Page 22 of Hexmate (Widdershins Supernatural Academy #1)

Chapter 22

Atlas

“ G o in pairs please,” Coach Harding called as we headed out of the gym.

It had been a week since the attack and he still smelled of stress and fear. Everyone on the team did. And each night, without fail, we walked one another back to the dorms in at least pairs, if not larger groups.

With a wave to the others, Silver and I headed across campus toward the dorms. However, the moment we arrived at the entrance, I pulled away from him.

“Again?” he sighed, giving me a stern look. “Let that boy breathe a little. He’s not going anywhere.”

“I… I just want to see him. To tell him goodnight,” I replied, avoiding his gaze.

“Bullshit, Atlas. You’ve got it bad.”

He was right of course, but I wasn’t about to admit that. “He’s my mate, Silver. I just need to make sure he’s okay. He’s been… I don’t know, acting strange this week. Like something’s bothering him.”

“So? He’ll tell you when he’s ready. You bugging him constantly isn’t going to make it better.”

“I know, I just want to be supportive.”

“You want to get your dick sucked,” Silver chided. “Don’t lie.”

My cheeks burned as I turned away from him. “It… It’s not just that. I actually am worried about him.”

Silver shook his head, knowing there was no point in arguing with me. “Fine. Go. Just don’t get killed by some maniac on the way.”

I nodded gratefully and jogged across campus towards Caden’s dorm. The night air was crisp, a sign of more cold weather and snow on the way. As I approached his building, I caught his familiar scent - earth and green things, the scent of life itself. My wolf stirred, eager to be close to our mate.

I took the stairs two at a time, my heart racing. When I reached Caden’s door, I hesitated for a moment before knocking softly. There was a pause, then shuffling footsteps. The door creaked open, revealing Caden’s pale face, his blue eyes widening in surprise.

“Atlas? What are you doing here so late?”

I drank in the sight of him, my eyes roaming over his tousled blonde hair and the loose t-shirt hanging off one shoulder. All he had on below it was underwear. “I... I wanted to see you. To make sure you’re okay.”

Caden bit his lip, glancing nervously over his shoulder. “I’m fine. You didn’t have to come all this way.”

Something was off. His scent was tinged with anxiety, and he was blocking the doorway with his body. My protective instincts flared. He was acting strange again.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, holding his gaze. “You’ve been acting strange all week. And now… it’s like you’re not even excited to see me.” I paused, searching his face for answers. “Did I do something wrong?”

Caden’s eyes darted away, unable to meet mine. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong. I just... I need some space right now.”

His words hit me like a physical blow. Space? From me? The very idea made my wolf howl in protest. I took a step closer, trying to catch his scent, to understand what was really going on.

“Space? Caden, what’s happening? Talk to me,” I pleaded, my voice low and urgent.

He shook his head, still not meeting my eyes. “I can’t explain it right now. Please, Atlas. Just go back to your dorm.”

But I couldn’t leave. Not when every instinct in my body was screaming that something was wrong. I placed my hand on the door frame, leaning in closer. “Let me in, Caden. Whatever it is, we can figure it out together.”

That’s when I caught it - another scent. Faint, but unmistakable. Blood. It was Caden’s.

A growl rumbled in my chest before I could stop it. “What’s going on in there? Who hurt you?!”

Caden’s eyes widened in panic. “Atlas, please, you need to go. Now.”

But it was too late. My wolf was already surging to the surface, driven by the scent of my mate’s blood and the overwhelming need to protect him. With a snarl, I shoved past Caden into the room, my eyes quickly scanning for any threat.

The room was dark, lit only by the soft glow of Caden’s desk lamp. Books and papers were strewn across every surface, and in the center of it all stood a strange, shimmering circle drawn on the floor. Symbols I didn’t recognize were etched around its edges, and the air hummed with an otherworldly energy that made my skin crawl. His roommate Wild was nowhere to be seen.

“What the hell is this?” I growled, turning back to Caden.

He stood frozen in the doorway, his face pale and drawn. “It’s... it’s nothing. Just an experiment.”

