The Fated Series

Chapter Eight – Wading in Thoughts

Evandra

The ropes chafed her wrists each time she shifted on the infirmary cot. Their sting was constant, a cruel reminder that she was a prisoner here, not a guest. The room smelled of herbs and steel, but underneath it all lingered the Alpha's scent-smoke, steel, and the faintest trace of moss. It clung to her skin, embedded in her lungs.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push it away. Trying not to remember the way his piercing green eyes had seared into hers, curious and cautious all at once. Mate, Sage had whispered, trembling inside her. And the word had nearly undone her.

How can it be true? Evandra thought bitterly. The goddess has already taken everything from me. She cannot give me this again... can she? A second chance mate.

Her mind dragged her back, unwilling, to the moment Jalen had shattered her world. The coldness in his eyes when he said "I want a divorce." The way he'd barely flinched as he told her another woman already carried his pup. The weight of his rejection when he spoke her name as if it were a curse.

The pain of it lingered, sharp and unrelenting. The ache of a severed bond.

And yet when she looked at Tristan Walker, something deep inside her stirred. The bond tugged at her heart, undeniable, a pull she couldn't silence. She hated it-hated herself for feeling it.

Her chest shook with silent sobs. Is this what I am to the goddess? A toy to be bound and broken again and again?

The door creaked open, and the air shifted.

Tristan entered, and her breath caught despite herself. He was not polished like Jalen, not sleek and cold in his black suits. Tristan was raw power, unrefined, a warrior carved from battle.

His shirt clung to his chest, muscles defined and hard as stone. Tattoos scrawled over his arms and shoulders, curling across his chest and disappearing down his back like living shadows. His skin was bronzed from the sun. His hair-icy blond, loose and falling past his chin-framed his face in untamed waves. A dusting of stubble shadowed his jaw, making him look wild and dangerous.

And his eyes. Goddess help her, those piercing green eyes glowed with the same light as his wolf's. They saw everything. Too much.

Evandra turned her face away, ashamed of the heat rising in her cheeks.

Jalen had never looked at her like this Alpha did in a single glance. Jalen had only ever measured her worth in heirs, in status, in how she reflected upon him. Tristan looked at her as though she was both a puzzle and a threat, as though he might tear her apart or protect her with his life.

And that terrified her.

She curled against the wall, whispering to Sage, I can't. Not again. Not so soon.

But Sage only whimpered, her voice soft and aching. He is strong. He could protect us. He could love us.

Evandra pressed her cuffed hands over her heart, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Or he could destroy us," she whispered back.