Chapter 13 - Thane
“Have you two mated yet?” Elias asks bluntly, to which I frown incredulously.
“Are you serious, bro?”
“I'm not asking as your friend, Thane. I'm asking as a fellow alpha, who's worried about this pack,” Elias sighs heavily as he turns toward the bar, lifting his full glass to his lips as he stares ahead, his eyes bearing the weight of all the worry he carries. “I'm worried about Aurora…Emile…”
He takes a neat chug of his whiskey, emptying the glass with an “ah” sound when he sets the glass back down.
I turn my face toward the bar in his study, nodding thoughtfully as I mull over his question.
I know he's worried about his mate and his son because of the prophecy—the visions Aurora and Yvonne had that foretold a future in which Emile would be the key in taking down the demons for good, aided by our four witches.
Since returning from the hut this morning, I'd called up a meeting to inform everyone about the demons we faced out there last night, and Willow's subsequent use of her powers that turned them to ashes.
After the meeting, Elias asked me to stay back to share a drink, and now I know why.
He's worried about the fate of his family.
“I know you're worried about them, but Willow's powers have been unlocked already,” I assure him, pouring another round of drinks.
Elias takes a deep, thoughtful breath. “You don't understand, Thane.
Her powers are useless if they're not controlled, and mating with her is the only way that allows her to get control over her powers. Trust me, I know,” he scoffs as he picks up his glass again. “Remember what happened to my house?”
“Yeah, I remember,” I chuckle. “But Aurora was all alone back then. It's different with Willow. She has the others to help her. She can train.”
“Training's not enough, Thane,” Elias groans with a hint of impatience in the sound. “She needs to be ready. Completely ready. And the only way to do that is if you mate with her.”
I blink in disbelief, but it's not because I don't believe that this is a serious matter. But Elias wouldn't be trying to force this.
Not since Aurora came into his life and Emile was born.
My disbelief is also because I have no idea how I'm supposed to navigate this part of the fated mate bond with Willow.
I promised I wouldn't sleep with her until she was ready, and discovering she's still a virgin last night cemented that promise.
“You know that it's not something I can force, Eli,” I remind him with a heavy-hearted sigh. “Especially since Willow and I have history.”
Elias turns his head slowly toward me. “You too, huh?”
Chuckling dryly, I nod. “What's the saying? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Our fates are all linked—you, me, Dawson, Brooks. History is only repeating itself.”
“Yeah, but you have an advantage,” Elias chuckles as he pats my back. “You have all our fuck-ups to look out for.”
“So…word of advice?”
Elias purses his lips apologetically. “Forget all the pressure I've been putting on you, and just be there for her. She's gonna be incredibly frightened by her own powers, but all you can do is be there for her. Show up for her. The mating part will happen naturally.”
I nod thoughtfully, a faint smile tracing my lips. “That sounds more like the Elias I've known this past year.”
Elias smirks, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “A little over a year,” he chuckles. “Sometimes I forget that Aurora burned my house down when her powers were out of control. You'd better get Willow into training before she burns your place down.”
“That won't happen,” I chuckle as I stand up from the barstool, setting my empty glass on the counter. “Speaking of which, I should head back home and check up on her. Maybe convince her to begin training.”
Elias nods, and I leave his house to return to mine, where I'd left Willow this evening.
Though we haven’t gotten around to speaking about what happened last night in the woods, both of us knew that the bigger issue with the demons was something that needed to be reported. Now that it's out of the way, I can speak to Willow about what we did last night.
She hasn't been showing signs that she's afraid of me any longer, but she still has her walls up, as can be expected.
I'm hoping I can speak to her tonight and let her know that I care for her more than I could recognize before. Finding out she was a virgin last night was an added surprise, and she has to know that I don't plan on taking her virginity unless she wants me to.
As I enter my house, Willow's lingering scent in the air rouses my inner wolf when it hits my lungs, and I lick my lips as if I can still taste her. Chuckling under my breath, I stroke my bottom lip as I recall her flavor, stifling the urge to find her and grab her and crush my lips to hers again.
Resistance is going to be harder than ever, especially after last night. My inner wolf has tasted its fated mate's essence and has become addicted to it.
There's no going back now.
Just as I'm about to arrive at Willow's door, her faint moans and whimpers drift down the hallway, stopping me in my tracks as my heart sinks.
It's happening again.
She's having a nightmare.
Zapped into action, I push open her bedroom door and rush to her bed, falling to my knees beside her as I grab her shoulders with careful force.
