Chapter Seventy
“Rebecca isn’t your fated mate? I.. I don’t understand. You said you have to mark your fated mate in order to…”
“Yes and I did.”
Catherine thought for a moment. Jensen waited, his eyes expectant as she pieced together what he was trying to tell her. “Isobel. My mom. She was your fated mate.”
Jensen tapped the table with his fingertips. “Yes, she was my fated. She was also human. I met her in Sterling while attending a meeting with my father. He refused to let me bring her back with me on account of her species.”
He sighed. “We saw each other in secret. Life as my father’s beta though was all consuming and I didn’t have much time to spare for her. It broke me to know she was out there, only an hour away. She felt it too. Just because she was human didn’t mean the bond didn’t affect her. Then it got worse… my parents took it upon themselves to make an alliance with another pack through marriage. That’s when I met Rebecca.”
He took a few sips of his coffee. “We had similar familial issues. She met her fated mate: the son of her father’s gama. They had a son together but then her mate died in an attack. Our parents thought it was the perfect opportunity to make a deal. The night I was to be married and mated, I got in a car and took off. I found Isobel and marked her.”
“We ran,” he continued. “Took off for the West coast. She got really sick. Then when the full moon came… she turned. My bite turned her into a wolf. That’s when I realized what my gift was. The gift of transformation.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “Then people started coming after us.”
“Your pack?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Our gift is coveted, Catherine. The moment we mark our mates, a magical pulse is sent out which alerts those sensitive enough to feel that the gifted has been unlocked. We were hunted by witches, wizards, those seeking power… It never ended. After one particularly nasty witch found us, Isobel was hurt… badly. I was young. We were scared. My gift had manifested into something no one expected. I didn’t have the rebellion in me that you and Graham possess. I called my father and let him handle the situation. He was good friends with Lionel who had lost his true mate. He sent Isobel to him. I returned here and took Rebecca as my Luna.”
Jensen released a long sigh. Catherine knew he probably left out a few points, but didn’t feel the need to push for specifics.
“Did you know about me?” Catherine found herself asking.
Jensen shook his head. “No. I didn’t. If I had… I don’t know what I would have done. I just wanted to protect my mate. Nothing else mattered but keeping her alive and that meant being as far from me as possible.”
Catherine nodded, pleased he was honest at least. “So you’re worried us marking each other has alerted dangerous people?”
“Our gifts are sacred. We must protect them with everything we have. By becoming part of my pack, I take on the responsibility of protecting you and your gift. My men must swear an oath to do so. There is a reason why my pack is involved in more attacks and wars than any other. We already have a target on our back. Now you’ve painted a second one.”
“That’s… a lot to take in,” Catherine admitted. She held Graham’s hand between both of her own.
“Our gift serves a purpose. Mine was meant to help end hostility between lycans and wolves. While I’ve done everything I can to do so, I haven’t been completely successful. You need to figure out what your gift means, what you’re capable of and, most importantly, what the Moon Goddess needs from you,” Jensen continued. “Give me a moment, I’ll be right back,” Jensen said. He got up and walked through the hallway toward the front door. As she waited for Jensen to return, she ran her fingertips over Graham’s hair, down his back and up again to cup his cheek. “Here,” Jensen whispered, sliding a book across the table.
1/3
Catherine looked down at the black leather bound journal. There was no title, only a full moon stamped into the worn leather. She nipped the pages and it took only a few turns of the page to realize it was a diary. There appeared to be several authors. She started to read, skimming the pages with her fingers.
Catherine glanced up at Jensen who gave her a smile of understanding. “It’s a journal for those of us gifted. Generations of people and what they experienced with their powers: what their gift was, how they used it, how they felt the call.” Jensen shrugged. “It’s handed down from person to person.”
Catherine clutched the journal to her chest. “Thank you, this means a lot.”
“I would like you to talk with Graham about staying with Lucien’s pack for a while,” Jensen suddenly said.
“Is that why you invited Lucien here? To try to force me to join his pack instead of yours? Make me his problem?”
Jensen eyed her carefully. “I don’t think you’ll be safe here much longer.”
“And?”
“And you’ll need a teacher. Who can guide you.”
Catherine scoffed. “And Lucien is the one to help me?”
He gave her a small smirk. “No, but the oracle who stays with him can.”
“An oracle? I thought they didn’t exist anymore.”
“Good, that’s what they’ve wanted you to think. Oracles are highly coveted individuals. Their level of magic is unparalleled. They are able to see into the future, know a person’s deepest insecurities and desires. An oracle is someone whose magic can destroy the world. Can you guess how they do that?”
She raised an eyebrow. “They manipulate energy.”
“Ah, so you have been researching.”
Now it was Catherine’s turn to shrug. “Weird stuff starts happening, you read
book or two… I’ll discuss Lucien’s offer with Graham
when he wakes up,” she adds. She brushed her fingers over her mark on his neck and he sighed in his sleep.
“How did he get past my command?” he asked.
She smiled and then glanced over to her father. “He didn’t, I did.”
Jensen’s expression turned from curious to concerned. “I think it’s imperative you travel back with Lucien. Try to convince Graham it’s the right choice,” he demanded, his tone returning to the sharp, clipping tone from earlier.
“What aren’t you telling me, Jensen? Is there something else to do with the gift?” she asked, eyeing him curiously.
“No.”
“You were angry that we marked each other and I don’t think it matters. Our bond was already strong and, to be honest, my gifts were already manifesting before he marked me. We live in the most secure pack on the planet and my mate is one of the fiercest lycans on said planet. Whatever witches want a piece of us, we can handle it. Are you worried Graham will get strong enough to overthrow you? Are you just upset that I was able to override your command?” she pressed.
2/3
Chapter Seventy
“No, my pride isn’t so easily damaged,” he scoffed.
“Then what is it? Why do I need to run away? Why can’t I accept the mate the Goddess chose for me? What is so dangerous that…”
“You can’t smell it, you’ve become nose blind to it for the past five years,” Jensen started to explain. He nudged his head toward Graham. “He can’t scent it because the bond is smothering it to encourage his marking you,” Jensen leaned forward. “I can smell it though. Lucas can. Everyone can…” Jensen leaned forward over the table. “There’s a third man involved in your bond.”
Catherine sat back. “What are you talking about? Even if that were true, Graham marked me and his venom would eradicate any other male’s venom in my system.”
Jensen’s hand jerked forward and clasped her wrist. Catherine let out a squeak of surprise as his other hand swiped across her palm. She didn’t even see the blade he used to slice her palm open. Another hand snatched Jensen’s wrist. Catherine watched Graham’s head slowly rise from the table. His black eyes narrowed at Jensen. Then his nose pricked. His eyes snapped in the direction of her bleeding palm. His eyes widened before narrowing in anger. His lip curled over his teeth.
“Dominic,” Graham growled.
Jensen kept his eyes focused on Catherine. He nodded. The cut on her palm was already healing and he let her take it back slowly.
“You’ve been blood-bound, Catherine.”
Surrendering to Destiny
