Page 90 of Veil of Shadows

“But what about what they expect of you?”

He sucked in a breath. “I know. It’s going to cause some problems?—”

“Problems? You’d be defying theking and queenof Stonewild Kingdom, Jax, and you only call that a problem? Even though you’re the heir, you’re still obligated by siltenite law to marry who they deem worthy of you. And I will never be worthy of you even though you’ve claimed me. You’re theheiras much as you’re trying to pretend otherwise. Oh Gods, Jax, what have we done?”

His nostrils flared so sharply that they looked like a knife’s edge. “Don’t say that. Don’t ever say you’re not worthy of me. It’smewho’s not worthy ofyou.”

I laughed, the sound bitter. “In what realm do you live? I’m alorafin. Yes, I’m powerful and have magic that others don’t, but I’m not a shifter, and I’m certainly not of the same class as a royal. Your parents will never accept me.”

“They’ll have to.”

It felt as though my heart stopped. Jax stared down at me, his eyes blazing, his aura pounding through him. He was gazing at me so intensely, achingly so, that for one moment, onehopefulmoment, I pictured what that would mean if the throne considered me worthy. Jax and I could be together. We could actually marry instead of him being sold off to one of those horrible females I’d met on the ship. But just as quickly as that powerful hope came, it died.

My shoulders sagged, and my stomach turned into a knotted ball of sad acceptance. “They won’t. I’m a slave, Jax. What king or queen would ever accept someone of my birth for their son? I was abducted in the Wood, taken from my mother, but I was still born among the poor. I’m not of royal birth or even of esteemed breeding. And your own father couldn’t even accept his own flesh and blood—a male whowashalf royal by birthright—because he was a half-breed.” I waved toward the door, to the capital beyond. “Bastian is here in Faewood, partly because of your father’s unacceptance of him. Your brother was banned from your life and the Stonewild capital, yet you still think that the king and queen will accept me as an equal match for their son?” My heart clenched, as though a giant squeezed it between his fist. “I wish that was true. I wish we could make that a reality, but you and I both know that’ll never happen.”

Silence descended between us, and the only movement Jax made was the roll of his throat.

“You don’t know that,” he finally rasped, but some of the fierceness in his aura turned to something uglier, more jagged, as though the fear of our reality was catching up with him too.

“No, perhaps I can’t know that for certain since I don’t know your parents personally. But you made a comment back in the Wood about bruises you may have to endure if your father found out you were running in your stag form here. And you said something weeks ago in Fosterton, about abuse you suffered in your lifetime. Are they related, Jax? Is ityour fatherwho’s abused you?”

He abruptly turned away.

“It is him, isn’t it?” Something tugged at my insides. A sick realization that Jax had likely suffered abuse as I had. It made me feel physically ill. Because abuse behind closed doors, hidden away from prying eyes, cut one all the way to their soul. In all likelihood, Jax harbored achingly sharp wounds, just as I did. After all, he’d been banned from his own brother. And his father apparently beat him when he was displeased, or once had, until Jax had grown too strong.

“And your mother?” I asked quietly. “What role does she play in all of this?”

He sighed heavily, and in that sound, I heard the weight of all he’d lived with. “She agrees with his form of punishment. She always has.”

I stepped closer to him and laid a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.”

He swung toward me, and in a move too swift for me to fully see, I was gathered in his arms, and he was holding me close, so close that his nose was buried in my hair, right along my neck near his mark.

He inhaled deeply, and even though I knew whatever had transpired between us last night couldn’t be undone, for a brief moment, I was grateful for it. Rutting had forged the claimingbond for him, even if I hadn’t allowed our mate bond to fully form. Regardless, his stag bond provided comfort to him.

And as he held me close and inhaled my scent...I could feel what it did to him. It provided a refuge. A place of security that hadn’t been there previously.

We were irrevocably linked now because of his claim, and finally fully realizing that, and realizing what we had the potential to be...Jax’s reactions to me all began to make sense. His overprotectiveness. His obsession. His terrifying responses anytime someone hurt me. His possessiveness. All of it was because he was my fated mate. And it was possible that since he’d also chosen me as his stag mate, even if he hadn’t marked his claim before, his responses were exaggerated even more.

A memory flashed through my mind, like a million volts of lightning. It was the night in Fosterton when we’d been drinking in the booth, and what he’d said to me.There’s something about you, Elowen. Something I recognize in you is in me too.

“You’ve known for a long time that I’m your mate, haven’t you? Even in Fosterton, you knew.”

His arms tightened. “Yes.”

I held him close, running my hands along his back, across his broad shoulders.

His grip on me tightened. “That’s why I was so angry in Fosterton that morning.”

“What morning?”

“The night that male assaulted you and I insisted we share a room. That night was torture for me, and it wasn’t because I’d slept on the floor. That entire night, I’d known my mate was sleeping in the same room with me, but I couldn’t touch you. I was barely able to sleep with you so near, and it’s why I woke up early. I wanted to stare at you and just soak up your presence. I knew it was likely the closest I would ever be able to get to you, but then your arousal started drenching the room. It madethe fact that I couldn’t claim you a hundred times worse. If you only knew how badly I wanted to rut with you even then, or the dirty thoughts that had been running through my head while you were sleeping, or the way you looked so damned sexy when you finally awoke that all I could think about was driving my cock into you...” He chuffed. “If you’d known all of that, you probably would have run.”

“Doubt it.” I laughed softly and bit my lip. “I can’t believe that’s what you were thinking. Did you know that I wanted to give you my virginity that morning? I’d had indecent dreams about you all night, but when you left in such a hurry, and then were so angry when I saw you again outside, I thought it was because you knew I was turned on by you, and it annoyed you.”

“Annoyed me?” A laugh rumbled his chest. “Oh, Little Lorafin. How wrong you were. I was in a foul mood because I wanted to rut with you so badly, yet I knew I could never have you. I was the Dark Raider. Only a selfish bastard would try to pull his mate into that lifestyle. And I also knew what I’d have to do to you once we reached Jaggedston. I knew I’d have to take your sight and eventually your sound, and it was eating me up that I was going to treat you that way. So, between having blue balls and also knowing that I would have to hurt my mate, something that every instinct in me screamed not to do,that’swhy I was in such a foul mood by the time we finally left.”

I released a breath and squeezed him. “That’s why you were so mad?”

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