Page 30 of Wounded Mate
Chapter Fourteen
Valius
“What do you mean?”Bela’s voice comes out small, like the scared child he must have been all those years ago.
Sebastian explains gently, “There never was a curse. The only magic in you is your own, grown stronger than any wolf I’ve ever encountered. No witch, no darkness, no spell has infected you. You are yourself, and you’re magnificent.”
“I don’t understand.” Bela casts a bewildered glance my way.
I squeeze his hand. “I think I might. What if that old woman was just an ordinary old woman and not a witch at all?”
“You said you lived wild, as in, only the wolf off and on for years,” adds Sebastian. “That you were near to going feral.”
Dominus hums his agreement. “Your wolf protected you. Kept you safe. It makes sense you gave it so much control. I’m sure I’d have done the same.”
“You mean…” Bela’s eyes go impossibly wide. Questions are written across his expressive face. His ears flick forward. “I’m just me?”
I smile. “Perfect as you are, my Bela. The man. The wolf. The combination. Perfect as you are.”
Sebastian nods. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”
“But, but…” Bela stutters. “No pack will have me as I am.”
“I will have you.” My chest swells.
“And I,” says Dominus.
“And I,” echoes Sebastian.
“And Leonas, Jeno, and Rizpah,” I add. “And I’m sure Andras and Bowie too. That was a good idea you had to seek them out. A worthy goal. One I will support, no matter what.”
Bela takes a deep shuddering breath in and out. His expression clears, but his eyes tear up. I reach for him, half landing in his lap, and he holds on to me like a lifeline. “You’re sure? As I am?”
“Clear as crystal,” I whisper into his ear, then kiss it for good measure.
His body relaxes, muscles loosening one by one as the tension flows out of him. He flicks his tail over his hip and onto my thigh. “I get to keep my tail after all, then.”
I wrap mine around his. “Two tails are better than one.”
He gives me a real kiss, mouth to mouth, soul to soul, and I get the feeling that everything will be all right, though I don’t yet know how.
We still have so much to overcome. His injury. My nature. His goal to make it to Varad. My utter lack of experience traveling.
But I push all that out of my mind and cling to Bela.
My mate.
For a long while the four of us remain in companionable silence. The forest around us continues as if our incredible life discoveries matter not at all. Birds chirp, squirrels leap from branch to branch overhead, the breeze sings quietly through the leaves, sending them fluttering.
And Bela and I remain heart to heart, grateful to be together.
We saygood-bye to Dominus and Sebastian an hour or so later, after honey cakes and cherry ale. We amble through the forest, taking the long way back to Pest so that Bela can stay in his humanlike form and we can talk.
Just the two of us.
It’s cooler beneath the shade of the forest canopy. The trees are all old-growth here, mature, with big round trunks climbing high into the clouds. There isn’t much undergrowth to speak of, leaving the way clear for a nice walk.
“What happens next?” I ask, feeling a bit oversensitive to the breeze in my hair and leaves crunching beneath my feet. I’m worried we’re at an impasse. Bela must continue to Varad, and I… Well, I don’t know what I should do.
