Untamed Fate (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 2)

by Veronica Douglas

  Anger burned in his eyes, and worry wrapped around my heart.

  He tensed his jaw, but at last, he spoke. “We’re bonded. Mates. It’s…

  impossible for me to allow harm to come to you.”

  I pushed away from him. “What the hell are you talking about? Mates?”

  My wolf had used that word, right before she shifted back. I didn’t like

  the sound of it one bit.

  Jaxson’s gaze was hard, his voice cold. “We’re fated to be together.

  Bonded. True mates.”

  I scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. I don’t believe in that kind of thing.”

  He gritted his teeth and spoke with a bitter tone. “It doesn’t matter

  whether you believe it or not, or whether either of us wants it. The fates have

  woven our lifelines together. We have no choice.”

  We’re mates, my wolf said, but I shoved her aside as shock and

  resentment boiled up inside of me. I was not going to be told who to be with,

  not by Jaxson or my wolf or the fates or anyone.

  I disentangled myself from Jaxson and stood, pulling what shadows I

  could find around me to cover my nakedness. “You realize how fucked up all

  this sounds, right? This can’t be real.”

  He climbed to his feet and glared back at me. “Fated mates are as real as

  magic or werewolves or prophesies. The mate bond is part of our world. I

  didn’t know we were bonded until you shifted the first time. Suddenly, I felt

  your pain from miles away, and I knew exactly where you were. That’s how I

  found you in the woods.”

  He came to us when we were dying, caught between forms, my wolf said.

  Panic seeped in through the corners of my mind.

  Jaxson touched his chest. “Our bond—it’s like a string stretched between

  our souls, always pulling us back together.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath. This was hitting too close to home.

  I’d felt that sensation, a tug on my chest pulling me out of the cavern and

  to Jaxson even when I was almost too weak to hold the knife.

  He placed his hand lightly on my shoulder and released a burst of magic

  that sent a shiver along my spine. “Our bond is how I can heal you. Only true

  mates can do that. I can’t do it for anyone else in my pack.”

  My heartbeat accelerated, and I fought for air as my lungs tightened.

  Jaxson was cornering me just like he’d done in the alley behind his autobody

  shop, like he’d done in the garden of monsters in Italy.

  “Please. You can’t do this to me,” I whispered, pleading for him to

  declare it was all a lie.

  His eyes flashed with anger. “Do this to you? Do you think I’m any

  happier about this than you are? Do you think I want this? Because I don’t.”

  His words were a slap in the face, and resentment welled up in my heart.

  So that was how he truly felt. I should’ve known.

  I knotted my fists and vowed to find a way out of this fucked-up mess.

  “So this is like some sort of curse? There must be a way to break the bond.”

  His jaw tensed, and his eyes flashed a honey-gold. “I don’t know. Maybe

  if we find a way to cure your lycanthropy…”

  “Fuck! You can’t be serious!” I clenched my fists, and the bitter truth

  dawned on me. “Is that why you were so eager to see Alia? To find a cure?

  Because of this?”

  His silence was an answer in itself.

  Of course he would be desperate to get rid of me. I was a dirty LaSalle.

  Jaxson raised his hand, but I started backing away. “No. This is too much.

  No one has the right to control my body or my heart. Not the sorcerer, not

  you, not my wolf, and not the fucking fates.”

  “Savannah, I know this is a lot. Calm down. We can talk this through.”

  Talk me through losing my right to choose my own partner? Talk me

  through being fated to someone who despises me and my family?

  Anger burned in my chest, and I wanted to scream—at Jaxson, at the

  fates, at everything.

  “No. I will not calm down.” I rubbed my throbbing temples. “I control

  my own fate. Nobody else. I’ll decide if I’m your mate or not, and I’m not.

  No fates or magical bond can make me. I reject this.”

  His eyes blazed with resentment and rage, like my words had been a

  blade rammed into his chest, cutting out his soul.

  It made my heart ache—but was that really my heart feeling for him, or

  was it a product of our so-called bond? Were any of my feelings for him real?

  I didn’t know any more. It was too much to process.

  “Savannah.” He stepped forward, but I stepped back, keeping my

  distance.

  “Sorry, Jaxson, but I can’t do this.”

  Then I turned and left, pulling a dark cloak of shadow around me.

  My thoughts pounded in my mind as I strode down the beach. Were we

  really fated mates? Did I really have no choice?

  The implications were staggering. If it was true, then everything between

  us was fake. A lie. A byproduct of our mate bond.

  My heart felt like it was cracking, and a lump of sorrow and

  embarrassment rose in my throat.

  Jaxson hadn’t tried to save me because he cared. He hadn’t healed me

  because he cared. He was compelled to. Forced to by the bond.

  The sorcerer had said almost as much. Jaxson would have watched

  everyone die before he let me go. Because he had to. Not because he chose to

  or wanted to.

  And everything he felt, it was because of our mate bond. Not because of

  his heart.