But I could smell the lie on him. My eyes narrowed as I took in his appearance more closely. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his skin had a sickly pallor to it. And there, on his forearm, was a jagged cut still oozing blood.

I grabbed his arm, forcing him to let me look at the wound. “Did… Did you do this to yourself ?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why Caden?”

Caden flinched at my touch, his eyes darting nervously around the room. “It’s not what you think, Atlas. I... I had to do it. I still have to figure it out.”

My grip on his arm tightened instinctively. “Had to do what? Cut yourself? Cast some kind of spell?” I gestured at the glowing circle on the floor. “What the hell is going on?”

He tried to pull away, but I held firm. “Please, just let me explain,” he pleaded, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Then explain,” I growled, struggling to keep my wolf in check. The scent of his blood was driving me mad with worry and rage.

Caden took a shaky breath. “You… You’re not gonna like it. It… It’s bad, Atlas.”

“Tell me,” I snarled, pulling him closer. “Tell me now.”

“I did it to… to try to save you.”

My anger was suddenly replaced with confusion. Out of all the reasons Caden might’ve cited for performing strange and forbidden blood rituals, that was the last one I expected.

I stared at Caden, my mind reeling. “Save me? From what?”

Caden’s eyes filled with tears. “From me. From us. This... this can’t work, Atlas. We’re not meant to be together.”

His words cut through me like a knife. I loosened my grip on his arm, taking a step back. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s my father,” he said at last. “He… He put a blood curse on me. He sees everything I see, hears everything I hear.” He glanced up at me, his blue eyes filled with tears. “And he’s going to kill you.”

“Kill me?” I scoffed. “I’d like to see him try.”

“He’s one of the strongest witches in the country, Atlas. And he knows all your secrets. Believe me, if anyone would do it, it’ll be him.”

“Wait… you told him about my family’s power?”

Caden shook his head, a sob echoing in his throat. “No… I told you, he can see everything I see! That’s why I need to get him out of me! That’s why I need to do this!” He grabbed his forearm, smearing blood across his skin. “I have to get rid of the curse even if it kills me, so you’ll be safe!”

My heart raced as I processed Caden’s words. A blood curse. His father spying on us. The threat of death hanging over my head. It was almost too much to take in.

“Caden, stop,” I said firmly, grabbing his hands to keep him from hurting himself further. “This isn’t the way. We’ll figure something out together.”

He shook his head frantically. “You don’t understand. There’s no other way. The curse is bound to my blood. I have to drain it out, replace it with purified blood to break the connection.”

I growled low in my throat, my protective instincts flaring. “And kill yourself in the process? No. I won’t let you do that.”

“But Atlas-”

“No,” I repeated, pulling him close. “Listen to me. We’re mates. That means we face things together. Your problems are my problems now.”

Caden’s body trembled against mine. “I can’t let him hurt you,” he whispered.

I cupped his face in my hands, forcing him to meet my gaze. “And I can’t let you hurt yourself. We’ll find another way.”

For a moment he just stared at me, his body trembling. “He… gave me an option. An ultimatum.”

I didn’t like the sound of that, but if we had options, I needed to know. “What is it? Tell me.”

Caden shook his head, tears streaming down his face. “He said I have to force you to become my familiar. By any means necessary.”

I felt my blood run cold at Caden’s words. Becoming a familiar was no small thing - it meant giving up a part of your soul, binding yourself irrevocably to a witch to be used as a magical battery. For a werewolf, especially an Alpha, it could mean Caden’s power would grow a hundred-fold. Power like that would turn even the most well intentioned of people.

“And if I refuse?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

Caden’s voice was barely a whisper. “Then he’ll kill you. And... and make me watch.”

I pulled Caden closer, wrapping my arms around him protectively. My mind raced, trying to find a solution that didn’t end with either of us dead or enslaved.

“We’ll figure this out,” I murmured into his hair, even as doubt gnawed at me. “There has to be another way.”

Caden shook his head against my chest. “I’ve looked, Atlas. I’ve been researching all week. There’s no way to break a blood curse without...”

