Chapter 17 Malachar
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Malachar
My mind was racing. A thousand thoughts per second, none of them settling long enough to form a coherent plan.
Aurion was here. In the human realm. In Wen’s bookstore. Which meant he had crossed through an unstable portal to find me. Which meant the situation in Ravenor was dire enough that my brother had risked his life.
I had a decision to make. And I knew Wen would not like it.
Hell, I did not like it either.
But if I was to move permanently to the human realm with her - if that was what she chose - then leaving my kingdom in order first was essential. Andreas could not be allowed to steal the throne through manipulation and lies. A worthy successor had to be secured.
And if time moved differently between realms, as Aurion suggested, I could not afford to waste days or weeks here while my kingdom fell apart.
But I could not leave Wen behind either. Would not. The thought of being separated from her, of the portal closing with us on different sides, made my chest constrict with panic.
I was not willing to find out what would happen if we were divided.
“Wen,” I said quietly. “Call your friends. Tell them to watch the bookstore for a few days.”
She looked up at me, confused. “What? Why?”
“Please. Trust me. Just call them.”
Her fingers moved on her phone - her glowing brick, as I still thought of it. She typed quickly, her brow furrowed.
Aurion was watching the device with open curiosity. “What is that contraption?”
“Later,” I told him. “First, show me where the portal deposited you. Has it moved?”
“This way.”
He led us deeper into the archive room, to a large chest against the back wall. The kind used to store old documents or inventory. He opened it, and I saw the bottom was not wood but pure, glinting light. Swirling and unstable but present.
The portal.
Wen and I had discovered it weeks ago. Had looked at it, discussed it, but neither of us had wanted to attempt crossing. I was still injured. She was frightened. We had been content to let it be.
But now we had no choice.
“My friends said they’ll handle it,” Wen said, walking up beside me. “Krystin was confused but she said yes. Mal, what’s going on? Why do I need them to watch the store?”
I looked at her. At my mate.
“I am sorry,” I said quietly.
“Sorry for what?”
I turned to Aurion. “After you, brother.”
Aurion gave me a knowing look. Nodded. And stepped into the chest, disappearing into the light without hesitation.
“Mal?” Wen’s voice had gone uncertain. “What are you-”
I scooped her up in my arms before she could finish the sentence. Held her tight against my chest as I stepped toward the portal.
“Malachar, what the hell are you doing?!” She struggled in my grip. “Put me down! I’m not-”
But I was already stepping into the light. Already feeling the pull of the portal dragging us through.
“I am sorry, little mate,” I murmured against her hair. “But I cannot risk losing you. Hold on to me.”
The world dissolved into chaos.
We were falling and floating simultaneously. There was no up or down. No sense of direction. The light was everywhere, blinding and disorienting. My stomach revolted. My strength was draining away.
But it was not as bad as the first crossing. Not as painful. I was not injured this time. Not bleeding and broken.
Wen was clinging to me desperately, her face buried in my chest. I could feel her terror through the bond. Her confusion. Her anger.
I held her tighter. Shielded her as best I could as we tumbled through the space between worlds.
An eternity later (or perhaps only seconds) we crashed into solid ground.
I took the impact with my back, grunting as pain shot through my still-healing ribs. Wen landed on top of me, gasping for air.
Then she was scrambling off me and onto her knees, retching violently. I tried to stand, to help her, but my own stomach was rolling and the world was spinning.
I focused on breathing. On grounding myself. On not joining her in vomiting.
After a few minutes, the worst of the nausea passed. I stood on shaking legs and went to her. She was leaning against the stone wall of the passage we had landed in, one hand pressed to her stomach, the other braced on the cold stone.
She looked up at me.
Oh. She was furious. Absolutely livid.
“You-” Her voice shook. “You KIDNAPPED me through a PORTAL!”
“I brought you with me-”
“WITHOUT ASKING! Without even TELLING me what you were planning!” She pushed off the wall and advanced on me. “What the hell is wrong with you?! I’m not some damsel you can just scoop up and carry off whenever you feel like it!”
