Page 11 of Ensnared by the Pack: The Complete Series (Destined Realms #3)

BISHOP

Cyrus growled — I wasn’t sure he was fully aware he was doing it — and leaned forward to stir our breakfast. I couldn’t sense his emotions like I could Knox’s, but I knew him well enough to know the growl wasn’t anger but fear. It had barely been a year since Knox had come back to us, and this woman threatened to shatter what little hold he’d managed to regain of his humanity.

In the blink of an eye, she’d mate bonded with him, and I still had no idea how she’d done it or why.

Unlike the mythical angels, our mate bond was more symbolic than symbiotic. Yes, a bond was formed with magic from our soul and that could increase an emotional connection between mates — or in the case of me and Knox, between twins — but she couldn’t draw strength or power from him like an angelic bond, so bonding with him couldn’t have been a desperate attempt to live.

She whimpered, making my pulse trip. Waking up was a sign the elixir was working, but given her injuries that probably wasn’t the best for her. She was going to be in pain and there wasn’t anything we were able to do about it.

The patrol sheds weren’t stocked with sleeping elixirs since those were even more precious than healing ones and there was always a chance a beast or a thief would come by the sheds and find the hidden compartment and steal it. And even though there’d been extensive studies, no one had found a non-magical sedative or painkiller that worked on shifters. Warriors on patrol we’re expected to just tough it out if they were so badly injured that they needed both the team’s and the shed’s elixirs. No one thought we’d need to tend to a female barely clinging to life and that it would be better if she remained unconscious while she healed.

I brushed my hand over her damp hair, trying to calm her. We couldn’t afford for her to fully wake and panic over being surrounded by strange men. She could hurt herself worse than she already was. But it would have been better if it was Knox holding her. Even if her human mind didn’t recognize him, her wolf would, and that might be enough to help her.

Except even with his reinforced mental barrier hard and cold between us, I could still feel his emotions seeping through: rage, frustration, confusion, and on top of all that fear.

His fear was so strong it twisted in my chest, making me afraid. I didn’t know if my fear was just because of his, or if I was also afraid he’d retreat fully into himself and let his wolf take over again, or worse, lock his wolf down and do the only thing that we knew would fully sever the mating bond before it got too strong: kill her.

I tightened my grip on the woman and curled more protectively around her, unable to help myself.

I couldn’t believe she’d meant to bond with him. I wasn’t even sure she’d been conscious, so there was no way for her to know who she was bonding with, if she’d even been aware that she was bonding with someone in the first place. This wasn’t her fault and I wouldn’t let Knox take his fear out on her. If her mate couldn’t be trusted to protect her, I would.

And with the way things were, it was going to be up to me. Cyrus was obligated to protect the pack, and he wouldn’t hesitate to imprison or kill her if he thought she was a threat.

Cyrus got up, grabbed a small pot of honey along with bowls and spoons for three from the trunks, then checked Knox’s shirt.

“This is dry and the oatmeal is almost ready,” he said, no indication in his voice that he thought the woman was dangerous. “Let’s get her dressed so she’s not completely naked when Knox comes in for breakfast.”

Now it was my turn to huff at him for making a ridiculous statement. “You honestly think he’ll come in and eat?” Sure, lying with her was a lot more involved than sitting in the same room with her, but he’d still made a point to sit outside when we all knew no one and nothing would be out in the storm and there was no point in keeping watch.

“I’ll make him,” Cyrus said, his wolf rising to the surface and darkening his eyes. “Now prop her up so we can get his shirt over her head.”

She wasn’t very big, so it was easy to support her head and sit up at the same time. She whimpered, her breath turning sharp with pain, but thankfully didn’t wake, and with the two of us, we easily pulled on Knox’s shirt, which was practically a dress on her — an extremely short dress, but still a dress — then settled her back on the floor.

I set the blanket back over her but didn’t lie beside her so I could eat. With another soft whimper, she curled in on herself and pulled Knox’s shirt up to her nose. Her breath evened out and frustration twisted in my chest.

Her reaction to his scent, even while unconscious, was proof she needed him and hard proof that she and Knox had indeed mate bonded. Knox should be here with her.

The muscles in Cyrus’s jaw flexed at that, as if he’d needed proof and not just my word about the bond, then pulled his attention away and spooned out three helpings of oatmeal.

Breakfast is ready, he called out, speaking in both my mind and Knox’s.

I’ll catch something on the way home, Knox growled back, including me because Cyrus had.

We’ll be hampered by the woman. I don’t want you hunting, Cyrus insisted.

I’ll make it home without eating then. If it hadn’t been obvious before, it was clear now, Knox was avoiding the woman. He could usually handle an hour, let alone a quick meal, in the shed before he became too uncomfortable in the small space.

We don’t know when the storm will end. We need to eat and we need to talk, Cyrus growled a hint of his power slipping through the link. You can go back outside when we’re done.

We can talk just fine right now, Knox huffed.

No. Cyrus’s eyes flashed to full black and his canines extended, his wolf threatening to take over. You’ll eat and you’ll eat now!

His power raced through the mental link, flooding both Knox and me — since the only way Cyrus could command someone as powerful as Knox was to not hold back — and I scooped a mouthful of bland, boiled oats into my mouth before I had a chance to sweeten it with the honey.

Knox whined on the other side of the door, being a stubborn asshole and fighting the command.

Now! Cyrus barked, sending another wave of his power crashing over us.

The woman cried out, Cyrus’s power affecting her even while unconscious and not directly connected to our mental link, and the shed door flew open as if her pain and not Cyrus’s command had been what had compelled him to come in.