by Aria Winter
“And what if I want to join in?” He grins, displaying two sharp rows of teeth.
“I do not share my mate with anyone.”
“Is that right?” He arches a brow. “Even if she is human?”
I still.
His grin widens. “I’ve played with a few of them myself, and I recognize the scent. Let me share in your play, and I promise not to tell anyone.”
I growl.
“It is against our laws to mate a human, is it not?” he asks, his eyes narrowing slightly. “And it is also illegal to have her on this side of the veil. Share her with me, and I’ll speak of this to no one.”
Concentrating, I call upon my magic to conjure my knife—my most deadly possession. The moment I feel the cool steel of the handle in my palm, I rush toward him and pin him back against the wall, holding the blade to his throat.
His eyes are wide in panic and alarm. His kind always underestimates mine, believing us weak because we are rabbit shifters instead of wolves.
“How did you find us here?” I grit through my teeth.
“The rain,” he sputters. “It weakened some sort of barrier. A magic one. I wanted to see what it was concealing, and I found you.” His eyes dart behind me as if searching for Ella. “But I suppose you are the one who raised it in the first place, aren’t you? To conceal your human from our kin.”
His words unnerve me. This should not have happened; rain should not affect my magic, unless... I shake my head softly, pushing the thought aside as I question the wolf.
“Why were you here in the first place?”
“The queen,” he gasps as I press the blade firmly against his skin, drawing a small trickle of blood. “Her cousin was killed by a human. She suspects that human is here somewhere and ordered us to search for her.”
My eyes widen slightly at his admission. “What do you know of the queen’s cousin?” I ask.
“Only that he was doing her bidding. He disguised himself as the prince and was sent to the human kingdom to kill the Chosen One. The prophecy of the elders,” he wheezes against my firm grip. “It’s wrong. If we form a treaty with the humans, they will only use it to attack us later. It is not possible to maintain peace with their kind. She has ordered everyone to seek out the Chosen One. We must kill her before she fulfills the prophecy and dooms our people.”
“What else do you know?”
“Nothing,” he begs. “I swear.”
I focus on his eyes and recite the spell of truth. He stares at me but says nothing, and I know that he was not lying. If he were, the magic would have compelled him to speak further. I cannot allow him to live, however. And after his threat toward my mate, I would not want to anyway.
In one swift movement, I drag the knife across his throat.
A sharp inhalation behind me draws my attention, and I spin to find Ella staring at his bloodied form with wide eyes.
“They want to kill me,” she whispers, her eyes staring down at him in shock. “They’re searching for me, Nyx.”
I rush forward and take her in my arms. “We will not let them.”
When we return to the cottage, everyone is already waiting.
Kai gives me a furious look. His nostrils flare and he narrows his eyes. “Where were you? We were worried.”
It is easy to tell that he knows I have mated Ella. I know I should not have kept her away for so long, but it was challenging to sate my mating lust once it had begun. He would not understand. His kind does not experience this like mine does.
“A wolf shifter found us,” I tell him. “I killed him, but not before he informed me that it was the queen’s cousin that Ella killed at the castle. The wolves are searching for Ella. Our queen has ordered every shifter to hunt her down and kill her before she can fulfill the prophecy.”
Kai’s expression does not waver, telling me that this is not news to him.
He clenches his jaw. “I spoke with the Elder. She said as much to me also. It seems the queen does not want to give up her power.”
“What do you mean?” Ella asks.
“You are destined not only to unite our two kingdoms but to become the queen of our kingdom as well, thus overthrowing the reign of our current queen and her wolf pack.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Nothing for now,” Kai replies. “We will hide here while we decide upon our next move.” His gaze shifts to me. “Reestablish the protective barrier,” he orders.
“I will.”
Kai’s blue eyes meet mine. “How was it weakened in the first place?”
I look at Ella. “The wolf claimed it was the rain, but rain should not affect my magic, unless it was enchanted.”
Devon frowns. “Enchanted?”
“Yes.” I look at Ella. “When you sang, it brought the rain with it. It happened yesterday and in the gardens of your home as well. I did not recognize the magic of it then, but I do now. You are the reason your land has prospered while all else has withered and dried up. You have the ability to summon the rain.”
Cash turns to her. “I’ve heard her father’s line had this ability—mastery over one of the elements.”
“Yes,” Finn adds. “But it was always believed to be a myth.”
Chapter 25
Ella
“How is this possible? Why does my singing cause it to rain?”
Finn looks to me. “It is said that it was a gift to your father’s line from one of our earliest queens. A token of friendship and prosperity between our two people. She gifted the magic of the elements to each of the four human kingdoms that were allied with our people.”
Kai looks to me, his expression sober. “There is more.”
“What is it?”
“Someone casts a spell on the body of the wolf shifter that you killed to make sure he remained in the prince’s form.” He pauses. “The entire kingdom is searching for you. They believe that you lured and then murdered their prince.”
“Who would do this?”
“Our wolf shifter queen.”
“But why?” I shake my head in confusion. “I’ve never done anything to her, let alone know who she is. Before all this, I didn’t even know that shifters existed.”
