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The blonde woman taps her head and chest, mouthing the word vita lapis before releasing a small amount of black dust on the ground. For a small moment, I catch the glint of tears, the pain of mourning, but that’s gone before she cloaks herself and disappears from the room.
18
XADIEL
I’ve been following her through the woods and past neutral lands for a while now. She wanted to leave immediately after Theresa and Timoth were sent to the perfect holding cell—and while I understood her reasoning—I wasn’t going to let her go on her bloody own.
I’m an arsehole for my part in the mess our mating became, but I’ll always protect what’s mine. Because that’s what she is.
Since the first day, I’ve never denied wanting her or the chaos Isabella creates within me.
Even at my angriest, I couldn’t harm her. It’s physically impossible to do so.
Isabella said her goodbyes to my parents with affection and a few shared tears, more so when they finally discussed the passing of her parents. Seeing my mother cry at not being strong enough to endure the journey, cut deep, but Isabella’s tears and understanding tore me in two. Beta Cain and his wife also received a warm hug, while everyone else watched them with longing—with the desire to earn her forgiveness for their part in harming her.
She’s not angry, just indifferent at the moment, and I know it’ll come to a head. Emotions kept bottled up will eventually implode, and I’ll take the brunt of her ire and worse, disappointment, when that time comes.
Because there’s more to being my queen than the fancy title. Like me, she’ll feel responsible for many, but where I’m the brute strength in this equation, she’s the stability and emotional support werewolves need. Not because I’m doubting her ability to fight or defend—she’s more than capable—but because at her core, Isabella is everything good. My balance and moral compass.
I saw that when she pushed herself to the breaking point to save my mum. How she worries about her family and fought to clear her parents’ names, no matter what she faced.
That kind of love is unselfish and pure.
I see that now. Her.
The goddess doesn’t make mistakes.
A truth I’m being smacked with, and I repent for ever doubting her.
My mate is perfection. My other half.
Now to make her see I’m right for her.
Because the alternative is unfathomable.
A twig breaks beneath my paw and I worry for a moment she heard, but Little Moon continues walking through the forest without worry or fear. Doesn’t so much as look behind her every so often, but I do catch the furrow of her brow.
Then again, I saw her make Bartolo a right bitch with the shift of her palm and a few words. How she handled him was sexy, her power and conviction more than admirable.
But I’m here now to lighten her worry. Ease her mind and be the pillar I should’ve been from the start.
It’s hard, but I manage to bite back a growl when she bumps into a low-hanging branch a few minutes later, the ends scratching her arm. And for the tenth time tonight, I’m tempted to carry her on my back through this thick and dense area.
Where she’s going? I have no idea, but we’re not that far past the lake. Through a thick cluster of trees and open land with tall grass, her bare feet leave tiny indents on the soil and I count them. Three hundred so far since passing the place my eyes first landed on hers. Where her jasmine scent overwhelmed my senses.
I’ll make this right between us. I vow it.
Up ahead there’s a fork in the road and not much else, but then she whispers something under breath and I’m bombarded by different smells, hers being the most prevalent.
Is this where she and her siblings hid after losing their parents?
They were by themselves, my mate scared and carrying the weight of her grief while I persecuted them from the other side. I’ve never felt more like a piece of shit than at this moment.
A whimper builds in my throat, my wolf just as devastated.
We could’ve protected them. Been her refuge.
We move deeper into the property, and I catch a different scent. It’s fresher than the others, and male. It’s all over the place and I hate it, causes my fur to bristle, and the threatening snarl sits at the top of my snout, when she tilts her head.