“Willow…Willow, wake up…you're having a nightmare,” I prompt, but Willow's twisted face tightens, her fingers tightening in the sheets as her body writhes against an unseen force.
“Your love is meant for destruction,” she whispers in a voice that sounds detached from her lungs, ominous and dark, but I'm not stricken with fear. I need to get her out.
“This was always going to be your fate….”
“Willow!”
“Huh?!” Willow bolts upright, her eyes flying wide, glossed over with tears as she notices me.
I try reaching out toward her, but her brows knit with furious accusation, her body tensing as she presses her back against the headboard.
“Don't, Thane,” she warns, her voice still echoing the deeper octave of her voice in the nightmare. “Don't touch me.”
“Willow, you were having another nightmare. It sounded like a vision. What did you see?”
Her chest heaves, breaths coming in ragged bursts. “I said don’t touch me!” she snaps, voice trembling with fury she doesn’t even understand, eyes bewildered and unfocused as she glares at me.
I raise my hands, keeping my tone low. “I’m not your enemy, Willow. I just need to know what you saw.”
She shakes her head violently, index fingers digging into her temples. “You wouldn’t understand. Every time I close my eyes, I see burning…destruction…you, dying…”
The words hit like a blow, and my throat tightens. “It’s just a nightmare, Willow. You don't—”
“It’s not!” she screams, and the sound of her voice slices through the room. “It’s real, Thane! Every time you come near me, it gets worse! I don’t know what’s happening to me!”
I move in, trying to reach out again, but she flinches like I’ve struck her. The air becomes thick, an ominous hum rising between us, her palms glowing faintly gold beneath the thin sheen of sweat on her skin. She notices it, too, staring at her palms and gulping through unsteady breaths.
“Willow,” I whisper, sensing the shift in the atmosphere. “Breathe, okay? Whatever this is, you can control it. It doesn't mean—”
“I can’t!” Her voice fractures, raw with terror and trembling with fear. “Get out before I hurt you!” she pleads, and her desperation cuts deeper than the heat building in the room.
“You won’t hurt me,” I say, moving in to close the distance between us. “You won’t.”
But the moment my fingers graze her arm, a blinding, violent light explodes from her palms. The shockwave throws me off my feet, flames scampering up the bedspread, devouring the curtains in a flash. The air fills with smoke, the sound of cracking wood echoing through the cabin.
In a split second, fire consumes the bedroom.
Fire from Willow's hands.
Shit!
Elias warned me about this!
“Willow!” I roar, stumbling through the fire toward her, where she's stuck on the bed. She’s frozen, wide-eyed, golden light flickering across her trembling hands in short sparks.
I grab her off the bed, wrapping her in my arms and dragging her out the door just as the roof groans and collapses behind us.
I don't stop until I've carried Willow out through the back door, to the safety of the snow-covered lawn, just in time for a powerful puff of hot, destructive fire to snap the entire building and crumble it to the ground.
Turning with Willow still in my arms, I stare in horror as the powerful, forceful flames consume the building that was once my home.
Slowly turning my face toward Willow, relief washes over me because she's safe. I'm about to lean in and ride that relief by kissing her lips, when she shoves my shoulder and hops out of my arms.
She lands on her feet, taking a step forward as her hands fly up to her mouth, a gasp escaping her lips.
“What have I done…?” she murmurs in shock, and I'm just about to reach out toward her when a flurry of urgent footsteps approaches the burning house.
The house becomes surrounded by pack members, groups led by the betas of the pack, while the alphas and their witch mates come rushing forward.
“Thane! What happened?”
“Are you guys alright? That was a blast of magic!”
“We need to clear the area!” Elias shouts over Aurora and Rissa's concerned squeals. “The soldiers have the house covered! We need to be ready in case that signaled the demons!”
“Is there anything you need from inside?” Brooks asks me, and I shake my head, turning toward Willow again to ask her if there's anything she needs. But just as I turn toward her, there's an empty spot where she'd been standing.
“Willow?” I call out, low at first as I step forward, catching her scent trailing toward the forest. “Shit! I'm going after her!”
Elias stops me just as I'm about to give chase into the woods.
“Remember what I told you,” he reminds me, his voice stern, eyes full of worry. “Just be there for her. This kinda stuff happens,” he says with a nod over his shoulder, but I hardly catch the humor in his words when my only concern is finding Willow before she encounters another demon out there.
I don't doubt that she's strong enough to handle herself, but she's in an unstable state, and her powers aren't controlled enough to be relied upon.
I have to find her.