“According to the Elder, you are not just chosen to unite the two kingdoms. You are destined to become the queen of all shifters.”
I shake my head. “Why me?”
“Because your ability to understand our mind speech is the bridge that can unite our two kingdoms. But your power to heal the land—in the form of conjuring rain—can bring prosperity to both shifters and humans as well.”
“Does the Elder know what happened to the true prince?”
“Our queen has him under her spell and locked away somewhere in hiding.”
“Why not just kill him and be done with it?” I ask. “Why did she keep him alive?”
“I do not know,” Kai replies. “But I have a theory.”
“What is it?”
“I believe she wants to use him as a pawn to take power. But first, she must ensure you are dead. His people search for you because his parents believe that you killed him. Once you are dead, she will produce the real prince and ask for the throne in return for giving him back to his family.”
My mouth drifts open in shock.
Kai continues. “She wants you dead so that none may challenge her right to rule.”
“And what about the prince?” I ask, trying to find a loophole in this prophecy. “The prophecy says I’m supposed to marry him. Does the Elder still believe this too?”
Kai lowers his head, nodding grimly.
I curl my hands into fists at my side as I struggle to push down my anger and frustration. “I won’t do it,” I grind out. “No one is going to force me to do it either.”
Kai’s eyes snap up to meet mine. “That is what the Elders sent us to you for. We are supposed to see the prophecy fulfilled. We must rescue the prince and—”
I cut him off abruptly as I glare at him. “I
don’t care what the prophecy says. It’s my decision, and I won’t let you deliver me into someone else’s hands. Especially after what happened the first time.”
“We did not know that it was not the prince, Ella. I am sorry,” he says, his gaze filled with regret. “If we had known—”
“I don’t care if it’s the prince or not. I won’t marry someone only to fulfill a prophecy. I trusted you, Kai, and I nearly paid for it with my life.”
He visibly flinches at my words as if struck.
Nyx steps forward. “It was not just Kai,” he says. “We all share the blame, Ella.”
Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back.
Kai opens his mouth to speak, but I turn away. “I don’t care what you say. I won’t do it. I won’t marry the prince if he’s still alive. I don’t care what the prophecy says. I won’t be used ever again.”
I run up the stairs to the bedroom, leaving him and everyone else down below. How could he even think to ask me to marry the prince after everything that has happened? After I’ve already mated Cash, Finn, and Nyx? No. I shake my head firmly. I won’t give them up just to fulfill some stupid prophecy.
When my father died, I lost everyone I ever loved. And now that I have Cash, Finn, and Nyx, I refuse to lose anyone else.
Chapter 26
Kai
“You are a fool,” Nyx shakes his head at me. “How could you think to ask her to consider marrying the prince? Especially after what happened?”
“I—”
“Besides”—Cash steps forward, and levels a dark gaze at me—”She has already chosen us. Or do you not remember this?”
Finn’s eyes burn with anger. “I will not give up Ella. Not now. Not ever.”
“Neither will I,” I swear. “I do not care about the prophecy.” I give them a pleading look. “You think I want to lose her as well?”
“You never had her,” Nyx snaps. “Not like we do.” He looks to Cash and Finn to send the message, and the message is clear. They have bonded to Ella; she has taken them as her mates. We may be bond brothers, but now they have crossed the line into being bonded mates, something Devon and I are not a part of.
Jealousy burns through me like fire. “It is true. She has not chosen me. But that does not mean I want her to choose the prince.” I look down at my hands. “The Elder said that if she did not marry the prince, she could die.”
Devon blinks at me in shock. “What? How?”
“I... do not know. She said she could not see beyond Ella’s decision to take the prince as her mate or not. And so, she believes it means Ella will die is she does not marry him.”
Nyx clenches his jaw. “Even so. It should be Ella’s decision. We cannot force her or push her to do something she does not wish.”
I run my hand roughly through my hair. “I only want for her safety, above all else. If not for the risk of her dying, I never would have even suggested she still marry the prince. I no longer care about the prophecy. All I care about is her.”
Nyx puts a hand on my shoulder and meets my eyes evenly. “Then, tell her this. Because right now, she believes you want to give her up because you care more for the prophecy than for her feelings.”
I grit my teeth in frustration. He is right. I lift my gaze to the staircase. I have to find a way to fix this between us. I cannot bear for her to hate me.
Chapter 27
Kai
As soon as I enter the bedroom, I find her lying on the bed, her shoulders shaking as she sobs into her pillow.
I move to her side and place my hand over hers. “Ella?” I whisper, but she pulls her hand away as if burned by my touch. “Please,” I plead. “Let me explain.”
She lifts her tear-stained face to meet mine. “Explain what? How you want to pawn me off to another male? How you want to give me to someone I don’t love like you did the first time? You don’t care about me. If you did, you would never ask me to marry someone else.” She lowers her head and cries into the pillow. “I hate this bond. It makes me feel close to you. Makes me trust you. And I—” her voice breaks. “I love you, but you don’t love me. You can’t, or else you’d never ask me to marry the prince, prophecy or not.”