“Without killing yourself,” I finished grimly. I pulled back slightly, looking into his tear-stained face. “Which is not an option.”

“Then what do we do?” Caden asked, his voice breaking.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions raging inside me. My wolf was snarling, demanding action, but I knew we needed to think this through carefully.

“First,” I said, gently guiding Caden to sit on the edge of his bed, “we need to take care of that cut.” I grabbed a first aid kit from his desk drawer and began cleaning the wound. “Now, tell me everything you know about this curse. When did your father cast it? How does it work exactly?”

Caden winced as I applied antiseptic, but his voice was steadier as he spoke. “It’s been there since I was brought into the supernatural world. I didn’t even know he did it until a few days ago.”

I growled softly at that but kept my focus on bandaging his arm. “And you’re sure he can see and hear everything?”

Caden nodded miserably. “Everything. He... he taunted me about things only you and I should know.”

My cheeks burned at the implication, but I pushed aside my embarrassment. This was bigger than my pride. I took a deep breath, trying to focus. “Okay. So, we know he can see and hear everything. But can he control you? Make you do things?”

Caden shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. At least, he hasn’t yet.”

“That’s something, at least,” I muttered. I finished bandaging his arm and sat beside him on the bed, pulling him close. “We need to think about this strategically. Your father wants me as your familiar, right? Why?”

Caden leaned into me, his voice muffled against my chest. “He says it’s so my power will finally awaken. So, I’ll finally be worthy of the Cromwell name.”

I nodded grimly. It made sense. An Alpha werewolf as a familiar would be an unprecedented source of power. “And if I refuse, he’ll kill me. But if I agree...”

“You’d be bound to me forever,” Caden finished. “You’d lose your freedom. And you’d be a source of power for me to pull on whenever I wanted. I could use you without your permission…”

Taking his hand, I glanced up at him. “But would it make you powerful enough to break the curse without killing yourself?”

Caden’s eyes widened, then darted down. I could see the gears turning in his head as he mulled it over. Finally, he looked back up, his brows furrowed. “I’m not sure. I’ve hardly tapped into my power at all, so I don’t know how far it could go.”

I took his face in my hands, kissing him softly on the lips. “Then maybe it’s time we bonded,” I said gently. “Your father thinks forcing me to be your familiar is the more powerful option. However, should you mate with me and then make me your familiar… well, you might be more powerful than him.”

Caden’s eyes widened in shock. “Atlas, no. I can’t ask you to do that. It’s too much. You’d be giving up everything - your freedom, your future as an Alpha. I won’t let you sacrifice yourself for me.”

I shook my head, cupping his face in my hands. “It’s not a sacrifice if it’s what I want. Caden, you’re my mate. I was always going to give you everything I am. This just... speeds up the timeline a bit.”

Tears welled up in Caden’s eyes. “But what about your pack? Your family? They’ll never accept this.”

“They’ll have to,” I said firmly. “Because I’m not letting you go. Not now, not ever.”

I leaned in, capturing his lips in a deep, passionate kiss. Caden melted against me, his hands fisting in my shirt as if afraid I might disappear. When we finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, I rested my forehead against his.

“We do this together,” I murmured. “We mate, we bond, and then we face your father. Together.”

Caden nodded slowly, a mix of fear and determined resolution washing over him. If what he said was true, we had no other options.

However, before another word could be exchanged, the dorm door burst open. We both looked up to see Wild standing in the doorway, his hair disheveled and his eyes wide with fear. His ears were longer than normal, his hair a tangled mess, and his eyes bright green and pupilless.

“Wild?” Caden asked. “What’s wrong?”

“T-There’s been… another attack,” he said, his voice trembling.

“What? Who?”

Wild fell to his knees, staring up at us both. “M-Me.”

He hit the floor face down. Caden cried out, running to his side. The scent of blood filled the room, this time belonging to Wild instead of Caden. My gaze zeroed in on the knife buried in Wild’s thigh. It wasn’t large, but I could smell the tang of iron in the air.

Iron and Fae didn’t mix. If we didn’t get him to the infirmary quickly, he was going to die.