My eyes widened in shock.
Fated mates? Did I even hear him right? I would have asked him if I got his words right if it weren’t for the way he stared, the way he touched my hand, and the way his eyes glimred with mixed emotions he couldn’t seem to contain.
I took a step back instinctively. He didn’t stop from moving away, but a flicker of pain crossed his eyes when I did.
"What did you say?" I shook my head, scoffing in disbelief. "What ga are you playing this ti, Rion?"
"I am not playing a ga. What do you think I’d get from lying to you about this? You are already bound to by a bargain. Tell , Vivien. What do I gain from telling you this if I am lying?"
My faith faltered. "I... I don’t know."
’I can feel his wolf’s energy through the bond, Vien,’ Leika said in my mind. ’He’s right. Sothing has changed. You can feel it if you reach out for it.’
My heart couldn’t beat any faster.
’Normally, the male wolf would feel the mate bond first and a lot stronger before the female does. The female must accept it first to feel the complete bond, so you must reach out for it and accept it with all your heart,’ Leika added.
I froze. I couldn’t say anything to Rion.
In the end, I just turned away and left. He didn’t stop , which I was thankful for.
***
I didn’t tell anyone that I was returning to the castle.
After changing into comfortable clothes, I just sat on my bed and closed my eyes. For chosen mates, the bond would be ford after the marking ceremony, but it wasn’t like that for fated mates. Even if it wasn’t accepted by both parties yet, the bond would still be there, like a thread of light connecting two souls.
I concentrated. From what I’d read in the books, the bond would be like a light leading to the soul of another person. You could feel it if you went deep down into your soul.
It took minutes to feel sothing deep inside . There was another bond in my soul, one that didn’t belong to my wolf and . This one was connected to soone else, soone whose presence scread familiarity.
I could reject it, but severing a tie such as a fated bond... I knew the consequence would be dire.
My feelings for Rion were very potent, yes, but I wondered if they were amplified by the bond. I never thought it was possible between us, so I didn’t think much about it, and it must be why I didn’t imagine that our connection had sothing to do with being fated mates. I thought we were only connected as keys to the wards of the Undersea Tower.
When I opened my eyes, I felt dazed. I had cald down, but I still couldn’t believe it.
Maybe I was pleased deep down, though my thoughts were far from pleasant. There were many questions in my head.
What of the Celestial wolf now? Would he give up trying to mate with her if he now had ? What of his plans?
In the middle of my thoughts, the lights began flickering in my room until they grew dimr by the second.
Just when I realized sothing was off, it was too late.
***
When I opened my eyes, a familiar gaze t mine.
My eyes widened, and I was about to stand out of instinct, but that was when I realized the situation I was in.
I was kneeling on uneven ground, my arms hanging by chains. In front of , Finn stood with a look of disdain on his face.
No, this could be a dream.
’Leika?’ I called, but no one answered. I couldn’t feel the bond between and my wolf.
I struggled to recall what happened. I rembered dancing with Rion, talking to him, and going back to the castle.
And then... my lips parted. When I was in my room, a vortex or sothing that resembled a portal, appeared right before and I was swallowed inside before I could even move a finger.
No, this wasn’t a dream. This was fucking reality.
The wrath in Finn’s eyes looked too real to be a dream.
"How did you bring here?" I asked, realizing my voice was a little raspy.
There was a burning sensation in my throat, as if I’d ingested sothing too bitter. Did he make drink sothing while I was unconscious? It could have sothing to do with my wolf being suppressed.
"With the help of this." Finn raised his hand, revealing a gold seashell the size of a fist.
I recognized it imdiately. I’d seen an illustrated version of it in a book. It was a very old relic that could open a portal, though it could only be used once by a person, and only if the user had a connection to the place they wanted to cross into. Finn’s connection to the Undercity was .
It seed the Undercity’s wards weren’t able to stop the relic’s power.
"It took a lot to get this ancient relic. And I had to kill about ten people to feed it with blood, just to make it strong enough to break through the Undercity’s wards for a few seconds. Thankfully, you were alone, which made everything easy."
Finn smiled evilly at , leaning down and pushing my chin upward.
"Welco ho, Vivien. You’re back in my land, in your true pack. The one you truly belong to."
I moved my head away. "I don’t belong here. This is not my ho. Not anymore."
"And where is your ho? In that son of a bitch’s filthy den? You were offered a place of comfort in my estate, and yet you chose to live in a rat’s hole? I don’t see what you’re using your brain for, Vivien. What did he promise you, huh? Did he promise you a place under him as his whore?"
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