Page 29 of Lord of the Lone Wolf (Bonded Hearts #3)

Auslin

M onths of preparation passed, and Auslin couldn’t comprehend that it was suddenly the night before Kitsuki and his warriors would march to Kunushi to bring a swift end to the war.

His concern for his mate weighed on him, but another worry had taken root regarding Maseo’s safety in the coming battle.

Though he tried to convince himself everything would be fine, Auslin knew the half-shifter would be a target when he returned to his homeland. The disquiet prompted him to summon Maseo to the castle.

When Maseo entered the reception room, surprise flickered across his face at finding Auslin alone.

The mage’s breath caught at the sight of him.

Months of training had honed Maseo’s already lean frame into something more striking.

His uniform fit him perfectly, emphasizing the breadth of his shoulders and the confident way he carried himself.

There was an assurance in his movements now, a quiet authority that made Auslin’s pulse quicken.

“Is everything all right?” Maseo asked, his jade eyes studying Auslin with concern.

“I had to see you before you left,” Auslin confessed. “I didn’t want to show favoritism by meeting with you in the barracks, but I thought if I summoned you here, everyone would assume Kitsuki called you to review strategy for approaching Nasume’s defenses.”

Maseo tilted his head in acknowledgment, and the simple gesture drew Auslin’s attention to the elegant line of his throat. “I appreciate the consideration.”

Auslin struggled with his emotions, his healing magic stirring beneath his skin as if already anticipating wounds to mend. The pendant around his neck felt heavier than usual. “Are you prepared for this fight?”

“I’m more than ready.” Maseo’s voice carried the same confidence Auslin had witnessed during training, sending an unwelcome flutter through his chest. “I have no qualms about what’s about to happen, Auslin. You shouldn’t either.”

The authority in Maseo’s tone made Auslin respond in ways that confused him. His heat heightened his sensitivity to dominance, making him more prone to the submission he only offered Kitsuki. He shifted, trying to ignore the warmth pooling low in his belly.

“Please come back safe,” Auslin insisted, his voice catching. “I could never live with the guilt of knowing it’s my fault you got hurt fighting, or worse.”

Maseo’s gaze softened. “Even if I die in battle, I’m glad I’m at least fighting on the right side.”

Auslin stared down at the floor as his heart wrenched in his chest. “I know that’s supposed to make me feel better, but it doesn’t.”

“You’ve seen me fight,” Maseo said, moving closer with the same predatory grace Auslin remembered from the training yard.

The half-shifter’s voice carried a serene confidence that made Auslin want to lean into his strength.

“While I can’t use magic, there’s no way I’m losing to my father or his soldiers.

The only ones begging for mercy will be them. ”

A reflexive smile touched Auslin’s lips, though unease coursed through him.

“I know, but I can’t stop imagining the worst-case scenario.

I keep thinking about the day we found you in Balsimi.

How close you were to…” He couldn’t finish the sentence; the memory of Maseo’s battered body and failing life force was still vivid in his mind.

“That won’t happen again.” Maseo’s demeanor took on a commanding edge that made Auslin’s knees feel weak. “I’m not alone this time. I have Kitsuki’s forces with me, and I’m wearing Valzerna’s colors now.”

Auslin nodded, but his expression remained troubled.

The authority in Maseo’s voice stirred the same primal response he’d felt while watching him dominate opponents in the training yard.

He wanted to yield to that strength, to trust in Maseo’s capability.

“Nasume will target you when he realizes you’re fighting against him. You know that, right?”

“I’m counting on it,” Maseo replied, a dangerous edge to his voice. “It’s time he faced the consequences of his actions.”

Auslin’s response got stuck in his throat. Maseo’s intensity was magnetic, drawing him in despite his attempts to maintain composure.

“Is that why you’re smothering your scent?” Maseo asked after a moment, changing the subject. “So I can’t smell your fear?”

A blush rose to Auslin’s cheeks. “Partially. But it’s not because I doubt you can defend yourself. It’s more that I know you’re going to a place filled with enemies who want to hurt you.”

