Bonds of the Forsaken: A Reverse Harem Romantasy (Her Forsaken Mates Book 1)

42. Tye

Iran, naked and fully human, for what felt like hours. My legs shook and my lungs burned, but I didn”t dare stop.

As the sky brightened with the sunrise, the primitive thing inside me finally curled up and went to sleep, and I could think for myself again.

Exhausted, I slumped onto a wide gray rock at the edge of a babbling stream. Cupping my hands together, I pulled some icy cold water to my mouth, letting it run down my face and chest.

The water chilled my burning body, but it did nothing to cool my emotions.

Fuck. Fuck!

I”d shifted!

And all that nonsense about claiming the witch as mine … I had barely kept that thing — that wolf inside me — from assaulting her!

Forsaken mages. None of this made sense. There was no way I could be a body mage!

I looked down at my arms — arms that had been covered in thick white fur just hours before.

No. The Seekers had tested me. Dozens of times.

And there was no potion in the world that could give me the power to shift — to use body mage powers.

Growling, I stood and turned back toward the compound, ignoring the ache in my legs. Anything to keep the heavy thoughts at bay.

King Crause had always claimed I was one of the many orphans left in the wake of that Forsaken who”d torn through the Capitol twenty years ago. Someone had left me in a basket at the doorstep of an orphanage, like nothing more than the day”s produce.

Was that what really happened, though?

Or had my parents tested me, found that I was a mage, and rid themselves of me?

But if so, why hadn”t my high affinity shown earlier? And shouldn”t the Seekers have easily picked me out? It wasn”t as if I knew how to fucking shield myself!

How in the hells had I passed their tests? Unless someone was helping me …

Bile rose in my chest at the thought. King Crause had saved me …

No. There would be no reason for him to lie. If I was a mage, someone else had hidden me.

Did that mean the witch truly was my mate, though?

My stomach rolled at the thought, but the wolf inside me perked his ears and huffed in affirmation. I attempted to glare at him, then cringed.

This whole thing was madness! There was no creature inside me, and if I felt like there was … well, then I was no better than the damn Forsaken I hunted.

Perhaps if I could shift again, I”d know the truth.

It had been such a blur last time. Could it have just been a hallucination from the potion? Or maybe a side-effect of being struck in the head?

The wolf let out a few soft huffs, as if laughing at the thought.

Ignoring the imaginary beast, I crouched and began focusing on the world around me.

At first, nothing happened, but slowly the forest came into focus. A trio of birds moved between the trees above me as a large rodent scurried into a burrow nearby.

Underneath it all, though, was her.

The witch”s scent was faint but unmistakable now — far away and mixed with those of that fucking Fae and the fleirals they rode.

I focused on her, and just like last time, strange sensations began flooding every inch of my being. My muscles tensed, aching to run, and this time I tried to embrace it.

Focusing on those feelings, I leaned over and pressed my hands into the ground, willing the change.

Chills scattered across my skin and, for a moment, something like hope unraveled in my chest.

But when I opened my eyes, there was nothing but my very human body, naked and standing on all fours … looking utterly ridiculous.

The wolf snickered, and my cheeks heated as I staggered to my feet, growling ”fuck you” to the imaginary creature.

What was I thinking? Of course, it hadn”t worked … because I wasn”t a damn mage!

There had to be some other explanation for last night and all these strange intrusive thoughts.

A snuffling sound interrupted my thoughts, and I dropped into a crouch as every hair on my body stood on end. My lips curled as I reached back for my ax …

Mage forsaken! I”d left it behind.

And now I stood naked and defenseless in a foreign forest. How could I have been so stupid?

The rustling grew closer, and I gritted my teeth, searching in vain for a place to hide. There were a few trees, but nothing dense enough to make a real difference. I could attempt to run, but my legs felt like noodles.

My stomach twisted as I realized I only had one option.

Gritting my teeth, I reached inside myself for that fucking wolf.

The beast sat up and looked at me — no, through me — to the forest. I held my breath, waiting for something to happen. Surely this madness of mine had to be useful in some way!

But the wolf just snorted, then tucked his head into his tail and fell back asleep.

Forsaken mages! Of course, it didn”t help when I actually needed it.

CRUNCH —

Clenching my fists, I turned toward the sound, ready to fight —

A large, familiar shape pounced out of the brush, coming to a bounding halt just in front of me.

Shaide sat before me, long tongue lolling to the side and tufted ears perked.

My heart stuttered, and I held out a shaking hand. ”Thank the gods,” I muttered, running my fingers through his pillowy fur as my heartbeat slowed. His cool nose pressed into my chest, and I dropped my gaze to see two bright blue irises staring at me.

Cocking his head to the side, he nudged me with his nose.

”What do you want?”

Dipping his head, he dropped low to the ground.

I looked from him to my shaking legs, then back again. ”You seriously want me to ride you?”

The great beast didn”t move.

My shoulders loosened, and I let out a low sigh. It would make getting back to the compound faster. And Alpha Blackwood had said Corinne had something that could help with my nerves.

He also said he”d help figure out what was wrong with me.

Perhaps he”d force the witch to put this thing in me back to sleep, seeing as she”s the one who woke it with that damn kiss …

The wolf woke, and I scowled.

All you seem to care about is that damn Witch. If you are real, shouldn”t you be on my side?

The creature huffed, then resumed ignoring me.

Shaking my head, I climbed atop Shaide. At least this wolf was on my side.

The large diyre rose to his feet, then took off into the forest, me clinging to his fur.

The wind whipped through my hair, cooling my body, and somehow settling my thoughts.

Whatever plan Alpha Blackwood had would work.

It had to.

Otherwise, I”d put a collar around my own damn neck.