’re locked up half the time, and I have to do what the queen says. She’s got as much of a hold over me as she does on Laelia. All she has to do is threaten to hurt my mate, and I’m her puppet.” Resentment colours his voice even though he tries to keep it under control.
Something that I’ve learned about Atlas is that he doesn’t let himself feel or express his emotions. He stays neutral and gives nothing away, and the remainder of his feelings funnel into anger. It’s all he seems to know, and it makes him seem dangerous and brash. When I first met him, those were my exact thoughts about him, yet when you get to know him and break through his barriers, you see he’s not really like that. Whether this is due to his tragic past when his family was killed by a feral werewolf, or the subsequent harsh upbringing with hatred fuelled males whispering in his ear and shaping his young, impressionable mind, is unclear. However, he’s proven that he’s not like those witches, even if it’s been a slow realisation for both of us. Our bond may not be complete, but I can still feel that in his very soul, he’s a good male. Had he been raised with different circumstances, I’m sure he would be a completely different person.
Honestly, I think it comes from fear of losing control and not being able to cope. I also believe that he’s afraid to show his true feelings and be vulnerable with someone, only for them to get taken away from him like his family was.
There’s a heavy pause between the two males as Nicolai digests the truth of this information. Atlas has a fairly senior role within the sanctuary, but really, he’s just as vulnerable while the queen has her claws in me.
Releasing a long sigh, Nicolai slowly rubs his hand up and down my arm. He doesn’t know that I can hear their conversation, but he feels my concern and has instinctively started to comfort me, despite not knowing I’m awake. Clearing his throat, he finally breaks the silence. “Did you feel how close she was to falling apart?”
“Yeah, I was here. I saw it and held her through it.”
“No, I don’t mean emotionally,” Nicolai counters, his frustration that he wasn’t the one to be here when I needed my mates evident in his voice. “I mean her soul.”
Despite the fact that my eyes are closed, I imagine Atlas’s expression perfectly. His dark brows furrow in confusion.
“What do you mean, her soul?” he scoffs, his voice getting louder as he repositions me in his arms. “You can’t just throw around statements like that without explaining yourself.”
“Everything that’s happened to her and the decisions that she’s been forced to make, having to choose between her mates… Then to top everything off, Syn shows up half mad and gets captured. It’s too much. It’s too much for anyone, yet Laelia has stayed strong through all of this.”
My heart thuds hard in my chest as he speaks. I’ve been injured multiple times through all of this and thought there was no way I could get through it. However, the fact that he’s recognised that I’ve gotten up after each knockdown and seen my strength despite my faults makes me so grateful that the goddess brought him back for me. He’s my comfort and support, and I know it’s probably selfish to be happy that he chose me over his wolf, but I can’t find it in myself to wish it was otherwise.
“Then what changed?” Atlas asks quietly. The question is genuine and free of anger.
Nicolai’s hand stops its slow, comforting movements, and I feel the weight of his gaze settle over me. “The guilt of what’s happening is tearing her apart.” Softer now, he continues his explanation. “Only our presence keeps her grounded. It’s not a coincidence that all of her mates are unusually powerful.” He pauses, and I can almost hear him discounting himself from that list of powerful mates.
