Fleeing the Mate and Cabin Discovery

Thalia's POV

Raw fear punched through my chest. I scrambled backward, snatching up my scattered purchases and shoving them blindly into my leather pack. My hands shook. The bustling Fae market blurred around me as I spun on my heel and bolted, driven by pure desperation to escape the towering Alpha.

*Mate! It’s our mate! Go back!* Sery’s voice tore through my skull. My inner wolf clawed at the walls of my mind, a whining, restless mess. She threw her weight against my mental barriers, trying to force my legs to stop and turn around.

*No. Shut up, Sery,* I snapped back, gritting my teeth. I lowered my head and barreled through the dense crowd. Shoulders slammed into mine. Angry Fae hissed and cursed, dodging out of my frantic path, but I kept pushing forward. *I just want to be left alone.*

*He is ours!* Sery pleaded, pacing in tight circles behind my eyes.

*A mate means a pack,* I argued fiercely, ducking under a hanging stall of glowing herbs. *And a pack means a bunch of people I can love, and then inevitably lose.*

I refused to subject myself to that kind of vulnerability again. Survival meant isolation. My traumatic past was carved deep into my bones. Losing my parents ripped my world apart, teaching me that loving people only guaranteed the agonizing pain of standing over their graves. I would not let anyone else in. We were better off on our own.

The fated mate bond disagreed. It acted like an iron hook buried beneath my ribs, dragging me backward. Every step I took away from the market pulled the invisible tether tighter. Physical pain blossomed in my chest, a dull, throbbing ache that threatened to steal my breath. I ignored the agony, ducked down a narrow side street, and broke into a full sprint.

The cobblestone gave way to dirt as I reached the tree line. The cold autumn wind whipped my ash-blonde hair across my face, but I refused to slow down. I knew the truth about Alpha wolves. They possessed relentless hunting instincts. He wouldn't just let me walk away. He would track me down. But my mind was set. The moment this Alpha inevitably hunted me down, I would reject him. I would sever the bond and force him to leave us in peace.

My boots pounded against the familiar forest floor. I navigated the dense brush until the hidden, overgrown cabin came into view. Green vines clung to the wooden walls, unnatural foliage blooming despite the biting chill. I slammed the heavy front door shut behind me, leaning against the wood, gasping for air. The panic refused to settle.

The silence in the room hit me next.

"Maeva?" I called out, pushing away from the door. Usually, she greeted me the second I returned.

No answer.

Dread pooled in my stomach. I dropped my pack on the floorboards and rushed across the small room. A lump shifted beneath the heavy blankets on the bed. I threw the covers back and found my younger sister curled into a tight ball, shivering uncontrollably.

"Maeva!" I cried out.

I reached down and pressed my palm against her pale cheek. Her skin felt like a furnace. A sudden, dangerous fever had consumed her, sending harsh tremors wracking through her fragile frame. My heart slammed against my ribs.

I kicked off my boots and crawled into the bed beside her. I pulled her trembling body against my chest, wrapping my arms around her to provide whatever comfort I could. I raised one hand, gently stroking her damp forehead, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

Taking a deep, ragged breath, I started to sing the old lullaby our mother used to sing to us.

"Hush-a-bye, don't you cry. Go to sleepy little baby. When you wake, you'll have cake, and all the pretty little horses. Blacks and bays, dapples and greys, a coach and six white horses. Hush-a-bye, don't you cry. Go to sleepy little baby."

As the soft melody filled the quiet cabin, a familiar warmth gathered in my palm. A bright, radiant golden glow illuminated from my skin, washing over Maeva’s flushed face. This was my closely guarded secret, the hidden healing magic I discovered by accident years ago.

The magical light pulsed in time with my heartbeat. The blistering heat radiating from Maeva's skin began to recede. Her violent shivering slowed, her muscles relaxing as the fever finally broke. She let out a soft sigh and settled into a peaceful sleep.

Relief washed over me, but the intense magic took its toll. It drained the energy right out of my marrow. My eyelids grew impossibly heavy. My muscles went limp. Exhaustion dragged me down into the mattress. As my consciousness faded into dark oblivion, the vivid image of the massive Alpha—his sharp jaw, his thick black hair, and those piercing hazel eyes—floated through my fading mind.

Rylan's POV

I sat at the corner table of the packed Fae town restaurant, fighting the strong urge to roll my eyes. We were supposed to be discussing border disputes, but my Beta—and younger brother—Jace was busy treating this diplomatic meeting like a local tavern hookup. He leaned across the wooden table, shamelessly flirting with Clover, the Fae King's representative.

Clover giggled, a bright red blush creeping up her cheeks, matching her flaming hair. She squirmed in her seat, eating up every ridiculous line dropping from his mouth.

*You make me want to vomit,* I mind-linked him, keeping my outward expression neutral.

*It’s not my fault I ooze sex appeal from every pore,* Jace shot back, flashing a charming smile at Clover.

