Page 39 of Forsaking His Mate

“I don’t know how to fix this.”

“Wanting to is the first step.”

I rub my chest. “I can feel the suffering she’s going through.”

“The mating bond needs to be nurtured,” she says. “You know that.”

I do, but how do I do that without risking her life?

How do I leave her in this much pain?

How do I ignore my own agony too?

I wince. “This is for the best,” I say, but even as I speak the words, they seem hollow.

“You think this is better than working through the moon sickness with the one person who has been able to control you?”

“The spells you cast work fine,” I mutter.

“What if I’m not here, Abel, and you’re triggeredagain? You think you’re a danger to her, but the truth is you’re more dangerous without her.”

Those words hit me like a wrecking ball, because she’s right. Even now, despite the anger thrumming through the bond, I feel calmer than I ever have and I know that is because of her presence inside me.

I can deny it all I want, but my wolf feels more settled than ever before. I am more in control of the animal that shares my consciousness and I know that is because of the mating bond.

“You truly believe that?” I ask.

Hester nods. “I don’t know how fated bonds work, Abel, but I do know that whatever magic ties us to our mates is rarely wrong. She was made yours for a reason. Going against your bond won’t end well for either of you. Do you really want to watch her fade away slowly and painfully? Because that’s what you’re condemning her, and yourself, to.”

My heart clamps so tightly my breath catches in my throat. “Fuck,” I mutter. “I thought I was saving her.”

“Not like this. This isn’t how you save her.”

I close my eyes, squeezing them shut, and focus on the bond between us. It is the first time I have allowed it to flow freely, without keeping it subdued so I could breathe without feeling her torment.

As soon as I open it, I stagger. There’s so much pain coming from her.

Fuck, I can’t draw air into my lungs.

My wolf howls, pawing at the ground, but I can’t help him either. This is unbearable. How the fuck could I subject her to this agony? My insides crumble.

Hester reaches out to steady me. “You okay?” she asks.

I pull free of her hold, staggering as I do. “I’ve got to talk to her.”

I stumble out of the backdoor and into the cold.

With our bond fully open, I can feel her clearly now, and even if I didn’t know she was at the lake, I would be drawn in that direction anyway.

As I get closer, I can sense more of her and it feels as if my head is swimming with the need to have her.

I know the moment she knows I’m here—a feeling of anger mixed with upset that pushes down the bond.

It makes the air catch in my throat.

Tessa keeps her eyes on the lake, her chin buried in the scarf that’s wrapped around her neck. I know the mating mark I gave her is beneath it and I wonder if she purposely covered it up.

“Go away,” she says, the bitterness unmistakable in her tone. I don’t blame her for it. I deserve it.

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