Page 55 of Midnight Deception

Joel’s voice gives me a brief warning before I’m wrapped in a strong pair of arms that are unmistakably his. His scent surrounds me, and I gasp, spinning around until I’m staring up at his face. To everyone else, he looks stern and imposing, and I certainly thought so when I first met him, but the look of pure devotion and relief written across his features shows how he truly feels about me.

It takes me a moment to realise what’s happening. I’m in another of those strange waking dreams the goddess blesses us with. Without questioning why she’s chosen to grant me this moment with my mate tonight, I make the most of every second. Pushing up onto the tips of my toes, I wrap my arms around his neck and plant my lips on his. Our kiss is hungry and desperate as we remind ourselves of the other’s taste.

The distance between us has been putting such a strain on our bond, especially as we’re unable to feel each other as we once did, but somehow, these moments keep us going.

He groans into my mouth, his hands sliding down my back and over my ass, grabbing a handful before lifting me up. Wrapping my legs around his middle, I settle against him, content to stay in this moment for as long as possible. Unfortunately, we both know this is going to have to end and we have important things to discuss.

As our frantic kisses slow to deeper, more passionate ones, we eventually stop, our foreheads resting together, neither of us wanting to put any distance between us.

Pulling back only enough to place me down on the ground, he looks over me with a critical eye, a deep growl of anger rumbling from his chest.

“What happened? You’re injured.”

I feel his anger rising within him, his eyes flaring with the alpha power of his wolf.

Following his gaze, I glance down at the wound in my shoulder and frown, surprised my werewolf healing hasn’t kicked in, but I put it down to being in the dream. When I wake, I’m sure it’ll be healed.

His alpha power surrounds us and is so strong that I have to swallow the lump at the back of my throat before I can speak again. “I was attacked, but I’m okay,” I reply, my voice raspy and sore from when I was screaming during the ambush.

Hissing through clenched teeth, Joel takes my chin in his hand and lifts my face so our eyes meet, his expression full of anger and regret. “Given the fact that I can feel your pain, I doubt that.”

I can feel his guilt and rage that I’m going through all of this and he can’t be here to protect me. This causes him to look fierce, but I know it’s aimed at himself and those who took me from him. That fury is building in him, and I know if he ever managed to find Haven that he’d tear it apart brick by brick to get to me.

“I’ve been trying to find you,” he says, his eyes dark as he sighs and rolls his neck, trying to relieve tension. “However, everything has gone to shit here, and I didn’t want to leave your pack unprotected until I knew for sure I could get you.” He scans my face as if committing every inch of it to his memory. “I knew you were alive and relatively safe thanks to your witch mate. The goddess put him there for a reason. Even if he didn’t trust you, he’d never be able to let you get hurt.” He drops his hand from my cheek and balls it into a fist, a growl grumbling through his chest again. “I see I was wrong.”

I don’t blame him one bit for not finding me. The magic over both me and Haven makes it impossible. The fact that he stayed behind to care for my family despite knowing that I was in enemy territory means more than I could ever express, so I just have to hope he can feel my immense gratitude through the bond. He trusts me enough to handle myself until he can figure out a way to get to me, even though his alpha nature must be fighting him at every turn.

What he’s saying causes worry to flit through me, a frown pulling at my brow as I grip his upper arms, needing to stay close. “Are they okay?” I ask, my thoughts in a spiral. “Is the alpha not with the pack? What about my father?”

Why couldn’t the alpha and the other pack enforcers protect the pack? Even if something happened to the alpha, my father is second-in-command. Is he leading the pack?

Sensing my raising concern, he sighs and pulls me close to his chest, his large hand running through my hair as he tries to offer me comfort. Closing my eyes for a second, I enjoy the warmth and feel of him, his scent helping to ground me. I look up and see he’s watching me with love. That shifts though, as he knows he needs to answer my question.

“It’s complicated,” he begins, gently placing a finger against my lips as I try to interrupt him. “Just know that they are with my pack, and I’m trying to keep everyone safe. Scott’s here. He’s been helping keep everything calm amongst the chaos.”

Scott, my complex, confusing lone wolf. I’m drawn to him in a way I am with my other mates, but we don’t share a mate mark. He’s been in my thoughts often, and not being able to check in with him is something that’s played on my mind in the dark hours of the night. Knowing that he’s safe and that he chose to stay and help protect my pack makes my heart swell. I don’t say anything aloud though. I know my werewolf mates are confused by the pull I feel towards the lone wolf, but I silently thank Joel for telling me, knowing he didn’t have to.

There’s a pause, and I can feel the dread building in him, seeping through the bond and into me. Wetting his lips, he clears his throat, his expression sombre.

“Laelia, there’s something I need to tell you.”

He sounds so solemn that I put him out of his misery, sure that I know what he’s about to tell me.

“If this is about Nicolai, then I know,” I tell him softly. “He’s here with me.”

Blinking as he processes what I said, he frowns, suddenly alert. “What? How is that possible?”

How to tell him? Taking a deep breath, I go for the simple answer, not knowing how much time we’re going to have together. “The witches took him as he was dying. He passed, but the goddess gave him a choice to come back.”

The explanation is poor, given what was sacrificed. I want to tell him about Nicolai losing his wolf, but that’s not my news to tell, so I bite my tongue. Instead, I realise there’s another important factor that Joel doesn’t know about yet.

“When Nicolai was reborn, his mate mark appeared. He’s one of my mates.”

Eyes wide, Joel is silent for a moment as he digests this, reeling in surprise at the turn of events. Honestly, I don’t blame him. I still struggle to believe it myself.

“I-I don’t even know what to say.” Running a hand over his hair, he looks uncharacteristically bemused. He’s usually so sure and certain about what he knows and what needs to be done, so to see him like this is a bit of a shock.

“We were told he died,” he continues, and I swear I hear a note of grief in his voice. Nicolai might not have been my mate during the trials, but his one aim was to make sure I was safe, and that earned him Joel’s respect. “No one was allowed to see the body. The council blamed it on the stress of you being abducted.”

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