Chapter 0026
Violet
the
I clung to consciousness, my head spinning as Theodore gripped my wrist where the mark of the unwanted was seared deep into my skin. An unfamiliar surge pulsed through me, heat of the bond between Lucas and me seeming to plunge into icy, numbing depths, snuffing the agonizing fire that had overtaken me.
For a few moments, I felt nothing but terror. Was it gone? Was I dying? I felt my entire soul start to go still.
Then, the icy cold turned into something else. It was… foreign, growing colder than anything I’d felt, almost like drowning but somehow a relief. A wolf’s howl echoed through my mind, reverberating with an uncanny familiarity.
I realized that the wolf was me. The surge of resistance, of refusal and desperation stole what little breath I had.
Bond.
He was trying to bond me.
I couldn’t. I fought it. I pushed and pulled, thrashing under the weight even as it grew heavier and heavier. I heard him speaking to me, trying to calm me down, but I couldn’t. Nothing in me felt like calming down was an answer.
–
I screamed and pushed. The bit of strength I had multiplied with my desperation. Somewhere deep in my soul, I was digging my fingers into the pieces of the bond I’d had with Lucas even as it slipped through my fingers.
The pain ebbed and flowed to a dull ache, the agony dissolved and I felt the last of it slip away into a deep, dark cold.
I slumped in Theodore’s arms, shivering uncontrollably. My body had nothing left to give, and the weakness was all–consuming. My eyes burned with more tears that I would have never let myself shed otherwise.
Gone.
Over.
The hollow feeling receded and slowly, I felt something else taking its place. It didn’t feel the same as it had when Lucas and I had bonded, not exactly, but it was unmistakable what was happening.
Yet, I had no fight left in me.
I felt him pull me closer, his warmth surrounding me, his chest steady and strong as he
Chapter 0026
whispered, “It’s alright now. I’ve got you.“.
His voice vibrated through me, warm and soothing. I hated it. I sniffled. My breath catching in my chest as I gasped and the days since the party crashed over me.
I felt adrift on this shifting emptiness in me, carried by a slowly rising warmth.
My vision was hazy, but the sensations in my body were becoming more distinguishable, like I was coming back from the edge of death.
Only the thin towel separated us, and even though my mind was a haze, the intensity of his closeness clawed through my fogged senses. The strength of his hand around my wrist was like a slowly growing weight, anchoring me in my body and pulling me back from wherever I had gone.
Then, I saw his eyes. The were glowing with concern and something else.
Concern. Awe. Terror… Emotions that weren’t mine.
Panic spiked through me. The sting of betrayal hit me hard. I could feel his relief growing the longer he stared down at me.
Bonded. He’d bonded me.
Yes it was to save my life. Yes, I had asked for help, but I had also asked him not to do this. I didn’t want this. I tried to focus on the good things this would mean. The fact that I had more time to free Darkmoon from Lucas, the fact that I could get this bond formally broken when this was all over.
I tried, yet all I could feel was hurt.
I had been too weak to deal with this on my ownL
I had to wonder if I had been born to a regular werewolf rather than a breeder, if things would be different. If I had been born a man would any of this be different?
Would I even be thinking any of this if Lucas hadn’t done what he’d done?
Had I really let him destroy so much of who I was?
“Bastard…” I croaked. His eyes widened, and he drew me closer.
“Just b
Violet. I’ll get you into bed soon.”
I tried to stay awake and focus on the warmth of his skin, on his voice, on the heartbeat steadying beneath my cheek. But the weight was too heavy, and as I sank into darkness, the last thought flitted through me, bitter and afraid: what had I done to deserve this?
Theodore
Lying in bed, I tried to clear my mind, but all I could think about was Violet. I hadn’t
Chapter 0026
25 BONUS
expected her to occupy my thoughts like this, creeping into my mind when I’d resolved to keep her at a distance.
