Page 29 of Forging Bonds: Part Two

“Thank you for staying with me,” I say gratefully, as I stand up.

She smiles, “Any time.”

With a final wave, I head out of the door, ready to go and find my men and make sure that they’re okay. I also want to see just how much trouble River could be in if someone else picked up on the fact that he could use his alpha voice on beasts that he really shouldn’t be able to. I know that Ahren knows exactly how strong River is, or at least that River is stronger than he is, but if Ribit is right, then he just showed a level of alpha magic that goes way beyond that.

I know Ahren. I have known him for years, and I know that he would be fine with it, especially since River has no intention of taking over the packs in Ahren’s territory, but Ahren’s beta is an absolute asshole and will insist on things being handled the traditional way regardless. I have never understood why Ahren keeps him around other than the fact that it’s just how the packs work, and that despite his faults, he is a good beta. Apparently.

He’s an asshole. One that has always had a problem with me and has ignored me completely because I am human and therefore beneath him. Even if I were a supernatural, he would still have a problem with me because I’m a woman. I am friends with the woman who ranks just underneath him and has almost as much power as he does, and yet he will only acknowledge her existence in front of Ahren.

Ahren is aware of the shit he does, but because he hasn’t crossed the line and is only playing with it, his hands are tied. The beta dick is incredibly good at toeing that line. The last time that I was at the compound, I couldn’t help but notice that although the other shifters gave him respect, very few actually liked him, and there was a sense of relief whenever he left a room.

He's a dick.

If he has noticed that River controlled the lava snakes, then Ahren is going to have a hard time convincing him to rein in his reaction.

As I pass the portrait of my parents, I wave at them and then feel like an utter idiot for doing so. Thankfully, I’m the only one up here, so I don’t have to worry about anyone else seeing me make an idiot of myself. It’s amazing how many times I find myself grateful that no one can see me because I’ve done something ridiculous.

As I get to the bottom of the staircase, I frown when I realize that the doors are closed. I can’t remember closing them, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t. I had other things on my mind when I came up here. If I’m being honest, I have other things on my mind now, I want to get to the guys to see if they’re okay. It’s because of this reason that I don’t pause for long, or at all, actually, I just carry on my forward trajectory and open the doors.

That was a mistake.

As soon as I step through the door, I find myself in some kind of woodland. It’s still nighttime, the same as it was at the castle, so I’m hoping that means that we’re in the same realm, but realistically, it doesn’t mean anything at all, and I could be anywhere.

I frown as I look around the seemingly quiet woodland and call Asael to me just in case. I can’t see anything that would immediately say that I’m in danger, and I didn’t feel the usual tug of the portal when I stepped through the door, but as I said before, I was really focused on checking on the guys, and I could have just not been paying enough attention. I never expected to get pulled into another trial on the same day that I’ve just done one.

No one warned us that it could happen, but then again, maybe they didn’t warn us because it was just one of those things that they couldn’t tell us about?

It doesn’t matter. I’m here now, and I need to figure out what is being asked of me so I can pass the trial and get back to check on the guys. Up ahead I see a slight break in the trees and I make my way toward it, my feet come to a sudden stop as I realize that the break in the trees is actually because I’m on the top of some kind of cliff, one more step and I would have plummeted to my death.

It does give me a fantastic view though, and in the distance, I can see what I am almost one hundred percent sure is the castle. I figure that there’s only one way to know for sure, and that’s to start to head in that direction. For all I know, that could be the trial, just to head back to the castle.

“Oh yeah, because the trials have been that easy,” my sarcastic inner voice replies.

I tell her to fuck off and ignore the fact that the voices decided to murmur in what I could only describe as agreement with her.

I begin to push forward through the trees, and one thing is for absolute certain, there hasn’t been anyone out in this part of the woods for a really long time. Not regular people anyway, there are no well-worn trails here, and no sign of anything other than animals. It’s really nice actually and there’s a sense of peace to it that I find relaxing instead of worrying.

After I have been walking for only a couple of minutes, a sound pierces the night. It’s not very loud, but it immediately has me freezing in place. It sounds like something is in pain, a lot of pain. I calm my heart rate and slow my breathing as I make sure that I don’t move at all, so that I can hear what direction it’s coming from if it comes again.

As I wait, it does occur to me that I have heard distress sounds coming from the woods before, and those were to lure me to what should have been my death, but actually turned out to be one of the best friendships I have ever had.

I love Mael.

This sounded different from that. When the kelpies tried to lure me in, they used the sound of a distressed human. I have only heard this sound once so far, but it was very definitely an animal, and one that was in pain. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind about that. Although there was no doubt in my mind that it was a human who was in distress and needed help back at the guy’s house, I really should approach this with caution.

Of course, because of who I am, the second that the panicked sound of pain happens again, I take off in the direction that the sound is coming from instead of thinking about it a bit more. I’m not stupid though, so I do move through the trees as quietly and quickly as I can, making sure that I don’t announce my presence just in case it’s being attacked, or it is a trick again.

The deeper that I head into the woods, the more I realize that it is a lot further away than I initially thought it was. That could mean that I’m being led into a trap, but the sounds that are coming sporadically are so filled with pain and panic that I can’t turn back now. I just can’t. My lips twitch with amusement as I briefly imagine that the guys are going to have a lot to say about my apparent need to follow unknown noises deeper into the woods. I almost feel like waving or winking at them since I know that they’re watching, but I’m pretty sure that makes them even more nervous when I do that. So for now, I refrain and focus on what I’m doing and getting to this poor creature as quickly as I possibly can without making too much noise.

As yet another cry sounds around me, I put on a burst of speed. I need to get to it.

The voices give me a warning, and I slow down, moving at a walk and slowly advancing forward as I round a tree. I see what’s making the noise, and when my eyes find the creature, I can barely believe my eyes.

At the base of a huge ancient oak tree, next to a rushing river and caught in what looks to be similar to a giant bear trap is a goddamn fucking unicorn.

They’re rare, like really fucking rare, and if I’m being honest everything unicorn related that I have seen at the Obsidian Market I have just assumed is there for gullible customers and is definitely not the real thing. I really didn’t think that they existed, and yet right here in front of me is undeniable proof.

It’s fucking huge. I mean, I would have to guess that it’s even bigger than Mael and he’s pretty fucking massive. To be fair, on closer inspection, I don’t think it would be too much bigger, but its size is even more impressive thanks to the huge, wickedly sharp black horn that is protruding from its head. It fucking glitters and it’s probably one of the most magical things that I have seen, and yes I am aware that I am surrounded by a lot of magical shit, but there’s just something about seeing a unicorn that makes everything pale in comparison. At least in this moment it does.

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