  Hell, I’d smelled his bitterness and resentment when he’d told me we

  were fated. He said he hadn’t wanted it—because of course, how could he

  have truly cared for me? I’d killed his brother-in-law, and my monstrous

  family had killed his sister.

  He’d had to watch Kahanov start to cut the souls from his pack, helpless

  to choose them over me. Helpless to save his wolves and to do his duty as

  alpha. It was horrific.

  My skin suddenly felt overheated, and my breaths were coming too

  quickly. I couldn’t breathe, I needed to get out of there.

  I began to run.

  Sam’s voice erupted from behind me. “Savy! Where are you going?”

  She was running after me, but instead of slowing, I quickened my pace.

  “I don’t fucking know!” I shouted over my shoulder. “Away from here.

  Away from Jaxson and Magic Side and the pack.”

  “Come on, Savy. Stop this. I know it’s a shock. You just need time to get

  used to the mate bond.”

  I skidded to a halt and spun in horror. “Wait a minute, did you already

  know about this?”

  She nodded. “I’ve known about you two since you first shifted. It’s

  impossible to miss. Your bond is so strong th—”

  “You both knew, and you kept this from me all this time?” I clenched my

  fists to keep my thoughts and hands under control as waves of betrayal and

  anger burned through my veins.

  She reached out, but I pulled away. I didn’t need her pity or comfort. It

  was too late.

  Sam let her hand drop. “You’d just been turned into a wolf. You had a

  sorcerer trying to kill you. We knew it would be overwhelming. Too much

  was at stake.”

  “So you just left me out of the loop, like always.” My
voice cracked, and

  I fought back the tears that were pooling in the corners of my eyes. “I’m done

  with all of this. You, Jaxson, the pack. I can’t trust anyone.”

  I turned to head back toward the collapsed cave to find Neve—who was

  mercifully something other than a werewolf—but Sam caught my arm. “He

  cares about you, Savannah. And I know you care about him, too.”

  “You know nothing about how either of us feels. Now let me go!”

  I tried to jerk my arm free, but she held on. “I care about you. And that’s

  not because of some bond.”

  Her words made my throat catch, but I pulled away and started walking. I

  couldn’t handle this rollercoaster ride of emotions, and I didn’t know what to

  believe anymore. There were too many unspoken words, too many hidden

  truths.

  “Please don’t shut me out. You’re a werewolf now. You need someone to

  help you through this.”

  “I’ll find my own way.” Until I found the cure.

  “That’s not how being in a pack works,” said Sam. “I’ll help get you

  through this transition, and I’ll tell you everything I know. About shifting.

  About moon cycles and pack etiquette. About the heat.”

  I stopped short in my tracks. “The heat?”

  She gritted her teeth and made an apologetic shrug.

  God help me.

  We’re gonna need her, my wolf said.

  I closed my eyes and begged for strength. “I’m going to find Neve and

  return to Magic Side. And when I get back, I’m leaving. I don’t want to see

  you or Jaxson again. I want you to leave me the fuck alone.”

  49

  Savannah

  We arrived in Magic Side in a whirl of wind and magic. I staggered over

  to the wall and braced myself until the warehouse stopped spinning.

  Teleporting with Neve was like skydiving into a hurricane.

  Sam placed her hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine,” I lied, and shrugged her off.

  Jaxson took a step toward me, but I flashed him a vengeful look that told

  him to stay the fuck back. I couldn’t be near him, and I couldn’t trust my

  mind or body around him.

  I glared at the floor as it kept spinning around. I was still mad at Sam, but

  I was also wearing another set of her clothes, a track suit that she’d brought

  in the gym bag.

  And she hadn’t even mentioned the fact that I’d lost her favorite shirt in

  the Dreamlands. That said quite a lot…though potentially, she hadn’t figured

  that one out yet.

  I stood and looked around.

  The warehouse was packed with werewolves, and a cheering throng had

  formed around Neve and Jaxson. Heroes. Word had traveled fast. We’d

  woken the sleepers. We’d defeated Kahanov.

  The pack was safe.

  Time to get the hell out of here.

  I started to slink toward the shadows, but Sam caught my arm. “Nuh-uh.

  You just saved the lives of dozens of wolves. The pack is going to want to

  see you.”

  “I don’t wan—”

  She shoved me forward, and then, to my shock, she howled.

  Howls erupted around me, and my wolf surged in my chest,

  understanding some unspoken message that I couldn’t. Suddenly, I was

  surrounded by werewolves, laughing and embracing me and patting me on

  the back.

  What the hell was happening? These people…they hated me.

  Sam gave me a shove. “Welcome to the pack. We get rowdy.”

  But I wasn’t part of the pack.

  My surprise mixed with unease as voices rose around me and people

  cheered. Not long ago, these people had wanted to string me up. And now,

  they were treating me like a hero. One of their own.

  But I’m not.

  Still, something stirred deep inside of me. The same strange feeling I’d

  felt when I’d met Casey, Aunt Laurel, and Uncle Pete.

