Page 22 of Wolf Chosen

The wolf shakes his head, and relief washes over me as the light of recognition returns to his eyes. The bond between us rekindles, flooding my senses with his essence. I feel him expand inside me, filling the void with warmth and love. The bond snaps back into place, as if a piece of my soul, long missing, is there again. The air hisses between my clenched teeth.

He’s back. Thank God, he’s back.

I hadn't realized how deeply linked we were, how much his presence comforted and completed me. The world shifts on its axis, spinning more beautifully, more vibrantly than before. The enormity of our bond transcends anything I would have felt as a human. It’s so much deeper. More…complex. Vibrant. It’s filled with shades and color I’ve never noticed before. Subtle tones of emotion that are foreign to me, but that I accept as soon as I feel them.

I have to remember…I’m not fully human. Not anymore.

I sink to my knees and whisper in his ear. “I forgive you for not telling me about the bond, for not revealing we are fated mates. I understand why you didn’t want to scare me, but I'm not scared anymore. Not when it feels like this.”

Something within me stirs, an ancient awareness blinking open a golden eye in my mind before closing again. I stop, drawing my attention inside me, but whatever it was has gone.

I need answers. I need to speak to Liam, to understand what this is.

“Please, Liam. Please shift back. I need you.”

His wolf licks my cheek, a gesture of affection that both soothes and torments me. My fingers tighten in his fur, knuckles white with the force of my grip.

He’s not shifting.

Why isn’t he shifting?

A golden light limns the forest and a gentle warmth touches the top of my head. Above me, light shimmers, bright and warm and golden, casting dancing shadows across the forest floor. It’s so beautiful.

Mesmerizing.

It flickers and shifts into a silhouette that draws me in. I can’t stop looking at whatever this is. My stomach rolls. Weight forms and pushes against my skin from the inside. A light feeling tickles under my skin, so soft I could run my fingers over it. A knowing begging to be remembered teases my brain. A word tips on my tongue. A memory flitters just out of reach.

If only I could grasp whatever it is and make it solid, but every time I do it vanishes like mist.

The light shines so bright but it doesn't hurt my eyes. I’m not afraid of it, strangely enough. Then a face made of the light forms and slowly morphs into shape. It’s a female. A female angel. I reach up, wanting to touch her, but then my dream fades.

I want to bask in the angel’s light and warmth. She’s so warm. So comforting. I don’t want to go back to the cold and the hunger and the terror, but then I remember Liam is in my arms.

Liam, who is hurt.

Who is a wolf shifter.

Who has been tortured by a psychotic madman who is somehow magic.

So am I…

It shouldn’t be real. But it is. It’s too real. Too horrifying and we’re trapped in a dark cell and nobody knows where we are.

The dream vanishes and I snap back to wakefulness to find Liam’s human arms surrounding me and his bright hazel gaze filled with despair.

Chapter Twelve

Liam

The metallic tang of blood lingers in my nostrils as I slowly regain consciousness, my wolf's senses sharpening my human form. Every inhale brings a fresh wave of the coppery scent, mingling with the dank mustiness of the cell. My body aches, an unfamiliar sensation. Usually my accelerated healing takes care of any injuries within minutes, but this time is different.

Twinges of wrongness shudder through me as I recall hazy flashes… the glint of a blade, inky black liquid Rowan applied to each wound that burned like acid as it oozed into my veins. To what end, I have no idea. It wasn’t as though he explained anything to me. Instead he worked with quiet precision, lost in his thoughts.

I was nothing to him. Not a man, nor a wolf, but a means to an unknown, twisted end.

My wolf whines inside me, restless and unsettled. I try to reach for him to comfort through our bond but he shies away. Skittish.

A strange numbness spreads at my nape. Icy tendrils snake out and send stabbing pains into my skull. I grit my teeth against the building migraine. I can't afford any weakness, not now. Not when Taylor needs me.

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