Page 69 of Tethered Magick

Chayton’s eyes glowed golden yellow with the presence of his wolf, and his teeth sharpened. Pain burst at the crux of my neck and shoulder as his fangs sunk into my skin.

His magick invaded my body, the tingling of his mate bond reaching for mine. The primal spirit stirred within me, and tendrils of my magick reached for Chayton’s, twining and dancing until they intertwined like two lovers holding hands.

A burst of Chayton’s elation over our bond shot through me as swift and shocking as an electric current. I felt alive and more whole than I had in days before it dissipated like ash on the wind.

Chayton was panting, his chest heaving against mine as he cradled my body. One hand cupped the back of my head, and the other was splayed across my back, creating a bar that hid me from the harsh reality of our failed mate bond.

A wail rose from Chayton’s throat, the sound piercing. I felt like a dagger had been plunged into me all over again, and the stark reality of his pain right after experiencing such intense desire together only punctuated the dire agony blooming in our chests.

“Chayton.” I clung to him, trying to soothe the pain down to a sting.

“Just because it didn’t work this time doesn’t mean it won’t work in the future,” Kota reasoned as he caught his breath. He was already cleaning up, his chest bare as he wiped his stomach with his shirt, followed by some water and paper towels. Surprisingly, he deposited all of it in the trash, uncaring about losing the article of clothing, before tucking himself back into his jeans, setting himself to rights.

Chayton slipped out of me and kissed my forehead. His arms shook, his wolf just below the surface.

“I know,” he said, his wolf’s timbre deep and rugged. “I just…” He backed up, leaving me to wrap my arms around my body and cross my legs to hide my nakedness. His seed dripped out of my pussy. I’d never felt more vulnerable or alone than I did sitting on that counter.

I slid to the floor on unsteady feet and tried to reach for Chayton.

“Don’t,nizhóní. I can’t control him,” he growled, his face twisting into a grimace as fur sprouted along his arms. Sharp nails shifted from his fingernails, and he dug them into his hair, trying to regain the control he was swiftly losing. “I just… I need to run.”

He beelined it for the backdoor, wrenching open one side of the glass doors.

“Chayton!” Kota called, his disapproval a warning not to leave.

The apology Chayton offered was barely audible as he leapt from the unfinished deck and shifted midair.

Toned muscle and golden skin turned to mottled gray fur, and his nose elongated.

By the time he hit the ground, he was a wolf, and he wasted no time diving into the forest, taking the last of my bliss with him. The moonlight reflected off of his gray coat until he disappeared into the shadows.

A cool tear forged a path down my cheek as an agonizing howl filled the night.

Twenty

Kota

Holy. Fuck.

I’d never experienced anything so intense in my entire life. Touching Lorn had been a fantasy I only let myself have in the privacy of my own room… or the shower… or occasionally the forest when I was alone on uneventful perimeter checks. But nothing could have prepared me for what it was actually like to touch her, to feel her wet heat around my fingers, gripping me tightly as I made her moan.

Her cries of pleasure still rang in my ears like music as I panted, my come painting my stomach like modern abstract art.

There was nothing more beautiful than Lorn enveloped in ecstasy, her face a beautiful twist of pleasure and pain as Chayton sunk his teeth into the curve of her neck.

For a blissful second, everything seemed to work, and then it all went to shit as the bond failed to take.

A ripple shuddered up Chayton’s spine as his wolf bulked his shoulders. It was rare for the beta to lose control. It had only happened one other time in the history of the pack, and this time was far worse.

I cleaned up and did what I could to calm him down, trying to solidify the control he’d always clung to, but nothing worked.

Disappointment gnawed at my stomach as I watched him leave Lorn on the kitchen counter as he backed away, doing everything in his power to regain his humanity. But it was no use.

Lorn tried to reach for him, but he leapt from the incomplete balcony, his wolf skin taking over in a burst of red magick, before he disappeared into the woods of the dark forest.

The haunting melody of his howl wasn’t as bad as the agony ripping his heart in half through the pack bond. Internally, we all howled back, each of my pack brothers feeling the repercussions—well… all of them except Dason. He was still on the outs, a rouge without a pack.

As much as I didn’t envy him… I kind of did in that moment.

---