Maseo closed the distance between them with deliberate steps. The half-shifter’s presence seemed to fill the space around them, commanding and protective in equal measure. “What’s the other reason?”

“I’m afraid for all the warriors, but?—”

Maseo cut him off. “I meant why you’re hiding your scent?”

Embarrassment colored Auslin’s voice as he touched the pendant that masked his condition. The direct questioning made him feel vulnerable in a way that sent confusing signals. “I’m wearing this to hide the fact that my heat started. I don’t want to distract Kitsuki from what he needs to do.”

Without warning, Maseo reached out and lifted the pendant from Auslin’s chest. His fingers brushed against Auslin’s skin, and the contact shot through the mage. The moment the pendant’s magic disrupted, Auslin’s heat scent flooded the space between them.

Maseo’s eyes widened, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled. His pupils dilated, and his grip on the pendant tightened as if anchoring himself. “How could Kio have ever left your side when you smell this incredible?” His voice had gone rough, almost reverent. “Let alone leave you for me.”

Auslin trembled at the naked desire in Maseo’s voice. “Back then, I didn’t know humans had a heat since it never seemed to affect Kio.”

“Then he’s a bigger fool than I thought.” He drew a deeper breath, a soft groan escaping him. “No wonder you wear this charm. It would be impossible for anyone to want to leave such temptation, let alone a mate.”

Auslin’s heat made him hypersensitive to Maseo’s proximity. The half-shifter’s appreciation felt like a physical caress, stirring needs he struggled to ignore. “It’s not like I feel that different.”

Maseo stepped closer, keeping the charm from touching his skin while his free arm came around Auslin in a possessive embrace. “I will never understand why you care about me when you have every reason to hate me.”

Auslin returned the embrace, his hands fisting in the fabric of Maseo’s uniform as his heart raced.

Being held by Maseo’s strength and warmth felt right.

His body molded against the half-shifter’s, seeking more contact, even as his mind screamed warnings.

“You deserve a chance at a real life after all this is over, where you’re not defined by your father’s cruelty or by being a half-shifter. ”

Maseo’s arms tightened around him, and Auslin could feel the controlled strength in his embrace. It made him want to surrender, to let Maseo’s dominance wash over him as it did with Kitsuki. The parallel should have alarmed him, but in his heat-hazed state, it felt natural.

“I’m not sure what that life would look like,” Maseo murmured, his lips brushing against Auslin’s temple in what might have been an accident.

The contact sent sparks through Auslin. “It can look however you want it to. That’s the point. You’d be free to choose.”

“What if I want to stay in Tiora?” Maseo asked.

“Of course. You’ll always have a place with us.

Kitsuki may not show it, but he respects your skills and your loyalty.

And I…” He paused, struggling to articulate the strange bond he felt with Maseo, the pull that seemed to grow stronger each time they were together. “I consider you a friend. A good one.”

“A friend,” he repeated in a neutral tone.

“Yes, someone I care about and want to see happy.” The words felt inadequate for the complex emotions swirling through him, but they were all he could offer.

Maseo nodded. “I haven’t had many of those.”

“Well, now you do. And friends don’t let friends march off to war without making sure they have something to come back to. You deserve what makes you happy.”

Maseo was quiet for a moment, his thumb tracing small circles on Auslin’s back through his robes. The gentle touch sent shivers through the mage. “Happiness has never been my goal. Survival has always been the priority.”

“Then it’s time you started thinking about it, because when you return from this war, a chance to find genuine happiness awaits you.”

“When,” Maseo repeated, with a small smile playing at his lips. The expression transformed his face, making him more devastatingly attractive. “Not if.”

“Yes, when. Because you’re coming home, Maseo. You must.” Auslin’s voice carried a desperation he couldn’t quite hide.

“For Tiora?”

“For yourself. And…” Auslin hesitated, but his heat made him more honest than he should be. “For me, too. I’d miss you if you didn’t return.”

Something in Maseo’s expression shifted, becoming more intense, more focused.

He reached out and took Auslin’s hand, his calloused fingers intertwining with the mage’s more delicate ones.

His thumb brushed over Auslin’s knuckles in slow, deliberate strokes that sent shivers up his arm. “Then I’ll make sure I come home.”