*You will regret all this sleeping around when you finally find your true mate,* I scolded him severely, leaning back in my chair. *She will take one look at your past behavior and reject you.*

Jace ignored me, reaching for his drink. I opened my mouth to excuse myself from the table, but my words died in my throat.

An overpowering, intoxicating scent crashed through the open restaurant door. Fresh rain, crisp crushed mint, and a heavy, undeniable wave of sweet amber and vanilla.

The scent punched me straight in the lungs. My inner wolf, Vargos, went feral. He slammed against my ribs, thrashing in a sudden, restless frenzy.

I shot to my feet in a sudden panic, knocking my wooden chair over backward. It clattered loudly against the floorboards.

"What the hell, Ry?" Jace asked, dropping his flirty demeanor.

I didn't answer. I bolted through the open door and out into the busy market street. My chest heaved as I drew in massive lungfuls of the amber and vanilla scent, letting it guide my frantic gaze. The street was packed with Fae and traveling merchants.

Then, my eyes locked onto her.

She kneeled on the dirt path, shoving items into a pack. Ash-blonde hair framed a beautiful, pale face. She looked up. Wide, amber eyes met mine, filled with sheer, undeniable panic.

*MATE!* Vargos howled loud enough to rattle my skull.

I took a step toward her. Instead of waiting, the woman shot to her feet. She turned and viciously shoved her way through the dense crowd, fleeing from me as fast as she could run.

Vargos snarled, demanding I chase her. I lunged forward, but a strong grip clamped around my bicep.

"Earth to Rylan!" Jace yelled over the market noise, pulling me back. "What is wrong with you?"

I growled, a deep, rumbling sound that vibrated in my chest. "My mate!"

I yanked my arm free from his grasp. Letting Vargos take full control, I didn't bother finding a secluded alley. I shifted right there in the middle of the market. Bones cracked and reformed. Fur erupted from my skin. I tore through my clothes, landing on all fours as a massive, terrifying black wolf.

Several Fae screamed and scrambled out of the way. I ignored them. I dropped my snout, caught her sweet amber and vanilla scent, and took off.

I ruthlessly tracked her trail down a side street, bursting out of the bustling town limits and sprinting deep into the heavily forested, isolated territory. The damp earth tore beneath my large paws. Vargos pushed us faster, desperate to close the distance. Every stride devoured the terrain. The cool autumn wind whipped through my dark fur, carrying the heavy aroma of amber and vanilla like a beacon through the dense pines.

The trail led us deep into the woods, stopping abruptly at a strange, secluded cabin. I slowed my pace, staring at the structure. It defied the freezing autumn air. Green vines wrapped around the wooden planks, and unnaturally blossoming greenery covered the roof.

A moment later, paws thudded against the dirt behind me. Jace trotted into the clearing in his own wolf form. He shifted back to his human skin, standing naked in the cold, and dropped the clothes he had carried in his jaws at my paws.

I shifted back, grabbing the pants and pulling them on.

*Thanks,* I mind-linked.

*No problem, brother,* Jace replied, staring at the bizarre flora clinging to the walls. *Do you need me to do anything? This looks like a witch's hut. It doesn't make sense.*

I stepped up to the heavy wooden door and knocked. Silence. I waited, straining my enhanced hearing, but nothing moved inside. Frustration building, I moved to the window and peered through the dusty glass.

My breath hitched.

My mate lay motionless on a small bed, her ash-blonde hair spilling across the pillows, her eyes closed tight. She wasn't moving.

Pure panic gripped my chest.

I moved back to the door and grabbed the knob. Locked. I didn't care. I braced my feet, tapped into my immense Alpha strength, and ripped the heavy wooden door off its metal hinges. I tossed the splintered wood aside and strode inside.

The cabin smelled heavily of magic and her intoxicating scent. I stepped right to the edge of the bed. I leaned down and gently brushed a stray lock of ash-blonde hair away from her face.

Electric sparks shot through my fingers the exact second my skin made physical touch with hers. The sensation sent a shockwave of raw pleasure down my spine. The mate bond hummed beneath my skin, singing in triumph after years of empty searching. I savored the intense feeling, resting my hand against her soft cheek.

Vargos pushed hard to the surface. He clawed at my mind, demanding I wake her up and bite down on her neck to mark her immediately.

*No,* I forcefully commanded my wolf, shoving him down. *She was terrified enough to run away from us in the market. We have to take this delicate situation slow.*

I ran my thumb over her cheekbone, watching her chest rise and fall steadily. She seemed exhausted.

"Who are you?"

A tiny voice pierced the silence.

I nearly died of a heart attack. I jerked my head up, my eyes snapping to the other side of the bed. I had been so obsessively focused on my fated mate, consumed by her scent and the sparks, that I hadn't even realized there was a young girl snuggled tightly against her chest, watching my every move.