Page 72 of A Trial of Fate

“But we arenota mated pair.”

I couldn’t believe what he was saying. I shook my head, trying to make sense of this, but nothing was coming to light. I did know, however, that my animal did not want him to claim us. There was something else he was not telling me.

“My parents don’t share a true mate bond…” Gilen answered, his eyes narrowing with a look of hurt flashing across his face.

Everyone knew Alistar and Helen were not a mated pair, but still, they chose each other and bore Gilen. They took a risk, joining themselves together while knowing they were not mates, but there was also a difference…

“I can’t let you claim me, Gilen,” I said slowly, trying to make him understand. “I’m the champion of the trials, and I’m going to the Inner Kingdom.”

“Not if I claim you,” Gilen shot back. I didn’t know what to say or how to respond to that. “That’s why I asked Shaw if he would take your place. If the champion is mated or claimed, the High Faewill not take you. Especially if it’s the alpha’s claim.”

“You are not the alpha, Gilen.”

Gilen’s frustration was building, and I could see his rage was on the verge of exploding. “That was why I left that night, Skylar. I needed a moment to calm down, and then my father pulled me aside and explained everything to me. He is willing to pass the leadership of the Solace pack to me without a challenge. He would have done it that night… but I refused. I needed to see you first.”

“But I left the meadow to find you.”

Gilen lowered his gaze to the ground, guilt and shame crossing the features on his face. “I didn’t find you in time.”

My head was spinning. Was this an option I could take?Do I say fuck off to my animal and accept Gilen’s claim on me? Do I allow Shaw to take my place? Or do I honor my commitment and go?

“Gilen, am I your mate?” I asked again, realizing he never answered me the first time.

Gilen sucked in a deep breath and sagged his shoulders. “No.”

My animal sent a smugI told you sofeeling through our bond.Shut it,I would scream if we could actually speak to one another.

“I still want to claim you, Skylar.” Gilen moved closer and reached out to try and kiss me. For a second, I allowed myself to imagine what it would be like to say yes. To give into what I thought my heart wanted. But then, a different feeling flooded my senses. Instinct told me to fight back and run away.

“No!” I screamed with a push of power in my command. Gilen staggered back, the look of dismay etched into the lines of his face. “I will not allow you to claim me.” I rose from the ground and gave him a cold stare. “I thought I cared for you, Gilen. I even imagined that we could be mates, but you just want to use me.” This wasn’t enough for me.

“How… how could you say that?” he demanded, standing to meet my challenge.

“I will not be used as a pawn and placed on the mantel of a male who only sees me as a trophy.” He hadn’t realized it yet, but I had figured outwhyhe wanted to claim me. The truth of that betrayal cut just as deep as the scars on my back. “You said it yourself, Gilen. Once my powers emerged, your father made this pairing. If you claim me, we share a bond that allows us to exchange our power. You want me… just because I can increase your strength as alpha. To share my magic in a claiming mark.”

Gilen balled his fists, his patience disappearing and expressionturning to pure rage. “You willnotdeny me, Skylar.” The lack of denial only sealed in the pain of the truth.

“I already have,” I answered back.

He started to move forward, and I could tell his instincts were driven wild by a push from his animal. The need to claim what he believed was his had taken over. I stepped back and held up my hands.

“Stop, Gilen. I said no!”

He ignored my warning and continued to move toward me. Shit—I didn’t want this life. Gods, Rhea and Shaw were right. I didn’t want to merely be a breeding tool for a male who only wanted to use me for my gifts and not respect me as their equal. I needed more than that.Iwas worth more than that.

“I said no!” I commanded this time, sending a pulse of my power through my words. “Stop.”

Gilen froze, unable to take another step forward.

Panic rushed through me, and before I could think or say anything else, I grabbed my discarded clothes and took off at a run through the woods.

I ran until my feet were numb and my chest burned with fire. I ran until I was certain no one was following me. Until I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was alone. I gasped for air as I leaned up against a tree trunk, pulling my clothes back over my naked body as the night closed in around me.

Somehow, I had overpowered Gilen with some kind of magic. An alpha command? I melted to the ground and looked down at my trembling hands.

What the hell kind of power was that?What did I do?

Instead of breaking down and crumbling to pieces, I pushed the fear aside and latched onto my rage. I clenched my fists and beat them hard against the dirt, screaming with frustration into the emptiness of the night. Exhausted, my head slumped onto the cold ground, and I curled up into a ball on the forest floor. I rocked back and forth, trying to steady myself, repeating a mantra over and over again:

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