Page 50 of Whisker me Away
"Yes. And I'll be honest, the whole permanent claiming thing has me rattled." Kieran slammed the post-hole digger into the earth with more force than necessary. "I've spent my adult life avoiding anything this permanent."
"And now you're about to bind yourself to someone forever." Emmett's voice held understanding rather than judgment. "What specifically are you worried about?"
"Failing her. Letting her down when she needs me most." The admission came easier than expected. "She's already been through hell because of incomplete bond issues. What if I'm not strong enough to anchor her properly when we attempt the binding ritual?"
"You want to know what changed when Katniss and I completed our bond?" Emmett set down his tools and leaned against the fence. "Everything. And nothing."
"That's helpful."
"It is, actually." Emmett's rare smile creased his weathered features. "The core of who we were didn't change. I was still a grumpy ex-pack leader with trust issues, she was still a stubborn investigator who questioned everything. But the way we related to each other, the depth of connection we shared, it transformed completely."
"How?"
"Before the claiming, I could feel her emotions when she was stressed or scared. After, I could feel her dreams. Her hopes. The way she saw the world and her place in it." Emmett's voice grew thoughtful. "It wasn't intrusive or overwhelming. It waslike finally understanding a language I'd been hearing fragments of my whole life."
Kieran considered this as they worked, setting fence posts with practiced efficiency. The idea of knowing Freya that completely brought a mix of feelings.
"Did it change how much you wanted to protect her?" he asked finally.
"Made it worse, if I'm being honest." Emmett's laugh was rueful. "When you can feel your mate's pain like it's your own, when her fears become your fears, the protective instincts get intense. Took me months to learn the difference between supporting her and suffocating her."
"And the magic? Did your bond affect your abilities?"
"Enhanced them. Made both of us stronger individually while creating something entirely new when we worked together." Emmett studied Kieran with perceptive eyes. "But the real power wasn't magical. It was emotional. Knowing someone loved you enough to bind their life to yours, that kind of security makes you brave in ways you never imagined."
Before Kieran could respond, his phone buzzed with an urgent call from Maeve. Her voice came through tight with controlled anger.
"Need you at the town hall. Now. We've got a situation brewing with some of the remaining residents."
"What kind of situation?"
"The kind where people are scared and looking for someone to blame. Just get here."
Kieran exchanged a grim look with Emmett. "Rain check on the rest of this conversation?"
"Go. And Kieran? Trust the bond. It'll guide you when logic fails."
The Hollow Oak town hall buzzed with agitated voices when Kieran arrived. About thirty people filled the small space, theirfaces showing varying degrees of fear, anger, and desperation. And in the middle stood Bill Henderson, whose apple orchard had been one of the first casualties of the spreading corruption.
"There he is," Henderson said as Kieran entered. "The tiger who's been protecting the witch that destroyed our town."
Kieran's tiger stirred with warning, but he kept his voice level. "What's this about, Henderson?"
"It's about the fact that we're all going to lose our homes because you won't let us do what needs to be done." Henderson's face was red with righteous anger. "That girl's magic is what started this whole mess. She's the reason half of us are homeless, the reason the lake's poisoned, the reason our children can't play in their own yards."
"Freya's also the only one who can stop it," Kieran replied carefully. "She's working on a solution."
"Working on it?" Mrs. Patte's daughter spoke up, her voice shaking with emotion. "My mother's been in a coma for days because of her 'working on it.' How many more people have to suffer while she figures things out?"
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd, and Kieran could feel the mob mentality building like pressure before a storm. His tiger paced restlessly, territorial instincts flaring at the implied threat to his mate.
"She's doing everything she can," he said, injecting alpha authority into his voice. "The corruption isn't her fault."
"Isn't it?" Henderson stepped closer, emboldened by the crowd's support. "She's the one with Bloom blood. She's the one whose family's been 'protecting' us all these years. Seems like that protection's gone a bit sideways, don't you think?"
"Watch yourself," Kieran warned, his control starting to fray.
"Or what? You'll defend her honor?" Henderson's laugh was bitter. "Face facts, Holt. She's dangerous. Her magic's unstable, she can't control her power, and every day she stays here makesthings worse. The smart thing would be to hand her over to the regional council and let them deal with the problem."
