The front door of the packhouse slams shut, and I rush to the window. I watch Magnus, fueled by rage, tear his clothes off. His body shifts into that of a magnificent wolf, and a mournful howl of anger echoes through the dense woods as he disappears into the night.
Yiselda remains with me, offering comfort and support until the early evening, when she returns home. I skip dinner; the absence of Magnus and I would have been noticed. I climb into bed and gaze at the night sky, hoping for Magnus's return. However, the entire night passes, and he hasn't returned to our room or the packhouse.
Desperation sets in, and I turn to Reaper, perched in the moon tree. 'Reaper, please try and find Magnus for me,' I plead. Without hesitation, Reaper soars into the night, searching for any trace of Magnus.
Lying in bed, I wrestle with worries. Would Magnus ever forgive me? Could he leave me or reject me for having a second mate? As fatigue overcomes me, I fall into a fitful sleep, haunted by these troubling thoughts.
Upon waking, my eyes instinctively dart to Magnus's side of the bed, but he isn't there. Reaper remains perched on the window sill. 'I couldn’t find him, Luna,' he conveys through our mind-link.
Worry gnaws at me as I rush downstairs, hoping to find Magnus having breakfast. The rest of the packhouse is bustling with activity, but there is no sign of Magnus. When I ask if anyone has seen him, confusion ripples through the room.
'Isn’t he in bed with you?' Josie asks, perplexed.
'No, I thought he might be down here eating breakfast,' I reply, my voice trembling.
Concern fills the room as Flint asks, 'Is everything okay?' My dishevelled appearance hasn't escaped their notice.
Solemnly nodding, I force a small smile. 'He’s probably out having a run,' I suggest, attempting to divert their attention.
As everyone nods and resumes their breakfast, my appetite vanishes. Magnus's well-being occupies my thoughts. I know he isn't okay. If the roles were reversed, I'd be devastated, too. Bursting into tears, I flee up the stairs, leaving the shocked faces of those at the breakfast table behind me.
Entering my room, I close the door, engulfed in a sea of emotions.
I slide down with my back against the door, tears streaming down my face and into my hands. A gentle knock interrupts my solitude. 'Luna, it’s May, Josie, and your coven sisters. We've come to see if you're alright. It’s not like you to burst into tears and run away like that,' May says with evident concern.
'Magnus is the one you should all be worried about,' I confess through my sobs.
'Why is that, Luna? Has something happened to him?' May's voice softens.
'I've done something terrible. Magnus will never forgive me,' I admit, my voice choked with guilt.
'I'm sure there is nothing in this world he wouldn’t forgive you for,' May reassures me, her words offering a glimmer of hope.
'Does that include cheating on him?' I retort, revealing the heavy truth.
Gasps and whispers circulate among them. 'Luna, I think you need to let us in and tell us what has happened so we can help you,' May pleads.
'I'm a horrible person, May. Why would you want to help me?' I question, overwhelmed by self-condemnation.
'Because you are my sister, and you are not a horrible person. You are the sweetest, kindest, and most understanding person I have ever met. May responds with sincerity.
'That’s right,' the others agree in unison.
Slowly, I stand and unlock the door.
The girls envelop me in a warm embrace as we gather on my massive bed, arranging cushions for comfort as they prepare themselves for the bombshell I'm about to drop.
May leans forward, delicately wiping the tears from my face.
‘The day I first went to Pandora’s Box, something happened to me while we were in the dungeon. Do you remember when Alec grabbed my wrist?’ I ask my coven sisters.
‘Yeah, you were insane being that close to him in the first place,’ Ria chuckles, but her laughter fades when she notices my serious expression.
‘He had marked me,’ I reveal, holding my wrist out for them all to see. They furrow their brows, leaning in for a closer look.
Lilac tumbles off the bed onto the floor with a shriek and a thud. 'I'm okay,' she reassures us, crawling back onto the bed.
'So, what exactly does that mark mean?' May asks as they all gaze at it with confusion.
‘It means Alec, the vampire king, is my blood flame. Alec is my fated mate,’ I disclose.
‘What!?’ They all shriek in disbelief.
Everyone but May falls off the bed in shock. Once they regather on the bed, they exchange incredulous glances before focusing back on me, demanding more answers.
‘I feel the mate bond with Alec the same way I feel it with Magnus. My mind and body are yearning to be with both of them. Alec refuses to break the bond between us, and I don’t know how to break it. Then we kissed... twice; each time it was so magical and amazing, like I was kissing Magnus. Yiselda was with me when I told Magnus about Alec being my fated mate. He was angry and upset, which, of course, I expected, but I haven’t seen him since.’
May wraps her arms around me, offering comfort. ‘It will be okay. We will help you figure this out, won’t we, girls?’ They all nod in agreement, giving me sympathetic looks.
‘We should tell Dad so that the warriors can find him?’ May suggests.
My lips tremble, and I sob, ‘What will Mum and Dad think of me having two mates, May? They will be so ashamed of me.’
‘No, they won’t be. None of this is your fault, and there is a reason you have been given two mates, Nina. The Moon Goddess has willed it,’ she reassures me, trying to alleviate my guilt.
Lilac places her hand on mine and says, ‘You can’t control who you’re mated to. It’s beyond your control.’
Ria nods in agreement, ‘And who knows, maybe there’s a solution we haven’t discovered yet. We’ll figure it out together.’
Encouraged by their support, I nod, wiping away my tears. ‘Thank you, all of you. I just hope Magnus can find it in his heart to forgive me.’
May pats my back. ‘Let’s focus on finding him first. Dad and the warriors will help.’
Lilac, visibly troubled, voices her concern. ‘I can’t believe the vampire king is your mate, Luna. I get that he is handsome and all, but he is a vicious murderer. He is evil,’ she says, hugging herself protectively.
‘Alec has been nothing but kind and gentle towards me, Lilac. Moreover, he has spent hundreds of years alone in that dungeon and lost his first blood flame, who was killed at the hands of humans. If someone purposely killed Magnus, I would probably do everything in my power to seek justice too,’ I convey with empathy for Alec.
Lilac falls silent, grappling with conflicting emotions. ‘I just want you to be very careful around Alec, that’s all,’ she says.
‘I appreciate the concern, but my main focus is to find Magnus and have him home with me where he belongs,’ I reply with determination.
Everyone nods in agreement.