“I know. I am sorry. But I could not risk-”
“Risk what? Risk me saying no? Risk me having a CHOICE in whether I wanted to be dragged to another dimension?!”
“Risk being separated from you.” My voice came out rougher than intended. “If the portal closed. If time moved differently and days here were weeks there. If I could not find my way back. I refuse to take that chance. I refuse to be parted from you.”
“So you just grabbed me and jumped?!”
“Yes.”
“That’s insane! That’s-” She pressed her hands to her face. “I can’t believe you. I can’t believe I let you bite me. I can’t believe I almost bit you back before we got interrupted!”
Guilt twisted in my chest. “I know you are angry. You have every right to be. But Wen-”
“This is fascinating,” Aurion interrupted, “but we should move. We need to reach Mother’s quarters and strategize how to handle your return. Better to control how you enter the castle than to be discovered wandering the halls.”
Wen glared at him. Then at me. “We’re talking about this later. We’re talking about a LOT of things later.”
“Agreed.”
“And you’re sleeping on the floor tonight.”
“That is fair.”
Aurion led us through the passages. They were dark and narrow, carved from stone. Familiar in a way that made my chest ache. I was home. After weeks of believing I might never see my kingdom again, I was home.
But it felt wrong without Wen choosing to be here with me. Without her consent. I had taken that choice from her, and the guilt sat like a stone in my stomach.
We moved quickly and quietly. Aurion knew these passages well. We all did. We had played in them as children, used them for secret meetings as adults. They connected every wing of the castle, every major room. A network of escape routes and spy holes built into the very bones of the palace.
Aurion stopped at a hidden door. Pressed his ear against it. Listened. Then he pushed it open slowly and peered through.
His body went rigid.
“What?” I whispered.
“The guards. They are not at their posts.”
Ice flooded my veins. Mother always had guards outside her chambers when she was visiting the capital. Always. It was protocol. Protection.
If they were gone...
Aurion slipped through the door. I followed, pulling Wen with me. She was looking around with wide eyes, taking in the stone corridor, the tapestries, the sconces with actual fire instead of electric light.
We reached Mother’s door. It was closed, the guards suspiciously absent.
I exchanged a glance with Aurion. He nodded and pushed the door open, stepping inside quickly. I followed immediately, Wen close behind me.
Mother was at her writing desk near the window. She looked up, confused and slightly alarmed at the sudden intrusion. Her hand went to the dagger she always kept nearby.
Then she saw me.
“Malachar?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Mother.”
She was up and across the room before I could say anything else. Threw her arms around me with enough force to make me stagger. She was smaller than me by nearly a foot, but her embrace was fierce.
“I was so worried, young man,” she said into my chest. Her voice was thick with emotion. “When you disappeared. When no one could find you. I thought-” She pulled back, gripping my face in her hands. “Where have you been?”
“The human realm. Through a portal. I did not choose to leave, Mother. I was pulled through during my challenge with Andreas.”
“I know. Aurion told me. But you are here now. You are safe.” She hugged me again. “Thank the gods you are safe.”
I held her for a moment longer, then stepped back and gently pushed Wen forward. She had been standing frozen, staring around the room with an expression caught between awe and panic.
Mother looked at her. Blinked. Her nose wrinkled slightly as she scented the air. Her eyes widened.
“Is she...” She looked between us. “Malachar. Is she your-”
“Mother, this is my fated mate, Gwendolyn Woods.” I kept my hand on Wen’s lower back, steadying and anchoring her. “She is human.”
Silence.
Mother stared at Wen. Wen stared back, clearly trying not to freak out.
Then Mother’s face broke into a wide smile. “A human mate. How wonderful!”
She stepped forward and took Wen’s hands. “Welcome, my dear. I am Sorcha Ashborne. It is an honor to meet you.”
“Um. Hi. Wen. Just Wen is fine.” Wen’s voice was still shaky. “It’s nice to meet you too, Your Majesty? Is that right? I don’t know the protocol here.”
