Chapter 85

(Chase’s POV)

“Oh my goddess, Chase!” Kaeleigh sobbed against my chest and clung to me like I was the only stable thing she had.

“Baby, please,” I pleaded, “Talk to me,” and she continued to sob. I glared at Elaina, who was standing there watching with Jeremy’s arms around her. At my glare, Jeremy stepped forward in front of her and growled.

“What the fuck happened?” I growled, and she shook her head.

“I don’t know,” she cried. “We were talking, and it was good news, but she just started crying.” She then looked at Kaeleigh and reached out.

“Kaeleigh honey, please.” Kaeleigh just turned her head further into my chest and muttered almost too low to hear.

“Too many people.” The room was pretty full. Everyone was in here.

“Everyone get out,” I growled, and people shuffled out the door. Elaina hesitated before leaving, but I sent her away as well. It was just me and Kaeleigh in the room. We were still on the floor by the bed and she was still crying. I stroked her hair and said soothing words until her sobs reduced to hiccups and then the occasional sniffle. Eventually she lifted her head and her eyes were red raw with the crying. She looked so sad and I hated it.

“What in the hell did she say to you?” I growled, and she shook her head and attempted to move off my lap, but I pulled her back and nuzzled into her neck. I had the sudden feeling that her pulling away was more than physical.

“Stay,” I growled as she tried to pull away again.

“Chase, please.” She pulled away again and I grudgingly let her go this time. I stayed sitting and watched, and she stood up and began pacing the room. Backwards and forwards, she looked like she was a caged animal looking for the weak spot to get out.

“Baby?” I called to get her attention, and she stopped pacing and looked at me.

“It was my mum,” she said and then she closed her eyes like it hurt. “Her and the witches.”

“What was your mum?” I asked.

“My wolf,” she said, “it was my mum who caged my wolf, or bound her.”

“What?” I exclaimed, jumping up off the floor. I started to go to her, but she held her hand out, stopping me.

“Just…” she said, shaking her head, “I need to get this out.” I stood as still as possible and waited. She looked like she could bolt at any time. I even saw her glance at the door a few times. After a few moments, she started talking. She told me about the conversation with Elaina, about how her witch and wolf were mixed together. So when the witches bound her witch energy, they also bound her wolf energy by mistake. The whole energy thing seemed similar to what Isabella had spoken about.

“Ok,” I responded after she recited everything. “So Elaina can just unbind your wolf, then?” This was good news, surely. But Kaeleigh shook her head.

“No, it requires the original twelve witches,” she shrugged, “to be present and to unlock their part. I guess.” She looked at me. “And there are only two of them alive.” I nodded solemnly. It felt so close.

“Ok, so why did Elaina say that she had given you good news then?”

“Because there is another way to break the bind.”

“Why do I get the feeling that it’s not the good news she thought it would be?” Kaeleigh’s eyes started to water again.

“Because,” she sniffed as tears fell again. “The second way is for the prophecy to be activated and for me to become the hybrid queen person.” I tried to remember the words of the prophecy. I remembered about a wolf and witch parents and something about being the descendant of Diana, but not much else. Kaeleigh was crying again, and I wanted so desperately to go to her and comfort her, but knew she needed the space to finish.

“And the way to activate the prophecy,” she said through her tears, “is to complete the mate bond.” Then she stood there watching me.

“Ok well we can do that,” I said “We can…” then the penny dropped, and I realised what she had said. She needed to complete the mate bond to get her wolf free, but I needed us to be in wolf form to complete the mate bond. I stood still as I felt my own eyes begin to water. It was as if everything was against us because of this fucking curse that ruled over my whole life. The anger at being at the whim of this thing hit me like a ton of bricks and I let out an almighty roar. I picked up the nearest thing to me, which turned out to be a chair, and launched it across the room and it smashed against the wall and fell to the floor in pieces. I roared again and this time Onyx joined in, howling in my head.

He had more reason to be upset that I did. It was him that would die in less than two months, because of this blasted curse. I glanced up and saw Kaeleigh stood there, her eyes wide and her hands over her mouth in shock. Immediately, the anger dissipated, and I took a step towards her and she stepped back, probably scared of my outburst. It hurt briefly. I would never hurt her. I could never hurt her.

“Kaeleigh, baby.” She stopped moving back, but she still had the scared look in her eyes. I stopped as well. I didn’t want to scare her.

“Chase, we have to face the facts.” I could tell by her tone she had closed off her emotions. She had turned her gaze away to anywhere else in the room she had slipped into her business mode, and I didn’t like it.

“We have time,” I said before she could say anything else. “We’ll figure something out.”

“I already have,” she said flatly, and she looked back at me with a fierce determination in her eyes. “You need to break the curse. There are fifteen hundred people counting on you for this.”

“Kaeleigh, stop talking.” I didn’t like the direction that she was going in.

“No Chase,” she responded. “We have to deal with this. We can’t be selfish.”

“Kaeleigh,” I warned again, and she was looking at me, but it felt like she was looking through me.

“Chase, I think you need to consider-”

“Kaeleigh!” I was trying to stop the thought process that I knew she had gone on.

“Finding another mate,” she said. I knew it as she said it.

“NOOOOOO!” I shouted, but it was like I hadn’t spoken.

“I mean, my first thought was Zoey,”

“Kaeleigh shut up,” I could feel my body shake from anger. I needed some way to let it out.

“I mean, ultimately it would be your decision,”

“Kaeleigh,” I was barely holding it together.

“And it’s not like you wouldn’t have plenty of choice in the pack.” I couldn’t take it anymore. I charged at her and grabbed her and pushed her against the wall behind her.

