Page 71 of Masked Fate

“What! Why?” I ask, frowning. I’d left her asleep, wanting to bring the food to her in bed. “Is she okay? Did something happen?”

“She heard your conversation with the maid,” she explains, wincing. “She was upset.”

Fuck.

I’d finally gotten somewhere with her last night, getting her to let her walls down a little and let me in, and now we’ve taken two steps back.

“I only want her,” I say, sighing heavily. “None of those other women ever meant anything to me, Astrid.”

“She told Pandora that you’d get bored, and you’re not a one-woman man,” Astrid says, twirling the end of her braid around her fingers. “And if I were in her position, that would have really hurt me because, in the back of her mind, she’s probably thinking it. I have to deal with Rave’s exes popping up everywhere, and I know how it feels. But with Pandora, you already have a complicated past, and I think she’s reallystruggling to trust you.”

“What should I do to show her that I’ll never cheat on her? I’ll be nothing but loyal to her.”

My sexual history is coming to bite me in the ass. I shouldn’t have fucked anyone who works on the castle grounds for one. I never thought how it would make my future mate feel because I never imagined me ever finding mine. It felt like a future pipe dream, not a reality.

“Just keep showing her that you mean what you say. Keep proving yourself. And stop being alone with females you’ve fucked, and for fate sake, stop calling them your pets.” She groans, rolling her eyes. “I love you, Soren, but sometimes for someone who has fucked so many women, you can be so dense.”

“I’m learning,” I grumble, raking my hand through my hair in frustration. I’ve never been in a relationship before, and I’m fucking trying, but I’m bound to make some mistakes. I hand Astrid the plate of food. “Tell Rave I’m going to Allyria.”

Wherever my little witch goes, I will follow.

And if she wants to be mad at me, that’s okay, but we will be doing that under the same-fucking- roof. I don’t want to give her time to build her walls back up again, and I don’t want any space between us.

It’s snowing hard when I zip into Allyria, the black brick castle and surrounding big, cherry blossom trees covered in a blanket of white. It’s beautiful, so I take a moment to admire it and enjoy the tranquility. This place was once my hell, but she has changed that. Pandora’s home is much more peaceful, with fewer people around than it is back home. I know their population is much less than the fae, but there aren’t many guards around either. Not to mention, the castle doesn’t have any fences surrounding it—it’s all open. I don’t really like that. When I step inside, the dim candlelit entrance greets me. The energy has changed here since Ebony has gone, and it’s visibly noticeable, a new warmthseeping into the castle that wasn’t there before. I know my mate brought that here. It’s gone from a desolate land to a winter wonderland. One I can see raising my future children in. Fire crackles in a huge hearth as I walk past the living area and toward her bedroom.

“Soren?”

The tall, muscular wizard stops before me, eyeing me closely.

Kainan.

“Yes?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

My gaze drops to the sword at his hip. I don’t have an issue with Pandora’s cousin, but I don’t know him, so my guard is up. I know she trusts him, but I don’t like that he didn’t just kill Ebony when he saw how she was treating Pandora.

“She’s a good queen,” he starts, his voice low so it doesn’t carry down the hall. “A kind yet fierce leader. She takes care of all the orphans and makes sure everyone in our kingdom has a place to call home.”

“I know,” I reply, wondering where he is going with this. My eyes widen when I realize. “You think I’m going to take her away from here?”

“She’s already in the Fae Kingdom so much because you are there,” he replies, shifting on his feet. “Yes, I can run everything well enough in her stead, but the kingdom needs her. She’s the only one who can protect us.”

I hadn’t really thought past us bonding, and it didn’t hit me until now that I’ll likely have to compromise and live here with her. I don’t like leaving Rave and Astrid, especially being Rave’s right-hand man and strongest warrior.

Not to mention his best friend.

But Pandora is queen, and I can’t ask her to turn her back on her kingdom. She makes it work, moving between both, and I can too. I need to speak to Rave and Astrid to make sure they are okay with that.

“I will support her as queen,” I assure him, placing my hand on his shoulder. “You don’t need to worry.”

“You will support her as king,” he replies, arching his brow. “I hope you are ready for that.”

Fuck.

I didn’t think about that. If we bond, I’ll be the King of the Witch Kingdom.

I can honestly say that’s not something I ever thought would happen in my life. I’m happy to simply be her consort.

I don’t need any titles.

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