For supernaturals like us, love is a farfetched term. Having a deity choose who she thinks you are more compatible with saves you from a truckload of shit.
Like falling in love. Being bound to someone and being in love with them are two different things.
For wolves, our bonds are sacred, a gift from the Goddess. Love...love is discovered and built in the aftermath.
That's why I know he's lying to me.
Suddenly, laughter bubbles up from deep within me. It's unhinged, hysterical, and tinged with darkness. I jerk back, forcefully pushing my chair away. "Enjoy your dinner. We're finished here."
Rune's fingers tighten around mine, attempting to stop me, but I wrench free, baring my teeth at him. "I'm not having your bullshit. You touch me one more time, and I swear by the Goddess that I'll fucking end you."
"Astrid!" Mother scolds, her disapproval evident. "Don't speak to him in such a manner."
I turn to her, my gaze piercing. "Remember what you said to me in the bathroom that day. What happened to your fear of losing me?"
Her eyes soften. "It is that fear that drives us to make this decision."
"Him," I growl, jabbing a finger in Rune's direction. "He's the one who did this to me! What is wrong with you? Push me on this any further, and I promise you, you really will lose me."
"There's more at stake than you realize, Astrid. Now isn't the time for tantrums--"
I let out a frustrated groan, my hands instinctively clutching at my hair's ends. After a moment, I release my grip. "You know what? I'm done trying to explain how I feel. It's like talking to a godsdamned wall. Call it tantrums or whatever you want, but I will not go back."
My voice lowers to a barely audible whisper. "Don't make me endure all of that again. I can't take any more."
Mother's gaze drops, unable to hold mine, and I straighten, turning away from the table, heading back to my room.
I hear footsteps trailing behind me, and I don't need to turn around to know it's him. He follows me up the staircase, keeping what I'd consider a *safe distance* after I threatened to kill him mere minutes ago.
I hate that my heart quickens as he draws nearer, his gaze scorching the bare skin of my back. I hate that there are lingering emotions that refuse to fade, regardless of how I wish they would.
Swinging the door open, I step inside, swiftly shutting it behind me. But Rune's hand slams into the door, preventing its closure, and his expression is intense.
"Go away," I say, pushing against the door.
"We need to talk," his voice rumbles, laced with barely contained impatience, only serving to infuriate me further.
"I'm not talking to you."
A deep growl escapes his throat, and the door forcefully swings open, propelling me several feet backward.
"Get out!" I yell, picking my favourite vase in blind rage, and I hurl it at him.
He catches it, and throws at the wall, shattering it to bits. "My patience is wearing thin. You're coming home with me. Now."
"There you are," I coo, stepping forward, anger evident in my eyes. I look at him, and I recognize the man I have come to know in the past few years. The charade is off, "Now, tell me why you're really here."
"I need you."
I pause, my heart pounding in my chest. I blink rapidly, his words echoing in my mind. "What?"
He inches closer, hands slipping into his pockets. "The rot has grown since you left. Faster than we anticipated. It's as though the Void has become vengeful, multiplying its efforts to ruin the realm. We are running short on supplies, and there is barely enough left to ration. The humans have refused us provide help to us." He pauses, his eyes drooping. "My people are dying."
"And this concerns me how?"
He lets out an exasperated sigh, and the tips of his ears turn red. "It listens to you."
My brows furrow. "What?"
"The Void. I've never learned to control it. Neither has He. But it listened to you that night at the school. We were hoping you could...do it again."
I fold my arms and my boobs rise higher. Rune's eyes drop to my cleavage and his pupils dilate. He looks up abruptly, keeping his eyes on mine, and even I can see the struggle to keep his eyes there. Men and breasts.
"You want me to come with you, just so I can yell at the Void?"
"Correct."
"No."
Rune frowns. "No?"
I shrug. "I'm not interested in helping. Surely, one of the women who have warmed your bed in the past month will be more than willing to face the Void for you. Maybe even yell at it."
Rune looks at me like I have grown another head. "Our people are dying, Astrid, and you're...jealous? Have any idea how many sleepless nights I had every time you fucked someone over the years?"
I step forward. "Your people. Not mine. There is no our, and what the hell are you talking about?"
