CHAPTER 8: SOULMATES

MAKENA

Opening my eyes, I slowly raised my head, taking in my surroundings as the events of the previous night came flooding back. I sat up, pulling on the jacket I woke up in while my mind raced with thoughts of how and when I fell asleep.

Snow and I were terrified when our mate collapsed in our arms. We had no idea what to do, and I even considered running out there to get him some help before Snow pointed out how dangerous that would have been.

He was not a wolf, so we couldn't just take him out there. Especially if he was what we thought he was, it would have caused chaos and likely resulted in his death.

Our only hope had been that he was still alive. Snow and I could feel it, despite his lack of a heartbeat. Plus, it was said that when a mate died, you felt it, so I had pulled his head onto my lap and hummed to him all night, trying to provide whatever small comfort I could. I hoped Snow and I had not made a mistake by not risking everything and taking him out there.

Speaking of my wolf, she stirred in my head and whispered good morning. Just then I noticed something out of the corner of my right eye. I turned my head to see my clothes neatly folded beside me, and a frown creased my forehead.

'How did they get here?' I had left them far up in the forest after Snow and I shifted. It was then that I felt my mate behind me, causing me to turn around.

He looked at my clothes and said, "I could smell them," probably noticing my bewilderment. I nodded and whispered, "Thank you for bringing them," before hurriedly getting dressed.

The room was now filled with a little bit of light, and although it was still depressing, it wasn't as horrible or as lifeless as it had been the night before. I wasn't sure if this was because of the memories we made last night. My cheeks flushed and Snow purred at the memory.

My mouth opened to speak, but he spoke first. "Val... my name is Val and I don't know what my last name is," he said, and I noticed his eyes shift to crimson as he said the last part, but they quickly returned to their natural color.

Like with us wolves, I assumed it was an emotional reaction. Our eye color momentarily changed to our wolf color when we were experiencing intense emotions. I walked over to sit with him onto a tree trunk that sat at the corner of the room.

"It's nice to meet you, Val," I said, eliciting the most beautiful smile on his face as he replied that it was also nice to meet me, even though we were clearly past that point. I had so many questions that I didn’t even know where to begin.

“What happened to you last night?”

“I don't know. I never know exactly what happens. I get these headaches, and whenever they strike, I pass out and wake up hours later."

“What happened to you, Val? Why are you living out here?” I asked again, scooting closer, and my eyes widened when he told me he awoke in my family's morgue, unsure of where or who he was. I assumed he entered when he heard me scream.

He explained that he awoke in one of the drawers with no heartbeat and was still attempting to figure out what was going on when he heard me scream. He told me everything that had happened, including how he felt a pull towards me until he saw me and knew with all of his being that we were connected.

'This is why he's a strigoi; someone killed him,' Snow whispered in my head as we finally understood why our mate was something thought to be long extinct. He awoke from death.

The realization hit me like a blade to the gut. Val had once been human, and someone had killed him. Growing up, I read the legends many times. A vampire’s bite was fatal to werewolves. But humans… if a human died with vampire blood or venom in their system, they turned. That implied that he had encountered a vampire at some point, one that bit him, condemning him to this horrible fate.

The thought made my blood run cold before rage and sorrow swelled inside me. Something had ended his life and turned him into something he never asked to be.

I felt the sting in my eyes, tears pushing against the barrier I tried so hard to keep up. But I didn’t let them fall. I couldn't while he still looked so lost. He didn’t need my grief; he needed my strength. So I swallowed the lump in my throat and clenched my jaw.

I would mourn for him later, alone. Right now, I had to be the anchor he could hold on to while he found himself again.

"We are mates," I whispered. "That's why you felt the pull. That's why you felt our connection. It's because we are soulmates." He had no idea what mates were, which was not surprising given that he was human, so I explained everything to him. But stopped when he suddenly said he was sorry.

"For what?"

"I'm sorry that you are mated to a monster." I firmly grasped his hand, assuring him that he was not a monster. But he jumped to his feet, insisting he was.

"You asked me why I left," he said, turning to face me as I stood behind him, tears welling up in my eyes again at the emotions that radiated from him. "You asked me why I left after I promised to never let anyone hurt you again, and I told you it was because I wasn't sure. But that wasn't all of it. Yes, I was confused since I didn't know about the mate bond. But that wasn't the only reason."

He began telling me what had happened after he saved me, and I passed out.

"I was still holding you," he said, his gaze haunted. “You had just passed out, and I didn’t want to let go. But then... something suddenly shifted." His jaw clenched, and he dropped his gaze for a moment, and I could feel the shame rolling off him in waves.

“Your pulse… it got loud in my ears... deafening. Like it was echoing inside me, and then your head rolled against my arm, exposing your neck. I could feel your veins, Makena, not just see them... as if they were calling out to me."

My breath caught, but I didn’t speak.

“I don’t know how I knew, but I knew what I needed... what I craved, and the thirst was like a fire poured into my throat. I couldn't hurt you. So I fought it and was still fighting when another heartbeat echoed in my ears, prompting me to turn around.

A man stood at the entrance. He was frozen, staring at the bloody scene in front of him. I don’t remember moving; one second, I was still holding you, and the next... I was in front of him... grabbing him.”

He paused, swallowing forcefully, guilt, regret, and shame obscuring his face. With a small, comforting smile, I instinctively reached for his hand, sparks flying from the contact. I finished the sentence for him, "You drank from him," and he choked out, "Yes."

“He tried to fight me off, screaming... terrified screams, but he didn’t stand a chance. It was as if something had taken over, and the desire for his blood was driving me insane. I gave in, and it was as if my body knew exactly what to do, even though my mind didn't. Before I knew it, I had sunk my canines into his neck.

The moment the liquid touched my tongue, all my senses awakened. And the more I drank, the more rejuvenated I began to feel. It felt natural... and I couldn’t stop. I drank until his head snapped free from his neck. That was the moment I snapped out of it and realized what I had done. Dropping his head to the ground, I staggered back, horrified, until my back hit something, and when I turned to see what it was, I discovered a mirror.

But instead of a man looking back at me, I saw a monster. My eyes appeared inhuman, and my skin was as cold and pale as a sheet. I knew I needed to get you out of there before my thirst returned and did something I'd regret.

But I couldn't go inside the hospital, and I saw a man and told him to take you inside, and he did without question. It took all of my strength to turn around and leave after I saw you being hurried inside from the tree line. However, I told myself I had to do it for you."

I wiped away a tear that had fallen down my cheek as he paused. "I knew I'd never forgive myself if I hurt you."

My body moved before my mind gave the signal, and I hugged him. We hugged for a long time, and he continued to tell me about how he had wandered through the forest, realizing he didn't know where he was, until it started raining. At that point, he discovered the decaying building and made it his home.

We drew back from the hug, and his gaze met mine.

"I don’t know who or what I am."