Page 57 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

For a moment, I don't follow, and when I do, I feel irritated. “That’s because I am wearing hers.”

He looks at me like one would at an idiot. His gaze is pitying, with a hint of disgust. “She still needs yours.”

His voice is confident.

“You expect me to take advice from somebody who doesn’t even know who he is?” I scowl at him.

He shrugs. “I promised to save her if she rescued me. I did my part. Let her die if you want. She’s your mate, not mine.”

When he turns around, I feel uncertainty creep in. “If-if I’m already wearing her mating mark, why does she need to wear mine?”

He stops in his tracks and looks of his shoulder. “Balance. The mark of a female does not provide the balance.”

Right now, I am willing to try anything. “Are you saying that if I give her my mating mark right now, she’ll survive?”

“Why do you think she’s in this condition to begin with?” The man looks mildly annoyed. “Why take a mate when you can’t even protect her?”

His words make me flinch, and I look down at Sophia. Her skin is clammy, her color almost gray. She's struggling to breathe.

Why didn’t anybody tell me I had to give her my mating mark as well? Surely somebody must’ve known!

I’m not going to waste any more time. This is the only chance I have. Even if I don’t want to listen to this man, there is no way I can get her to a healer in time. Tilting her head back to expose her neck, I sink my teeth into the spot where my mark should always have been.

When I pull away, there’s no change in her color.

But then, I feel a throbbing sensation inside me. The thread that binds us is glowing brighter and brighter.

Sophia is breathing better, but she doesn’t wake up. There is something else I notice. The bond between us is enveloped in something sturdy now. My head lifts to look at the man standing across from me. He was right. But how did he know what to do?

“Do you also have a mate?”

The man’s hand automatically goes to his neck and he looks shaken. “I don’t know. I don’t remember anything.”

“Were the witches holding you captive?” I question. “You said that Sophia had to rescue you.”

“I was…” He looks around once again, as if very unsure of himself. "I don’t remember anything but being restrained. Theyused my blood. They tried to use me for other things, but I killed one of them. Then they only used me for my blood.”

“What were they doing with your blood?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know. All I remember is that room, that stone chamber. I begged them to kill me, but they wouldn’t.”

From the state of him, he’s probably been the witches' captive for years. And they probably only fed him enough for him to keep alive. Were they planning to do the same to me? Where did Sophia fit into their plan? Had she also been restrained?

I look down at my mate. Her color is returning. Our journey to the Central Alliance will undoubtedly be dragged out now, but I’m not going anywhere till she’s recovered. And I’m sure as hell not staying in this place.

My mate in my arms, I begin walking. The man starts to follow me.

“Where are you going?” I come to a halt, turning to stare at him.

He shrugs. “I don’t know.”

"Surely you must know something.”

He hesitates. "I was a…”

He pauses, his expression strained as if he’s trying to think. “I was a mercenary. I know that…I think. But I have no place to go.”

He had saved Sophia’s life, but our experiences with people joining us on our journeys had not exactly turned out well in the past.

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