Page 15 of Wolf Bound

“What the fuck did you just say to me?” Forrester growls, pushing half of his body over the middle seats to see me through the open door.

“You heard what I said.” I pull back my shoulders, glaring at him in challenge. Forrester pauses, his wolf flashing in his eyes. He may have some super special shifter powers that allow him to see my weaknesses in my emotions, but my demons and I are best friends, so he can’t use them against me.

Drayton steps between us, his eyes on Forrester, but his words for both of us. “That’s enough. These petty squabbles can happen when we get the hell out of here. Right now, our only objective is to get away from this area and back to safety. We have a long drive ahead of us, so buckle up and shut the fuck up.”

Forrester shoots a venomous look my way one more time before dipping back into his seat. He may say he’s no longer pack and won’t listen to the alpha, but we all know those are empty words. Forrester is throwing a hissy fit because he’s confused about the grief surrounding his father’s death. The truth is, the sooner he comes to terms with the fact that Drayton did what he did for the pack, but especially for him, the better.

Wes has been standing silently behind us this whole time, not uttering a word since we departed for the castle earlier. To be honest, I can only imagine the types of impressions he got while there and what he feels coming from our mate.

Looking over my shoulder at the sad, haunted look on Wes’ face, I grimace. His gaze meets mine just before he squeezes his eyes shut tightly, his signal to us that he’s processing something deep and unable to vocalise anything at the moment.

“I’ll drive.” That’s all I say to him, before giving him the space he needs right now. None of us are going to like the conversations that come later. The one with Wes and his impressions will be hard, but the one with our mate when she’s awake will probably destroy us.

Talia shifts in my arms, a soft, breathy sigh escaping her lips. We all freeze, even our breaths are coming out quiet and shallow in anticipation. She settles quickly, her eyes never opening. The wound on her shoulder looks completely healed, thankfully. Her healing speed is impressive, which is saying something coming from me. I’m the best enforcer around because not only am I lethal, but other packs joke that I’m immortal.

Now that she’s settled, we collectively let out our breath. Drayton is the first to move, jumping into the middle seat and holding his arms out for her. Laying her across the seat ever so gently, I place her head in Dray’s lap. This way he can keep an eye on her breathing and if she wakes up on the drive.

The other pack members are already idling in the four other vehicles, ready to move out when we are. I nod in their direction, moving around the SUV to jump in the driver’s seat. Adjusting the mirrors, I give everyone a quick glance over.

The feeling in the SUV is sombre and heavy, almost as if we’d failed. When I pictured the moment I would meet my fated mate, it was always joyous and loving. Today is anything but that.

We saved Penn, we rescued our mate, and we temporarily disbanded the Croisés. This should be a time of celebration.

My fear is that there’s too much history behind the five of us. Talia may be the one to heal these wounds that tear at our brotherly bonds, but is it fair to ask that of her? From whatwe saw and what Wes is currently processing, she has her own wounds that need to be healed. While as her mates, we should be the ones to help her heal, I’m not sure any of the others, outside of myself and Penn, have the capacity to do that.

Drayton is the only one I’m likely to get through to. Penn could work on Forrester if he doesn't split the moment we get to packlands. Wes will have to fight his demons and work through his hesitations the same way he insists on doing everything, by himself.

My eyes flicker to Talia in the rearview mirror, her soft red lips parted and her teal hair scattered around her face. This pack isn’t what it should be, not yet at least, and bringing her into this mess feels wrong. I guess that means it’s time to stop pussyfooting around the issues and force everyone to face their shit.

Our mate is counting on us, and goddess damn us all, if we don’t pick ourselves up and be the mates she deserves. I will kick everyone’s ass and shove their faces into their demons’ assholes until they can be the wolf shifters I know they are.

Now thatthatplan is hatched, there’s only one last problem to solve; What kind of shifter is our beautiful mate? Because there’s no way in hell her scent is wolf.

Chapter Nine

Talia

“Do you think we’ll be missed?” I murmur to my peryton, my head on her front shoulder as we curl up together in the valley. The warm light still shines down on us, keeping us safe and comfortable as we float in the afterlife.

My peryton snuffles in sadness, bumping her nose against the side of my face seeking comfort. Brushing my own face against hers, I let a solitary tear leak from my eye, dropping onto her fawn coloured nose. Death isn't scary for us; we both knew it would come far sooner to us than others. It's been inevitable since I learned what it was as a young girl.

Every time I’ve thought about dying before, and it's been a lot over the span of my captivity, I thought it would be more of a void you fall into. Not cold or endless, just peaceful and calming. This is close, but it’s also just the same valley I’ve visited while I was still alive.

The golden glow has always been one of my favourite things, so I’m a lot more content with this ending. I get to stay for eternity with my peryton in the valley that’s saved us countless times. It’s actually a lot more fitting than the whole void idea.

“It’s time to wake,”the voice from earlier whispers in from the glow.“This is not death, dear one. Your heart beats still. Go now, back to consciousness. Your mates await.”

“My mates?” I ask, the word pulling hard at my heart. Penn's face fills my vision and the face of a black wolf, both unknown and familiar.

I'm here in this valley because I was stabbed. I remember the pain, the blood, and the fear. Pushing myself to think back further, I picture the escape, Penn's assurance of reinforcements. The chance at freedom with my five fated mates.

"My mates." The words come out again, this time a statement of hope instead of question. "I need to get back to my mates. To my freedom."

"Yes, my child. You are the beginning,"the woman declares, her voice booming out around the valley."You will lay the path for the others. The beginning, the middle, and the end. It's time for the rise of the Champions of Adessa. It's time for your true potential to awaken."

The Champions of Adessa. Why does that sound familiar to me? I can't place it right now, but it's tickling my mind anyways. It's probably best to tuck it away until I can get a better grasp of everything going on. There's so much I don't know or don't understand at the moment, and I need to start with some of the other puzzle pieces I have before adding this one to the picture.

The voice has disappeared, taking some of the extra warmth of the valley with it. Whoever she is, my magic and my peryton trust her wholeheartedly. That's more than enough for me to trust her as well. I need to walk out of the valley now and face whatever is waiting for me there. If the voice is to be believed, it's my mates and my freedom waiting for me.

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