A Warrior’s Fate (Wolves of Morai #1)

Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

A small piece of Isla couldn’t help but thrum with pride as she watched Adrien and Kai deep in discussion, their voices so quiet she couldn’t pick up a single word. And she knew exactly why.

Her best friend and her mate, essentially strangers, and yet they both had been burned enough by her eavesdropping that they knew to keep things to the faintest of whispers even in her distant presence. That, and to angle in a way that she couldn’t glimpse their faces, leaving her view of Adrien’s back and the dark waves of Kai’s hair over the top of the Imperial Heir’s head.

Her lips jutted in a pout.

What the hell could they have been talking about?

Minutes that ticked along felt like hours passed, and it was all Isla could do to keep her foot from tapping impatiently. Heaving a sigh, she turned away, forcing herself not to care, not to question, not to speculate, even if it fought against every bit of her nature.

If she were smart, she would’ve taken this opportunity to walk away. To leave Kai and the connection and whatever he’d just pulled forgotten within the darkness of this horrible, horrible night and never look back.

But why couldn’t she?

Maybe there was a part of her, somewhere buried deep, deep down, that enjoyed the phantoms. That liked that he’d been there, pulling her back.

She growled under her breath. And here she thought he couldn’t aggravate her more.

“I’ll let you know.”

Her mate’s voice sounded heavenly.

Snapping back to attention, Isla found that the two men had blissfully broken away from each other. She’d picked up on the timbre of Kai’s tone, the assertion of it. Whatever they’d been discussing must’ve been serious.

But she didn’t care. Nope. She wasn’t curious at all. Though, involuntarily, she muttered, “ Finally .”

Like they’d heard it, they both turned her way, and Isla decided lifting her gaze to inspect the stars was of the utmost importance.

“The queen of subtlety,” she heard Adrien jeer as he approached her.

She met his eyes, ignoring the comment. “What now?”

“I have no fucking idea.”

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. He’d sounded so sure in his demands to bring Lukas to some aid.

The Heir rubbed his forehead. “I either did the right thing, or I’m about to return home to another Winslow packet and lecture about how I’m supposed to handle myself in the subjacent packs.” He eyed the space behind her as if he could see the former trainee across it. “He wasn’t like that the last time you saw him?”

“No, not at all,” Isla said, the marker feeling like an inferno in her pocket. Lukas had had enough sense then to leave it for her when she was broken and unconscious in that decrepit house. So, what had happened? Where had he gone next? “We worked together when we were in there, fought together. He was himself. Perfectly fine until—”

Kai and I distracted him…

Kai and I let him get taken…

Kai and I—

“He was fine,” she forced out.

Adrien nodded, thankfully not catching onto the spiral she’d gone down, too lost, likely, in his own. “I know my father departed after the alphas’ meeting today, but your dad should still be here. I’ll meet with him and then find Seb. We’ll meet you in your room in an hour. Be there this time . ”

“Of course,” she said, more eager and defensive than she’d meant to. “Don’t let them hurt him.”

She received another nod, more like an “ I’ll try” before Adrien stalked away. She followed his form until he was nothing but a speck. Along the way, she caught the last few straggling spectators departing, too, which meant…

It was then that a gust of wind blew by, shockingly strong, casting her hair into her face. Isla tightened her grip around her body, blaming the chill she felt on that breeze and not the sound of someone shuffling through the grass behind her. Not on the scent that wafted to her nose, overtaking the enduring bite of magic. An essence of something warm and woodsy, with a hint of spice and something else she couldn’t quite place.

And just like that, the world suddenly felt so, so small.

Even with the monstrous feat of architecture hovering above. Even with the vast and endless gem-freckled sky. Even with the oblivion the field seemed to fade into at either side…

It was just the moon, the stars, the dark velvet they adorned—and them.

Kai came to a halt at what sounded like a few feet behind her.

Just walk away, she told herself, practically begging her feet. Just walk away and be done with him. You already said your goodbyes. Just end this here. Right now. Go to your room. Meet Adrien and Sebastian in an hour. See Lukas. Fix him. Go back to Io. Move on. Forget. Forget, forget, forget—

“What was that about?” her traitorous tongue or her exhausted mind asked—she wasn’t sure which to curse.

“Nothing,” Kai answered plainly. “Pack business.”

Isla held back a roll of her eyes. She’d gathered that much. “Naturally.”

“You’re safe.”

“Right.”

His reassurance was like salt in a wound, using her own words against her. If her life didn’t hang in the balance, he owed her nothing .

More footsteps whispered through the grass before she felt his warmth radiating at her side.

“Are you okay?” His voice was laced with a disarming gentleness she wasn’t expecting.

“I don’t know.”

Once again, she damned her mouth. How weak did she sound? When she’d started to fall apart during the chaos with the Gate was the last and only time he’d ever witness her like that. She’d battle tooth and nail with herself to ensure it.

