Page 80 of Lord of the Lone Wolf
“You belong with us and Auslin,” the dragon continued, shocking Maseo further. “Only when we have you both safe under one roof can we rest in peace.”
Maseo’s voice grew unsteady. The hope rising in his chest felt dangerous and foolish. “What am I to you and Auslin?”
The dragon’s eyes flared brighter as he pulled back to meet Maseo’s gaze, although he maintained their intimate embrace. “Auslin also feels it, although such bonds are so rare that we thought them mere legend until we felt the pull toward you.”
Maseo’s breath caught in his throat. “What bonds?”
“The trinity bond,” the dragon murmured, the words carrying a reverence that made Maseo shiver. “When three souls are?—”
The dragon’s voice cut off, his expression contorting. Kitsuki’s eyes squeezed shut, his hands clenching into fists as he fought for control. The air in the tent seemed to vibrate with his internal struggle, the silver flames in the brazier flaring higher.
Kitsuki stumbled backward, putting distance between them with such haste that he almost knocked over a chair. When hiseyes opened again, they were blue once more, although flecks of silver still danced in their depths. His composed demeanor shattered from what had transpired between them.
“Forgive me. My dragon has become unruly, and the stress of warfare has weakened my control.” He ran a trembling hand through his hair, unable to meet Maseo’s gaze. The unmistakable scent of arousal hung heavy in the air between them. “That never should have happened.”
Trinity bond. The term echoed in Maseo’s mind, leaving him more confused than ever. It was something he had only heard in fairy tales. But hope burned in his chest like wildfire, consuming all caution and reason.
Maseo struggled to compose himself as his body thrummed with unfulfilled need. His heat demanded completion that would not come, leaving him aching and hollow. While he felt relieved they hadn’t crossed a line that couldn’t be uncrossed, he suffered from a desperate need for the touch he had been denied. He forced himself to suppress his wolf shifter instincts that urged him to present, to submit, to be claimed.
“I understand the strain you’re under.” Maseo hesitated, shame coloring his cheeks. “I also responded in ways I shouldn’t have. Your dragon isn’t to blame.”
“No, you do not understand,” Kitsuki said with self-recrimination coloring his tone. “There is no excuse for such behavior. I am a mated king. I should have better control, especially when you are in heat.”
“The last thing I want to do is give Auslin or you another reason to hate me.”
Kitsuki’s head snapped up, genuine surprise crossing his features. “Maseo, neither of us hates you.”
Maseo’s voice cracked with emotion. “How can you not? If Auslin knew what just happened, he would think I’m trying to ruin your mating bond as I did with his relationship with Kio.” His hands trembled at his sides. “First, I came between him and Kio, and now this? He would never forgive me, nor should he.”
“This is different.”
“What’s wrong with me?” Maseo continued, anguish overtaking his features. “I finally found a place where I might belong, with people who see me as something more than Nasume’s half-breed disappointment, and I’m risking ruining it all because I can’t control myself around you.”
“It was not you, Maseo. That was your heat.”
Maseo ran his hands through his hair, desperation clear in every line of his body. “I don’t want to destroy the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Kitsuki hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and grasping Maseo’s shoulders to ground him. “Stop. This is not your fault. There are things happening here that we do not yet understand.”
Maseo looked up, his eyes bright with unshed tears. “The trinity bond?”
Kitsuki’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t look away. “Yes,” he acknowledged after a long pause. “That, and whatever fate Sophina has in store for us. None of this is happening by accident. It was your shifter instincts reacting to your heat.”
Maseo appreciated Kitsuki’s efforts to comfort him, but he still felt a deep sense of shame. “All I want to do is prove I deserve the chance you’ve given me.”
Kitsuki squeezed his shoulders in a brief, reassuring gesture before letting his hands fall away. “Your desire to help is admirable. But I cannot risk you, Maseo. Not with Nasume.”
Hearing his name sent a warmth through Maseo that he tried to ignore. He couldn’t dwell on the way his body tingled where Kitsuki’s dragon had touched him or the persistent ache of unfulfilled need that his heat continued to stoke.
“Then what can I do? I can’t stand aside while others risk their lives based on my information.”
“You will continue to fight alongside me,” Kitsuki replied. “Your knowledge of Kunushi tactics and terrain has already proven invaluable. And when the time comes for you to confront your father, as Kizoshi foretold, I will be with you. I refuse to send you alone into danger.”
The protectiveness in those words stirred a longing in Maseo so profound it hurt. To be valued by Kitsuki was an honor he felt he didn’t deserve.
“Why?” Maseo asked again, needing to hear the answer. “Why would you take such a risk for me? I’m the son of your greatest enemy.”
Kitsuki was silent for a long moment, his gaze searching Maseo’s face as if looking for something hidden there. “Because everything within me demands that I must.”
