Chapter 43
1410 Words
Justin
The forest was alive in the worst way—too still. Every crunch beneath his boots sounded like a scream in the silence.
He hated coming here.
But he hated Cain more.
The witch stood exactly where she always did, half-shadowed by the gnarled willow that bled sap like tears. Her dress moved like smoke around her body, clinging in unnatural ways. Beautiful. Dangerous.
“You’re late,” she said, not turning. Her voice was smooth as blood over silk.
“I brought what you asked for.” Justin tossed the satchel onto the mossy stone in front of her. Inside—a tuft of Gwen’s hair from her brush, a drop of his blood, and a silver pendant. The witch had been very specific.
She turned then, eyes gleaming like oil in firelight. “You really think this will make her love you?”
Justin stepped forward, jaw clenched. “I don’t need her love. Just her bond.”
A grin slid across her face, serpentine and cruel. “Even tricked bonds require emotion, Justin. You have to mean it when you say the words. She has to wear the talisman of her own will. Consent woven into the charm, or it’ll unravel.”
He scowled. “She won’t take it from me.”
“No,” the witch agreed, lifting the obsidian ring from the pouch. “But she might take it from someone who looks like someone she trusts.”
He blinked. “You can glamour me?”
She laughed—high and cold. “Not for long. But long enough. You’ll look like Cain… just long enough to slip it on her”
A surge of something dark and ugly bloomed in his chest. Triumph. Lust. Madness. He wasn’t sure anymore.
“And after that?” he asked.
“Once it’s on her, she’ll feel a pull toward you. Her wolf won’t be able to tell the difference. You’ll smell right. Feel right. Taste right.”
Justin’s hands trembled.
The witch tilted her head. “But don’t forget, it’s an illusion. If her real mates get close enough, they’ll feel the bond fighting it. The longer you draw it out, the more likely it’ll break. And if it breaks…”
She didn’t finish the sentence.
Justin didn’t need her to.
He knew what happened to wolves who tried to steal a bond not meant for them.
“I only need a few days,” he said tightly. “Just enough time to make her mine.”
“Then don’t waste time,” the witch purred, slipping the ring into his hand. “And Justin—”
He turned back to her one last time.
“Be careful what you wish for.”
Gwen
The sun was warm against her shoulders as she stepped onto the balcony just off the suite’s common room. She hadn’t expected to find anyone out here, let alone Cain, sitting in one of the oversized lounge chairs with a mug of coffee in hand.
His head turned as she slid the glass door shut behind her.
“Isn't it a little late in the day for coffee?” she asked, settling into the chair next to his.
Cain shook his head. “It's never too late in the day.”
She studied him quietly for a beat. The breeze tousled his dark hair, and the sunlight gilded the hard edges of his face in gold. He looked tired. Not physically—Cain never really looked anything but strong—but emotionally worn. Bruised, maybe.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” Gwen said softly.
Cain glanced at her sideways. “Yeah?”
She nodded. “I feel like we haven’t really had a moment since…” Her voice trailed off, heat rising in her cheeks as images of Cole and Cash surfaced.
Cain smiled faintly. “Since you started taking turns with my brothers?”
She winced. “Don’t say it like that.”
He chuckled, but there was no cruelty in it. “I’m not mad, Gwen. Not anymore. I’m… working through it.”
Gwen pulled her legs up onto the chair, hugging them. “It’s not about choosing between you. It’s just… I’m learning to trust myself again. My body. My instincts.”
Cain turned to face her fully now, elbow resting on the arm of the chair. “You don’t owe me an explanation.”
“I know,” she whispered. “But I want to give you one.”
His eyes searched hers for a long moment. “Okay.”
“I’m not keeping you at arm’s length because I don’t love you, Cain.” Her voice was quiet, steady. “You were the first one who made me feel safe again. That night you came to my room… the way you didn’t push. The way you protected me even before you knew I was your mate.”
Cain’s jaw tightened.
“You saw me,” Gwen continued. “And now, I’m just trying to… give that back to all three of you. But you were my anchor when everything else was falling apart. That matters.”
Cain swallowed hard, blinking against the sudden shine in his eyes.
She leaned forward and reached for his hand. “Come to bed tonight. Just to sleep. I want to be close to you again.”
He didn’t speak for a moment. Just curled his fingers around hers like a lifeline. “You sure?”
Gwen nodded. “I’ve always been sure about you.”
Cain set his coffee down and stood, tugging her to her feet. “Then let me hold you, sweetheart.”
And she let him.
The suite had quieted for the night. Somewhere down the hall, Cole was probably still reading, and Cash had passed out on the couch watching something loud and fast-paced. But Gwen’s thoughts were with Cain.
She waited in her room, changed into a soft cotton tank and sleep shorts, heart steady in her chest.
The knock came just before midnight.
She opened the door to find Cain standing there in loose black joggers and nothing else. His dark hair was still damp from a shower, curling slightly at the edges. His deep green eyes met hers, searching her face as if double-checking she hadn’t changed her mind.
“I still want this,” Gwen said, stepping aside.
Cain nodded once and entered, his presence filling the space. He paused near her bed, uncertain for the first time she could remember.
Gwen climbed under the covers and patted the spot beside her. “Come to bed, Alpha.”
His lips twitched. “I’ll never get tired of hearing you call me that.”
He slid under the blankets beside her, the heat from his body immediate and grounding. She turned to face him, resting her hand gently on his bare chest. The rhythm of his heartbeat thudded steady beneath her palm.
“You okay?” he murmured, brushing her hair back.
“I am now.”
Cain exhaled slowly. “This doesn’t have to go anywhere, Gwen. I just want to be where you are.”
She leaned forward and pressed her lips gently to his. Not a kiss meant to ignite something deeper—just soft contact. Assurance. Trust. When she pulled back, she stayed close, their noses brushing.
“I know,” she whispered. “That’s why I feel safe with you.”
Cain wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest. She sighed into the warmth of him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He smelled like sandalwood and the forest after rain.
His hand stroked slowly up and down her spine, over the cotton fabric of her top, steady and calming. “I’ve got you,” he whispered. “Always.”
Gwen’s limbs relaxed, her breathing syncing with his. Her fingers found the thin silver lines that arched across his chest—his birthmarks, as natural as scars carved by the moon itself. She traced one absentmindedly.
“Cain?” she murmured, already drifting.
“Hmm?”
“Thank you. For never making me feel like I’m too much or not enough.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’re everything.”
She fell asleep in his arms, safe in the circle of a bond that had never once tried to demand more than she could give.
- Writer