“You were in my head.” She used whatever anger she’d felt at that moment to fuel the fire needed to weld her shattering mask back together. “You tell me.”

“I wasn’t in your head .”

She wasn’t keen on his aloofness. “You did something . How?”

“You know how,” he said easily.

“Fine, then why ?” She turned to face him, craning her neck to meet his eyes. The sight made her constrict her fingers so tightly that her nails dug into her arm.

Mate.

The word rung and rung and rung in her head like it never had before. It ebbed and bowed through every vein of her body, every patch of her soul. My mate. My mate. My—

“We’re doing what we’re supposed to.” She looked away and cut the train of thought off. “We haven’t touched.”

“You know we’ve been playing with fire. It’s been fun, yes, but I suppose it comes at a cost,” he explained, his voice kissed by that softness again. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “You and I…” He paused as if searching for words. “You and I are two ends of the same broken road. Two pieces of a cloth stitched and torn by Fate’s own hand. We see each other, and we know that innately. We feel it every time we’re together. It’s not a chosen bond. We don’t have to wait for threads to form with time together to have any type of deeper connection.” There was the slightest catch in his voice as if the struggles she’d been having truly were mutual, like that repetition was running through his mind the same way. “I’m here. You’re there. I’m here .” He reached out, and his hand ghosted over her cheek. She didn’t flinch. “You feel it, right? The threads winding, pulling — connecting us. ”

She vexed her own curiosity as she allowed her eyes to slide closed. As she dug deep to give life and image to what she’d been experiencing.

In her center, her essence was a spool of rich, golden light, and from it spawned webs and webs of strings, inner connections of her soul, creating the fabric of who she was. But that wasn’t it. There was also darkness leaking through, caressing the threads. Some pieces even twined with the shadow. That was…him?

“Why is it dark?” she asked, eyes snapping open.

Kai dropped his hand, leaving her cold again. “I can’t help how you perceive me.”

She blinked, unsure what to say. Unsure if she’d insulted him. “So, what’s the point in all this dancing around each other if we’re already more or less connected?”

“The threads can try to tie together all they want, but they won’t hold in the end. The bastards have gotten stronger because we’re masochists, but they’re not permanent. They’ll break with time, with distance. Hell, even touch isn’t permanent , but it would be damn near impossible to fight against what happens next.” She caught the way he looked her over head to toe before adding, “And trying to hold off the inevitable after that, long enough for the ties to fray, would have us wishing it would kill us. I’d say the waters get a bit muddier when the choices are losing your mind or the best sex of your life with your supposed ‘soulmate’.”

She couldn’t help but snort. “Best sex of my life, huh?”

“Lewis would be a distant memory.”

“ Levi already is a distant memory, believe me.” She battled to contain a smile.

Now that he’d finished his explanation, she couldn’t deny that she was not only stunned but mildly impressed. Where she lacked understanding, he’d filled in most of the gaps and somehow also managed to overwhelm her.

“How do you know all of this stuff?” she asked. “About the threads and connections.”

“A friend of mine used to work those pathetic, money-hungry, mate-search events. The ones that leech off the sad and lonely. She told me all this stuff they’d tell people to mystify them and get them excited to finally find ‘the one ’—with their help, exclusively. I thought it was all bullshit until now.”

She did her best to keep herself from frowning. She’d been to one of those gatherings—or several—when she’d wanted a mate all those years ago, obsessed over it. She hadn’t truly known the depth of what it meant.

It sounded so beautiful. So much larger than anything she could wrap her mind around.Her other half, hand-picked by a deity herself. For her entire life, her soul had been waiting to be reunited with his. Those threads, her,were made for him. And him for her.

“So, was that a good enough explanation for you, or do you need more?” he asked, his eyes dancing with mirth. “Will I have to prepare myself for a striptease next? As enjoyable as that would be, I’m afraid it’ll likely be counter-productive.”

And just like that, the enchanting illusion was broken.

“You insufferable ass , ” she grumbled before stalking away. She needed to decide on her next moves. The boys would be getting to her room within the hour, and there had to be something she could do to help Lukas.

Isla heard Kai’s footsteps trail her. She didn’t turn but tallied them, tracked them. He could’ve kept up with her easily but had chosen to lag. It was like she could feel his eyes boring into her back, studying every movement. She denied the urge to use the opportunity to get him back. To move smoother, to exaggerate the sway to her hips. See how long she could tease and taunt him before he—

No. Not again.

About halfway up the field, he could have veered off to the lodging areas where he, no longer a patient, stayed. But he remained at her tail.

“I believe our business is done, Alpha,” she called to him.

“Back to ‘Alpha’ now, I see.”

“That’s what you are, is it not?”

“I think we’re at the point where you can call me whatever you want.”

“How about asshole?”

“I think you can do better.”

She growled. There were plenty of things she’d like to say but refrained. “Stop following me. ”

Kai let out a breath. “I need to make sure you’re okay.”

