Evolution’s chosen mate

Chapter 6

Rowan

All of my muscles clenched as I tried to keep myself from following after her, as her small frame disappeared into the thick of the crowd. Sydney’s feet paused as she turned back towards me, realizing that Lisa didn’t want to be caught.

Sydney turned back toward me, a familiar fire burning in her eyes as she marched toward me. I felt the wind stir, letting me know she was truly pissed.

“Rowan, I swear to goddess, what did you do? I finally convince her to have a night off and just have fun, and you ruin it.”

Sydney shouted as she made it to me, her hand flying out and connecting with the back of my head hard, lurching my neck forward. I rubbed the back of my head where her hand left a sting while a few witches nearby glanced over before quickly pretending not to watch.

“What the hell, Syd? I didn’t do anything. Blame her goddess and ours for setting up a bond that is impossible. She’s my mate, though. Our mate bond was doomed the second it started. Witches don’t even have fated mates, but there was no denying what I felt when I watched her on stage. I’ve heard it described as many times as you.”

I dragged a hand through my hair, still trying to calm the storm raging inside of me. The bond pulled painfully through my chest, every instinct in me screaming to follow her. Even now I could still smell her, soft and wild beneath the heavy scents of the garden. It wrapped around me so deeply it made it hard to think straight.

I watched Sydney’s eyes widen.

“That’s impossible, Rowan!”

I threw my hands into the air. “You think I don’t know that? I do, but it is what f*****g happened. If I thought I could ignore it watching her on stage, then I definitely f*****g couldn’t when the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen, with a solid ring of black, landed on mine and felt like they could see all the way through me to my f*****g soul.”

Even speaking about it made the bond pulse again. I could still picture the exact moment she looked at me, the panic and disbelief flooding her face while her wolf practically screamed toward me. No one had ever looked at me like that before. Like I was both salvation and disaster all at once.

“She knows as well as I do we can’t do anything about this bond, though. The council, the packs, the coven, they would never allow it. That’s what we were discussing when you arrived.”

Sydney sucked in a breath, sharp and quick.

“You were about to reject her?” she questioned, her voice accusing and even angrier than when she had stormed back over here to slap me.

I watched her fingers twitch, clenching tightly. Knowing Sydney, she was preparing to punch me.

I couldn’t keep a small smile from gracing my lips seeing my cousin’s protectiveness over my little mate. Mate.

The word still felt unreal in my mind. Dangerous. Impossible. And somehow completely undeniable all at once.

“I don’t know what I was going to do yet. It was a bit of a shock, Sydney. I was just speaking to her and she was in as much denial as me. She didn’t seem wrecked like when she left until you arrived hugging me.”

Her face paled immediately.

“Rowan, you f*****g i***t. You could have f*****g told me about the mate s**t right then so I could have told Lisa you were my cousin.”

I could see disgust forming on her face as it turned almost as green as her eyes.

“Ohh god, she thinks…” Sydney groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “When we were getting ready for the party, I told her old friends were coming and that I was going to have some fun tonight, and then she watched me run up and hug you. I honestly didn’t realize she was standing there, but she probably thinks I just did that right in front of her, staking some kind of claim.”

The thought made my stomach twist violently.

“I have to find her. Even if you guys didn’t have some kind of mate bond, I would never just squeeze my way in if she was interested. I have to go explain that we are family and I would never look or think about you that way.”

My body tensed as she broke it down further. I knew that I couldn’t keep the mate bond, that my circle would never allow me to be with someone on the council, and the council would never allow it anyway. I knew the rejection had to come, but I would never be such a piece of s**t to be all over a woman in front of the woman the earth goddess chose for me.

The thought alone made my chest ache.

I barely even knew Lisa, but the bond already made it feel like losing her would rip something vital out of me. I hated that. Hated how quickly she had become important. Hated how my body still leaned toward the direction she disappeared, like every instinct I had was trying to drag me after her.

Around us the party continued like nothing had changed. Wolves laughed loudly near the stage, music echoed through the gardens, glasses clinked together, and somewhere near the food tables Ila was yelling at someone for touching desserts before they were ready.

But none of it reached me fully.

Not with the bond clawing at my insides.

Not with the image of tears in Lisa’s eyes replaying in my head over and over again.

Sydney’s expression softened slightly as she watched me struggle against the urge to follow.

“You feel it that bad?” she asked quietly.

I laughed once, bitter and humorless. “Bad enough that every instinct I have is telling me to ignore logic and chase after her.”

Sydney grimaced like she understood exactly how serious that was.

“Damn,” she muttered under her breath.

My jaw tightened as I looked toward the crowd again. “This can’t happen, Syd.”

Her eyes flicked back to mine. “I know.”

“The coven already barely trusts wolves. The council barely trusts witches. Lisa already carries enough s**t because of the darkness inside her. A witch mate would destroy her standing completely.”

“And you?” Sydney asked softly.

I let out a slow breath. “I work with rebels, criminals, mercenaries, whoever pays enough or needs enough help. The coven barely tolerates me because I’m useful. Pairing me with a council wolf?” I shook my head. “That ends badly for both of us.”

Sydney stayed quiet for a moment, her eyes searching mine carefully.

“That doesn’t change the fact that she’s your mate.”

The words landed heavily between us.

Because she was right.

No amount of logic changed what I felt.

No amount of politics erased the bond tightening every second Lisa got farther away from me.

My heart clenched as Sydney’s steps finally started moving toward the crowd. I wanted to follow her. My feet even started to move until she turned around.

“Rowan, stay here. I will have her find you once I talk to her, but I want to explain what she saw and maybe give you a little help by letting her know you aren’t actually as much of an asshole as you pretend to be.”

Before I could answer, Sydney disappeared into the crowd searching for Lisa.