Page 27 of Forsaking His Mate

Coven is a word I haven’t heard before. “What’s that?”

“It’s kind of like a pack. We can harness our magic when we work together.”

“Roux can even shift a little,” Apryle says.

I snap my eyes to her, impressed. “You can shift?”

“For about a minute and a half,” Roux says, a faint blush rising in her cheeks. “I haven’t learned to hold it yet, but I’m hoping I can make it last longer each time.”

“What does it feel like?” I ask. My wolf tried to come forward to greet my mate. It should have been a beautiful moment, but all I experienced was pain and torment.

“It hurts—at least at first. The more I do it, the less pain there is. When I’m in my wolf form, I feel like I can do anything.”

A pang of jealousy works through me, but I savagely push it aside. I don’t want to be jealous of these women.

They’re on my side.

Currently, they may be the only wolves that are. Hunters are still looking for me and my old pack must hate me for what I’ve brought to them.

“Maybe we'll all be able to shift in time,” I say.

“Perhaps,” Hester says, “but we have immense power in our magic too. Don’t forget that.”

The conversation moves on to the sanctuary and the neighboring town of Laurel Falls.

I listen, trying to glean every piece of information I can, but part of my attention is locked on my mate.

He’s close and that hurts.

He doesn’t come to breakfast.

He doesn’t come to breakfast, nor dinner, for a week in fact.

During that time, I get my bearings at the sanctuary, relaxing a little into my new home.

Everything is snapping into place, other than the giant elephant in the room.

Abel.

I know he’s using our weakened mate bond to avoid me, and I try to pretend that doesn’t hurt, but it does.

The pain inside me is spreading like a cancer I can’t control, seeping into every cell in my body.

I avoid him too, and I focus on the things I can control, like my magic.

I spend most of my time training with the women. Hester is a good teacher, kind and patient, but she is also determined to give us the skills to protect ourselves.

Roux and Apryle are naturals, but I find it difficult to calm my mind enough to use my magic. If I’m not thinking about my old pack, I’m thinking about my mate.

“You’re not focusing, Tessa,” Hester chastises when I fail to do a simple conjuring, the same one Roux did when I first met her.

“I’m trying,” I say, frustrated by my inability to concentrate.

“Those hunters are still out there, looking for tau to kill. If they catch you, the only weapon you’ll have is your magic. So, focus!” She snaps the last two words, and I wince.

She’s right. Screw Abel. This is more important because those hunters aren’t going to stop trying to kill me or the others.

I recenter myself, forcing my mind to focus on my fingers as I try to conjure the image of a flower.

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