I pull her into my arms. She struggles weakly in my hold before burying further into my chest as she sobs against me. “I hate you. I hate that I love you, and you don’t love me. I hate you, Kai.”
I hold her tightly to me, smoothing my hand over her back and shoulders as I speak softly. “You are wrong, Ella. I love you. More than anything.”
She lifts a tear-filled gaze to me. “Then why do you still want me to marry the prince?”
“Because I’m scared,” I admit.
“I... I don’t understand.” She sniffs. “You aren’t making any sense.”
I tell her what the Elder conveyed about the probability of death in her vision. I press a tender kiss to her forehead and cup her cheek as I stare deep into her blue eyes. “I cannot stand the thought of you dying. Even if it means giving you up, I would do it... just so that you may live.”
She shakes her head. “But you don’t know that she’s right. It may be that she just cannot see my future clearly.”
“But Nyx’s dreams confirm her visions.”
She frowns. “What do you mean?”
As if my very thoughts have summoned him, Nyx appears at the top of the stairs. “It’s true, Ella. I have had a recurring nightmare of the Wolf Queen coming for you. In my dreams, she—” he stops, unable to speak it aloud.
“She kills me,” Ella finishes his sentence. “You told me this. But maybe your dream is a warning, and it will help us to avoid any danger.”
Nyx shakes his head. “We may have already failed. Our recent actions may have only endangered you further.”
Her small brow furrows deeply. “What do you mean?”
I meet her gaze evenly. “I fear that Nyx’s dreams may have foretold what has happened now. In taking Cash, Finn, and Nyx as your mates, you do not want the prince. The Elder said they saw your death if you did not marry him. And if you refuse to give them up so that you can marry the prince and fulfill the prophecy, you might die.
Indignation burns in her eyes. “I don’t care. I won’t marry the prince. I refuse to be handed off to another as if my choice doesn’t matter.” She looks to Nyx, tears filling her eyes. “And you? How could you even think to ask me to marry the prince? Especially after what we just—” Her voice catches as tears spill down her cheeks.
Nyx rushes toward her, gathering her in his arms as he pulls her close to his chest. “I cannot bear the thought of you dying. Not for me, Ella. Not if loving me means that you will die. I do not want to give you up, but I will not force you to be mine if you want to be released from our bond to save your life.”
She touches his face. “I don’t want to lose you, Nyx. Not now. Not ever. You are my mate, and I will not give you up.”
I gently touch her cheek, drawing her attention to me. “Please understand. I only wanted you to marry the prince to keep you from dying, Ella. That is the only reason I would ever even suggest it.”
She pulls away from my touch as if burned. “I would rather risk death than marry someone I don’t love.”
I clench my jaw as I give her a solemn nod. “I understand this now. Forgive me. I should have realized it should be your decision. I am sorry, Ella. I have heard that if you love someone, you only want what is best for them.” I stare deep into her eyes. “I love you, Ella. With everything that I am. And I am so afraid to lose you. If anything were to happen, I do not think I could bear it. I would—”
Cash and Finn come into the room and move to her side. With a slight clench of my jaw, I meet her eyes evenly. “I’m sorry, Ella.”
I look again at Nyx, Cash, and Finn. They are already bonded to her. Of course, I am happy for them, but I can hardly bear the deep ache in my chest as I watch them touch her so tenderly, knowing she has already chosen them. I turn to leave. “I will check the perimet
er,” I speak over my shoulder.
I quickly shift and fly out the window before she or anyone else can respond.
As I fly through the forest, her words replay in my mind. “I hate you,” she cried against my chest.
My heart breaks into a million pieces, hearing the words echo through my mind over and over. I love her. With all that I am. But she believes I do not love her... and she hates me for it.
Chapter 28
Kai
The next few days pass quickly as I busy myself flying the perimeter to make certain no one else finds us here. I can hardly bear to be in Ella’s presence for long, knowing how strongly she feels about me.
I hate you. The words repeat in my mind as pain stabs at my chest.
When I return to the cottage, I find her alone upstairs. Anger fills me that she has been left here by herself. I growl low in my throat. “Where is everyone else? Why did they leave you here?”
She steps toward me and takes my hand. “They left because I asked them to. I wanted to talk to you. Spend time with you. Alone,” she adds.
My anger instantly dissipates. “What did you wish to speak of?”
She reaches up to touch my cheek, and I go still, waiting to see what she will do. “You said you loved me.”
I place my hand over hers. “More than anything, Ella.”
“Then, why did you leave? Why have you been avoiding me these past few days?”
I turn my face into her palm and close my eyes briefly against the pain. Sadness fills me so great I feel as if I am drowning in it. “You said you hate me. And I—” my voice catches. “I cannot bear it.”
She places two fingers up under my chin, tipping my head up to hers. “I don’t hate you, Kai. I was angry. I’m sorry.”
I barely manage to nod as painful memories rush through me. “It is all right. I am used to rejection.”
“What do you mean?”
I hesitate, uncertain if I wish to share my past with her.