Page 2 of Lord of the Lone Wolf (Bonded Hearts #3)
Maseo
T he darkness had teeth.
That was Maseo’s first coherent thought as consciousness flickered at the edges of his awareness.
The surrounding void pressed close, hungry and patient, whispering promises of an end to pain if he would stop fighting the icy embrace that had been calling to him for days. He was almost ready to surrender.
But then, there was warmth.
A single point of light bloomed in the suffocating blackness, purple as amethyst and bright as a star.
Maseo’s battered soul reached for it, desperate for anything that wasn’t the gnawing agony that had become his entire world.
The brightness pulsed once, twice, and then blazed with the force of a newborn sun.
The shadows of death that had been dragging him toward the Beyond Realm recoiled with frustrated shrieks.
They clawed at him as they retreated, trying to maintain their hold, but the purple fire was stronger.
It wrapped around Maseo’s spirit as protective armor, driving back the darkness until it cowered at the very edges of his perception.
Safe . The word echoed through him, carried on waves of lilac magic that felt familiar. Loved. Protected. Never alone again .
Maseo had never experienced anything like it.
The magic healed his broken bones and torn flesh, but it also cradled his soul, whispering wordless promises of sanctuary and care.
It was the embrace he had dreamed of as a child after losing his mother, huddled in dark corners while his father’s rage echoed through the castle halls.
It was the love he had searched for in all the wrong places, with all the wrong people.
The amethyst light spread through him, seeking every injury, poison-blackened vein, and fragments of shattered bone.
Where it touched, agony transformed into blessed relief.
The burning acid that had been eating away at his insides for days cooled and dissolved.
Ribs knitted themselves back together with careful precision.
The swelling around his eye receded, and he could see again.
But it was more than physical healing. The magic found the deeper wounds carved into his heart by years of rejection and cruelty. It couldn’t erase the scars, but it soothed them, promising that they didn’t define him. That he was worth saving. Worth loving.
He wanted to wrap himself in that sensation forever, to never let go of the perfect harmony between healing warmth and protective strength.
For a moment that he wished would last an eternity, Maseo felt complete. Cherished. Whole.
The intensity faded as the purple light faded like a gentle tide, leaving behind healed flesh and mended bones but taking with it the overwhelming sense of being loved unconditionally. Maseo tried desperately to hold on to it.
No, please! The thought was a silent scream. Don’t leave me alone again.
But the magic was already withdrawing, returning to the person who wielded it. Maseo fought to open his eyes.
When his vision cleared, he stared up at the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
Auslin sat cross-legged beside him, his face pale with exhaustion and sweat beading on his forehead.
But his expression spoke of fierce concentration and boundless compassion.
Purple markings spiraled along his exposed arms, the Divine heritage marks that proclaimed him a Power, intertwined with silver lines that belonged to his mating bond with Kitsuki.
“Auslin,” Maseo whispered. He reached out with a trembling hand, needing to touch the man who had pulled him from the very brink of death. His fingers found the warm curve of Auslin’s cheek, and the contact sent a shock of residual magic between them.
At the touch, Auslin’s eyes fluttered open.
They glowed with an otherworldly light, the deep violet irises pulsing in time with his heartbeat.
When his hand covered Maseo’s, pressing it more firmly against his face, the simple gesture conveyed more care than Maseo had received since his mother died.
“You’re safe now,” Auslin murmured, his voice rough with emotion and magical exhaustion. He nuzzled into Maseo’s palm, and the trust in that act made the half-wolf shifter’s chest tighten with overwhelming gratitude.
There were so many unanswered questions for Maseo. How was it possible Auslin had found him? Why did the mage now have the markings of a Power when he had been human the last time they met? But before he could ask, Auslin’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed forward.
Maseo sat up to catch the falling mage. His arms, which had been broken in multiple places minutes ago, wrapped around Auslin’s unconscious form, holding him steady as the aftershocks of healing magic continued to ripple through the air.
“Auslin!” The name tore from Maseo’s throat as panic seized him. Had the mage sacrificed too much to save him? Had Maseo’s injuries been so severe that healing them had cost Auslin his life?
Then Kitsuki appeared, his hands gentle yet firm as he lifted Auslin from Maseo’s arms, cradling him against his chest with a tenderness that made the half-wolf shifter’s heart ache with longing.
