Page 29 of An Alpha's Commitment

Nevertheless, I was sufficiently desperate to try anything, so here I was sitting in the rather dark, squashed room that was Xeres’ study.

The walls were lined floor to ceiling with books, old books to judge from their faded covers and the spines labeled with strange scripts. A few of the tomes closer to hand looked newer – the covers were brighter and the titles in a familiar language, even if the words seemed excessively long and pretentious.

A small amount of light curled around the edges of heavy drapes, peeking into the room from a window high up on one wall.

The overall effect was somber.

I'd arrived in Darius' packlands after two days of travel and Darius had greeted me warmly. We spent a pleasant evening catching up over dinner and I'd slept the night in a guest room in the main lodge. The next morning he'd introduced me to the mage, who had simply nodded under his hood, and then Darius had left me alone with him. The mage had yet to speak a word to me.

“I believe Darius explained my situation to you?” I broke the awkward silence that followed Darius’ departure. The hooded figure gave a small inclination of his head but remained silent.

“I need to find a way to break the old mate bond, so I can replace it with a new one.”

Silence stretched from corner to corner of the dimly lit room. A few dust motes drifted past, caught in the hazy beam of light sneaking around the curtains.

I waited, my heart thudding in my chest. Tension gripped my muscles, though I tried to maintain a relaxed posture, outwardly calm. If this reticent mage couldn’t help me, then I had run out of options. How many centuries had they been practicing their craft? Sometimes these mages were so ancient that they lost their connection with the real world, the world of humans and shifters. Perhaps they wouldn’t care about my problem…

“I can’t help you break a mate bond,” the words hit me like a hammer. It was so unexpected, like a slap across the face – Darius had assured me his mage would help. My heart sank and I felt my stomach clench. I felt sick.

There was nowhere else to go.

“Tell me about this omega,” said the mage, startling me from the dark recesses my mind sought to go. It was only then that I noticed how youthful he sounded. This was no crusty old mage. If his voice was anything to go by, he was probably not much older than my own two omegas.

I couldn't help the smile that softened my lips as I thought about my sweet Isca.

“He’s gentle and sweet, quite shy although he’s starting to come out of his shell. He was badly mistreated by his first mate, so his life hasn’t been easy, but he’s learning to trust me. And he’s young, only 24. He has a chance at a good life.”

“I see.” A pause. “What made you think you could break the mate bond?”

Was there judgement in that question? It was impossible to tell.

“I hoped that we could… because he had no choice about that mating in the first place - he didn't want to be mated, and he didn’t return the bite… Since the mating was incomplete, I thought maybe it would be possible. His old mate is a sadist, he shouldn't have to be tied to him forever.”

“Mmm. Does he want this bond to be broken?”

“He does.”

“Or is it that you want the bond to be broken?”

“Well, that’s also true. I want it broken. As does my other mate.”

The covered head lifted and I caught a glimpse of the face beneath the hood – a youthful chin, clean-shaven, a small sharp nose, dark eyes, a curl of dark hair.

“You already have a mate,” he stated, flatly. “Why do you want another? What of your first mate?”

“He wants this too. We’re… a triad. But Isca can’t share the bond with us while he’s mated to another, and I need it to keep him safe.”

"A wolf-shifter triad. That's...unusual."

There was a soft amused snort from beneath the hood. I thought I caught a twinkle in his eyes, though there was surely not enough light in the room for that.

“Your mate is Irian, is he not?” he almost chuckled.

“He is.”

The soft almost-chuckle repeated itself. “Of course, he would be the one causing waves.”

“You- you know him?” I asked, surprised.

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