4. Rune #2
The question flickered through his mind even as he took in her appearance more fully.
She looked frazzled, confused, almost frightened by whatever was happening to her.
Dark circles under her eyes suggested she'd slept as poorly as he had, and there was a tension in her shoulders that spoke of someone trying to maintain control in a situation that made no sense.
She doesn't know what it is. Doesn't know what this means.
The thoughts should have been a relief—if she didn't understand the mate bond, he could send her away without having to explain anything about fated mates or ancient dragon magic. This was the best-case scenario, the clean exit he desperately needed.
But his dragon had other plans entirely.
Claim her. Make her understand what she is to us. Don't let her leave.
The internal battle raged so fiercely that Rune barely registered Bram rising from behind his desk, the elder's weathered face creased with what looked suspiciously like satisfaction.
"Alpha, we have a bit of a situation here, as I mentioned on the phone."
Rune's gaze swept the room, taking in the petite older woman seated near the window. Recognition hit him like ice water—Gerri Wilder, the legendary matchmaker whose reputation preceded her throughout the supernatural community. His stomach dropped as the implications crashed over him.
What is she doing here with my mate? Did she tell her everything?
"Well," Rune managed, his voice rougher than he'd intended, "start explaining what's going on here and what you told these women."
Bram's eyes practically sparkled with delight as he gestured toward Rune's mate. "It appears this young woman, Maple, trespassed on our territory yesterday and discovered your claim marker."
The elder's tone carried the weight of centuries of tradition, and Rune could practically see the wheels turning in the old dragon's mind. This was everything Bram had wanted—proof that fate would eventually force Rune into the mate bond he'd been avoiding.
Not happening.
Rune turned his attention to the woman—his beautiful mate, the traitorous voice in his head whispered—and fought to maintain his composure. "You trespassed on my land, and I'll be pressing charges for the violation. You also excavated without permission and stole an artifact from my property."
His words came out harsher than he'd intended, but he was drowning in her scent and the overwhelming urge to cross the room and gather her into his arms. She looked almost horrified at his threat, her green eyes widening before she turned to Gerri with something that looked like pleading.
Gerri rose from her chair with the fluid grace of someone far younger than her apparent years, her bright eyes flashing with what might have been amusement.
"Rune, dear, clearly that's not necessary.
Maple has taken full responsibility for the trespassing—she's an archaeologist, and a very good one at that.
She was simply trying to find something special, and she clearly did.
" The matchmaker's voice carried a knowing quality that made Rune's skin crawl.
"She doesn't want any trouble. She just wants to unbind herself from the artifact if possible.
She's becoming quite upset by how it keeps reacting to her, and she just wants it to stop. "
She can't be unbound.
The knowledge sat like lead in Rune's stomach. Once a claim marker activated for someone's true mate, the ancient magic was irreversible. But maybe if he destroyed the marker itself…
"I'm afraid I don't know if she can be unbound from the object," Rune said carefully, "but if she surrenders it to me and I destroy it, maybe that will do the trick."
For the first time since he'd entered the room, the woman—Maple—spoke, and her voice sent electricity racing down his spine.
"No. I'm not giving it back, and you will not destroy this." Her chin lifted with a defiance that made his dragon stir with approval. "Bram said it's mine now, mine alone, and I can keep it."
The challenge in her voice, the absolute refusal to back down in the face of his authority, sent heat flooding through his system for entirely different reasons. His dragon was practically preening at her fierce response.
Our mate is strong. Perfect for us.
Rune fought to ignore the beast's satisfaction, his frustration mounting as his carefully planned approach crumbled around him. "Well, if you keep the artifact, I'll have no choice but to press charges."
"Alpha," Bram interjected smoothly, "surely you can overlook this legal detail and consider handling this more gently. Perhaps you could offer to let Maple stay, and you two could investigate how to unbind her from the marker together."
The suggestion hung in the air like a trap waiting to spring.
Rune's rational mind screamed warnings but looking at Maple, he found his resolve wavering.
Maybe he shouldn't be so harsh. She was his mate, after all, even if neither of them wanted to acknowledge it.
Whatever it took to get her unbound and safely away from him, he would facilitate.
He turned to face her fully, careful to maintain distance between them. If he touched her—even accidentally—the mate bond would lock fully into place, and there would be no going back.
"You can stay the night in town," he heard himself saying, "and we can investigate how to unbind you."
Her response was immediate and firm. "I didn't pack a bag and didn't anticipate staying, so I'm going to leave."
Perfect. Let her leave.
The thought should've brought relief, but instead, panic clawed at his chest. Every instinct he possessed screamed against letting her walk away, his dragon thrashing violently against his mental barriers.
The scent of citrus and roses was making it impossible to think clearly, and her presence was unraveling centuries of careful emotional control.
End this conversation now, before you do something irreversible.
"Fine," he managed, his voice strained with the effort of maintaining composure. "But you'd better not tell anyone else you found this artifact, and you'd better not tell anyone about our hidden town, or I'll ruin your career."
The threat hung between them, and he watched her jaw tighten with what looked like the desire to argue further. But after a moment, she simply nodded.
"Fine. I won't tell anyone about this. But you'd better figure out a way to unbind me from this thing, or I'll expose you."
Feisty.
His dragon roared with approval at her boldness, the beast clearly delighted by a mate who refused to be intimidated.
But Rune was rapidly reaching his breaking point, caught between the overwhelming urge to claim her and the desperate need to maintain the control that had kept him safe for five centuries.
"Fine," he repeated, the word coming out rougher than intended. "I'll figure it out."
Without another word, he turned and walked out of Bram's office, his stride carefully controlled despite the chaos raging inside him. Every step away from her felt like tearing away pieces of himself, his dragon protesting the distance.
Once in the main corridor, he braced his hand against the wall and fought to catch his breath.
The conflicting urges warring inside him were almost unbearable—the primitive need to return to that office, gather that spirited woman in his arms, and never let her go battled against the rational voice that insisted this was exactly what had destroyed his father.
Focus on solving how to unbind her from the ancient magic and move on with your controlled and isolated life.
But even as he thought it, Rune knew with bone-deep certainty that nothing would ever be the same again.