Page 54 of Wild Fated

There was a flicker of something in his eyes. A glimmer of hope, or maybe it was desperation. The same desperation I felt. I couldn’t do this by myself.

I dropped my hand to his chest, then closed my eyes and tried to feel. To sense the energy flowing through him, just like he'd shown me. It was like standing on the edge of a river, the current rushing past, just out of my reach. I needed to step in, to let the water flow over my skin. I took a deep breath and imagined myself wading into that river, feeling the icy coldn seep into my bones.

Then it was there. All of it. His pain, his fear. I was plunged into the storm. I didn't know exactly what I was trying to do, but I listened. Floated. I thought of the river flowing through me, and I pictured it merging with his. Like two tributaries coming together to form a single, more powerful current.

"Lana, what are you doing?" Destin gasped.

I took a deep breath and tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. I was toofull.

His breath was ragged, and I could feel his heartbeat under my palm. "You don't want to see that part of me. It's not?—"

I pushed harder, and his eyes widened. He was afraid. Not of me, but of what I would find. Of the darkness lurking beneath the surface. His wild, untamed parts that I already loved.

The rivers linked, and while I knew he could feel me, I flooded every piece of my own emotions into him. The way my heart ached every time I saw him, the way my skin tingled when he touched me. The way I needed him more than air.

I felt his resistance, the walls he'd built around himself, and my wolf surged through me, searching, longing for his.You don’t have to be alone. Neither of us have to do this alone.

“Yes.” Destin panted, gripping my hand with his. “Yes, Lana. I would be your mate.”

My eyes flew open, and before I understood what I was doing, I lifted the dagger and turned Destin’s hand in mine.

"Lana, wait!" Callista stepped forward, her eyes wide.

My eyes snapped to hers, and Evelyn startled. I don’t know what she saw there, but the blood drained from her face. “Trust me, Callie.”

She nodded once and stepped back. I dropped the blade to my hand, and it cut easily through my skin, releasing a crimson stream that coated the metal. Destin hissed as I did the same over his palm.

Instantly, the dagger vibrated, surging forward like it had at the pools the first time I’d let it taste my blood. I wrenched my arm back, then turned my hand and slammed my bloody palm against his.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

Destin

Heat seared through me the moment our palms pressed together, Lana’s blood mixing with mine. It was more than pain—it was energy, raw and unfiltered, surging through every nerve like wildfire. The connection between us locked tight, and I couldn’t pull away even if I wanted to. Her pulse slammed into mine, relentless, merging until I couldn’t tell where her heartbeat ended and mine began.

My wolf surged forward, wild and howling, claws raking at the inside of my skin. The bond wasn’t gentle—it was furious and consuming, burning through all my defenses. My muscles strained as the force pressed down on us both, and for one brief moment, it felt as if I’d unravel, as if everything I’d built inside myself—walls, anger, solitude—would collapse.

And then, just as violently as it came, the pressure released. My hand ripped away from hers, and I dropped to my knees, gasping. Beside me, Lana knelt too, her breath ragged. Blood smeared across both our palms, bright and vivid. Something inthe air shifted. I was a lone wolf. I didn't do connections. I didn't do bonds or packs or any of that bullshit. But this? This was something different. Something I couldn't deny even if I wanted to.

Kael surged forward, and Lana was on her feet in an instant, lunging to block his advance. "Don't take another step closer to my mate."

Mate.i stared at my palm, the wound she’d cut with the dagger already sealing closed, and in its place, the head of a wolf in half shadow, half light. Lana had marked me, but not with teeth or claws.With her blood.

Kael held up his hands and stepped back. Behind him, the three warriors had shifted into their wolf forms. They prowled closer, and then, in a smooth, fluid motion, Lana shifted.

Her wolf exploded forward—larger, more regal than I remembered. Her fur was still gray and white, but now it gleamed with a new power, her shoulders broader, her frame taller. A leather satchel appeared around her neck, the dagger and book suddenly gone from the ground, tucked next to her heart.

She stood at full height, looking more like an alpha than any wolf I’d ever seen. My wolf stirred at the sight of her, wild admiration rippling through me. She was stunning—strong, commanding, untouchable.

Not for me, she wasn’t.Mate.Heat coiled low in my gut, spreading like a fever through my limbs. My hands curled into fists, nails biting into my palms. My skin felt too tight. Lana had marked me, but my wolf stirred violently, and every fiber of control I’d gained around Lana snapped like a twig.

“Lana.” My voice was rough. Desperate. I wanted that bed in the forest. I wanted to take her there against the rock wall and prove that I was worthy of her. That I had the strength to live up to the glorious creature in front of me.

And then I heard her. Not her voice in the air, but in my mind.My blood is your blood.The words hit me like brick wall, the bond between us roaring alive. Her presence wasn’t just near—it wasinsideme, woven into every cell in my body.

“Lana,” I pleaded, my hands already trembling. I needed her, or I was going to crumble. Shatter. Burst at the seams.

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