Still holding the pendant away from Auslin’s skin, Maseo trailed his nose along the curve of Auslin’s neck.

The intimate gesture made Auslin’s breath hitch, and he arched into the contact without conscious thought as he tilted his head in submission, baring more of his throat to Maseo’s exploration.

The half-shifter’s breath was warm against his skin, each exhale sending tremors through Auslin’s overheated body. For a moment, Auslin imagined what it would feel like if Maseo pressed kisses along the sensitive column of his neck. The fantasy left him trembling and flushed.

He could feel Maseo’s restraint in the careful way he held himself, the tension radiating through his frame as he fought against his own reactions.

The knowledge that he affected the half-shifter was intoxicating, even as guilt gnawed at him for enjoying the power he held over someone other than his mate.

When Maseo stepped away, his jade eyes were dark with hunger as he studied Auslin’s flushed face.

The mage’s lips parted, his breathing shallow, and Maseo’s gaze lingered there for a moment too long before he released the pendant, letting it fall against Auslin’s chest. When the charm touched his skin, the masking spell reactivated, but the damage was done.

The air between them still thrummed with sexual tension, thick with unspoken possibilities and unfulfilled desires.

Maseo’s hands came to rest on Auslin’s waist, his touch burning through the thin fabric of the mage’s robes.

For a heartbeat, they stood with their bodies pressed close, breathing each other’s air.

“I should go,” Maseo said, his voice rougher than usual, strained with the effort of maintaining his restraint.

“Dawn comes early, and Kitsuki will expect me ready to march.”

Auslin nodded, not trusting his voice. His body still hummed with unmistakable arousal, every nerve alive with a need amplified beyond reason by his heat. The way Maseo looked at him, touched him, held him, awakened desires he’d never expected to feel for anyone but Kitsuki.

“As long as you come back,” Auslin pleaded, unable to shake the feeling that something terrible awaited Maseo in Kunushi.

“You have my word, Auslin,” Maseo promised, his hands sliding up from Auslin’s waist to cup his face. His thumbs brushed across the mage’s flushed cheekbones with infinite tenderness. “Wait for me.”

“I will.”

Instead of stepping away, Maseo leaned in closer, and Auslin’s body went rigid with anticipation.

His breath caught in his throat as he waited, his lips parting in unconscious invitation.

Every instinct screamed at him to close the distance, to discover what Maseo’s lips would feel like against his own, but his rational mind refused to act without his mate present.

Instead, Maseo pressed a chaste kiss to Auslin’s flushed cheek, his lips lingering for a moment longer than friendship would dictate. It stirred the mage’s lust more intensely than any passionate one could have.

“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Maseo murmured against his skin. “Kitsuki is the luckiest person in all three realms.”

The words, spoken so close to his ear, sent a shudder of pure desire through Auslin, leaving him weak-kneed and aching. His body responded with an intensity that scared him, his cock stirring with interest beneath his clothes.

Maseo stepped back, his hands trailing down Auslin’s arms before releasing him. Losing contact left Auslin feeling bereft.

After Maseo departed, Auslin remained alone in the room, his body still thrumming with unfulfilled desire, his heart racing with emotions he couldn’t articulate. His cheek burned where Maseo’s lips had touched.

His heat made everything more intense and confusing, but he couldn’t blame his condition for the way his body had responded to Maseo’s touch, his words, his gentle dominance. The trinity bond must have been having a bigger effect on him than he expected.

He moved to the window, gazing out at the training grounds, where torches still burned as soldiers made final preparations.

Maseo would join them soon, preparing to risk his life in a war that had begun long before either of them was born.

The thought of losing him created an ache in Auslin’s chest that felt far too profound for mere friendship.

“Please keep him safe,” Auslin prayed to Sophina, his fingers touching the glass. “Bring him home to me.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them, and their implications left him shaken.

With that plea on his lips, he turned away from the window and headed to his chambers, hoping Kitsuki would visit before departing for war.

Maybe his mate’s presence would help quiet the confusing desires Maseo had awakened, the needs that his heat had amplified beyond his ability to ignore.