Page 72 of Wolf Bound

“Always, kitten.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Talia

The warmth in my cheeks refuses to fade. To be mated to all of my men officially makes me feel complete in a whole new sense. Like every piece of me is finally settled and in place.

The men are setting up for the ritual that will help us unlock the magic of our people. I helped where I could, but I also could see I was getting in the way a bit. Instead of feeling like I’m in the way, I wander outside and give them space.

My bare feet move through the grass and dirt, the connection to the earth and nature seeping into me and making me feel calmer than I was in that room. I need to connect more, with my magic and my shifter side. I lay down in a small clearing, the sun dimmed through the canopy of leaves above me.

The feel of the grass around me fades as I close my eyes and will myself into the meadow. The subdued sun transforms into the golden glow of the goddesses light and I squint at the change. My peryton runs up to me, nuzzling into my side and coos with happiness.

“You feel it, too, right?” I ask, running my hand over her head. “The settling of our soul?”

She coos in response, bumping my hand harder with her head. We both sit in the warm, dry grass together, our breathing as in sync as our hearts. We are two parts to a whole, neither one able to exist without the other. While I’m in this meadow, we feel connected and separate. I can see her, smell her, touch her, yet I can also sense her, understand her on an impossibly deep level.

She’s as much a part of me as the hair on my head. My animal side. My magic.

“Are you ready for the ceremony today?” I ask with a nervous shake in my voice. “Because I’m feeling nervous about it. This is a big deal, awakening all the dormant magic of the shifters. What if bad ones like Marcus use it to hurt someone? What if we put more magic in the hands of someone evil?”

My peryton doesn’t answer, she just lays beside me, silently watching the sky. I follow her gaze and let the worry flow through me like waves of water.

It's easier to worry here, in the meadow of the goddess. There's a serenity and peace flowing through the very air itself. You can't find this kind of thing in the real world. At least not easily.

“Talia.”

The goddesses voice echoes over the meadow. My spine straightens under her attention as I wait for her to continue. Her voice moves through the air, through me, and I feel her in every part of my body.

"It's time. You must do what you were meant to do," The goddess says cryptically, not answering any of my fears.

"But what if--"

"No," she says the word simply, but with command. "I hear your worries, my child, but that is not for you to know nor for you to decide. To decide who can awaken and who cannot, or to withhold the powers that be, is to play with the threads of fate itself. No immortal or mortal is allowed to tamper with fate."

The weight of her words settle into me, soothing the worries in my soul. This is what free will is, the ability to choose what you do with what you have and are given. The goddess herself has to trust in her creations to choose what path they will walk.

"Go now, my champion. It's time."

Nodding my head, I wait for her presence to vanish before I move to stand. My peryton yawns and lays her head down, letting me know that this next part is on me. She's at peace, having mated with all of our mates. Now it's time to awaken the magic of the shifters.

Opening my eyes to the forest around me is like waking up from a light nap. I feel refreshed and ready to take on the ritual. My magic is excited for what's to come. This is what it's meant to do, our purpose in this crazy world. Our part in preparing everyone from the war ahead.

"There you are." Penn's voice comes from behind me, his steps soft and quiet as they approach.

I sit up and turn in time to see him squat beside me, his beautiful tattooed arms at eye level for me. My eyes follow them up until I reach his lopsided smile and sparkling blue eyes. As beautiful as the first time I saw him in that prison cell. That feels like a different life that happened forever ago. It's important for me to remember what they did to me, though. What they did to my mate, and what they do to the shifters that came before and after us.

They need to be stopped.

"Hey, baby girl. I'm here to escort you to the others, if you're ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." I take his hand and let him pull me to my feet. Dusting the grass and dirt off of me, I take a deep breath and center myself.

"This is a big moment," Penn says as he tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. "You're going to do amazing."

A smile stretches across my face and I nod. "Did you see that in a vision?"

"No, actually. I just know you and what you're capable of." Penn winks then takes my hand to lead me towards a different part of the pack lands.

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