“Stop. Talking. Now!” I growled and smashed my lips against hers, not giving her a chance to continue talking. She resisted at first, but then I felt her body melt into mine and she opened her mouth to allow my tongue entry. I deepened the kiss, grabbing her body and pulling it against me. I couldn’t give her space any more. She pulled away from the kiss and I growled, but let her pull away, panting.

“Chase, please,” she pleaded.

“No,” I said firmly, “I would rather die than take anyone else as my mate.” Pain flashed across her eyes. “I will happily die before that happens.” Onyx yelped, an agreement in my head. I knew I might very well survive the curse, but Onyx wouldn’t. He was still willing to sacrifice himself rather than take anyone who wasn’t our fated mate.

“Dammit Chase,” Kaeleigh said, pushing me away and began pacing the room again. “This isn’t just about you and me, it never was.” She pointed to the window. “It is about the fifteen hundred werewolves out there that are relying on you to be their leader and keep them safe.”

“I don’t care,” I snarled and began to move slowly towards her again. I could see it now. My mate was trying to leave me. I had to let her know she couldn’t do that. I had to let her know that she was mine.

She saw me coming and tried to back off, but I was too quick, and I had her pinned against the wall again. This time I pulled her arms above her head and buried my head in her neck and the sweet smell that was only hers. She moaned as I sucked and nibble along her neck. The sweet sound went straight to my groin, and I felt myself harden. I moved her arms so I could hold them in one hand and used my other hand to work at the buttons on her jeans.

I worked her jeans down as I claimed her lips again. She gasped into my mouth as I slipped my hand into her already wet panties and found her clit. I began rubbing in quick circular motions. I pulled away from the kiss and looked at her. Her beautiful green eyes shone with lust.

“This,” I kissed her nose, “is mine.”

“And these,” I kissed her lips, “are mine.” I dipped my head into her neck again and kissed along her throat and then whispered in her ear, “This is mine,” and she moaned again. I let go of her arms and grabbed her top in my teeth and my spare hand and ripped at her top. She was panting now as I continued the rhythm on her pulsing clit. I popped her ample breasts from their bra and first kissed one, taking the nipple into my mouth and sucking, causing her to cry out. Letting go, I said

“This is mine,” and immediately taking her other nipple into my mouth and biting down and her body shuddered as the first climax rushed through her.

“Oh my goddess,” she called out and her hands were in my hair as I sucked on her nipple as she rode the heat rushing through her. I pulled away as she whimpered. “This is mine.”

I pulled my hand out or her panties and dropped to my knees in front of her. She looked down at me, the green in her eyes now gone and the gold shining so brightly. I stared up into her eyes as I slid her jeans and panties down her legs, coaxing her to step out of them. I ran my hands back up her thighs and pushed her legs further apart, giving me full access to her soaking core. I didn’t take my eyes from hers as I moved in close to her.

“And this,” I breathed on her and she shuddered and moaned, her hands gripping my shoulders, “is mine,” I growled against her, before thrusting my tongue against her clit. I saw her eyes roll into the back of her head before she threw her head back screaming, as I brought her to pleasure a second time.

I continued to massage her with my tongue, lapping at the juices that had already escaped. I gently eased her folds open before slipping a finger inside her and began pumping in and out and she called out my name and grabbed my hair, pushing herself against my mouth. I brought her twice again before I felt her legs begin to buckle and I caught her as she fell. She laid in my arms, panting, her eyes closed. I lifted her up and carried her to the bed before pulling off my top and pants and climbing on the bed.

She had opened her eyes and was watching me with lust, her eyes green again. I settled myself between her legs and kissed her, and she kissed me hungrily back, like she needed to savour the taste of me.

“You are mine,” I stated. “Please Kaeleigh, tell me, you are mine.” She smiled, tears slipping from her eyes.

“I am yours Chase. I will always be yours as long as I live.” She leaned up to kiss me, and I knew she was saying goodbye. I needed her to know she couldn’t leave. I could accept no other in her place.

I growled into her mouth as I positioned myself against her entrance and pushed inside her, claiming her body as mine. She moaned and buried her head in my neck as I started slowly, but then built up speed. I felt a desperate need to claim her in every way possible.

Onyx growled in my head.

“Claim mate.”

“I can’t, the curse.”

“Claim mate,” he urged. Maybe the curse wasn’t real, maybe the control was only there if you allowed it to control you. A moan from Kaeleigh brought me back to myself and to her and she gyrated against me, getting close to release again. I rocked in and out of her, feeling my release getting closer.

Kaeleigh screamed my name, arching her back as I felt her pussy clench around me. I could feel myself getting closer and she slumped back to the bed, panting, her eyes shining. I came in a roar as the heat raced through my body. I continued to pound in and out of her. She looked up at me with love in her eyes.

“I love you Chase. I love you more than anything.” Before another climax took over her body. I knew now was my only chance, as I felt my canines sharpen. I buried my head into her hair and she moaned and I found her marking spot. I licked it once before sinking my teeth into her. She called out as she was again riding the heat coursing through her body and I came once again, shooting my seed deep into her. I felt a click, almost a connection. A tension that was not quite there.

And then Kaeleigh screamed! This wasn’t the screams of pleasure, this was the blood-curdling screams of pain. I pulled away from her instantly as her body thrashed on the bed and her screams of pain ran through my ears. And I tried to calm her, but it was like she was possessed. Kaeleigh suddenly went quiet, and I looked at her to see her eyes closed and her breathing shallow. She had passed out from the pain coursing through her veins.

I started shouting for my dad, who must have already been on his way because he burst into the room. He was over in seconds and I watched as his eyes located the now angry red mark on Kaeleigh’s neck.

“Goddess son,” he exclaimed. “What have you done?”