Aleenaâs POV
Waiting to hear anything from Michael or the chase brothers was killing me. When did I suddenly become a man-obsessed person? Never before had I been this way about anyone, and not about the Alpha. I knew the Werewolf rules; I knew that once they found their mate, they were done, they wouldnât even look in the direction of another woman, and Michael had his mate. So why was he constantly looking at me like he felt the same way I did?
âWhat do I feel for himâ I questioned myself; I wasnât ready to face that mountain yet, but deep down, I knew; I didnât want to say it out loud. But, of course, itâs not unheard of for different races to end up together. But a mated one, now that was unheard of.
I had walked in circles around my room. I returned here once I had set Aiden on his task. There was no way I would risk being around Laura; she hated me near her man, and I donât blame her. Even though Michael would deny that she hates me, I could feel it, and we elves had a knack for telling these things. Waiting with Michael wasnât an option either. Alune was convinced I was making his pain worse; goddess knows why, but that was the last thing I ever wanted, so my rooms were the only option.
âWhy now? Why does something like this have to happen now? I donât have time to be infatuated with a guy, regardless of who he is. As well as an Exalted trying to take over her hostâs body, rogue magic going wild and hurting the ones I love, and a prophecy coming trueâ I was talking to myself to pass the time, sometimes speaking whatâs on your mind out loud helped.
âShit, did I say I loved himâ I cursed myself as I didnât want to admit it. âWell, thatâs just great; Iâm in love with a man I can never have.â
Being an elf was brilliant; you got access to immense power and lived for bloody ages, hundreds of years longer than most other races. So you look young for decades, and you get to experience many things. But falling in love isnât something you do very often; usually, itâs once if you are lucky. So for me to feel this way about a guy is hard enough, but a guy thatâs not my race is worse; he will die before me, and I will feel that pain tenfold, but if he doesnât feel the same for me, if we do not get our time together, then I will be doomed to a life of misery.
I decided to change out of the clothes that I had picked that morning, even though it felt like days ago. I reached for my plain old black jogging bottoms, a simple white sleeveless top and the old grey hoody Michael had given me one year when it was freezing.
Snuggling down, I chose to read to pass the time. The Werewolves library was extensive, and I had only made a small dent in its vast shelves of books. Reaching out my hand, I called for a book; I didnât know which one I wanted, so I just focused on my feelings. Right now, I wanted to learn more about the magic that causes the effects that Michael felt. Seconds passed before a book materialised in my hand. It was ancient and heavy, covered in dust. The leather-bound cover was a deep shade of purple and runes ran down the spine in faded gold gilding. The book was beautiful and very fragile. The pattern on the front was of a wolf howling at the moon, encircled in intricate intertwining branches.
Curling up in my favourite chair, I carefully lay the book in my lap and open the cover.
âThe ancient art of untamed magic, âI read aloud and took in the subject matter. Untamed magic was the old term used for dark or forbidden magic. My hands shook as I took in the magnitude of what I was reading. There were witches in this house channelling untamed magic, Alune was right, and it terrified me.
âWhat did they do to himâ I gasped, fear crippling me; nothing good will come from untamed magic. I had to work out what they did to Michael and how to save him, as he would need saving. If not controlled and cast precisely, there were always severe consequences for using untamed magic.
I flicked through the pages as fast as possible without damaging the ancient book. I searched for anything that may be linked to the effects I saw on Michael. But it felt like it needed to take less time. Each wafer-thin page was jam-packed with information on every kind of spell imaginable. Frustration was getting the better of me, and the more concerned I became.
âThatâs enoughâ I slammed the book down way too hard and cringed at the sound, wishing I hadnât been so rough. Then, reaching up, I yanked on the hair tie, holding my hair back. I needed to breathe and feel free, but everything felt constricting.
After taking a few calming breaths, I turned to look at the book I threw down in anger; the dim light I had going shone on the pages, illuminating them enough for something to catch my eye.
âThatâs it,â I gasped as I snatched the book up again. Its pages had fallen exactly where I needed them to in my anger. Laid out in front of me was an image of a person clutching their head and fire dancing along their body. It looked scarily like Michael.
âTo bond an Alpha wolf to become your mateâ, I muttered the spell title. All the air in my lungs rushed out. I couldnât believe my eyes; my hands shook, and I couldnât breathe.
Reading the description took longer than I wanted it to. None of the information sank in, so I had to keep reading the same passage.
âIf the Alphaâs true mate is nearby, a battle of the soul will take placeâ, I continued. âThe Alpha will be in physical pain if near their true mate, forcing them to stay clear of them so that the spell can take effectâ I paused, letting it sink in. âIf the Alphaâs feelings are already strong for their true mate, yet not mated then the battle will be long and hard; searing pain will coarse through the Alphaâs body, stopping him from choosing either wayâ, my heart pounded. Alune had said I was causing him more pain, but that would mean, no, surely not. âThe only effective way to secure your Alpha is to kill their true mate; if they live, then you will have to repeat the spell regularly.â
Sitting dumbstruck in the chair, I stared at the page repeatedly. Everything I read was exactly what was happening to Michael, but could I really be his mate? Why would it take so long for me to realise? Sitting and thinking, I let the information sink in.
