Page 17 of Forbid Me

Looking up at my unexpected protector in this whirlwind of madness, I saw concern and a depth of emotion in his gaze that took my breath away. There was an intensity there. A fierce protectiveness mingled with a gentleness that appeared at odds with his formidable presence. And man, was he in top form. He was breathtaking, his features striking in a way that transcended the conventional handsome. There was a raw, untamed beauty about him, as if he'd been carved from the very essence of the wild.

His eyes, dark and penetrating, saw right through to my soul, offering a sense of security I had been craving since my mother's passing. The connection between us was palpable, a tether that pulled with a magnetic force. It was a strange, inexplicable trust, one that defied logic or reason. I didn't even know his name. However, the bond I felt with him was as solid as the ground beneath my feet.

His lips parted, and he said something, but my brain was still ringing from the intradimensional opening and the portal travel. The world was still trying to right itself. Thankfully, he held on to me.

"It was real," I whispered, more to myself than to him. "Everything I saw in my vision." The vision of the portal's opening in the Crossroads was not just a figment of my imagination.

"You have visions?" He let out a huff and looked away from me. "Just like him."

"Just like who?"

If he answered, I didn't hear him.

Another vision hit me—a car hidden among the trees, a secret refuge for two teenagers caught in their own world. I saw the keys left in the ignition, a lifeline thrown to us as our pursuers closed in. The car was fueled by magic. I saw us taking it, leaving behind a story the teenagers would struggle to explain.

"Shift," came the deep, growling voice of my savior, my fated mate.

I realized this wasn't the first time he'd said that. Earlier, I'd been too caught up in the sight of him. There was an elegance in his stance, a predatory grace that spoke of his strength and agility. Yet it was the softness in his eyes when he looked at me, the slight curve of his lips that hinted at a smile that truly mesmerized me. It was in that moment I understood the true power of a fated mate—not just a partner chosen by destiny, but a soul so perfectly aligned with one's own that their mere presence brought a sense of peace to the plaguing chaos.

Yeah, my entire worldview had certainly shifted.

"We're not out of danger. They're still after us. We need to shift and run."

"Shift?" I echoed, puzzled. I was on the verge of mentioning the car I'd just envisioned when he dropped that bombshell that left me reeling.

Me? He wanted me to shift and run? But how did he know I was?—

"Into your panther," he said, discarding his leather jacket.

"How do you know I'm a panther?"

His gaze on me sharpened, as if he found my ignorance baffling. "We don't have time for this, princess. We have to get back to King Dion."

"King?" The word felt foreign on my tongue. "Princess?"

Was this a term of endearment or an actual title? Was I, by some twist of fate, a princess from another realm? The timing of his arrival,coinciding with the portal's opening, hinted at a reality far beyond my imagination.

It all made sense. I hadn't come from the Crossroads. I'd never believed I belonged there, having never quite fit in. And my father and my animal had both been kept secret from me my whole life.

A crown and a mate in one day, and it wasn't even my birthday.

"They're coming. You need to shift now. Shift into your panther."

Shame enveloped me, the realization of my inability to shift into my animal form exposed in the most vulnerable manner. I'd never managed to shift, a failure that haunted me, now laid bare before him. He was tugging at the back of his shirt, about to do one of those one-handed tugs to pull it over his head. It was one of those things I loved watching a man do, so I was surprised I found my tongue instead of watching the free show.

"I don't even know your name," I managed to say, an attempt to deflect from my inner turmoil.

"It's Oz," he revealed, his identity adding another layer to himself as well as a new layer of skin. "I'm the panther king's second."

"Nice to meet you, Oz. I'm Stella, your fated mate."

His reaction was not what I expected. He visibly clenched his jaw. The lines of tension etched across his features felt like the prelude to my greatest fear being realized.

A wave of icy dread washed over me. My heart thudded painfully, the sensation echoing against my ribs. I wanted to take a step back, to head back through that portal right back to the Crossroads, and back under Ken's thumb, than face this possibility.

Was I about to be rejected?

Oz's rigid stance, the set of his shoulders, every minute signal from his body screamed a warning. He was going to do it.

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