  We belong, my wolf said.

  I shook my head. No.

  They were drunk in the moment. None of it was real—a delusion, just

  like my feelings for Jaxson, and his for me.

  Amid the fray, a woman caught my arm and pulled me to her. Did I

  recognize her face? She took my hands. “I saw you in my dream.”

  My cheeks burned under the attention and the avalanche of emotions

  washing over me. “What?” I croaked.

  “That man trapped me in a nightmare. It wouldn’t stop, and I couldn’t

  escape. But then I saw you in my dream, moving in the shadows. I didn’t

  know who you were, but in that instant, I knew someone was coming for me,

  that someone was fighting for me, and that even in the darkness, I wasn’t

  alone.”

  She wiped her eyes and wrapped her arms around me before I could

  escape. My thoughts drifted from the rejoicing werewolves around us to my

  own dark dreams and the face of the fortune teller, whispering from the

  shadows.

  Deep down, I knew my nightmare wasn’t over.

  I will have my vengeance! The voice of Dragan, the deranged lunatic my

  aunt had killed, echoed through my mind. I’d cut his soul out, but was he

  really gone?

  Not a chance. But maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t fighting alone.

  My gaze drifted through the crowd and landed on Jaxson. He stood apart

  from them like a lighthouse over the sea. Despite the commotion that

  surrounded us, his piercing honey-gold eyes didn’t waver from me. Shivers

  raked over my skin, and my wolf surged toward him.

  I felt his irresistible magnetic pull drawing me into his orbit, summoning

  me to him with every breath I took.

  Jaxson Laurent, my fated mate.

  I turned and walked away from it all.

  I’d find a way to fight this. A way to break the bond and make my fate

  my own.

  Thanks for joining us on this wild adventure!

  Wolf Bound, Book 3: Dark Lies will be here in December. You can

  preorder it on Amazon here: mybook.to/Dark-Lies

  In the meantime, if you’d like to keep up to date with our writing progress

  and get access to exclusive, insider-only content like deleted scenes and short

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  Up next: keep reading for an author’s note on the archaeology, history,

  and adventures that inspired this book!

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Thank you so much for reading Untamed Fate!

  As archaeologists, we love to include historical tidbits and exotic

  locations in our stories. Savannah and Jaxson’s Italian adventure was inspired

  by a trip we took with Linsey Hall, long before we began to think about

  writing. One of the places we stayed was Civita di Bagnoregio—a tiny

  village perched on a plateau in the middle of a heavily eroded valley. It

  served as the basis for la Città Che Muore, the town where the mage lived.

  The only way to reach Civita di Bagnoregio is to either ascend the donkey

  path up from t
he valley floor or cross a long narrow bridge that stretches out

  from the rim of the valley (we removed the bridge for our version of the

  town).

  Civita di Bagnoregio was founded two-and-a-half millennia ago by the

  Etruscans, who excavated caves in the hard volcanic tuff. The local geology

  has put the town in a precarious position. While the city was constructed atop

  the hard layer of tuff, the underlying layer is clay, and it is continuously

  eroding (we actually saw several landslides while we were there). The plateau

  continues to shrink, undermining the picturesque city, which is on verge of

  collapsing into the valley—giving it the nickname ‘the dying city.’ We spent

  time hiking in the region, and got just as mud-covered as Savannah did!

  Savannah and Jaxson arrived in Italy through a portal in a garden of stone

  monsters. This location is based on the Sacro Bosco (Sacred Grove) in

  Bomarzo, also known as the Parco dei Mostri (Park of the Monsters). The

  wooded garden is filled with towering grotesque sculptures, some of which

  were sculpted directly into the bedrock. They include a giant ripping a man in

  half, a war elephant with a Roman legionnaire wrapped in its trunk, and a

  massive turtle, among many others.

  The garden was commissioned in 1552 by Prince Pier Francesco Orsini as

  an expression of grief. The prince returned from a brutal war in which he’d

  been held for ransom and lost his best friend, only to have his beloved wife

  die soon after. The garden defies all conventions of a well-manicured and

  orderly Italian renaissance garden. It is an expression of chaos, with

  grotesque sculptures, an asymmetric layout, wildly growing trees and shrubs,

  and even a tilting tower house.

  Perhaps the most striking sculpture in the garden is the massive head of

  Orcus, whose screaming mouth opens into a cave, and which directly inspired

  the portal Jax and Savy traveled through. Orcus was an Etruscan/Roman god

  of the underworld and known as a punisher of broken oaths. In many ways,

  his open mouth is like a gateway to hell. Over the entrance, the words ogni

  pensiero vola are inscribed on his lip, which translates as “all thoughts fly” or

  “all reason departs.” If you are brave enough to enter the screaming mouth,

  you find a little table where you can have lunch, and thus take part in eating

  while appearing to be eaten.

  Speaking of portals, you might be wondering why, of all places, did we