Chapter 110

Nan’s POV

The mate bond was coiled around my heart.

I could only marvel at the feeling days later. It was something I never thought I would get to have. I could not have guessed just how this would feel.

I wondered how Lionel could have walked away with this almost living weight around his heart all this time. It was intense just being shared. But to endure it alone?

Unfathomable.

The first days after I first felt the bond were tough. My emotions were out of control. I did not know what was me and what was Lionel.

Lionel bore it with understand and support. It only made my appreciation for him grow. I finally had a deeper understanding of him.

His instincts…his anger…his pride…they all thrummed like a pulse within my heart.

All of the turmoil and doubt about our relationship seemed so ludicrous now. Lionel was made for me. I was made for him.

What the prejudice of others matter in the face of fate?

It was only my new understanding of Lionel’s heart that made me so determined to make Lionel’s dreams for me come true.

I already reveled in the changes in our bond. I could not wait to see how a fully completed mate bond would be. Becoming more intertwined with Lionel would only ever be a privilege in my mind.

“The second trial is one of understanding.”

Mr. Holder’s voice retained its usual expressionlessness. I had come to understand it as the man’s personality. Dutiful and as unbending as a mountain.

I am not sure if I am imaging the slight softening at the corner of his eyes as he speaks to me.

“This trial is one you must face, Ms. Lupa.”

“What do I need to do?” I ask with determination.

“Your task is to soothe Lionel’s wolf. To be the cool autumn rain to his fire. Your words and body to represent the command of the Moon goddess.”

It sounded daunting. Soothe him? In the worst of our fight’s I’ve only ever egged on his temper.

‘Can I do this?’ I worry. ‘My own temper burns as hot as his…how can I be the ice to his fire?’

“How will I be soothing him?” I question. “Am I supposed to be arguing with him or something?”

A grimace passes across Mr. Holder’s face. “Not quite.”

Lionel speaks then. “Nan…you can do this.”

Two men I had not previously noticed before seize him. I jerk forward but am stopped by Mr. Holder’s grip. “Let me go!”

“Alpha Lionel agreed to the terms. He understands what must happen.” He answers.

What follows enrages and horrifies me.

The two men begin beating Lionel. It’s brutal. Horrific and bloody.

I am shaking as Lionel screams as one of the bones in his legs make a loud crunch. He is growling. His eyes are flashing.

The worst part of all is that Lionel is just taking it.

“Knock it off! Leave him alone!” I scream.

My anger falls to deaf ears. I twist to face Mr. Holder. Tears streaming down my face in a blotchy mess.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask weepily. “How could this be a test of anything?”

“Alpha Lionel’s wolf must be enraged. Causing harm like this is one of the only ways we can force him into an anger that intense.” There is an apology lurking in Mr. Holder’s tone.

I do not care. His remorse means nothing to me. All I see in that moment is Lionel’s pain.

“With all your parlor tricks and power, you’re telling me you could not think of any other way than resorting to savagery?” I ground out scornfully.

There is a tightness in my chest. It’s like I can’t breathe. Pain like I have never known is squeezing my heart.

‘Lionel’s pain,’ I despair. ‘This is the pain Lionel is in.’

“The only other would be to cause irreparable harm to his pups…” Mr. Holder says. My stomach drops.

“I doubt either of you would be amenable to that.” He finishes with a wince.

“We would not.” I affirm darkly.

Suddenly Mr. Holder stands up straighter. There is a calculating gleam in his eyes. He calls out to one of the men in a language I do not understand.

The man nods. Then he jerks Lionel’s head back. Forcing him to face me.

“Look at you. Maybe she should take your place. Give you some real motivation.”

It is the wrong thing to say.

The pain in my chest gives way to a burning hatred. One that wants to destroy everything in it’s path. It is the only warning I get.

Lionel breaks free and shifts. His wolf form muscular and powerful. Ears pinned back and fur bristling.

The wolf lunges.

The men hump out of the way. Magic at their fingertips keeping him at bay. A shimmering shield forms around them.

The wolf does not care. He slams relentlessly against it. Using his body as a battering ram.

Blood pours out his wounds. His snarls are deafening. He is utterly lost to his hate.

It’s a scary sight. Heartbreaking. I know that Lionel will not stop until he has sedated his lust for blood.

A few more tries have the shield of the men quaking. The concerned exchanges of looks tells me Lionel will be successful soon. Once that shield breaks…it will be all over.

I have no idea what to do.

This fiery hate is overwhelming. I do not know how to calm down the bond. Not when ugly emotions are on a feedback loop between us.

My own fear and anger are making his own worse. I do not have the right words. I don’t know what I am doing.

How could a wolf-less like me understand a wolf?

‘He needs me.’ I tell myself firmly. ‘Pull, Nan…pull on the bond and look.’

Lionel and I had discovered that strong emotions could allow us peeks into the other’s head. It was tiring. Difficult to induce.

I figured that the emotions burning right now should be strong enough.

So I pulled and pulled. Letting the bond guide me. Falling deeper into it.

Mine…mine…protect…pain…tear, rip, kill…my mate’s tears…my mate’s sour scent…they have upset my mate…

...must break free…must destroy threat…make mate safe…blood…will sink my teeth into threat…

The wolf’s mind was chaotic. It did not think in words really. It was mostly instinct and emotion.

My own tears and fear had triggered the wolf’s protective instincts. The threat towards me had triggered its rage. The wolf was running on nothing but rage and instinct.

It did not feel like Lionel. No…this was nothing but animalistic protectiveness. I was his mate and I had been threatened.

I understood then.

Nothing I could say would stop the wolf’s rampage. It was far past the time for words. If feeling my calmer emotions in the bond did nothing…nothing like that would work.

I also knew that the wolf would never hurt me.

I knew then what must be done.

One of the men yelled. “It’s about to break. Be ready to run.”

The wolf was still mindlessly throwing its weight at the shield. There was a crack. Then it was gone.

The two men sprang into action. Separating quickly. Not allowing Lionel an easy catch.

They were practically dancing around his enraged form. Not attacking. Staying out of bite range.

This only served to further agitate him.

I could guess their motivations. They were keeping him distracted. Trying to tire him out enough to make an escape.

The increasing inferno in my chest told me they would not be successful.

The hatred was giving him spirit and energy that would not flag. They would lose steam before he did. They would die once they did.

One of them tripped.

The wolf pounced on that weakness. The man was dead in one savage growl. Blood coating his muzzle.

The other man ran towards us. Mr. Holder began to stand forward. Ready defend his man.

The wolf got ever closer. Madness burning in those blood red eyes. His attention entirely fixed upon his prey.

I moved faster than any of them could predict. I put myself in front of the man. Planting myself between the wolf and his prey. ‘

I stared definitely into his crimson eyes.

The wolf growled loudly and deeply.

He lunged…