Page 56 of The Alpha Wolf's Bullied Bride

Pressing my eyelids shut, I whimper. “Flynn…I need you…” I whisper with yearning tugging my heartstrings.

I have no idea what's going on with me. Absentmindedly, I clasp a hand over the left side of my neck where Flynn's teeth had sunk in earlier tonight, feeling the pulse of energy around the circle where he'd marked me. Gulping, my eyelids spring open the second I hear the earth being crushed under a large paw, and I just know that he's coming back.

The sense of knowing propels me forward as I run toward the woods, where I hear the leaves crackling under Flynn's steps. I know it's him, coming toward me. I don't have to think about it or try to make sense of it.

I justknow.

“Flynn!” I cry out, leaping over boulders with the prowess of lightning feet that I've never had before. I've never run as fast as I am now, running toward my mate.

“Lila!”he responds, but his voice is only in my mind. I would have believed that his voice rang out from somewhere inside the vast forest, echoing from the tree trunks, if not for witnessing him rushing toward me in wolf form.

I collapse with the realization that I've just connected to Flynn's mind link, my knees crashing on the ground with my palms flat on the earth in front of me. Flynn's dark wolf emerges from the shadows, his amber eyes glowing with worry as he shifts and grabs my shoulders with human hands.

“Lila?! What's going on?!”

“M-Miles…?” I stammer, relegating this strange feeling to the concern I have for my brother.

“He's safe,” Flynn nods as he gathers me into his arms. “I found him, Lila. I found him thanks to you.”

Quivering uncontrollably in Flynn's arms, I look up with a frown. “M-me?”

He nods, but the relief isn't enough to let the intense surge of power subside. On the contrary, it only burns more, and my limbs begin to feel like they're not attached to my body anymore.

“The fated mate bond,” he begins. “It's given me powers, Lila. Powers beyond my wildest dreams.”

“I—”

I choke, the only feeling left in my body the constriction of my throat, as if I'm about to stop breathing. Laying limply in Flynn's arms, I tremble with worry.

“Something's wrong,” Flynn panics, lifting me by the shoulders and gasping when he realizes that my body has turned limp. “Lila?!”

“I don't know what's happening,” I wail, eyes flitting to the glowing aura of blue spread out across my arms. “Look…”

Flynn's eyes follow mine, and another gasp of shock escapes him. He lifts my arm to inspect how my flesh pebbles with goosebumps the size of marbles.

“Miles! Where are you?!”he calls through a mind link—one that I can suddenly hear. I'm not going insane, because his lips don't move when he stares into my face.

Even though I'm not moving, my limbs begin to quake. My entire body shakes in Flynn's arms, his embrace loosening around me.

“Flynn? Flynn, what's happening to me?” I cry, snapping my head in the direction of my legs that stretch out, my joints cracking as silky fine hairs ripple across my flesh. He lays my head down and crouches over me, cradling my cheeks with both hands.

“It's happening, Lila,” he says calmly.

My frown deepens as my ribs break free from a cage. The sound of snapping bones is all I can hear. Even if it isn't painful, it's scary. I have no idea what's going on with me.

“Shh,” Flynn urges, staring deeply into my eyes as his lips toy with a warm smile. “Just remain calm. Allow it to take control.”

“I'm dying, Flynn!”

“You're not dying,” he chuckles, much to my dismay. How can he be so calm right now?

“Your wolf is finally emerging,” he says coolly, pressing a kiss on my forehead as he takes my hand and folds it into both of his. “I'm right here. I'm not leaving your side,” he solemnly swears with a gentle kiss on my hand. “Just breathe. You're gonna be fine.”

With Flynn's reassuring words of encouragement, I close my eyes and take a deep breath, the air flowing down my lungs and filling my body with a sense of calmness. Behind my eyelids, I see a valley of rich greenery, the cascading ebbs and flows of nature's waves carved in the ground.

The scene moves in my vision, brightened by the sun's warm rays that seem to kiss my cheeks. The embankment of the flowing river is on the horizon, a stream of cool water flowing between my toes when I glance down.

I exhale languidly, the vision becoming clearer with every second that passes. The sweet sound of a child's laughter rings out and draws my attention to the right, where across the rocks, a dark-haired boy not older than five skips and giggles and calls out to his father.

---