Chapter 10

Lysander's POV

Fuck me.

I tore off my clothes under the cover of darkness. I needed to run, to clear my mind and get a grip. The mate bond, while rare, was only supposed to be possible between animal shifters. Not between a wolf and a witch. And it was not supposed to be possible for me.

My dark soul was too damaged to be blessed with the purity of a mate bond for a second time. Among wolves, it was viewed as the greatest of gifts. Only once might one find our soulmate. Never twice. After the most heinous crime I’d committed, I was completely undeserving.

This was another of the enchantress’ tricks. It had to be.

With practiced ease, my body morphed into an enormous white wolf. Landing on all four paws, I lurched forward at a sprint. My pads left giant prints in the snow as I made my way into the dense woods. For a while, I ran without a destination in mind. The wind ruffled my fur and stung my eyes. I darted around trees, leapt over boulders, and caught the scent of frightened wildlife on the gentle breeze.

No sign of those wicked creatures who haunted this enchanted land reached my senses. I was free to roam. At least for a while.

The run warmed my blood and cleared my head. Panting, my tongue lolling to the side, I halted. I broke the creek’s thin layer of ice to take a drink. The frigid water numbed my mouth as I lapped it up. Unfortunately, the pause was long enough for my mind to slip back to my troubled thoughts.

I’d been on the run for years after my brother’s betrayal. Since that night, I have done the unthinkable the unforgivable. I pushed the blood-drenched memories away.

For so long, I’d yearned to finally meet with my demise. To end this cursed life would be another blessing perhaps I didn’t deserve. Was that why the enchantress had sent Elara to me? Was the mate bond with her a kind of twisted revenge for all my bad deeds? Or, a sliver of my mind hoped, a chance for redemption?

I shuddered, my thick fur bristling. I was beyond redemption, though the hope for it never diminished.

Staring into the forest, though not seeing it, my gut clenched, and my heart pounded. Elara was my mate. Xavier seemed to have a connection with her as well or perhaps he only wanted her blood. Kaelen claimed to want none of her, but the Fae often denied himself his desires. Could she be the one… for all of us?

Possessiveness tore through me. I shoved it down.

The idea of one woman for all of us spread through me like wildfire. It consumed my every sense and blazed through my soul. Elara. Mine to protect. Ours to have and break the curse.

I turned around and headed back to the mansion at full speed. Snow caked my paws, flinging in every direction as I plowed through the woods and entered the back gardens. There, I shifted and quickly approached the door. The guard greeted me with a nod as I entered.

In the locker room on the first floor where we all kept extra clothing and weapons, I grabbed a pair of black slacks and a T-shirt, then bounded up the staircase to find Xavier. We needed to come to an understanding.

I entered his private parlor without first rapping on the door. He sat hunched over a chess board near the window. A fire roared in the hearth, casting flickering shadows on the wood-paneled walls and heavy drapes.

“Why are you crashing through the manse tonight?” he asked without looking up from the solo game in progress.

“I wasn’t crashing through anywhere.”

“I could hear you on the ground floor.”

Xavier moved a pawn one space forward.

“Are you losing your stealthy touch?”

I ignored his question.

“We need to talk.”

He glanced at me as he spun the board around to play the other side.

“Speak.”

“You can’t take Elara as your pet.”

My fingers involuntarily curled into fists at my sides.

“Oh, this again.”

Xavier sounded bored.

I let out a warning growl.

“No, not this again. It’s gotten complicated.”

I leaned over the table.

“My wolf has claimed her for his mate.”

Xavier’s onyx eyes flicked up to meet mine, his hand hovering over a rook.

“Now that is interesting. I thought animals only mate with animals.”

“We do.”

I drew in a deep breath.

“I can only assume this is possible because of her.”

“The enchantress.”

Xavier moved the rook closer to the king.

I grimaced.

“Yes.”

He continued.

“So you’ve claimed our delectable guest for yourself. We’ve shared before. I don’t see how your animal bond with her changes that for us.”

I leaned in, gripping the table so hard the wood squeaked.

“You will not draw one drop of blood from her, and I will not mark her or touch her in any way until she comes to love us. I think she’s the one for us all.”

Xavier stared up at me for several long moments, then he burst into laughter.

I scowled.

He continued to laugh, eyes watering, and pushed away the chessboard.

“I’m fucking serious!”

I straightened to my full, imposing height, and growled.

“Oh, Lysander,” he said, sniffing. “You’re fucking delusional.”

He wiped his eyes and pinned me with those inky pools.

“If she were to love us and break the curse, she must know us. All our flaws, bad deeds, and deepest secrets must be exposed to her. You won’t be able to hold yourself back from claiming her, as it is your nature.”

I tensed up. I couldn’t bring myself to contradict him without it sounding like a lie.

Xavier rose to his feet.

“You will claim and mark her. I will enjoy drinking from her and bedding her. And Kaelen will do… whatever he does for pleasure. There’s no way around any of that. The future, regarding Elara, is already written. All we have to do is act it out.”

I roared, overturning the table with one sweep of my hand.

“She will not love us if we force her!”

“You can barely control your beast as it is. Look at you.”

He sneered.

“You won’t last a week without giving in to your impulses. Now, pick up those chess pieces.”

“You fucking pick them up.”

I glared back.

“You touch her and I’ll ”

“You’ll what? Hurt me?”

Faster than a blink, he was in my face, standing so close our noses almost touched.

“Don’t threaten me, pup.”

I snarled.

“Fuck you, asshole. I’m serious. Don’t. Touch. Her.”

His grin was all fangs.

“I make no promises. Now, get out.”

The beast inside me clawed and growled, wanting to be released. If anyone else stood before me, staring me down, I’d have already shredded him. But Xavier and I… well, we’d been through our fair share of fights with each other. Neither of us ever won, but we did an astounding amount of damage.

Most of the time, I was glad Xavier was the one in charge because I didn’t have a cool enough head for such responsibilities. At other times, his authority irked the fuck out of me.

I backed down. I couldn’t protect Elara if I was wounded for any length of time. With a snap of my teeth in his face, I spun around and lumbered out of the room.

Kaelen passed me in the hallway. He shot me a curious glance before entering Xavier’s parlor.

Fuck them both.

I stripped out of my clothes and dropped them on the floor before shifting. In wolf form, I jogged to Elara’s door. Her delicious scent seeped out from underneath, and I deeply inhaled. With a whine I couldn’t hold inside, I curled up at her threshold.

No one would pass through this part of the hallway without me knowing. My watch over her would begin tonight and continue until she chose for herself.

She’d appeared on our doorstep for a reason, but loving us would not come easily. It was certainly not for the faint of heart.

A knot formed in my stomach. What if she rejected me? I would be devastated, no denying that, but this was the only way and my last chance to do one thing right. A small atonement for my many sins.