Page 24 of Wolf Chosen

“In Willowbrook, no fated mates have bonded in the last twenty years. People started calling it a curse a decade ago. No one knows why fate stopped bringing us together. Many have left the pack, searching for their mate... but never finding them.” My jaw tightens. “Without that bond, shifters are adrift. Lost. And males... Males turn feral.”

Taylor sucks in a sharp breath, her nails digging into my skin. I see the pieces click together behind her eyes. “You... You would've?”

I nod. “Yes. If not for you, I likely would've lost myself eventually.”

Fierce protectiveness surges through the bond, startling me with its intensity. “Then we saved each other,” Taylor declares.

I'm speechless. In awe of this incredible woman fate saw fit to bind me to. No matter what fresh hell awaits us, I know beyond a doubt that my path led me to exactly where I was meant to be… at her side.

I make a silent vow to the Goddess that I will do whatever it takes to get Taylor out of here safely. Even if I have to lay down my own life to do it. She will have the future she deserves.

Suddenly, Taylor frowns, rubbing at her chest. Her eyes search mine. “What were you just thinking? I felt... something...”

I shake my head, mustering up a small smile. “Just that I'm so incredibly happy I found you, Taylor. You're my miracle.”

I gather her in my arms, taking comfort in her light form. She clings to me but the darkness presses in, thick and cloying and my head cycles with burning, unanswered questions about Rowan. Why we’re here. What the fuck he wants us for. The questions claw at my throat, but I swallow them back. The not knowing is almost worse than the pain I endured at his hands.

Almost.

Restless energy hums beneath my skin, an itch I can't scratch. I get up, needing to move. I prowl the perimeter of our cell, searching for any weakness, any chance of escape. But the bars are immovable, thrumming with a magic that sets my teeth on edge. The walls are solid rock, old blood staining them. There’s no telling how many people he’s imprisoned here. How many others he’s made suffer.

How many didn’t survive.

This place... It's wrong. It shouldn't exist. Not here, not in our territory. Mitch and Zane would have felt it. They patrol all the time. They must feel us now we’re here. Cindi must have alerted Mitch when we didn’t come back from the hike. How I wish we were back at the ‘Bite’ instead of here but I can't afford to tumble down that rabbit hole. Not when Taylor needs me present. Focused.

I have to get her out of here.

The thought of my mate suffering even a moment longer in this festering pit ignites a fury in my veins. I want to roar my rage, to tear into something, anything, but I ruthlessly shove the anger down. I can't give in to those base instincts, not when they could jeopardize our survival.

Taylor wraps her arms around her too-thin body and shivers. She’s so small curled on the ground. Too frail. She may be recovering, but the disease has still ravaged her body. I wrap myself around her fragile form, trying to infuse her with my warmth. She burrows into my chest, a tiny sigh fluttering against my skin.

“Liam,” she whispers, voice cracking. “I'm scared.”

“I know, baby. I know.” I tighten my hold, pressing my lips to her temple. “But I'm here. I'm not going to let anything else happen to you.”

Even as I say the words, doubt coils in my gut and she doesn’t press for more. Time blurs and stretches, marked only by the labored beat of our hearts. Taylor drifts into an exhausted sleep, but rest eludes me. I'm too wired, too on edge.

Something is wrong with my wolf. I can feel him, but he's distant. Hazy. As if he's been stuffed behind a wall of fog. When I finally manage to reach him, he snaps at my hand before whimpering and flinching away. Icy tendrils of fear curl around my spine.

I might be relatively unscathed…but my wolf isn't.

I'm dragged from my spiraling thoughts by the scuff of a footstep in the corridor. Instantly, every cell in my body is on high alert. Dread pools in my stomach as a familiar figure emerges from the shadows. I tighten my hold around my mate, somehow hoping I’ll be able to protect her with my body alone. Taylor jolts awake, a whimper catching in her throat. Stark terror pulses through our bond, turning my blood to ice.

Rowan stands at the bars, a cruel smile playing about his lips as he takes in our huddled forms. “I have need of you again, wolf. I've made some...modifications.”

“No!” Taylor's scream rips through the cell. She rises to her knees, putting herself between me and Rowan. “Leave him alone, you monster!”

“Taylor, no!” I cry out, reaching for her.

With a flick of Rowan’s wrist, Taylor is airborne. She slams into the far wall with a sickening crack, held immobile. Her cries of pain and fear shred my soul.

White-hot rage obliterates any semblance of control. My wolf explodes out of me in a maelstrom of fury and vengeance. I lunge for Rowan, fangs bared, ready to tear him limb from limb for daring to lay a hand on my mate.

Before I can reach him, an immense force crashes upon me. It smashes me to the ground, pinning me tight. I thrash and snarl, but I'm helpless. Impotent.

Rowan tilts his head as he studies me. He rubs his bottom lip with his thumb. “Fascinating. I have a much better idea of what to do now. It seems I owe you my gratitude for the inspiration.”

His power slithers over my mind, cloying and invasive. I try to shift back to human form, but agony lances through me. I'm trapped. I…can’t shift. I’m a prisoner in my own body.

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