He growls, and the sound sends goosebumps attacking my skin. "He chose you first. The Lycan in us choosing an Erasthai is just as good as marking her. On our part, at least. The bond already formed, even before you could comprehend any of it. You never would have had a wolf mate, because he imprinted on you.
"We feel it every damned time, see flashes in our dreams, hear your moans and growls. Before I ever touched you, I knew what sounds you made, what you liked and what you didn't. Your fetishes. And it goes way beyond your sexual experiences."
I feel like I just got hit with something heavy. I don't want to consider his words, but I find myself thinking hard about it. It'd explain why it seemed like he knew everything about me. I start to consider the possibility of him going through all of that and--
"This is different, and you're lying, as usual. I am not surprised, seeing as you're someone who would speak whatever lies he can to get what he wants."
Heat emanates from him as he steps closer, crowding me. "You're being irrational--"
"Irrational? I'm not the one who was forced into marriage by being threatened--"
"The clips of you kissing me back tell a different story, so don't play the victim here."
"You forced me--"
"How could there be force when there was no resistance? I may have taken you to the altar against your will, but you wanted it. Every moment of it. You begged for it, begged for more--"
I never denied wanting Rune. I hate him. He's despicable, the scum of the earth, but I still wanted him, even before I discovered the bond. His words hurt me more than I anticipated, and without realising it, I swing my fists, trying to hurt him just as much.
The first blow lands on his cheek, knocking his head to the side, and the second one he catches, grabbing my fist and tugging me closer with it. Fiery green orbs bore into mine, radiating with simmering rage, and I level him with one of mine as he says with a voice that is deceptively soft and laced with anger, "Hit me again and your hands will be forfeit."
"I dare you."
But something else has his attention. My moving lips.
With lightning speed, he surges forward, catching my bottom lip between his teeth, applying just enough pressure to force a jolt from me. A breathy sound escapes me, and I don't dare move, even as his heated presence seeps under my skin.
Before my instincts can fully react, he withdraws his lips from mine, his attention abruptly shifting as he sniffs the air. His lips turn downward into a frown. "You smell different."
I freeze, the sudden stillness betraying the chaos within me. He can't know. I dunked myself in several oils to hide it. He shouldn't be able to tell that I have the scent.
I place my hands on his chest, pushing him off. Desperation fills my voice as I reply, feigning ignorance. "Get off me."
But he doesn't. He holds me to his chest and pushes my hair off my shoulder. A shiver runs down my spine as he leans in and his nose nuzzles against my neck. His warm breath tickles my skin and I try and fail to steady my racing heart. "You smell so good today, Astrid. It is different. Distinct. Better."
We always know, the instinct ingrained within us. Female wolves or lycans, pregnant with life, emit a scent that cannot be hidden. A scent that draws others near, signaling the continuation of our kind.
That he can detect it, and still not figure it out is a small mercy from the Goddess. He can't find out. Not yet. If possible, not ever.
"That's probably Theron."
Rune pulls back, confusion creasing his face. "What did you say?"
I let my lips curve into a wicked smile. "Oh, did my parents fail to mention him? You never came and they thought matchmaking me with someone better would be good for me. They were right. He is a gentle lover, and hell, does he smell good."
It takes a few moments for my outrageous lie to settle, and I see a storm brewing in Rune's eyes with every passing second. "You..." He starts, his voice layered and guttural. "You're seeing someone else?"
I try my best at giving a nonchalant shrug. "You can do it. Why can't I?"
He grips my arm so hard, I wince. "We are bound! Married."
My lips pucker, and I force a blank look to my face. "Bound, maybe. Married, debatable, seeing as I passed out before the vows could be said. This entire thing is a sham."
His eyes snap to my bed, and he sniffs again. He starts vibrating with anger and I know he has bought the lie. My entire room is covered in my new scent, and he'll think Theron was here. "You brought him here?"
I smile sheepishly, forcing my eyes to glaze over with a memory that doesn't exist. "Every day."
He looks aghast. Betrayed. "Have you no shame?"
The nerve of this bastard asking me if I have no shame when he's the one who's screwing the brains out of any woman he can find. "All's fair in lust and sex. Oh, and he does the tongue thing better than you."
Rune jerks like he has been hit by thunder. He releases me instantly and he is out of my room before I can blink again.