Amelie finished her training early with Sebastian and Micah so she could get to her job. Right now, it's just Faith and me battling it out with my uncles. Sebastian is in human form since I can't shift while Micah and Faith stalk toward each other, both magnificent white wolves. Micah is a lot bigger, but when Faith snarls with those long fangs of hers, I find myself mesmerized and a tad envious. I would look like her if I could shift.
"All right, Laila, let's go for a run," Sebastian commands. "We're done with hand to hand combat today."
I raise my arms over my head and stretch. I'm drenched with sweat even though it's freezing outside. In good news, my muscles are sore because, for the first time, I didn't use my magic to protect me. I had to rely on my shifter strength. Unfortunately, staying in my human form does me no good against a wolf if I can't use my magic. Without my magic, a wolf could rip me apart.
Faith and Micah take off for the woods, just two white blurs disappearing amid the snow-covered trees. Sebastian hangs back with me, and we head out on foot. We run until we reach the lake on the Teton pack's land. It's off the beaten path and away from the national park trails. That way, we don't have to worry about outsiders.
We stop by the water, and I catch my breath. Looking out at the frozen lake, I have to squint my eyes to keep the sun from blinding me. It's a beautiful sight.
"You're a lot stronger than I thought you'd be without your magic," Sebastian confesses. "I'm glad we decided to test it out this morning."
I laugh. "It wasn't easy. I'm so used to using it."
Chuckling, he peers off into the distance, and I do the same. I thought for sure I'd feel Cedric somewhere close by, but he's not. A part of me can't help but feel disappointed.
"I talked to Cedric this morning," Sebastian says.
The breath hitches in my lungs. "What about?" I ask, jerking my attention back to him.
His grin widens. "I can see it on your face. You're wondering why he's not here, aren't you?" He sits down on a fallen tree trunk and pats the spot next to him.
"Okay, fine," I give in, sitting down beside him, "yes, I'm wondering where he is. It feels weird not having him close."
"Like there's a part of you missing?"
Closing my eyes, I sigh. "Is that how it was with you and Tyla before you completed the bond?"
He bumps me with his shoulder. "All the time. It was bad. There was a lot of built-up tension between us. The woman loved driving me insane."
One thing about them is that they knew each other a while before the bond formed between them. With Cedric, it just happened out of thin air. "What did you and Cedric talk about this morning?"
"Well, he knows you're with Micah and me in the mornings for training. Being with us, he knows you're safe. I think he's afraid of crowding you. He doesn't want to push you away."
Hearing that makes my heart flutter. It makes it hard not to smile. I'm not used to men like that. The Sierra pack men took what they wanted when it came to women, and they weren't gentle about it. Sebastian bumps me with his shoulder again. "You do know how hard that is for him, right? His instinct is to be by your side. Tyla was such a stubborn ass I ended up not giving her a choice. Being around her both helped the rage but also fueled it because she refused to complete our bond. The need to fully be with our mates can be overwhelming at times. It's worse for us men."
This is what worries me. "I'm assuming Cedric will start to feel that way at some point?"
Sebastian shrugs. "Eventually. He's showing some amazing restraint right now. The more time you spend together, the more he'll want to complete the bond." I avert my gaze to the lake, but he gets up and stands in front of me. I have no choice but to look up at him. "I know this is all new to you, but you feel the connection to him, right?"
There's no denying it. I rub the aching spot over my heart. "I do."
"You'll know when the time is right, Laila. Cedric's a good guy. He's not going to push you into anything."
"What would happen to him if we didn't complete the bond?"
Sebastian's brows furrow, and he tenses. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't you?"
I shrug. "What if I'm killed?"
He runs a hand down his face. "Shit, I don't know. Now that more of us are finding our true mates, I can't recall a situation where that has happened." He moves closer and kneels in front of me. "Why are you asking this?"
"No reason," I lie.
The expression on his face makes my heart hurt. "Laila, if something were to happen to you, it would be the end of Cedric. The rage would drive him insane, and we'd have to kill him. We're bound to our true mates. If you decided not to complete the bond, I'm not sure what it would do to you, but I can imagine. It'd be like losing a part of your soul."
If I leave for the Land of the Fae, that will be Cedric's destiny. A life of torment and anger. Thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. How could I ever do that to someone? But if I stay, I could lose him too. I could lose a lot more than him.
"Laila, what's wrong?" Sebastian asks.
Shaking my head, I plaster on a smile. "Nothing. I was just thinking about my date with Cedric this afternoon. When I was with the Sierra pack, I never went on any dates. Guess I should at least be somewhat grateful to the men I thought were my father and brother. They kept me safe. There were a lot of men in that pack who wouldn't think twice about raping me if they had the chance."
Sebastian's eyes flash with anger. "It's a good thing we killed them all."
Micah howls in the distance, and a few seconds later, he and Faith appear. Faith pads over to me, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth as if she's smiling. "You're cute when you look like that," I say, teasing her. She bares her fangs, and I hold up my hands. "Okay, okay, you're not cute, you're vicious. When we get back, you have to help me get ready for my date."
She rubs her body against me and then takes off into the woods with Micah behind her. Sebastian stretches his legs and smiles. "Race you back?"
The second he says it, I race off through the snow, laughing as he yells at me. For the first time in my life, it feels good to have a family.