Page 30 of A Trial of Fate

Chapter Eight

Imade it, and just in the nick of time.

Dusk took hold of the village as the evening stars shimmered in the blackened night sky. I dropped my book off in the library of the alpha’s wing and raced out toward the meadow. The trek was simple enough, and it wouldn’t take much time for me to get there. I could see crowds of people gathering up ahead, with adults and young ones along the edges surrounding those of us old enough to shift for the first time. The speckled cloudy evening allowed a partial view of the stars and moon above. The instinct to shift would begin once the full moon reached its apex.

We were all taught at a young age that each one of our animals would choose when and where they would appear. This was an accepted part of our magic and not something we could control or predict. There were definitely signs, but there was no guarantee when a shifter would change for the first time.

Before I reached the tree-lined trail to the meadow, a familiar voice caught my attention. “There you are, Sky.”

I stopped, frozen in my steps on the dirt trail from shock at hearing the sound of his voice again. “Xander?”

He stepped out into the clearing, and I detected his spicy aroma which always reminded me of cinnamon. His dark brown hair curled at the nape of his neck, flowing in lazy waves along his brow line with a new beard grazing his jaw. His cocoa-colored eyes were narrowed and focused solely on me. I quickly recovered from my shock and slapped on an indifferent expression that I had perfected since he ended our relationship the morning after his first shift.

“I was wondering when you were going to show up.”

“Why do you care? I thought I was no longer your problem when you broke things off last year.”

His mouth twisted into a firm thin line as he took in a labored breath before stuffing his hands into his loose pants pockets. “I never meant to hurt you, Sky. It’s just…”

“It’s just that I am only a half-shifter, right?” Xander’s dark brows lifted. A look of unease flashed, before his hard-edgedexpression returned once more. “Save it,”I said, holding my hand up and shaking my head, not wanting to hear another word out of his mouth.

I could have stormed off right then and there, but then I would be no better than he was. I didn’t want to, but I turned to face him.

“Look…” I sighed, hating being the bigger person in this. “The sting of your rejection and lack of explanation last spring wasn’t easy for me, but I decided a while ago to move on.” It was his turn to look surprised. “How can I help you, Xander?”

He frowned, his eyes turning somber. And if I didn’t know any better, I swore he seemed hurt by what I had just said. “I… Gods. Above,” he cursed. “I just… I just wanted to make sure you were here tonight. That’s all. I wouldn’t want it to be your time to shift, and you were not here with the others…”

“Again. Why do you care, Xander?”

“I never stopped caring, Skylar,” he admitted, and I felt a flicker of cold snake its way up my spine.

“Then… what?” I was completely thrown off my game. If I had any to speak of.

Xander had dumped me the morning after his first shift and, regrettably, after giving him head the night before. He had cut all ties with me, barely looking me in the eye or talking to me since then. I had always assumed it was because I was only a half-shifter. Never good enough for his pure bloodline to mix with.

After all, he was currently with a lioness shifter whose family was very outspoken against allowing half-shifters into the higher ranks within the pack. Thankfully, they didn’t want to exile me, but they did not approve of my status in Gilen’s patrol guard. They believed I should focus on my healing gifts and only train as a healer.

“I never stopped thinking about you. I can’t explain it, but even though you were not my mate, my animal was somehow drawn to you.Isdrawn to you.”

“Okay. Not weird at all,” I said with a heavy dose of sarcasm paired with an eye roll.

“You’re a remarkable female, Skylar, with a sharp wit and caring heart. Plenty of males still have their eyes on you.”

“Even though…” I began, but he abruptly cut me off.

“Your power shines through the bullshit politics of the elders and you know it.”

This was beginning to turn uncomfortable. “All right. That’s enough, Xander.” I didn’t need to travel down this road with him. Itwould only lead me into trouble.

“I know it doesn’t make sense, but… I wanted you to know that I was told to leave you alone. When the mate bond wasn’t there, I was ordered to back off.”

What the actual fuck?My eyes widened with disbelief at his confession.

“Skylar!”

My head snapped around, recognizing the voice of the shifter who, only last night, had stolen my breath away with an earth-shattering kiss under the willow tree. Gilen’s golden blond hair was free-flowing in the night’s breeze, and his honeyed hazel eyes glowed when he saw me, before hardening as they darted back to Xander.

“I was just leaving,” Xander countered, lowering his gaze and dropping his shoulders in a submissive stance toward Gilen.

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