I thought back to my teachings with the old seer of my people. She once told me Elves reach maturity much older than other races. Whereas humans of hybrids will become an adult at eighteen, elves are one hundred and fifty years old when they reach adulthood. And I was turning one hundred fifty this year, not that I had told anyone that I donât celebrate my birthday anymore, but I lost interest in it when my so-called friends betrayed me.
The realisation of what might be happening here was way too much. I rushed over to the sink in my room and vomited repeatedly. I was exhausted and shaking.
âFucking hell, I think Iâm mated to the Alphaâ, I whispered.
My pale violet skin became paler, and my purple eyes flared with white flecks instead of their usual black. Magic coursed through my body as the truth settled inside me. I had found my true mate, and the bond needed to click into place on my birthday; if it didnât, then I would be destined to a life of agony; some elves donât make it through the pain if their mate doesnât accept them. It wasnât a fate I wanted to endure, I witnessed it once as a child, and it was the most heart-breaking thing I ever saw.
âI must stop Laura; she is the one doing this; Michael is mine.â
Michaelâs POV
Just like that, the pain stopped. I could finally breathe again. But my heart hurt like something was missing, and I was afraid I would never find it. Standing up on shaking legs, I spot Ayla sitting on a chair; then I remember it was Alune now, not my daughter.
âWelcome back, Alpha; I see one of those useless mates of my host did something right thenâ, she smirked.
âWhat do you mean,â I questioned, my head still pounding; I needed to hold it even though the pain had subsided.
âThe shadow-kissed brother was able to stop the spell-casting that was causing your painâ she smiled and then went back to examining the wall.
âYou need to elaborate a bit more on thatâ, I growled; I didnât like this Exalted person; she wasnât all the prophecy makes her out to be; frankly, she was nothing more than a massive bitch with powers.
âFineâ, she huffed. âThe pain you felt was the effects of a spell being cast on you; it felt like the Alpha bonding spell, such a fun one to watch, not so fun on the Alpha, of course,â She grinned. âThis visit is becoming so exciting; you have someone trying to bond you to them; Iâd say this wasnât the first time.â
âWhat the hell do you mean by thatâ I shouted; I think I would know if I was being attacked by magic, never had I felt this before.
âCalm down, geez, your tetchyâ, she laughed âYou only feel the immense pain if your true mate is near, so clearly they are nearby, and you have to fight this and find your true mate or accept it and be with the fake oneâ she shrugged âOh but your true mate would no doubt dieâ
âI need to find Laura and keep her safe; I let wont anyone hurt herâ, I mutter. Alune erupted in laughter like this was something funny. Anger swelled in my belly; I wanted to punch the smirk off her face, but I wouldnât, though, as it would cause pain to Ayla.
âYou silly man, search your heart. Do you feel the unbreakable bond for this Lauraâ she spoke to me as if I was a child, riling me up even more?
âShe has been my mate for so long. So, of course she is,â I barked, but something tugged at me, something that didnât feel right, and it was annoying that I considered listening to the retched Exalted.
Reaching inside myself, I felt for the unbreakable bond that would hold us together for eternity, the one I would kill for, but it wasnât there.
âThere it is â, she chuckled, boiling my blood more.
âDonât just sit there being a pain in the arse; tell me what I need to do, for goddess sakeâ, I yelled at her, losing my patients; my true mate was on the line here, and I couldnât allow anything to happen to her, whomever she is.
âOkay, okay, keep your furry pants on, Alpha mutt, Iâll help you; I canât tell you outright because, well, I canât, but I can point you in the right directionâ she rolled her eyes, pushing herself up and placing her hands on her hips.
âWell?â I urged
âLook closely at whom you have spent your time with lately; if your mate were near, the spell cast on you would begin to break, hence the pain; it was being recast. So use that little brain of yours, work out who you have been with lately and start there,â she said as she walked towards the door. âI have to work out what my next move is; my Fallen sister has now tasted my hostâs blood and will becoming for her, I am now bonded to her, and I canât risk a fight for her powerâ, she paused â, I have bigger things to deal with right now, I canât help you with your little mate problem, bigger things are at playâ, she pulled the handle of the door down, smiled, waved and left. Leaving me standing there thinking about my life.
âLaura is doing this to meâ my heart broke, I had spent the last two decades with this woman loving her, and it had all been a lie. I didnât know how to process it.
Picking the chair the Exalted had just exited, I sat; I needed to think. The door opened once again, and Alune returned.
âMe again; I just thought I would remind you; I may be having fun on your plane right now, but I have a job to do. I have to re-write the wrongs in the world caused by your race, so if I were you, Iâd hurry up as we have a lot coming at us soon. Iâm ninety-eight per cent sure you and your true mate play quite a role in it, so if you could hurry the fuck up and sort yourself out, that would be great,â she smiled. âOkay, thanks, byeâ, she waved. But, again, shutting the door a bit too hard made me wince; my head was still sore.
âGreat, life is just greatâ.