Page 123 of Crossed Fates

“Fuck off, Saph.”

Her lips twitched in response. “You love me.”

“I absolutely don’t.”

I left them to their bickering while I focused on Savannah. She was awake now, but her mental presence felt a bit murky. Probably because I hadn’t fully explored this new hive mind yet. I used to only be able to connect to Nathan as the alpha, and now Iwasthe alpha as Alaric’s bonded mate. It was still rather alarming to even experience and feel, but the rightness of it made it easier for me to accept.

Alaric is mine. My true mate. My alpha.

Damn straight I am, he replied without missing a beat.

Is this how it’s going to go? With you always lurking in my head?I wondered, heading toward him.

Not my fault you’re practically shouting your possession, sweetheart,he returned as I entered the room. His blue eyes glittered with promise, but his expression held a somber note to it.

Savannah was still on the table, her cuffs unfastened and the machine pulled free, but she didn’t appear fully lucid yet. She kept muttering something about a mate and flinching every time she sniffed.

“Do we know what they were pumping her full of?” I asked softly, grimacing as Savannah curled into a ball on the metal bed.

“Some sort of cocktail of various shifter blood laced with silver,” my brother said, his focus on a computer screen near the pumping machine. “It seems like they’ve been testing different toxins on a variety of shifters. Savannah was tolerating it better than the last female subject.”

“Valaria,” Alaric clarified. “Her record is among the electronic files. There was one on Kristen, too. But Kristen’s was much shorter.”

“They declared her demeanor inappropriate for testing,” my brother added in a low growl. “But Valaria withstood a few hours of treatment before they deemed her unviable.” His jaw clenched as his blue eyes met mine. “These are some sick motherfuckers. And you let yourself be captured by them?”

“Well, only initially,” I said. “When I had my ring. Then they…” I trailed off, my brother’s thunderous expression telling me not to continue that statement.

“Then they kidnapped you from Alaric’s lands,” Nathan finished for me. “Yeah, we’re aware.” His presence was hot at my back as he met and held my mate’s gaze, their animal pheromones mounting in the small space.

“We had a traitor in the pack,” Alaric replied evenly. “A traitor that has been sufficiently dealt with.”

Nathan said nothing.

I reached out to open my connection to him, to tell him to cut it out. Then I remembered my link to him no longer existed. Because of my ties to Alaric. “Shit.” I whirled around to face him. “I can’t feel you anymore. Like at all.”

His focus remained on Alaric for another beat, his expression unmoving. Then he slowly looked down at me. “Because you’re no longer one of my wolves.”

I winced. “Nathan—”

“You found your true-mate match,” he continued, cutting me off. “To the new alpha of Silver Lake, in this realm. And it seems your mating has provided him with some unique abilities.” He shifted his attention to Alaric again. “Right?”

“Telepathic links underlined in energy,” my mate replied.

“Not just energy.” Nathan studied him. “Immortality. Your entire pack is linked to it now.” He folded his arms, his expression pensive. “I’m betting your children will be naturally born shifter wolves, too. No more need for biting.”

“You’re saying Alaric is immortal? Like me?” I asked, hope sparking inside me. That’d been an outstanding issue… one I wasn’t sure how to address.

“Not just Alaric. The entire pack.” His silver irises flicked to me. “Can’t you feel it, Makayla? As mate to the alpha, you’re just as connected to them as he is. The life source is infinite, isn’t it?”

I wasn’t sure I’d describe it asinfinite, but I definitely felt it pulsing through me. “It’s… deep?”

“With no end in sight.” He gave me a small grin. “That’s the immortal pull of energy. It can end, but it takes a lot. As I believe you’ve both found to be true through this experience, yes?” Darkness kissed his features, his eyes narrowing. “Don’t ever put yourself in a situation like this again, or I’ll kill you myself.”

Alaric growled.

Nathan growled back.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like I did this for fun,” I muttered.