Page 57 of Fated to the Lone Shifter
“Don’t stop,”I plead, my body tightening around him, my release building again. He chuckles, a dark, sinful sound, and his pace quickens, his thrusts becoming more urgent, more demanding.
“Together,”he commands, his voice a rough whisper.“Come with me.”
His words are my undoing. My magic explodes, a burst of light that fills the room, and I cry out as I climax, my body shaking, my magic marking him again, a shimmering sigil on his arm. He follows, his growl turning into a roar as he spills into me, his magic surging, leaving a glowing mark on my shoulder.
When we finally collapse against the tangled sheets, my breath is ragged, my skin kissed with magic, and his eyes glow faintly in the dim light.
I feel his heartbeat through my back as he wraps himself around me, a barrier stronger than any spell I could cast.
Sometime later, I drift awake—half-conscious, skin warm, hands still twined with his. The weight of the bond between us presses in, fierce and magnetic. My magic, usually soft and fluid, now hums like live wire beneath my skin, echoing the pulse of his wolf. It feels stronger. More intense.
I shift slightly, and our fingers clasp tighter. Heat stirs between us again, dreamlike and dangerous, a whisper of fire and fur, a promise of what we’ve just begun.
I tilt my head to find his eyes already open, glowing faintly in the dark.
And then I see it.
A massive sigil scorched into the back of my door.
Charred lines snake across the wood, radiating heat, glowing faintly red. I sit up with a jolt, my breath catching in my throat.
A voice—cold and ancient—slithers through the air like smoke from a dying fire:You have initiated the wolf’s curse.Thetemperature drops. My breath fogs in the air. Every hair on my arms lifts in eerie recognition, as if the magic itself is listening.
I turn to Noah.
To my fated mate.
Did he hear what I just heard? I don't think so.
But by the look on his face, I can see that the sigil on the door isn't lost on him.
And I shudder at what we’ve just unleashed.
Chapter eighteen
Ties that Burn
NOAH
Waking up with Sera curled against me should’ve set off every internal alarm I have.
But it didn’t.
It felt inevitable. Like she’d always been meant to be there.
Her fingers stayed tangled in mine, breath warm at my neck—and for one dangerous second, I believed we were safe. Until I remember the sigil.
But that mark was no dream.
It’s still burned into my memory, even as I drive into town for a supply run for the kitchen. My knuckles tighten on the steering wheel.
Am I endangering her by letting this happen? My mother warned against picking the wrong mate.
But what choice do I have? This feels fated.
And it feels right.
What could possibly be wrong with that?
