Page 32 of The Highseer's Mate

“And you aren’t acting like a Highseer.”

My chest flares bright, a coil of anger tearing through my bones. “You are not mated, Draxel.”

“And I hope I never am!”

The male puffs out his chest in a challenge. I swear if we weren’t spryts together, chasing each other through the glowhollows until my father dragged us back to the chamber and swatted us on the mane, I would take him on. He’s selfish and bull-headed. A perfect hunter.

A flawed male.

I step forward, challenging him in return. “One day, you will—”

My mane stands on end, the hairs shooting straight up as I sense something is wrong.

Draxel notices right away, his brows knitted. “What?”

“I think it’s—”

And then I hear her voice.

Paige screams for me, her voice strained with pain. I flinch and then sprint to the shortest route, jumping straight down through the tunnels and sliding down the jagged, rocky shortcut.

Pain flares through my chest as she screams again, this time even more desperate. She’s inside the glowhollows. I can sense her pain, her need, but I can’t pinpoint her.

I find my footing on the soft, dirt ground and take off, pumping as hard as I can to get to her. Fear claws at my chest as her screams morph into something I haven’t thought of in decades.

My mother.

My desperate mother.

I push myself harder, pounding the ground with my feet and heaving in the air as I run to her. My glows are on fire, burning through my veins like boiling water. This feeling—this intense vice around my heart—unlocks my instincts. I quiet my breathing and hear murmurs up ahead. Males.

But no Paige.

I sprint around the corner to find a grouping of males standing around looking at something on the ground. I catch a glimpse of her, collapsed in the dirt with her hand clutching her heart and mine nearly stops.

“Move!” I shout.

The males disperse, scattering like moths.

I throw myself on the ground next to my mate and wrap her up in my arms, cupping her cheek and shaking her softly.

“Paige?” I beg her to wake up. “Paige? I’m here.”

She whimpers but her eyes don’t open and I’m terrified. I can’t breathe. I squeeze her to my chest and lift her up, shoving the onlooking males out of the way.

“Selvara!” I scream out as I make my way to her private chambers. She usually does not accept us into her private quarters for healing, but I don’t care. She’s going to take Paige and she’s going to figure out what’s going on with her.

My heart pounds in my chest as I call out to Selvara again and sprint as fast as I can, cradling Paige’s limp body as close as I can to mine. I can hardly see straight when the healer’s leathers come into view and I yank them aside, striding in to find Selvara bleaching a hide.

“She collapsed. She called out to me. I—”

Selvara rises and points to her hammock.

I cross the room and lay Paige down, nuzzling her as Selvara makes her way to the other side. As I caress her flushed cheeks, she groans and her eyes flutter open.

“Varek?” Her voice cracks and I swear I could die.

“Mate. I’m here,” I tell her.

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