Page 32 of Return to the Pack

“They’re not real, are they?”

“Don’t think so,” Axel says, peering through a small circular hole cut in the door.

One of the creatures turns his head to look at the other.

“Axel,” I say, tugging on his arm.

“What?” he says, looking down at me, but he’s interrupted as the door swings wide.

Elder Amexaryl smiles at us and opens the door. She seems much more relaxed in her home environment than she does when she’s on duty, performing her job. “Come in, come in,” she says, pushing on the screen door.

When Axel steps into her home, one of the gargoyles leaps onto the floor.

I let out a yelp.

Axel tenses and whips around, jumping in front of me protectively.

“Rex!” Elder Amexaryl scolds. “Stop scaring my guests.”

The creature leaps back into position on his corner of the door.

“Those two are Rex and Ralph, my pet gargoyles,” Elder Amexaryl says. “They’re actually shifters who live in these swamp waters. But for a regular meal, they can be coerced into doing the role they were born to do.” She wags her finger at them. “You be nice to pack members—you know the difference between pack members and unwelcome intruders. Shame on you.” She turns and leads us into her cozy, colorful dwelling.

Axel and I stand near the worn couch until she gestures for us to sit, and then we take our seats.

“I hear you need my assistance again,” she says, settling into a rocking chair. She begins to rock in a slow, hypnotic rhythm, causing the floor and the chair to creak.

“Yes,” Axel says, leaning forward. “I’d like to marry Luna.”

I clear my throat and cast a look his way.

“Actually,” he corrects himself. “Callan, Ethan, Warrick, and I would like to marry Luna.”

“I see,” Elder Amexaryl says, continuing to rock. “This is a most unusual request.”

“It may be unusual, but it feels so right,” I blurt, afraid she’ll deny us our request. “I love them all. I can’t imagine life without any of them. I can’t choose!”

Elder Amexaryl nods, leveling me with her pale gaze. Then she turns to Axel. “And you’re content with this, Alpha?”

“Yes. Luna is my heart. I learned by my foolish actions that it stops beating if she’s not a part of my world.”

I give him a side-eye and reach for his hand. “Can Axel and I…can our True Mate bond be restored, also? I think it still exists. I’m sure I ran away before the bond was completely severed. That’s why we still love each other.”

Axel gives me a look of love that makes my wolf feel like warm, liquid sunshine. But there’s pain behind that gaze like he still carries the shame of severing our bond.

I turn to Elder Amexaryl. “I still feel the bond. I know it’s there. Our True Mate bond lives in each of our hearts.”

Elder Amexaryl studies me, compassion radiating from her gaze. Then, she shakes her head. “No, child… I’m sorry. The True Mate bond was truly severed.”

I shake my head. “It can’t be. We, Axel and I… We weren’t ready to accept it, but it still exists, I know it does.” I take Axel’s hand. “We are bound, and nothing can sever that. Even when we were apart, we ached for each other.”

Elder Amexaryl pats the air in front of her. “Be still, child. No need to get agitated. I can’t change the past or the truth. You and Axel are mates. But the magical bond we severed through ritual is gone. Nothing can destroy your love, though. That is a choice you can make every day. The connection you share goes deeper than fate. It’s in your heart.”

I scoot closer to Axel, and he puts his arm around me, pulling me close. I’m so happy to hear her say this that I could cry.

“Your mother and father were True Mates.” Elder Amexaryl stares as if she’s looking into the beyond. “Your father was a good man. It broke your mother to lose him.”

“I know,” I say, a bitter smile forming on my face. “I lived with Mama’s broken self. As soon as I came of age, I cared for her as her mother. Now that I’ve felt the bond severed, I know how it could destroy a person.”