Page 21 of Faeheart (Widdershins Supernatural Academy #2)

The mansion around us seemed to hum in agreement, the walls pulsing with soft light that matched the rhythm of our synchronized heartbeats. Books floated from various shelves, arranging themselves in a circle around us as if the house itself was trying to provide answers.

“It says the bond isn’t fully formed until...” Elias trailed off, a flush creeping up his neck as he recalled the passage from the journal.

“Until consummation in my true form,” I finished for him, feeling my neck flare with heat. “My fae form. The one I only wear at home.”

“That’s how the mate bond is finalized as well. Caden and I had to…” Atlas cleared his throat. “Maybe we should give you two some privacy to figure this out.”

“No,” Elias and I said simultaneously, the synchronicity of our response sending another jolt through our connection.

“We’re all part of this,” I continued, barely finding the courage to fully meet Elias’s gaze.

There was a cold sense of terror building in my belly at the truth in my words.

“The tetrad bond connects all four of us. Whatever this additional... thing... is between Elias and me, it affects all of us.”

“So, what should we do?” Caden asked, his gaze focused on me.

“We practice for now,” I said, taking a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure. “Elias and I are both… not ready to finalize the bond.” I turned to him, feeling the wave of relief wash through him. “I think we might need to take this a bit slower.”

“We can’t,” Elias said, shaking his head. “The Purity Front is already trying to find this place. If we slow down… that could be a death sentence.”

“Well, I’m not ready,” I said with a tone of finality.

“And I’m not gonna be terrorized or frightened or scared into doing something I’m not ready to do.

” My voice was rising with the anger filling my chest at the unfairness of the entire situation.

“Fuck the Elder Council and fuck Blackwood for doing this to us in the first place!”

“Wild…” Caden said softly, reaching for me.

“Don’t,” I snapped, pulling my arm away. I tossed Lydia’s journal onto the table, the sense of overwhelm complete. “I need some time away from all this bullshit. I just… I can’t do this.”

I stormed out of the library, my heart pounding in my chest as the enormity of what was happening threatened to suffocate me.

Soul recognition. The Calling. It sounded like something out of the ancient fae stories my nursemaid used to tell me before my parents replaced her with tutors more focused on court etiquette.

The mansion seemed to respond to my agitation, corridors shifting and doors appearing where none had been before. I followed the path it created for me, not caring where it led as long as it was away from those knowing eyes, away from Elias and the terrifying inevitability of what lay between us.

Eventually, I found myself in a glass-walled conservatory filled with plants from both realms. Massive fae flowers with luminescent petals grew alongside more mundane witch herbs, their scents mingling in the humid air. It felt like home in a way that made my chest ache.

“Fuck,” I whispered, collapsing onto a stone bench surrounded by night-blooming jasmine. “This isn’t fair.”

I’d spent my entire life crafting a perfect persona.

I was a carefree, sexually liberated fae who cared about nothing but pleasure and fun.

It was my shield against the suffocating expectations of the Seelie Court, against my parents’ disappointment, against ever being hurt.

And now this... this bond was threatening to tear it all down, exposing the terrified, vulnerable creature beneath and locking me into a box forever.

The worst part was that I wanted it. Beneath my panic and denial, there was a yearning so profound it made me shake. I wanted Elias. Wanted the connection, the completion, the belonging that soul recognition promised. And that terrified me more than anything the Purity Front could ever do.

“I thought I might find you here,” Atlas’s deep voice broke through my spiraling thoughts.

I looked up to see the werewolf standing in the doorway, his massive frame silhouetted against the light from the hallway. Of all the people who might have followed me, Atlas was the last I expected.

“Come to drag me back to my destiny?” I asked, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice.

Atlas snorted, crossing the conservatory to sit beside me. “I’m not dragging anyone anywhere. Just thought you might want some company from someone who understands.”

“Understands what?”

“What it’s like to have your entire life turned upside down by a magical bond you never asked for.” He leaned back, his golden eyes reflecting the soft glow of the fae flowers. “The day I realized Caden was my mate, I nearly ran all the way back to my pack’s territory.”

That surprised me. Atlas had always seemed so certain, so comfortable with his connection to Caden. “Why?”

“Because I was terrified,” he admitted, his voice unusually soft.

“I was supposed to be the next alpha. Had my whole life mapped out. Lead the pack, make strategic alliances, and maybe eventually find a nice werewolf girl to have pups with. Then suddenly there’s this shy half-dryad witch boy with freckles, and my wolf is howling that he’s mine. ”

I couldn’t help but laugh despite my mood. “Caden does have great freckles.”

“The best,” Atlas agreed with a fond smile. “But that’s not the point. The point is that bonds like these, whether they’re werewolf mate bonds or fae soul recognition, they don’t care about your plans. They don’t care about what’s convenient or what makes sense. They just are.”

“That’s what scares me,” I admitted, plucking a luminescent petal from a nearby flower. “I’ve spent my entire life avoiding anything permanent. Anything that could tie me down.”

“Because you’re afraid of being hurt,” Atlas said. It wasn’t a question.

I glanced at him sharply. “How would you know that?”

“The tetrad bond goes both ways, Wild. We all feel bits and pieces of each other now.” He shrugged those massive shoulders. “Plus, it doesn’t take a genius to see that all your partying and hookups are just ways to keep people at a distance.”

“I like partying and hookups,” I protested, but it sounded weak even to my own ears.

“Sure you do. But you also use them as shields. No one can hurt you if they never get close enough to matter.” Atlas leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “The problem is, Elias already matters. He’s already under your skin. Fighting it is just going to make you both miserable.”

The truth of his words hit me with physical force. Elias did matter. Had mattered from the moment we’d first clashed in Professor Blackwood’s class, though I’d been too stubborn to admit it.

“What if I don’t want to fight in a war?” I whispered. “And what if I’m not what Elias needs or even wants? It seems unfair to force him into a life with me.”

Atlas was quiet for a long moment, the only sound was the gentle rustle of magical plants responding to our emotions. When he finally spoke, his voice carried the weight of hard-won wisdom.

“You think any of us wanted this war?” he asked, gesturing toward the mansion around us.

“You think Caden wanted to be hunted for his mixed heritage? You think Elias wanted to discover his family were magical supremacists?” Atlas shook his head.

“Sometimes life doesn’t give us choices, Wild.

Sometimes we just get thrust into situations and have to figure out how to survive them.

” He stood up, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“But if you want to go, we won’t stop you.

However, before you run away again or avoid a connection, why don’t you just talk to Elias? Ask him what he wants.”

Before I could say anything more, Atlas was walking away. I was left in the conservatory surrounded by fae greenery with my head spinning. I found myself wishing I’d never come to Widdershins Academy, that I’d never left the orgy, that I’d never even met Elias.

I just wanted things to be easy again.