Zodiac Aligned

9

“How do you break the mate bonds?" I asked.

She gripped the arms of the chair tightly but kept her mouth shut. She really didn't want me to know this answer.

“Is there a spell?” I asked again, rising to my feet. "Tell me!"

Her body trembled with the effort of keeping the truth inside, her eyes bulging like she was in pain. “They can be broken,” she finally gasped out. “But not easily.”

A wave of relief went through me. Up until now, I wasn’t sure that we could break them, and that I’d be tied to my brother for the rest of my life. Just hearing that it was possible took a huge weight off my chest.

“Explain,” I said, loading the word with as much command as I could. I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to wring this answer out of Roxandra. “And don’t leave anything out. Tell me everything you know about breaking the mate bonds.”

She glared at me with cold fury as she answered, and it sounded like she was fighting every single word, but couldn't stop them from slipping from her lips. “The mate bonds are part of the blessing we put on every shifter as a baby at the Convergence. The blessing locks away your wolves, along with your natural mate bonds, and allows us to create a new bond when we're ready. The same blessing spell also allows the Sun Witches to take control of you, just like we did at the last Convergence.”

“What about the staff Evanora was holding?" Ethan asked. "Is that what controlled us?"

“No, the staff only amplifies the powers of whoever holds it. Evanora cast the spell to control you, and the staff made it spread to everyone there.” She glared over at Kaden suddenly. “Except the Ophiuchus pack, who were immune because they were never blessed.” Her glare returned to me. “And you, because you had the moonstone necklace on.” Her eyes shot to where it rested around Jordan’s neck. “It’s a shame you gave it to Jordan.”

I snapped my fingers, trying to get her attention back on me. “How do you break the blessing spell? I need an answer!"

“It’s not that easy,” she spat. “You can’t just say some words and expect the blessings to vanish into thin air. It’s a complicated process. The blessing spell needs to be completely unraveled, and I don't know anyone who has done it before. An elder Sun Witch might know how though, or there might be something in one of the old books..."

“If you figured out how to do it, could you teach Larkin?” I asked, growing impatient and frustrated with Roxandra's response.

"No," she said, looking Larkin up and down scathingly. “She doesn’t have any sun magic. You need a Sun Witch to unravel the spell, and there’s no truth spell in the world that will make me agree to do that for you. I’d rather die.”

Before I could respond, Jordan leaped forward, snarling something unintelligible as he lunged for Roxandra’s throat. “You’re going to break the spell if I have to make you do it myself.”

She let out a gasp as he tightened his hand around her neck and shoved the chair so hard against the wall that it groaned. “Ooh, I love it when you’re angry,” she purred as if she was enjoying this.

Jordan went stiff, and let her go like touching her disgusted him. I looked back at Kaden and Ethan uneasily, unsure if I should continue the interrogation.

“You’ve always been my favorite shifter to control," Roxandra continued, as her gaze traveled down Jordan's body in a way that instantly set alarm bells ringing in my head. "Our perfect little alpha. So much fire in you. So much passion.”

Jordan's control snapped and he lunged for her, his hands wringing her neck as she laughed. The sound died off as I watched, horrified, as Jordan continued choking her. The look on his face was almost inhuman. He’s going to kill her, I thought.

I grabbed his arm and tried to haul him away, but he was too strong. I was only half shifter, after all, and he was an alpha. But then Ethan and Kaden joined me, and together we managed to pull Jordan off Roxandra before she could pass out.

"That's enough," Ethan said, as he wedged himself in front of Jordan.

Jordan was breathing hard, his face furious as he looked at Roxandra. She coughed, struggling to catch her breath, but even though Jordan had almost killed her, she was still grinning, her pale eyes pinned on him.

“I won't ever be controlled by you again,” Jordan growled.

She rubbed her neck. “That’s a pity. I loved f*****g you.”

Jordan let out a roar and launched himself forward again. Kaden jumped between them, shoving Jordan back against the wall and holding him there. But this time I was ready to strangle Roxandra myself after what she'd just said.

I stalked toward her with fury making my blood boil, but Ethan caught my arm before I could do anything. I shook him off as I faced Roxandra, nearly shaking with rage. "Did you make him sleep with you?"

"Oh yes." She had the audacity to laugh again, and my vision went red. "You've seen him naked, haven't you? Of course you have. All these shifters are always walking around with their c***s out. He's glorious, and I was hoping he would get me pregnant, but that didn't happen."

I physically recoiled at those words. Now all I wanted was for her to stop talking. The other shifters all looked at her with disgust and horror too.

"What the f**k?" Kaden muttered, from where he was still holding Jordan against the wall.

Jordan had stopped fighting, but he was breathing heavily, staring at the wall. I couldn't imagine what must be going through him, hearing her say such awful things.