Page 10 of Wanderer

Debra greeted me at reception with a warm cup of tea. “I put honey in it, just as you like it.” I laid my outer clothes on a side desk for Debra to put away and picked up the cup and saucer. Debra was very particular about using the correct teacups.

“Thank you. May I go through?”

She wasn’t listening to me, already rushing about and tending to my things. Her brownie nature had taken control. I cleared my throat to get her attention. Going back without permission led to bad things happening. Debra was fierce when it came to protecting the mayor’s inner sanctum.

“Oh! Yes. Go right ahead. They’re waiting for you.”

Carefully, I used both hands to secure my tea as I walked into the mayor’s office. The door, thankfully, had been left ajar. Hestia was sitting behind her desk, frowning at something the man opposite her must have said. From the back, all I could see was messy dark hair and olive‑toned skin.

Awareness shot through me that something monumental was about to happen.

“Ah, Gareth, come sit down.” Hestia waved a hand toward the vacant seat next to the man.

Setting the cup on a waiting coaster on her desk, I took the offered seat and turned to look at the man who had Greyhaven abuzz. An exaggeration, perhaps, but when my eyes met his dark orbs, the breath felt like it had been punched from my lungs. I saw his fingers tighten on his chair as we both realized what we were to each other.

Sitting next to me was my fated mate.

The one person I never thought I was going to meet. I mean, what were the chances of him turning up in Greyhaven? It wasn’t as if I’d been venturing out to find him. Greyhaven was safe and comfortable, aside from the attacks, but we had that under control! I didn’t need a life of adventure, even if that meant maybe never finding the one soul meant to complete mine.

“Everything alright?” Hestia asked with a knowing smile. Sneaky goddess!

The man broke first and turned away from me, settling back in his seat. “Everything’s fine.” His body language screamed that he was uncomfortable. He looked ready to flee at any moment. I wasn’t sure if he was about to throw up or faint. His hands shook before he gripped the arms of the chair. His knuckles turned white from how hard he squeezed, as if it was the only thing keeping him in his seat.

Was there something wrong with me? Was he straight? Shifters were usually pansexual, according to the books and the few residents I knew. My heart began to beat faster with my anxiety. A cold sweat broke out over my skin.

Hestia looked at me with a quirked eyebrow. “I’m not sure,” I answered honestly, trying to hide my worry. “I don’t know why you summoned me here.”

“Well,” Hestia began, her tone pleasant, ignoring the tension in the room. “Let us start with introductions. Gareth, this is Riley. He arrived in Greyhaven and requires our help in breaking a curse.”

I sat forward, ready and anxious to hear the details. I wanted to help my mate if I could. Unwinding curses was a rare treat. I loved testing my magic like that. “Riley, Gareth is our head of magic studies at Greyhaven College. He is also a powerful mage.”

I blushed at the compliment. “I’m not that powerful. My dad—”

“Is a fine man. I hope he and your mother are enjoying their studies abroad. Here, right now, you are the most powerful warlock we have.” Hestia raised an eyebrow at me, daring me to disagree with her.

Riley stood then, his fight-or-flight response nearly triggering a shift. One moment he had claws, the next his eyes flitted between yellow and their normal deep, earthy brown. “This… this is a mistake.” He was in full panic mode. I wanted to do something, anything, to soothe him.

Hestia stood. At her full height, she was smaller than us, but her godly powers made her all the more imposing. I knew straight away that she’d made a mistake. He was looking around wildly when she spoke to him. “Riley, I did say yesterday that I would get in touch with a warlock.” Her tone was gentle, more placating than I’d ever heard it.

“I can’t!” He looked at me with pleading eyes. They begged forgiveness even as he struck me deeply. “Not a warlock, no!” With a last cry of frustration, Riley shifted into a bobcat and ran from the room.

“Oh dear.”

Understatement. Shock and horror filled me. Tears pricked at my eyes, and I struggled to breathe for a moment.

The mere knowledge that I was a warlock had my fated mate running away from me, despite apparently needing my help. What was I going to do?

Five

Riley

Nausea rolled through my body with just a glance at the stranger. When Hestia told me what he was, it all made sense. My hands trembled. I struggled to get a full breath. Panic had me in its grasp.

When I caught his scent, an indescribable feeling of anger, shame, and grief hit me. Anger at fate. Shame that I could not be the mate he deserved. Grief that even this had been stolen from me. Thanks to my stepfather, I could no longer accept the gift fate had bestowed on me.

With how my body was reacting to my mate’s presence, there was no way I could accept our bond. I couldn’t have a warlock as my fated mate.

No! My soul raged at the unfairness of it all. Fate couldn’t possibly be so unkind to me after everything I’d gone through. All he had put us through.