Page 34 of Faeheart (Widdershins Supernatural Academy #2)

Elias

A tlas slammed me into the wall with such force that the entire training room seemed to shake, his golden eyes blazing with an intensity I’d never seen before.

Across the room, Wild and Caden paused their own sparring session, their heads turning in unison at the sound of my back hitting the paneling.

“Focus, Elias,” Atlas growled, his massive hands still pinning my shoulders. “If this were a real fight, you’d be dead three times over.”

I nodded, trying to catch my breath. We’d been training for hours, and every muscle in my body screamed in protest. Atlas had insisted on hand-to-hand combat today, arguing that we couldn’t always rely on our magic in battle.

Easy for him to say. Werewolves had natural strength and agility that witches like me could only dream of.

“Sorry,” I managed, wiping sweat from my brow. “I got distracted.”

Atlas released me with a frustrated sigh. “Distraction gets you killed. The Purity Front won’t give you time to gather your thoughts or plan your next move.”

From across the room, Wild called out, “Maybe ease up a bit, Alpha boy. Some of us weren’t born with supernatural muscles.”

I felt Wild’s concern flowing through our bond, a warm current of protective energy that made my chest tighten. Ever since we’d completed our soul bond two nights ago, his emotions had become as clear to me as my own, sometimes even overwhelming my thoughts.

Atlas turned toward Wild, his expression softening slightly. “If I go easy on you now, I might as well hand you over to the Purity Front myself.”

“He’s right,” Caden said quietly, his dryad magic already weaving healing energy toward me. I felt the soreness in my shoulders ease as his power flowed through our tetrad connection. “We don’t have much time left.”

The reminder hung heavy in the air between us.

Our trap was set, the message sent to Wild’s mother with the deliberate intention of it being intercepted.

We’d given the Purity Front exactly what they wanted.

The illusion of weakness, of vulnerability, had been laid out plain for them to see.

Now all we could do was prepare and wait for them to take the bait.

“Again,” Atlas commanded, stepping back into a fighting stance. “This time, use your structured magic to anticipate my movements. Don’t just react, predict .”

I nodded, centering myself as I called upon my magic. Blue energy flickered around my hands as I focused on Atlas’s stance, the subtle shifts in his weight that telegraphed his intentions. When he lunged, I was ready, sidestepping his attack and landing a glancing blow to his ribs.

“Better,” he grunted, though I knew the hit had barely registered against his werewolf constitution.

Across the room, Wild and Caden had resumed their own training, though I could feel Wild’s attention split between his sparring partner and me. His protectiveness flowed through our bond like a constant warm current, distracting despite my efforts to focus solely on Atlas’s movements.

“You’re still thinking too much,” Atlas said, circling me like a predator. “Combat is about instinct, muscle memory. You have been trained to analyze everything, but sometimes you need to just act, to feel what’s coming instead of figuring it out.”

He feinted left, then struck right. This time I managed to block, though the impact sent vibrations up my arm that made my teeth rattle. Through our bond, I felt Wild’s spike of alarm at my discomfort.

“Wild, stop broadcasting your worry,” I called out, dodging another of Atlas’s strikes. “It’s making it harder to concentrate.”

“Sorry,” Wild replied, though I could still feel his emotions bleeding through our connection. “It’s hard to watch you get pummeled without wanting to intervene.”

“That’s exactly the problem,” Atlas said, landing a light tap on my shoulder that would have been a devastating blow in a real fight. “The four of us are so connected now that one person’s distress affects everyone. In battle, that could be catastrophic.”

Caden paused in his defensive stance, his brow furrowed with concern. “How do we fix that? The bond isn’t something we can just turn off.”

“You learn to compartmentalize,” Atlas explained, stepping back to address all of us. “Feel the connection, but don’t let it overwhelm your individual focus. The bond should enhance your abilities, not cripple them.”

Wild wiped sweat from his forehead, his copper hair darkened with exertion. “Easier said than done when every time Elias gets hurt, I feel like someone’s punching me in the gut.”

“Because you love him,” Atlas said simply. “But love without discipline becomes a liability in combat. You need to trust that he can handle himself, even when he’s in pain.”

The words hit harder than any physical blow. Through our soul bond, I felt Wild’s conflict, his desperate need to protect me warring with the logical understanding that his overprotectiveness could endanger all of us.

“Let’s try something different,” Caden suggested, moving to the center of the room. “We all need a break.” Caden gestured for me to follow him to get a drink. “Just ten minutes.”

Atlas considered this, his golden eyes thoughtful. “Fine,” he huffed. “But no more.”

Wild, however, didn’t follow us. “You are being such a hard-ass,” he said, stepping up to Atlas. “You’re gonna work a knot into your tail with all that balled up stress you’re holding onto.”

“And you,” Atlas said, leaning in close so his face was only inches from Wild’s. “Since you have so much energy for arguing and jokes, you can spar with me now.”

Wild’s eyes widened as Atlas moved into his personal space, but the fae didn’t back down. Through our bond, I felt a spike of nervous excitement from Wild that surprised me.

“Fine,” Wild said, his emerald magic flickering across his skin like static electricity. “But don’t expect me to fight like Elias. I don’t play by your rules.”

Atlas’s lips curved into something between a smile and a snarl. “That’s exactly what I’m counting on.”

I moved to the edge of the room with Caden, both of us watching with nervous anticipation as Wild and Atlas squared off. They circled each other slowly, Atlas with his practiced fighter’s stance and Wild with the fluid, unpredictable movements of his fae nature.

“This could get interesting,” Caden murmured, handing me a water bottle.

I nodded, unable to tear my eyes away. Through our bond, I could feel Wild’s chaotic energy building, his magic gathering just beneath his skin.

