Page 94 of Forgotten Fate

Another night went by and I found myself still in Rimor, still trying to come up with a plan. I couldn’t kill her, I was certain of that now. But if I didn’t, Volund would have her killed somehow, and I couldn’t protect her – not when he could always find me.

Maybe if I could find a way to kill Volund, the princess would be safe. I could go back to Sprath, and lie to the king by telling him she was dead. Then before he drugged me with wolfsbane, I could claw out his fucking throat. Then Sarai would more than likely kill me. But that was fine. It was worth it, if it meant the princess remained alive. Maybe we weren’t destined to be together. Maybe I was destined to protect her, and that was the only reason the gods created the mating bond between us.

I had made up my mind. Kill Volund and die in the process. I had certainly lived long enough. It would be a valiant death for me, to die after removing scum like him from the realm of the living. He had no heirs to take his place that I knew of, and whoever took over would have no lycan to do their bidding because I would be dead. Maybe Sarai would finally be free of her bargain, or whatever the hell was keeping her tethered to Sprath.

Before I left Rimor to head for my death, I decided I needed a stiff fucking drink. I headed down a number of blocks to an old, dusty alehouse called the Cracked Hoof. I ordered an ale and made my way to the back of the building to sit alone, away from the loud, smelly patrons.

The stench of the place was absolutely rancid, and I cursed my lycan sense of smell. But then, something glorious broke through that stench. Something sweet and floral and delectable.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, I thought. She was here. I knewit immediately.

She walked in, and with all the chatter of the patrons, I had to tune my hearing to focus on what she was saying to the barkeep. She was asking about the Forest of Torment, which is what the humans called Zolmara these days.

Why the fuck would she want to go there? And why was she desperate enough to come to a place like this to find someone to take her?

I became distracted when I heard one man who sat near me say to his equally disgusting friends, “Look at that pretty little thing,” before standing up and heading towards her.

I watched her face turn to pure disgust as the man talked to her. Then, when he grabbed for her breasts, it took everything in me not to jump from my seat and shred him to fucking pieces. But the princess held her own, knocking the man to the ground with force before holding a dagger to his throat. She didn’t need me. She could take care of herself. Admiration boiled in my gut.

The princess left, taking the man’s dignity with her, and he stumbled back to the table near me, his friends in tow. He leaned on the table and stared towards the door. “That little cunt will fucking pay,” he seethed. “Grab your weapons and follow her.”

One oaf picked up a knife that was on the table, and the other a hatchet. “I’m going to make her scream,” the leader said, face still red from anger. My own anger boiled inside.

They weren’t going to fucking touch her.

I slowly stood and subtly followed the men out the door, hiding in the shadows like I did best.

The three men made their way to her, and I watched as the princess held her ground, not an ounce of fear marking her features. She was brave. The three men stepped towards her, but I couldn’t dare let them get any closer.

“The lady asked you to leave her alone,” I said, attempting to mask the pure rage I was feeling. I easily defeated the three of them – careful not to kill them, as much as I wanted to. But I didn’t want to scare her away.

Or did I? I should have kept her far away from me. I should have scared her off so she would never want to see me again. But instead, I agreed to take her to fucking Zolmara. I don’t know why I offered. Something about her trying to make the journey on her own put me on edge. She would never make it to the abandoned city alive. No human could, if the rumors were true.

It had been centuries since I left Zolmara. Although abandoned now, the princess seemed dead set on getting there for gods knew why. Before it was abandoned, witches put wards and spells on it to keep others out, protecting any secrets of our immortal way of life that may have remained inside.

I agreed to take her, not just to see my old home, but to make sure the princess was safe. She offered me money. I would have gone for free, but she couldn’t know that. I asked for an absurd amount, thinking she would bargain, but she actually accepted. And that was that. I would take the princess to my old home.

Aura. That was the name she gave me, although I knew her true name to be Aurelia. But I liked Aura. It tasted sweet on my tongue.

When we shook hands just before separating for the night, another piece of the mating bond clicked into place immediately. Hot, wild energy jolted into my hand as I touched her skin for the first time. I held my breath and pretended I felt nothing, when in reality the pleasure of her touch could have put me over the fucking edge.

I spent that night contemplating my decision to escort her to my forgotten home. I should have just left Rimor and stuck with my original plan to kill Volund and likely die at the hands of his witch. But then, an idea struck.

What if I could break through the wards the witches put over Zolmara and use them to my advantage – keep Sarai from being able to find me. From finding Aura. If the wards around Zolmara kept humans out, maybe they blocked out other spells too.

It was worth a shot. And on the way there, I could ensure Aura was safe. I went to sleep that night with hope in my heart for the first time in centuries.

We began our journey with my only intention being to get to Zolmara and keep her safe. She wouldn’t tell me why she wanted to go there, but I didn’t pry, for fear that she’d start prying for information from me. She did that anyway, with her incessant questions. She was stubborn. But I adored it.

Shit. I didn’t want to fall for her. I decided the only reason the mating bond was there was so that my instinct would be to protect her. When this was all over, we could part – gods be damned. I didn’t deserve love. Fuck the gods for trying.

But slowly yet surely…I fucking fell for her, against everything in me trying not to. I noticed more pieces of the mating bond slowly fall into place overtime. I first realized I could sense her emotions when she saw the stars. She told me she always wanted to see them, unmuted by the pollution of city lights. So I tricked her into filling my canteen, knowing full well there was a clearing less than two hundred feet away where she could see the night sky in all its glory.

I don’t know why I did that. But…I was glad that I did. Her emotions were so strong when she saw the stars, I could feel it through the bond – pure happiness and innocence. Pure bliss. I couldn’t help but smile, soaking in her emotions as if they were my own.

Then, I noticed I could feel her pain, although a lessened version. When she slipped in Rebellia River, I felt every slam into the rocky bottom, and every burning sensation as her lungs begged for air. That was the first time I shifted around her – the only way I could reachher was to go full-wolf and follow her along the river. I saved her just in time, my own lungs feeling relief as she took that gasp of air. But she had seen me in my wolf form. I lied through my teeth, swallowing the guilt I felt that she probably thought she was going crazy.

I carried her back to our packs, her body so light and delicate in my arms. The energy from the mating bond poured into my skin, and that was the first time I had to stop myself from kissing her.