BowdenKaiya goes out of her way to ignore Clara on the rest of our way home. She wouldn't sit with her when we stopped for lunch, and now she won’t even look in her friend’s direction. From where I sit, I can see the liar’s gears turning, trying to come up with a story to defend herself.I was unaware of the magic she used to interfere with our bond until Elias texted me with the details. He took it upon himself to get as much information as possible while we went after them.By then it didn't matter anymore. I already had Kaiya and we were on our way to Sickle Moon, but now I have to figure out who helped Clara. The she-wolf herself is not a witch – I would have been able to sense her magic. She could just have gotten a freelancer on the internet, or it could be someone that's a real danger to my mate and her safety. Either way, I need to find out.The castle is dark and asleep by the time we return. Unlike last week when I showed up here with my new mate, Neil and his staff aren’t
BowdenKaiya looks at me for a long time, not saying a single word. At long last, she puts down her mug and says. “This sucks.”For a moment, I’m completely taken aback and have no idea what to say. I expected her to ask me why I went looking for her if I can’t love her. I even expected her to get angry with me.I was not prepared for her to accept things as they are without any fruther arguments or endless questioning. Perhaps she's simply accepting it because she now understand the consequences of denying the mate bond. “What does?” I ask.“This whole mate bond thing. All the wolves in the world, and The Fates had to go and mate me to you.”"I thought you don't believe in The Fates," I say dryly."Yeah well...what do I know?"“Hm,” I grunt with a smile. “Well, look on the bright side.""What's the bright side?""Things could have been worse. They could have fated you to a wolf like Dorian.”She shudders visibly and finally lifts the domes off our breakfast trays. “So after what happ
KaiyaBowden lowers me to my bed just as Deacon enters my bedroom with a nurse by his side. “This one is going to keep me busy, I see,” he says as he crosses the room to sit on the bed. “King? If you wouldn’t mind stepping out?”Bowden looks like he wants to argue, but after a few seconds, he nods and leaves.“Och, lass,” Deacon says as the nurse helps me out of my t-shirt, stripping me down to my underwear. “What are we gonna do with yah, hey? If yeh’re not trying to kill yer wolf, yeh’re running off into catacombs and getting attacked my ghosts.”“Ghosts?” I croak out the word.“It’s a joke, lass. There’s no such thing as ghosts.”My throat hurts too much to talk, but I give him what I hope is an agreeable smile. I’m not as sure as he is that ghosts don't exists. Something attacked me down there. I couldn’t see what it was, but it sure as hell looked ghostly and I definitely felt it attack me.And it was angry. Oh, it was enraged and filled with so much sorrow and pain. Whatever it
Kaiya I stop dead just before Bowden enters the common gardens. Everywhere I look there are Lycans sitting at the round picnic tables with their mates, four or six of them to a table. Here and there I notice unmated Lycans, but they band together, sitting away from the couples without separating themselves from the rest of the group. Bowden frowns and turns back to me. “What’s wrong?” “There are so many people,” I whisper. If the Lycans can hear me, they’re pretending that they can’t. “This is our pack,” Bowden says and takes my hands. “You are their queen…uhm…their Luna. This is where you belong. It’ll be fine.” I grip Bowden’s hand and straighten my back, remembering how my mother used to walk through the tables when we had pack gatherings. She was always so proud and confident. I don’t know why, but I thought Lycans were different – solitary animals, unlike werewolves that need the companionship and protection of a pack. As soon as we enter the gardens, the Lycans and their ma
BowdenKaiya is quieter than usual on the way back to our floor. Tonight, she witnessed our remembrance for the first time, and while I’m used to it, all my previous mates have told me how emotionally overwhelming it can be when someone experiences it for the first time.Knox's behaviour is also starting to trouble me. He did something he had never done before. He reached out to Elowen while we sang, sharing his pain with her through the mate bond, and Kaiya picked up on it, although I’m not sure she knew it was Knox and not me that did it to her. “Are you all right?” I ask and glance over my shoulder at Oswald who is following us at a distance.“Yes,” she says. “I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.”“It’s been a long fucking week,” I say. “And this upcoming week isn’t going to be any easier.” We walk up to her front door. “Please try your best to stay out of trouble this week. No running into catacombs or off with your friends, hm?” I smile and smooth her messy hair with my hand. “D
Bowden I stare at Kaiya, trying with everything in me to keep the fraying edges of my heart from unravelling even more. Do I tell her? Do I burden her with what she’ll become? "Well?" she asks. No. Not tonight. I can't do it. I can't bear it. “Just two friends having a disagreement.” “That did not look like a disagreement.” Her demeanour softens a little when she takes in my sorry state. “Do you need the doctor?” “No.” I groan and start to pick glass out of my legs. My trousers are shredded and random bits of glass poke out of my legs like porcupine quills. “Do you have a first-aid kit?” I scratch at a shard of glass out while I lift my eyes to look at her. “No. I’m going to shift.” “Won’t that just…embed the glass deeper into your skin?” “No,” I reply as I grit my teeth and yank out the shard, dropping the bit of glass on the coffee table with the rest. “It will pop right out.” “Then why are you doing that to yourself?” Because I’m trying to gather my thoughts and get Knox
Kaiya I lie on my side, watching Bowden sleep. The bruises on his cheek and chest are completely healed. His face is relaxed, but even in his sleep, his hands are curled in tight fists around the sheets. During the remembrance, as I now know it’s called, I decided that I would try to make things a little easier for Bowden. He has all that weight on his shoulders and the last thing he needs is a mate making his life a living hell. It’s as he said. This is what I’ve been given. This is my life now. I can love him or hate him, but while hating him seems easier, loving is the better choice. I have enough hate in my heart already, I don’t have room for one more. “Kaiya?” Bowden asks without opening his eyes. “Are you all right?” “I can’t sleep.” “No,” he says and lets go of the sheets, tucking both hands behind his head, “neither can I.” “What’s your excuse?” “I have a she-wolf in my bed,” he says and abruptly opens his eyes. “That doesn’t happen as often as you probably think it do
Bowden Griffin and Jaeger show up at my office for our weekly meeting just after I break my mind link with Kaiya. Her emotions are cycling faster than the spin cycle on a washing machine, and I can't keep up with her. It’s putting me more on edge than usual, and I'm still right on the brink as it is. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t check in with an emotional mate every five minutes, but after what had happened, I can’t help myself. “You're late,” I growl at my advisors as they enter. “Close the door.” I glare at Griffin while Jaeger gently closes the door. Sensing the tension between the Beta and me right away, my Gamma asks, “What’s going on?” “We had a bit of a fight,” Griffin answers. “Really?” I ask my Beta. “That’s all you’re going to say? Do you want me to tell him?” I try to soften some of my anger towards my Beta, especially after he confessed his desire to die, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Not yet. Griffin sighs and briefly tells Jaeger everything he told me last nig