“Sorcha is fine.” Mother squeezed her hands warmly. Then she looked at me. “She has not completed the bond.”
“We were interrupted,” I said dryly. “By Aurion crashing through a portal into her bookstore.”
“Bookstore?”
“I will explain later. Right now, we need to discuss strategy. Andreas. The throne. What has been happening in my absence.”
Mother’s expression shifted immediately. The warmth bled away, replaced by the shrewd, strategic mind that had helped my father rule for decades.
“You are right. Sit. All of you.” She gestured to the chairs around her sitting area. “We have much to discuss and little time to do it.”
We sat. Wen was still looking around like she expected to wake up any moment. I took her hand, threaded our fingers together. Through the bond, I could feel her overwhelm. Her anger at me was still there, burning hot beneath layers of shock and disorientation.
“Andreas has been spreading rumors,” Mother began without preamble. “He claims you fled. That you were afraid to face him in combat. That you are unworthy of the throne.”
“That is a lie.”
“I know it is a lie. But lies repeated often enough become truth in the eyes of those who wish to believe them.” She leaned forward.
“The nobles are restless. Some support you. Some support Andreas. Many are simply waiting to see who proves strongest. If you do not return and face him soon, he will claim the throne by default.”
“How soon?”
“Three days. He has called for a formal challenge. If you do not appear, you forfeit.” Her expression was grave. “And if you forfeit, Malachar, it will be nearly impossible to reclaim the throne later. The nobles will see it as confirmation that Andreas was right. That you are weak. Unworthy.”
Three days to prepare. To train. To figure out how to defeat Andreas while keeping Wen safe in a world she had never seen before.
“Then we have no time to waste,” I said. “Aurion, I need you to gather those loyal to me. Quietly. I do not want Andreas knowing I am here until the challenge.”
“I will have them assembled by morning. They are ready to move on your word.”
“Good.” I looked at Mother. “I need the challenge to be public. Witnessed by all the nobles. I want no question of legitimacy when I win.”
“When you win?” Wen’s voice was quiet. “Mal, what if you don’t?”
I looked at her. At my mate who I had dragged into this without her permission. Who was sitting in a world she did not understand, surrounded by wolves and politics and danger.
“Then Andreas takes the throne and you return to the human realm under Aurion’s protection,” I said simply. “The mate bond would not give you rights here if I am dead.”
Her eyes went wide. “What?!”
“But I will not lose,” I continued. “I have too much to live for now. Too much to protect.”
I squeezed her hand. Through the bond, I sent her every ounce of certainty I had. Every bit of determination.
She squeezed back, but through the bond I felt mostly anger. Hot, burning fury at being dragged here without consent, at being thrown into danger, at having no control over any of this. There was affection buried beneath it, but the anger was dominant and justified.
“Then let us begin,” Mother said. “We have much to prepare before the challenge. We must ensure my son keeps his throne.”
She smiled at Wen. “Welcome to the family, dear. I apologize that your introduction to our world is quite so dramatic.”
Wen laughed. It was slightly hysterical. “Yeah. Dramatic is one word for it.”
I pulled her closer. Pressed a kiss to her temple. “I am sorry, little mate. For all of this. But I will make it right. I swear it.”
She looked up at me, and through the bond I felt the full force of her rage. “You better. Because when this is over? We’re having a very long conversation about boundaries and consent and not kidnapping your girlfriend through portals.”
“Mate,” I corrected. “Not girlfriend. Mate.”
“We’re having that conversation too.”
“I look forward to it.”
Aurion snorted. “Brother. She is going to kill you.”
“Probably,” I agreed. “But at least I will die happy.”
Wen smacked my arm hard. She was not smiling. Through the bond, her anger flared hotter, mixed with reluctant determination to get through this situation despite her fury at me.
We would survive this. Together. And then I would spend the rest of my life making up for dragging her through a portal against her will.
Starting with getting on my knees and begging her forgiveness.
If she did not strangle me first.