Atlas was a formidable opponent. I knew that better than anyone after being thrown around the room by him all morning.

But Wild’s magic was fundamentally different from mine.

Where I relied on structure and precision, Wild’s power thrived in unpredictability.

It meant that Atlas wouldn’t have an easy time predicting his moves, and that made Wild far more dangerous than me.

Atlas moved first, lunging with werewolf speed that should have caught Wild off guard. But Wild wasn’t there when Atlas’s hand reached the space where he’d been standing. He’d somehow shifted three feet to the left, moving with a grace that seemed to bend the rules of physical space.

“Too slow, puppy,” Wild taunted, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Atlas growled, his eyes flashing gold as his werewolf nature rose closer to the surface. He attacked again, this time feinting before changing direction mid-lunge. Wild barely avoided the blow, Atlas’s fingers grazing his shirt as he twisted away.

“Better,” Wild acknowledged, his own movements becoming more focused.

The dance continued, each of them testing the other’s defenses.

Atlas had raw power and training on his side, but Wild moved like water, impossible to pin down.

Through our bond, I could feel his exhilaration growing with each successful dodge, his confidence building as he realized he could hold his own.

Then Atlas changed tactics. Instead of pursuing Wild directly, he began to herd him, using quick, controlled movements to limit Wild’s options for escape. I recognized the strategy since he’d used it on me earlier. But Wild seemed oblivious to the trap closing around him.

“Wild, he’s boxing you in,” I called out, unable to stop myself.

But my warning came too late. Wild backed up one step too many and found himself against the wall, Atlas advancing with predatory focus. In a flash, Atlas closed the distance, his massive form caging Wild against the paneling.

“Got you,” Atlas growled, his face inches from Wild’s.

I expected Wild to concede, to acknowledge defeat as I had done countless times that morning. Instead, something shifted in Wild’s expression, a dangerous glint entering his green eyes.

“Do you?” Wild purred, his voice dropping to that husky tone that always sent shivers down my spine.

Through our bond, I felt a sudden surge of heat that had nothing to do with exertion. Wild’s chaotic magic flared, but not defensively. Instead, it seemed to reach out toward Atlas, wrapping around the werewolf’s energy in a way that made my breath catch.

Atlas froze, his golden eyes widening as he registered the change in Wild’s scent, the shift in his magical signature. “Wild, what are you?—”

“You’re so tense,” Wild murmured, his hands coming up to rest against Atlas’s chest. “All that control, all that restraint. Don’t you ever want to just... let go?”

I felt Caden tense beside me, his own awareness of the sudden shift in energy crackling through our tetrad bond. This wasn’t sparring anymore. This was something else entirely.

Atlas’s breathing became labored, his werewolf instincts clearly responding to Wild’s proximity to the fae magic that seemed to be calling to something primal within him. “This isn’t... we’re supposed to be training...”

“We are training,” Wild said, his lips curving into a wicked smile. “Just try to resist me. Fight me off Atlas. You’re so strong, it should be easy for you.”

Before Atlas could respond, Wild’s magic pulsed outward, a wave of pure desire that crashed through our tetrad bond like a tsunami. I gasped, nearly dropping my water bottle as the sensation hit me. Beside me, Caden made a choked sound, his magic flaring in response.

“Fuck,” Atlas breathed, his control visibly fraying as Wild’s power washed over him. His hands moved of their own accord, bracing against the wall on either side of Wild’s head, effectively pinning the fae in place.

“That’s more like it,” Wild whispered, his eyes now glowing with that inner light that marked his true fae nature emerging. “I can feel how much you want this, Atlas. How much you’ve been holding back.”

Through our bond, I could sense exactly what Wild was talking about.

Atlas’s desire was like a living thing, coiled tight with restraint but growing stronger by the second.

And it wasn’t just directed at Wild. I could feel threads of that same want reaching toward Caden and me, the tetrad bond amplifying and reflecting our growing arousal back and forth between us.

“Wild,” Atlas growled, his voice rougher now, more animal than human. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Don’t I?” Wild challenged, pressing himself more firmly against the wall, which had the effect of pressing his body more completely against Atlas’s. “I can feel everything you’re feeling through the bond. All of us can.”

He was right. The tetrad connection was flooded with Atlas’s barely restrained hunger, with Wild’s deliberate provocation, with my desperate curiosity that had been eating away at my core for weeks.

“You said yourself that we should use our magic to bring our enemies to their knees.” Another pulse of magic washed through the bond and Atlas, to my great surprise, dropped to his knees. “Sometimes doing it literally if we can.”

Wild reached down, running his fingers over Atlas’s stubbly cheek. The werewolf growled in response, his eyes flaring gold. I felt the wave of pleasure and happiness through the bond. If Atlas had been transformed at that moment, his tail would’ve been wagging.

“And here you are, on your knees for me like a good puppy,” Wild grinned. “What do you want to do for me, pup?”

“A-Anything you ask,” Atlas replied, his resistance fading in an instant. “Everything. I… I want to worship you.”

Wild’s grin widened as he patted Atlas on the cheek. “Good boy.”

There was a brief moment where I felt Wild’s mind connect with mine.

He was looking for something, though I wasn’t sure what.

My thoughts were far too occupied with the idea of him and Atlas fucking and how hot that would be, how much I wanted to watch it.

I didn’t understand why I wanted to see it, but I didn’t care.

All I knew was that I wanted it to happen, almost needed it.

Then Wild did something I didn’t expect, but also wasn’t surprised about. He reached down, unzipped his pants, and pulled out his half hard cock, the thick head pressed against Atlas’s nose.

“Suck it,” Wild commanded. “Worship my cock like the good, obedient puppy you are.”