Page 59 of Hexmate

I shook my head, cupping his face in my hands. “It’s not a sacrifice if it’s what I want. Caden, you’re my mate. I was always going to give you everything I am. This just... speeds up the timeline a bit.”

Tears welled up in Caden’s eyes. “But what about your pack? Your family? They’ll never accept this.”

“They’ll have to,” I said firmly. “Because I’m not letting you go. Not now, not ever.”

I leaned in, capturing his lips in a deep, passionate kiss. Caden melted against me, his hands fisting in my shirt as if afraid I might disappear. When we finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, I rested my forehead against his.

“We do this together,” I murmured. “We mate, we bond, and then we face your father. Together.”

Caden nodded slowly, a mix of fear and determined resolution washing over him. If what he said was true, we had no other options.

However, before another word could be exchanged, the dorm door burst open. We both looked up to see Wild standing in the doorway, his hair disheveled and his eyes wide with fear. His ears were longer than normal, his hair a tangled mess, and his eyes bright green and pupilless.

“Wild?” Caden asked. “What’s wrong?”

“T-There’s been… another attack,” he said, his voice trembling.

“What? Who?”

Wild fell to his knees, staring up at us both. “M-Me.”

He hit the floor face down. Caden cried out, running to his side. The scent of blood filled the room, this time belonging to Wild instead of Caden. My gaze zeroed in on the knife buried in Wild’s thigh. It wasn’t large, but I could smell the tang of iron in the air.

Iron and Fae didn’t mix. If we didn’t get him to the infirmary quickly, he was going to die.

Chapter 23

Caden

“Is he alright?” Atlas asked the moment I stepped out of the infirmary.

This time campus was quiet. There was no crowd of worried students, no security, and no professors. It was just a dark, quiet night with a gentle snow falling all around us.

“He’s alive,” I replied, numb with worry and shock from head to toe. “But he’s cursed too, bound in his true form until the spell is lifted.”

“Can they lift it?”

I shook my head. “At this point… they think the only way to wake him and Karrick up is to catch the witch responsible. Or kill him.” I felt the lump rising in my throat and fought to hold back my tears. “I… I just wish there was something I could do… Wild has been my only friend for years…”

Atlas stepped forward, pulling me into his strong arms. I let him envelop me, allowing myself to be swept up in his warmth even if it only distracted me for a moment.

Atlas’s embrace was a fortress of muscle and heat, his scent a heady mix of earth and musk that threatened to overwhelm my senses. For a moment, I allowed myself to sink into him, to forget the horror of what had happened to Wild and Karrick.

“Whoever is behind this,” he said softly, “they’re getting closer to us. And I’m… well, I’m worried you or I might be next.”

I buried my face deeper in his chest. I didn’t want to admit he was right, but the cold fear clutching my heart told me he was right. I’d been wondering the same thing for a while, the feeling nagging at my gut. It made me think more and more that it was either Rowan or my father behind it all. The pieces lined up. And that meant both of us were in a lot of danger.

“What should we do?” I asked, unable to meet his gaze.

“The only thing we can do,” Atlas murmured. “Mate. And then you make me your familiar.”

I held him tighter, his words sending a shiver down my spine despite the fear in my belly. “I won’t force you to do that…”

“You’re not forcing me,” he replied, lifting my chin with his index finger so our eyes met. “I’ve wanted to mate with you since the moment I met you. I’d hoped to give you more time, to make this romantic and beautiful, but between the attacks and your father, I don’t think we have any other choice.” He pulled me close, kissing me softly on the lips. “I’d rather be your familiar than risk losing you. My heart is yours, so why shouldn’t my power be yours too?”

“But… it can’t be undone…”

He brushed my hair out of my face, cupping my cheek. “I know, Caden. And I’m happy for that because… well… because I love you.”

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