Page 9 of Midnight Deception

“No, I need them. I need my mates. I already feel like I’m fracturing…” I trail off, realising that I’m giving too much away, a weakness that she could exploit.

She frowns and glances at someone behind me. “We can’t have that. Look into it and see if there’s anything to be done about the separation. Perhaps we can just put a tracking block on her to stop them from finding her. They’ll be able to feel her, so if they know she’s alive, it might get them to stop trying to discover where we’re keeping her.”

They’ll never stop trying to find me. I know if the situation was reversed, I’d never stop either. This is a piece of information I have no intention of telling her though. She doesn’t understand. How could she when she doesn’t share part of her soul with another? Let her believe that restoring my bond will convince them not to come for me, and that something as simple as a tracking spell would stop them.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Kano replies behind me.

With one more look at me, she nods to herself and exits the hall with a swish of her skirts. Once he’s sure that the queen is gone and no one else can hear us, Kano sighs and rubs the heel of his palms against his eyes.

“Well, that was a disaster,” he mutters, appearing utterly exhausted when he finally looks up.

I don’t know what to say in response. Maybe I’m in a state of shock. Perhaps I got knocked out in the trial and this is all a strange dream and I’m going to wake up in the healers’ quarters with my mates surrounding me.

“All you had to do was keep your mouth shut,” Atlas sneers, shattering the illusion I created in my head.

I spin around to get my first look at the guy who’s been nothing but a pain in my ass since I woke up encased in his ice, a low growl rumbling from my chest.

He’s not done, though, and he continues with his tirade, not bothered in the slightest that he has an agitated werewolf bearing down on him. “Why did you have to—” He suddenly cuts off in the middle of his rant, his face slackening and going pale. He shakes his head, because in that exact moment, our eyes lock for the first time.

I gasp as what feels like a bolt of lightning shoots through me, my whole body tingling as I pant for breath. This is something I’ve felt twice before and would never in my wildest dreams have expected to feel here.

“No,” Atlas whispers, horrified.

“Mate,” I croak, the word feeling more like a death sentence than a blessing.

There’s a pause as this sinks in, and it’s only broken when a female chuckle cuts through the room.

“Well, well, well,” Luna says, walking over and looking between me and her cousin with an amused grin. “It looks like things are about to get interesting around here.”

ChapterFour

Istare at him, taking him in fully for the first time. He’s a little taller than me and slim in build, and his exposed arms are covered in tattoos. My gaze rises and takes in his thick, dark hair, which is brushed over to one side. His expression is serious, and his dark brows are furrowed. His lips, although pinched, look plump, and I get the insane urge to bite down on them. He’s clean-shaven, his nose is straight, and the familial similarities between him and Luna are stark. Finally, when I can’t avoid it anymore, I look into his eyes once more. Silver, like his cousin’s, they look like molten metal, and a spark jolts down my spine, my skin tingling all over.

I can tell from the look on his face that he felt it too, and a space in my soul that I hadn’t realised was empty is beginning to fill. Our bond has only been revealed and not yet completed, so that space is not yet occupied, but I can feel it as surely as my own heartbeat.

A cough brings my attention back to the room, and I suddenly remember we’ve got company. Blinking rapidly, I force myself to look away and take in the others’ expressions. Luna still looks amused. In fact, she looks delighted by the turn of events. Kano is frowning, staring at the other male.

“Is this going to be a problem?” my half-brother asks, his tone indicating that there is only one correct answer here as he crosses his arms over his chest.

I’m surprised to find that this question isn’t aimed at me, but at Atlas. Seeing him defend me makes my heart clench painfully as I witness something I never thought I would. Of course, he’s probably just making sure that Atlas isn’t going to cause problems, which will disrupt the queen’s plans, but a tiny part of me wants this to be more than that. My adoptive parentsaremy true parents, and I’ve never wanted for anything. Their love made me the female I am today, however, knowing that I have a blood relative and that he’s right here is awakening an abandoned part of me I’ve never acknowledged before.

Atlas grits his teeth and looks at me over Kano’s shoulder. He seems to be at war with himself, wanting to take me into his arms while his mind rebels. I know this because I’m feeling exactly the same way. It would be so easy to just give in, but my mind is stronger than my impulses, and I have to remember why I’m here and that it’s not willingly.

Atlas finally rips his gaze from me and scowls at my brother. “You really think I’d hurt her?”

Kano shakes his head. “Right now, I think your hatred of werewolves is fogging your mind.”

First disgust, then disappointment and anger flash on Atlas’s face in response to Kano’s comment. Tension ripples through him as he moves towards the other male, his body seeming to grow as that metallic taste that I’m beginning to link with magic fills the air.

I don’t know what I planned to do against two witches with immense power, but I step forward and place myself between them. Whatever I was going to say dies in my mouth as Atlas looks at me with fury, but the feeling of magic fades away.

Blinking, I take a deep breath and try to order my scrambled thoughts. “How is this possible?” I ask quietly, still not believing it myself. “How can I feel you? I thought my bonds were blocked.”

Atlas grits his teeth, obviously not happy to be addressed by me, but he must be having the same thoughts. After all, I can feel his confusion, anger, and betrayal through the semi-formed bond.

“There must be something about our magic that allows the connection to form despite the block.” He huffs out a rough sigh and rubs his hands across his face. “There has to be a mistake. My goddess would never destine me to spend my life tied to awolf.” He spits the last word so violently I take a step back, my heart aching at the force of his obvious hatred.

I don’t exactly want to be bonded to him for life. Of all the witches, it had to be one who violently despises my kind. Even so, the bond keens in my chest at his rejection.

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