“Will he be okay?” The words tumbled out as Maseo watched Kitsuki carry Auslin to a bedroll beside a campfire he hadn’t noticed before. The dragon shifter’s face was a mask of controlled worry as he settled his mate down and stroked the damp hair from Auslin’s forehead.
“He has been pushing himself to exhaustion while we searched for you,” Kitsuki replied without looking up. “He will need time to rest after exerting so much power to heal your grievous wounds.”
Guilt overwhelmed Maseo. While he had been lying broken and dying, Auslin had been sacrificing his own health to find him. “I’m sorry,” Maseo whispered, the words inadequate for the weight of his regret.
Kitsuki’s hands stilled in Auslin’s hair, his controlled expression cracking to reveal the depth of his own exhaustion and worry. When he looked up at Maseo, his blue eyes held no blame, only weary relief. “There is no need for sorrow. Do you eat rabbit?”
The abrupt change of subject left Maseo blinking in confusion. Then he registered the silver flames of dragon fire dancing nearby.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Maseo replied, inclining his head respectfully as he settled by the fire, unable to believe he could walk without the agony that had defined his existence for days since escaping from his father. Auslin’s healing had been so complete that Maseo felt better than he had in ages.
Kitsuki retrieved a dead rabbit from where it had fallen and settled beside Maseo. His knife work was precise and economical as he broke down the carcass, seasoning the meat with herbs that appeared from thin air before setting it to cook on an invisible spit above the flames.
Maseo couldn’t help but stare. There was something mesmerizing about watching the most powerful ruler in Talwyn perform such mundane tasks with casual expertise. His father wouldn’t have known the first thing about preparing game, let alone cooking it.
“You seem surprised,” Kitsuki observed, and Maseo felt heat rise in his cheeks at being caught in his obvious admiration.
“Usually, kings travel with an entourage to handle things like cooking.” Maseo managed a small laugh, thinking of Nasume’s total helplessness outside the pampered confines of his castle. “My father wouldn’t know the first thing about taking care of himself in the woods.”
“Unlike Nasume, I prefer to be self-sufficient.” Kitsuki used his magic to dispose of the rabbit’s remains and clean the blood from his hands with casual efficiency. “I pride myself on taking care of my mate.”
The simple statement hit Maseo with unexpected force.
There was such quiet devotion in those words, such certainty that caring for Auslin was not a burden but a privilege.
Maseo had never experienced that kind of love, had never even dared to dream that it might exist after his toxic relationships with Phaedra and Kio.
“Auslin is so lucky,” he said, unable to keep the wistfulness from his voice. “Congratulations on your mating bond. I was surprised when I found out, but I’m genuinely happy for you both.”
Kitsuki inclined his head. “Thank you. It was a joy I never expected to have, but I am grateful to the Fate Power for allowing it after six centuries of solitude.”
Six centuries . It staggered Maseo to think about being isolated for so long.
“I would ask how you came to this place,” Kitsuki continued, “but Auslin will want to be present for that conversation. I do not wish to make you relive your trauma twice, so I will refrain from asking in-depth questions about your experience. Please do not mistake that for a lack of interest.”
The consideration in that statement stunned Maseo. When was the last time anyone had cared about sparing him unnecessary pain? When had anyone ever shown such thoughtfulness for his feelings?
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” he managed, his voice thick with emotion he struggled to contain.
Kitsuki hesitated, a rare expression of uncertainty crossing his aristocratic features. “But I must know if it was Nasume who did this to you.”
Maseo’s newly healed body tensed, phantom pains ghosting through limbs that no longer bore any trace of injury. But there was no point in lying, not when the truth was written in every mended bone. “He did, but it could have been worse.”
He meant his words to be reassuring, but they had the opposite effect. Silver bled into Kitsuki’s eyes. When he spoke, his voice carried the deep, rumbling undertones of his inner dragon. “We will make Nasume pay tenfold for this heinous atrocity.”
The vehemence of his declaration startled Maseo. He had expected anger, perhaps, but not that level of personal outrage on his behalf. “Why do you care so much?”
Kitsuki’s silver gaze grew mournful with heavy guilt. “Because your father taking his wrath out on you is our fault.”