Page 46 of Midnight Deception

“What do you mean, change?” I reach around him for the door, pressing my hands against it, getting more and more nervous with each passing second. Pushing the door open, I immediately feel the strangeness in the air, and I take in the pacing figure before me.

“He was reborn,” Ivar reveals quietly behind me. “He’s no longer a werewolf.”

I hear his words, but I don’t acknowledge them, focusing on my friend. Hearing us, Nicolai looks up as I freeze in the doorway, our eyes locking. The breath is taken from me as I’m struck with an overwhelming wave of energy, my whole body tingling as something unlocks within me.

Eyes wide, I stare at Nicolai as the word slips from my lips unbidden.

“Mate.”

ChapterSeventeen

The room is so quiet that I can hear my heartbeat thumping in my ears. I feel Ivar hovering behind me, but I don’t look away from Nicolai. This all feels too good to be true, and I’m afraid that if I look away, he’ll be gone when I turn back, like some cruel trick.

Scanning him from head to toe, I search for any signs of sickness or injury. If they hurt him or treated him poorly, then I can’t be held responsible for my actions—not to mention the reaction of the darkness inside me, who is pretty protective of Nicolai. However, he looks… perfect. His bronzed skin is clear and unblemished, and his brown hair is a little shaggy and in need of a cut, but it’s shiny and looks well kept. His eyes are gleaming, and overall, he looks healthy, nothing like the frail figure he was the last time I saw him.

Ivar croons quietly from the doorway. “Well, this is an interesting development.”

This snaps us both from our stupor, and the next thing I know, I’m running across the short distance to meet Nicolai, not caring that we’ve got an audience. He runs to meet me too, and our bodies collide in a tangle of limbs, desperate to embrace the other. His scent surrounds me as I bury my face against his chest, gripping onto his shirt to hold myself close, never wanting to let go again. I’m convinced this is a dream, or wishful thinking that’s caused my magic to manifest his shape. No, I can feel him. He’s solid, and I can hear his lungs expanding as he breathes, not to mention his scent. Somehow, this is real, and the goddess has answered my prayers.

Nicolai gently lifts my chin, shifting back enough so he can look down at me as though he also can’t believe this is happening.

“I can’t believe you’re here. That you’re alive.” Tears roll down my cheeks as I stare up at him. They are tears of happiness and relief, and I don’t care that we’re being watched.

Nicolai wipes his thumb across my cheeks, catching my tears and assuming they are due to pain. “Are you okay? Have they hurt you?” He scans me, spinning me around on the spot so he can look over every inch of me for injuries.

Hiccupping out a soggy laugh, I reach out to catch myself as dizziness overtakes me, using his biceps to steady myself. “I’m fine. I can’t leave, but I’ve not been hurt.” Shaking my head in disbelief, I try to order my thoughts and ignore the throbbing semi-formed bond in my chest, begging me to mount him and make him mine before anything else happens to him. It’s almost impossible, the urge so strong that my hands are reaching out to pull at his shirt before I realise what I’m doing. I lower my eyes and slowly release my breath, strengthening myself. When I look up, a small, confused smile pulls at my lips.

“You’re here,” I whisper. “What happened?”

Before Nicolai has a chance to answer, there’s a quiet clearing of a throat behind me. I was vaguely aware Ivar was still there, but I blocked out everything that wasn’t my mate standing before me.Mate.It still feels strange to think that word applies to Nicolai.

“I’m going to leave the two of you to it. You have a lot to catch up on,” Ivar calls out in his strange voice, devoid of emotion. “When you’re done, just tell one of the guards, and someone will come and escort you back to your room.” He leaves without waiting for us to acknowledge him or reply, the door shutting firmly behind him.

As if this is the signal he’s been waiting for, Nicolai’s lips smash onto mine, and it feels like coming home. We’ve been close for so long, but now things are beginning to make sense. Not about the situation, but our bond.

I’ve always had a crush on Nicolai, which only continued to grow as I got older, especially after he risked his life and entered the werewolf trials to make sure I was protected and had someone I could trust. However, we always knew that he wasn’t destined for me. Werewolves who have fated mates are blessed with a mate mark from birth—one that I have on my shoulder, as do my other mates. Nicolai doesn’t have a mark, at least he didn’t when I last checked. Yet somehow, something has changed, and he’s now my mate.

Our kiss is frenzied and passionate, my arms wrapping around his neck as he grabs my hips, pulling me closer. The taste of him is like honey, sweet and comforting, and my desire for him is almost all-consuming.Mate, mate, mate, the bond whispers in time to the frantic thudding of my heart. I just want to give into the siren’s call of the bond, and from the press of his hips against mine, I can feel just how much he desires me. However, there are too many unknowns. I need to know that he’s safe and figure out how he’s here before I can go any further.

At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. Reluctantly, I pull away from his lips and shuffle back half a step. My hand rests on his chest, so the tiny distance is barely an obstacle to stop me from falling into his arms again. However, he can see how hard I’m trying and doesn’t attempt to close the gap, despite the fact that I know his bond is calling to mine.

“Ivar said you had to change to survive,” I force out, and as soon as I do, concern washes away my arousal like a bucket of cold water. The dark witch’s words go around my head, finally starting to sink in. “What did he mean?”

It seems like a stupid question, but it’s so out of the range of what I thought was possible that I can’t help but ask. He still looks the same, but something feels… different about him. The sense of pack still radiates from him, yet there’s something lacking. No, that’s not true. There’ssomethinginside him that makes him stand apart from a regular human. I just wish I could pinpoint what it was. There’s no chance I can deny that he’s different now, and not just because of his apparent good health.

His expression shifts then, and the protective but happy look he’s been wearing since he saw me slips. I see his throat bob as he swallows, his face going pale as he releases a long breath. He’s trying to put on a brave face for me, but I can see past it, and that makes me worry more than anything else. What happened to him?

“I was dying.”

Pain lances through me. Even though I knew he was dying, it doesn’t stop the agony in my chest at the very thought of it. I don’t know if the bond between us is making this more painful now, or if at the time I wouldn’t let myself believe it, but my breath is almost stolen from me at how fiercely the feeling hits.

He must sense all this, as his hand starts stroking comforting circles on my arm, showing exactly what kind of male he is. He went through hell and almost died, yet here he is, comfortingme.

“After you were taken,” he continues, his eyes scanning my face, “I could feel myself slipping away, and then I started to hear a voice in my mind.” Shaking his head, he chuckles in a self-deprecating manner. “This is going to sound crazy, but I think it was the goddess speaking to me. She told me I could be with you again, but I was going to have to go through a huge change that required a great sacrifice.”

It doesn’t sound crazy to me at all. The goddess has spoken to me many times, and the fact that she reached out to Nicolai in his greatest time of need makes my knees weak with gratitude. His talk of great sacrifice makes my stomach churn, and I have to bite down on my lip to the point of pain to keep myself focused. Drawing on the strength of my mates and Star, I force myself to stay strong and not shift nervously from foot to foot. I don’t speak, needing to hear the rest of his story. This is about him. I won’t draw attention to myself and make this about me.

His gaze turns distant as he recollects. “I could feel her sorrow as she told me this, but there was no question in my mind of what I was going to do. If there was a way back to you then I had to take it. I wasn’t ready to go.” His focus returns as he locks his eyes with mine, his conviction strong. “I’m not sure what happened next, because I slipped into unconsciousness, but when I next opened my eyes, I was here.” Frowning, he shakes his head, his confusion showing. He had a spiritual interaction with our goddess, and then he woke up somewhere completely different and surrounded by witches. That’s bound to confuse anyone.

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