Page 23 of Wolf Chosen

It was her fear pulsing within our bond that dragged me back to awareness. I blink, orienting myself, then my gaze lands on her curled into my chest, my arms banded around her. She's caught in the throes of a nightmare, whimpers escaping her lips.

“Taylor. Taylor, wake up.” I gently shake her shoulder.

Gore coats my hand. In fact, it coats every inch of my body. I may have healed, but I’m still covered in my blood. I’m also naked. I eye my shredded clothing on the ground. There’s nothing left that’s wearable.

That's the least of my worries right now.

Taylor's eyes flutter open, wide and scared. Her terror pulses through the bond, washed with confusion and then when her gaze sharpens on me, an overwhelming surge of relief.

She gasps, her fingers clenching on my shoulders. “Liam? I-I dreamed we were running through the woods and you… you wouldn't change back.” Her voice trembles and my chest aches. “There was an angel, but then I woke up.”

I start to respond, but her hands roam over my skin. Checking for injuries that have already disappeared. If this were any other time, any other situation, her touch would ignite me but now I’m only grateful she’s been spared.

“It worked. You…you're healed,” she breathes out.

“Wolf shifters bounce back fast.” I don't mention the wrongness I still feel, the sluggishness. No need to worry her further.

Her brows come together in a frown as she takes in my state. I'm bare and vulnerable before her. I want to joke, to tease, anything to lighten the darkness in her eyes, but the words shrivel on my tongue.

“What... what did Rowan do to you?” she whispers, horror tightening her face. I swallow hard. I don't know how to even begin to answer that. I want to spare her from that horror.

“Rowan kept me semi-conscious,” I explain, my voice rough. “I wasn't fully aware, which was a blessing. He tried to work his magic into me I think, but I don't feel different.” Apart from the fatigue, and aches and pains throbbing deep within me. “I don't think what he did stuck.”

Relief flickers across Taylor's face, followed quickly by another frown. “Who is Rowan? How are we even here?” The tremor in her voice nearly breaks me.

I reach for her hand, lacing my fingers with hers. “I don't know who he is, but it's clear he's very powerful. I would have known of someone like him before. Elara, the witch who protects the packlands, would have told us if she was aware of his existence here, I’m sure.”

Elara had been at the pack meeting, her expression serious. If she’d known anything, she would have alerted our Alpha.

Hope sparks in Taylor's eyes. “Maybe she'll be able to find us then? If she’s magical, maybe she can trace us here?”

I don't have the heart to dim that hope, to tell her the odds are slim. I felt no magic in the forest earlier. Even though I was consumed with thoughts on how I was going to reveal my true nature to her, my wolf would have detected something should there have been a hint of magic.

Shame twists in my gut. “Taylor, I'm sorry for not telling you who I was before now. You had the right to know before we...” I trail off, the words sticking in my throat. Before I made love to her. She should have known who I was before I asked that of her. “I did wrong by you.”

She's quiet for a long moment, her gaze weighing and measuring. The bond between us thrums with a myriad of emotions, one pulsing fast after the other. When she finally speaks, her words are slow and deliberate.

“The dream...it gave me an understanding of our bond. How different it is from anything I've known. How different it is for…humans.” She shakes her head, meeting my eyes squarely. “I understand why it was hard for you to tell me, Liam. There was no good way to say it that wouldn't have shocked me or made me think you were crazy.” Her fingers tighten on mine. “But I also know everything you did was to protect me. I understand that. Fully.”

Sincerity resonates through the bond, wrapping around me like a balm.

“I'm grateful,” she continues softly. “You saved me. You've given me a future when I didn't have one before. I was helping my parents plan my funeral, and now...now I have a life to look forward to. Because of you.”

If we get out of here. Those words press on my tongue but I push them down. I can’t do that to her.

Tears glimmer in her eyes as she leans in, her lips brushing mine in the gentlest of kisses. “Thank you,” she breathes against my mouth.

I'm astounded by the strength of her spirit, the purity of her heart. That she can feel this way, even locked in a cold, dank cell.

“The Goddess blessed us both when we found each other,” I murmur, resting my forehead against hers.

Curiosity lights her eyes. “The Goddess? You keep mentioning her. Who is she?”

My gaze roams her face. I try to wipe a dirt streak off her cheek, but I only end up smearing it. I sigh and tell her what we’ve been told as far back as I can remember. “Wolf shifters believe in the Wolf Shifter Goddess. She's the one who first spliced human and wolf souls together, granting us the ability to shift eons ago. In payment for that gift, she made it so we only have half a soul until we find our fated mate.”

I shrug. “It sounds bleak, but most shifters find their other half. The Goddess works in mysterious ways to ensure our paths cross. Except...”

“Except what?” Taylor prompts gently.

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