Page 104 of Seeking Hades' Ember

"He told me he needed someone physically strong and that he was sorry, he couldn't make this work. I told my mother, who told the pack, and everyone was upset, but they can't go against their Alpha. I lived with my mother for a few months before I couldn't take seeing him anymore. He had a different she-wolf every night in his room. I started to waste away, and he became intolerable."

I pulled Tamera into me; I didn't care if she only wanted to be friends. I would be her friend if she needed it, but I would hold the shit out of her. Tamera didn't protest as she put her arms around my neck. "And that is how I'm here," she finished.

Stroking her hair a few times, I let out a sigh. "I know you don't want to hear this," I began. "A bond is there to help along with something that is already there. A person can reject it because we all still have our free will. However, that dick head did it the wrong way." I growled. "I swear to Selene that if I ever see him, I'll dismember him myself."

Tamera chuckled. "You do that and let me watch." She fake pouted while she started to laugh. Her laughter caught the attention of a few kids who started pointing in our direction. My hand went through her hair as I saw the sparkle begin to come back.

"See, it isn't that hard to laugh now, is it?" I felt her body perk up as she shook her head.

"You make me laugh; I don't remember the last time I did that.” She smiled.

"Something else that might brighten your day, Santos won't get a second chance since he rejected you." Tamera's eyes widened.

"Really?" I nodded.

"Yeah, Selena made those bonds for a reason; you can reject it, but if you do, you have to find someone on your own. He did it for selfish reasons so Selene will not grant him another. Really, you could still have a second chance mate. You didn't initiate the rejection first." Tamera scrunched her button nose.

"Nah, I'm good. I don't need a second chance as long as you'll be my friend." As much as I wanted to be more, a friend was what she needed. One day she could find comfort in me of something more, as long as she didn't friend zone me. I couldn't stand for that.

We finished dinner in comfortable silence. She would try and act like she wasn't staring, but she was. Was this what was Hades felt when Ember first looked at him? I had some damn eagles in my stomach watching her eat. I picked up on every single mannerism she had. The way Tamera closed her eyes as she would eat but scrunched her nose as she forced herself to eat the roasted broccoli.

I was supposed to wait for my mate, which was what I really wanted, but the feeling of just being with her was enough. It was comforting, domestic, and dare I say calming? What if I stayed with Tamera? What would my future mate say? The food I was eating became less appetizing as I tried to stomach it. Could Selene alter a bond, so I was no longer soul-bound to another? I didn't want to put the woman that was destined to be mine in pain.

But what if I was in pain? The thought of leaving Tamera once we have found the gods and the Sphere of Souls was painful. I didn't want to leave her. I wanted to stay.

I felt giddy since Tamera was warming up to me while we sat together watching the sunset. Caressing her arm, holding her hand, she was letting me do it all when just a few hours ago she wanted nothing to do with me. I'd trade any moment of my life to continue this bliss.

"I'm glad there isn't a bond between us," she spoke up as her finger touched my palm. "If there was, I think I would have immediately told you to go away." I squeezed her a bit tighter. "Then I would have chased you," I jokingly spoke. "Not everyone is like that asshole; I would never do what Santos did. I'll prove it to you if you let me? There isn't even a bond involved here, Tamera."

Tamera blushed as I played with her hands. They were so small, just skin and bone from not eating and the broken bond that still pulled her down. "If I'm still around for you to show me," she whispered; I grabbed her chin to look up at me.

"You will be around because I will fix you, just like you are fixing me." Her deep eyes caressed my face as she continued to stare. Little freckles were painted on her cheeks, her brown eyes had flecks of gold. She was like a little pixie. My little pixie.

I'd give up any bond to be with Tamera. We could have a life together. We both had been hurt by people meant for us; we understood each other and know how it felt to be rejected.

"Aphrodite was arranged to be with me by my parents, but we all know what happened there…." I smiled as my finger traced her cheek. "Aphrodite left when I said she couldn't walk all over me and sleep with others. I tried to make it work, and since that day, I have been broken too. After all, she was supposed to be the most beautiful, and I am the worst at the physical appearances of the gods. She couldn't stand to look at me." I blinked back tears.

"That's a lie. You are good-looking! Handsome and sexy even!" Tamera burst out while her face flushed red. I laughed as she put her fingers through my beard. "You are you are insanely good-looking; when you walked in the clinic today to check for Alpha Ember, it was all I could do to look away." Her face looked away, covering her mouth.

Fuck yes, she thought I was handsome. Tamera was the one for me; I didn't care what Selena had prepared for either of us. Once we find her, I'll make sure Tamera will never hurt again and belong to me. It would be a slow, grueling process, but she was worth it.

After a few more hours of talking on the patio, sitting on her comfortable outdoor couch, we talked about our lives. I had become engrossed in her tales of residency of trauma and ER work. Anything to do with battle wounds fascinated her, which was great since she worked in a packhouse full of fighting ready wolves. Tamera's head began to nod off as she leaned against my chest.

This was what I always wanted. Someone to share a life with, and she felt something too, without a bond.

Closing my eyes and leaning my head back, the usual howls and barks turned into growls. Tamera immediately woke up and grabbed my hand. "Heat, someone is in heat," she repeated. "Ember," she whispered again. "Her body must be reacting all at once." Tamera tried to get up, but I held her back down to me.

"Hades is with her; she will be fine." Tamera nodded reluctantly as she put her head back on my chest. Not one peep did I hear from her until Steven, Ember's brother, came running.

"Come to the packhouse; Dad wants your help with something important!" Steven said out of breath. "We think we know who took Ember."

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