Page 47 of Fated

She gets close enough for my magic to sense her as she says hello to them and it’s the moment my world changes. My magic immediately identifies her as my mate and I’m up and out of my seat quicker than I thought possible.

She gets lost staring into my eyes and I never want her to look away.

It fast forwards some until I’m watching Aly fall into Jeremy’s lap. He’s glaring at Jay as his eyes go dark with hell fire.

The memory is sucked away as I’m returned to the present. My head is on fire but it’s not enough for me to pass out.

I’m about to ask why Aly’s was so much worse when it hits me.

“She had a memory spell placed on her. You had to dig deeper. You did it anyway?!” I demand.

“We had to know for sure,” he says, looking slightly sympathetic.

“You could have checked our memories and left her out of it!” I’m furious. Digging through her mind, past that block, must have been excruciating. No wonder she passed out.

“When you meet your fated mate, your eyes change. You did not see it like she did, already I have confirmed four of you are her fated mate. But her eyes, they did not change when she met you.”

As much as I hate him right now, it’s important that he knows the truth.

“She hadn’t triggered her gene yet. Hunters don’t feel the pull of the bond on their own until they trigger their gene. They can still mate, but they don’t recognize us on sight like we do them. It’s in the book if you want to check.”

“Thank you, Nicoli. You can take care of your mate now.”

I’m flashed into another room where Aly is laying on a bed. It’s a white sterile room, probably some sort of infirmary.

I hurry over to her and hold her as she recovers from the effects of the memory dive.

Jay

Something is wrong and I’m trapped in this stupid room. I’ve tried everything to get out but the walls are impenetrable and there are no doors or windows. I know my mate is unconscious and my wolf is ripping at the seams to get to her.

Someone is going to pay for the pain I felt Aly in.

“Hello Jay,” the voice of the stupid mage elder says behind me.

I flip around to see him standing there way too casually for my liking.

“Take me to Aly now.”

“First the test, then I will allow you to see your mate,” he says back like that’s completely reasonable.

“No! No test! Aly is unconscious and hurt somewhere and I will not stand here while she needs me.” I’m furious. I can feel my fangs in my mouth and my eyes flash wolf as he fights to be free. He wants to tear him apart.

“Then I will have to do this the hard way,” he says as he materializes right next to me. Before I can do anything, his hands are on my head and I’m immobile.

It feels like he’s pulling my brain apart as he looks through my memories. I try to push him back out, but he digs his claws in deeper. It feels like actual claws have gripped my brain. It’s excruciating.

No matter what I do to fight him off, he stays rooted in my brain.

My wolf is still snarling within me but now there is no way out. Monit has complete control over me. Is this what he did to Aly?

He finally stops digging and focuses in on the moment I smelled Aly for the first time. In the memory, my wolf surges forward and I know my eyes flash gold.

I hop into her path and say, “hey there!”

The memory is ripped backwards until I’m back in the room alone with Monit.

“I think we have everything we need now. Thank you, Jay.”