Page 14 of Bond & Protect

‘You need to learn to control your hormones more,’ he scolds me, which gets my back up.

‘Hey, I’m not a pup anymore. I know I did something wrong, but I’m not a child.’

Elias shoots a look my way, reminding me of my position. I duck my head low, trying not to get all caught up in resentment. I really want to be seen as the adult I have become. Still, Elias is my alpha, and I respect him more than I have anyone else.

I really do need to hold myself together, and to be better for Elias. Just because I have a little crush––or massive feelings––for Mila, it doesn’t mean I have to act on it.

‘It is hard to be around Mila, I will admit that.’ Elias finally declares, surprising me actually. I wasn’t expecting him to communicate any further about Mila. He’s made his feelings clear, and that’s that. ‘She’s utterly intoxicating, isn’t she? I don’t know how she makes you feel, but it’s almost like an internal calling for me. I can’t keep away from her.’

‘Like mate bonding?’ I ask curiously. Although I don’t know if I want the answer. It’s scary.

‘It certainly feels that way,’ Elias confirms. My heart sinks and rises at the same time, which is really odd. ‘But I don’t know, since it’s clear that you have a bond with her as well.’

‘You think so? I don’t know… it was just one kiss.’

‘I know. I could see it, and I think you know it too, Amos.’

I’m silent because it’s awkward as all hell now. I don’t know what Elias wants me to say, but he doesn’t seem pleased with the idea of Mila mate bonding with more than one wolf. It isn’t one of those things that trouble me, but then I’m not going to say that out loud. I don’t think I should.

‘It might be time to speak to Mila,’ Elias finally continues. ‘See how she feels about everything. It isn’t really up to us, is it? She needs to make her feelings known as well.’

Now that is a scary idea, but I suppose Elias is right. Even if I get a rejection, at least I’ll know.

Having an answer might be better than having no answer at all even if I don’t like it or if it means I’m left out in the cold because Elias is ‘the one’ for her.

My pulse is pounding as we head inside the cabin. I don’t know if I’m ready for this, but Elias is bursting into the room, ready to confront Mila right away. There’s nothing that I can do to stop him. This is happening, now. I have to get ready for it.

“Mila?” Elias calls out as he heads inside, shifting back into his human form with an ease that makes me jealous. I just don’t have the same confidence as a human. It’s weird, I never have. “Mila, are you here? We need to talk to you about something.”

He races around the cabin, but the more that time passes, the more freaked out I become. Where the hell is Mila? Why isn’t she still in the kitchen fixing a drink? What is going on now? I might not have been the most keen to find out who she likes more––because I have a horrible feeling that it won’t be me––but I don’t want her to be gone.

But where would she be? She knows not to leave the cabin. It’s not safe for her out there…

The look on Elias’s face as he descends the stairs is so frantic, I know that something horrible has happened. I feel sick to my stomach, desperate to know more, but I also don’t want to know anything at the same time because I am freaked the fuck out. I can’t even get a hold of the thoughts that are racing around my head. They’re spinning way too quickly.

“She’s not here, Amos. There’s no sign of Mila. We need to find her. Search the woods…”

I’m already half way out the door, cursing myself for running off like I did, with Elias chasing me. We left Mila alone and unprotected like idiots, all caught up in our feelings. Neither of us deserve her love if we can’t take care of her. Honestly!

I’m consumed with anger. I can feel it burning up inside my body as I pick up the pace. I don’t even know what direction I’m running in. I’m just going. In my brain, I can hear Elias instructing all the other wolves to search for Mila too, but I tune out the chatter. I want to be the one to find her, so I can check in on her and make sure that she’s alright.

I have a feeling that me and Elias are to blame for this. The shitshow we caused tonight has left her so confused that all she wanted to do was run. To get as far away from us as possible. If that’s true and something happens to Mila––something else since she’s already been through a trauma that she doesn’t really remember––then I will never forgive myself.

I don’t know how long I’m running around the forest, but it feels like hours have passed. All is silent as I stop, my legs quivering and my breath coming fast. The woods are quiet… too quiet. It’s eerie actually. The forest isn’t usually like this. It’s always buzzing with activity.

All I can hear is my own thundering heart and ragged breaths. I lie down on the forest floor for a moment, trying to calm myself down. I’m never going to be able to find Mila if I’m all frantic and in a terrible state.

For a moment, I tune back into the others to see what is being communicated between them, but as soon as it becomes obvious that no one has found her, I return back to simply listening around to try and see what I can hear. There has to be something…

What was that? My ears perk up when I hear a cracking sound, almost as if someone has stepped on some twigs behind me. I whip around, hoping and praying desperately that this is Mila. I would love nothing more than to lay eyes on her and have her in my arms once more. I can almost feel the heat of her body pressed up against me, the tears of relief on my shoulder, as I let her know that everything is going to be fine. I will make sure that everything is okay…

But that isn’t Mila. No way, not at all. This is nothing like Mila at all.

Ever so slowly, I rise up to my feet with my eyes firmly fixed on the strange-looking shadow far too close to me for my liking. I scan my brain, trying my hardest to find some logical explanation for what this horrific, terrifying sight is, but nothing comes to light.

Because there isn’t anything logical about what I’m seeing. Nothing from this planet anyway.

This must be the monster. This must have come from The Rift.

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