Page 84 of A True Mate Bond

She made her way to the main house and gently knocked on the door. She knew Mayra wouldn’t mind if she walked in whenever she liked but it felt weird to do so. She heard loud footsteps before Tanner opened the door.

“Come in. No need to knock. You’re always welcome here.”

“Who is it?” Mayra popped her head out of the doorway to the living room.

“It’s Niev. I believe she came to return the necklace.” Tanner stepped aside so Mayra could see more clearly.

“Wonderful! Would you like to stay for breakfast?”

“That is very kind of you, but I already had breakfast with Blake and just came by to bring the necklace back.” Niev handed Tanner the casing with the necklace. “Thank you again.”

He smiled and Niev waved at Mayra before she turned and headed to Christa’s cabin.

Christa was inside and was talking to a middle-aged man with dark brown hair who she introduced as Adrian. He had a small gash on his lower leg. Christa let Niev take care of him. Adrian was very patient with her and congratulated her and complimented the ceremony. He talked about how his daughter found her mate within Lyliann’s old pack when their Alpha and a few of his pack members joined them for Seth and Lyliann’s ceremony.

Niev enjoyed listening to him and hearing how much he loved visiting his daughter and grandchildren. From what he was saying, Lyliann’s pack was called the Snowwolf Pack and was a beautiful place to be.

Christa was very intrigued about the bond she and the whole pack had witnessed during Niev’s and Blake’s ceremony. After Adrian left, she questioned her about it, breaking it down into every little detail. Niev was glad to be able to leave after lunch. Niev was barely able to comprehend the bond herself and wasn’t really ready to share it with anyone else. Christa had been so patient with her that Niev just couldn’t say no to her, but it gave her an excuse to leave early. She made her way to the truck and grabbed the key out of the glove box.

It felt weird driving out of the village as it had become her home over the past few weeks. She hadn’t been to the cabin in so long. She felt as if she was a completely different person from who she’d been before moving. As she got closer to Cliff’s gas station, she decided to stop to grab a few sweets and say hello.

Cliff was sitting behind the counter watching sports and smiled when he saw her. “Good afternoon Niev.”

“Hello Cliff. How are you doing?”

“Wonderful, and you my dear?”

“I’m good. I just felt like a treat and wanted to say hello.”

“Does the truck need refilling?”

“I believe it’s fine for now, it’s halfway full.”

She started walking to the sweets’ aisle. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cliff walking outside and pumping gas into the truck anyway. With a chocolate bar in her hand, she walked outside.

“Thank you Cliff.”

“It’s my pleasure.” He closed the lid and opened the door for her. “Have a wonderful day, Wolf Slayer.”

“You too.”

He smiled and watched her drive off. Driving down the highway, she got anxious that she would miss Blake’s little dirt road, but she was able to find it right away. As soon as she turned, it felt like driving to an old home. Even though she hadn’t spent much time there, it had been the place where she and Blake had created memories, where she’d met his wolf for the first time and where she’d discovered her true powers.

She parked the truck next to Berta who seemed a little lonely and walked inside the cabin. It was empty–the furniture all gone, the rugs, and most of the decorations already at their new home.

Niev grabbed a moving box that they’d left behind and started picking things up that were laying around. She moved on from the living room to the kitchen where she went through the cabinets one last time before heading to the bathroom and bedroom. There wasn’t much left, but Niev wasn’t sure if the cabin might be needed for someone else and wanted it to be clean just in case.

After sweeping up and taking one last look around, she grabbed the box and walked to the truck. Halfway there she saw Julius break through the trees. She watched as he walked toward her and greeted him with a smile.

“Hello there. Out for a run?”

He hesitantly came closer, his face fearful, his muscles tense. “I am so sorry, Niev.”

Before she could ask what he meant, two large wolves stepped out of the trees behind him. In their midst walked a bald man with an evil smirk on his face. The two wolves were growling at a barely audible pitch, sharing the same sinister smirk as the man between them.

Her heart started racing. Dropping the box, her hand automatically reached down to her baby bump. Her only thought was that this couldn’t be happening, not again. She’d just found peace so why was her past repeating itself?

The bald man stepped up behind Julius, his eyes gazing to her hand on her bump. “We won’t harm you. We’re just here to take you to our master. He has been searching for you for quite some time.”

---