Isla stuttered in her movements. He’d sounded so sincere.

She recalled the look he’d given her as she began to crumble before the Gate. When those connections wrapped around her and held for dear life. Had it just been the nature of the bond, or did he actually care?

“I’m fine,” she said. “Don’t worry about me.” It was a lie, but he didn’t need to know that.

Kai snickered. “Easier said than done when your favorite pastime seems to be sprinting towards danger whenever the opportunity arises.”

Her jaw slacked. “I do not.”

“You’ve proven otherwise.”

“You’ve barely known me a week.”

“And yet, you’ve stressed me enough for a lifetime,” he said with a tinge of exasperation. He’d since sped up to join at her side. “Every chance you’ve had to get yourself in trouble or nearly killed, you’ve taken it. And I’ve come to know that look in those dazzling eyes of yours.”

She held in her groan as she fought her heart and mind to make sure neither took the beguilement for anything other than what it was. She knew his tendencies well already. How he used charm to disarm and distract her, and surely others.

“What look?” she asked carelessly, barely peering over.

He pointed. “That one.” She went cross-eyed as she stared at the digit, inches away from her nose. “You’re about to do something you shouldn’t, and you know it, too.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She glowered at him. “And get your hand out of my face.”

She hated the mirth her aggravation seemed to bring him—and even greater than that, she despised that joy looked good on him. That something about this battle of wits was fun. She hadn’t noticed the slightest dimples bracketing his smile before.

He dropped his arm. “What’s your thing with this guy anyway?”

“What guy?”

“The hunter from Tethys that you’re running off to see.” When her eyes widened and then promptly narrowed, he added, “I didn’t read your mind. You’re just horribly predictable. So, what is it? You seem to care a lot. Here—back in the Wilds. You were ready to jump into that mess to help him, and though I’d still hedge my bets on you and that temper, that guard looked—”

“Nothing like that if that’s what you’re worried about,” she cut him off, sick of hearing how smug and correct he was.

“I wasn’t.”

She shook her head as the scene ripped through her mind again. Lukas lunging for the guard, being brought down to the ground, his screaming, the group descending. All the while, Kai was off to the side.

She met his eyes, slowing to a stop. “Why didn’t you get involved?”

Kai followed suit, his brows drawing together as if it were obvious. “He’s of Tethys, and we’re in Callisto. My thoughts and opinions don’t matter here. If I inserted myself, it would’ve just led to a headache and more paperwork than I can afford attention to. And frankly, I have much more to worry about. A pack to look after and a mate ready to risk herself and take on the world at any minor transgression.”

I suppose the Goddess has blessed you , would have been her retort. But that bit, the words …

“Minor transgression?” she seethed. Lukas losing all memory and sense wasn’t a minor transgression . His family waiting back in Tethys for him to return home wouldn’t see it as a minor transgression . “He could be executed .”

Kai frowned. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Isla shook her head, the guilt rising to devour her whole. “It’s my fault that he got taken. I wasn’t fast enough, and I hesitated. I heard you, I felt you get hurt, and I hesitated . If the bak hadn’t gotten me, I think I would’ve gone back, too. I would’ve chosen you.” The realization felt like a knife in her gut. “And you chose me.”

“I did.”

Said so plainly.

Isla let loose a breath. “Does that not bother you? That even without knowing me, you’d put me above anyone else?”

Kai’s throat bobbed as he looked off. “Whether it does or not, it won’t be an issue come tomorrow. We’ll go our separate ways. ”

Isla ran her tongue over her teeth, but as she opened her mouth to speak, she felt wetness on her cheek.

Her gaze flew upwards, and another drop of rain fell directly into her eye. She winced, wiping it away.

A stronger current of wind rocketed through the field, nearly forceful enough to move her as one drop became two then three, four, five. A crack of lightning came next, then a roar of thunder before a steady stream of watery bullets made quick work of soaking her clothes, her hair.

Maybe it had been a gift from the Goddess to snap her out of it. Isla had always loved rain and thunderstorms as they were so rare to come by in Io. On the times they did, she’d immediately go to her window perch in her small city apartment and sit, listening to the patter and watching the lights of the city glitter in the dew.

She could almost do that again. Be home, at least. Almost.

A gasp slipped from her mouth when a sudden rush of unease rocked her system—but the feeling…wasn’t her own.

Kai, equally drenched, wasn’t looking up at the mist-like storm clouds but instead, beside them. His eyes were slits, and a sharp line cut through his cheek. Isla followed his gaze to the silhouettes of trees bucking in the whistling, brewing torrent. The feelings of unease grew stronger and morphed into anger and—fear?

“Alpha?” she voiced cautiously, breaking the title down into its syllables.

Kai didn’t answer. Instead, he snarled before running towards the forest, leaving Isla, blinking and stunned, alone in the middle of the field where pools and puddles quickly formed at her feet.