Page 33 of Reclaiming His Lost Mate (Secret Legacy #3)

S elina

My heart thundered with fear as I came out of the woods, holding Mia’s hand, her other in Lyvia’s. I’d wanted to comfort her, but the bond pulling in my chest, with excruciating pain, was urging me back to Alexis.

My gaze found him just as he slumped against the ground.

No. No.

I dropped Mia’s hand. And ran.

“Mommy!”

Blood pounded in my head, and I couldn’t move fast enough. As I reached Alexis, I saw his chest rise in jerky, spasming movements, his breath ragged and violent. The sight of the deep gash in his side ripped at my insides. The world around me blurred momentarily, the colors of victory fading.

I pressed both my hands to Alexis’s side, trying to staunch the blood that was leaving him too quickly. He flinched and gasped in pain. His eyelids drifted shut, and panic zipped through me as his stormy stare was suddenly shuttered from me.

“Alexis,” I blurted out, “look at me!”

His eyes blinked open, and my own gaze locked with his. “I’m going to heal you,” I said, even as panic zipped through me, my stomach sinking as I realized—I didn’t have any healing herbs with me.

The familiar everyday sight of those lining my shelves and in my stock cupboard taunted me.

Why hadn’t I packed anything? Panic and rage at myself rose within.

I looked around at the empty shop in my mind, all the things I’d built around me that once meant so much.

Yet none of it compared to the gnawing reality that Alexis was fading—nothing mattered without my mate and our daughter.

I looked up to find Seraphina’s jade eyes, watching with quiet compassion and a forlornness that told me she didn’t have anything to heal him either. She and Lyvia had only brought enough ores to locate Mia, a thought that twisted my gut.

“Leave it,” Alexis said, his hand coming to clasp mine and drawing it away from his wound. “Just look at me.”

The gentleness in his expression made my heart clench. It looked too much like resignation. Acceptance that he would be leaving…

I shook my head. “No, no, we’re going to get a potion… something.”

Anything.

Yet, staring at the dazed look in his eyes and his heavy eyelids, I could see that time was slipping away from us. “Alexis, please…” I murmured, not sure what I was saying, feeling the strain in my heart as our mate bond thrummed with excruciating agony, a hint of what was to come if… he left me.

Lyvia approached, her expression solemn. “We need to channel your mate bond, Selina. That’s what we can use to heal him.”

I felt the wild thrum of my heart racing against my chest, an anxious rhythm echoing my desperation.

“You have to mark him,” Lyvia insisted, her eyes gleaming with fierce determination that sparked something deep in my heart. “Your bond will stabilize his healing.”

At her words, a flicker of hope ignited, but fear shadowed it. Could I really use our mate bond to save him? I knew we loved each other, but I couldn’t help thinking back to when we’d first met. Alexis had fought our fated mate bond with everything he had. What if he fought it now ?

I leaned closer to Alexis, holding his battered body against me as I gently cradled his head. Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks, hot and furious, but I tried to stay calm, focusing on the connection thrumming between us. I wouldn’t lose him.

He opened his eyes momentarily, their depths clouded with pain yet still radiating the warmth I’d grown to cherish. “Selina,” he rasped, his voice barely above a whisper, yet it felt like a glimmer of hope. “I… I—”

“No! Don’t you dare give up on me!” I said fiercely, squeezing his hand as if willing my strength into him. “You have to fight, Alexis. Please, stay with me.”

His gaze latched onto mine, and in that moment, I felt the bond between us thrumming like a heartbeat—a gentle pulse pushing back the shadows.

“Do it now before he’s lost to you. Mark him,” Lyvia urged.

With a deep breath, I nodded, conviction rising within me.

I leaned over Alexis, feeling the pulsing connection wrap around us like a silken thread binding our souls as one.

I pressed my fangs against the tender skin of his neck, piercing just enough to draw blood.

It felt electric, the connection sparking with vibrant energy as I marked him with my bite, sealing our bond anew.

In that sacred act, the world around us faded; I closed my eyes, grounding myself in the weight of the moment.

I could sense the magical energies coursing through the bond, weaving between our souls, pulling, binding, and wrapping around us.

A warmth enveloped us, a soft glow that felt like Igaluk, the Moon Goddess herself, watching over us, breathing life back into Alexis.

As I pulled back, seeing the fierce light reignite in his stormy ocean eyes, I felt hope blooming inside me, replacing the panic that had taken root. “That’s it!” I exclaimed, my voice shaking with joyful disbelief.

With that, I watched as the wounds on his side began to knit, the flesh mending under the gentle caress of our bond. Lyvia stepped back, her eyes wide with astonishment, her faith in the magic reinvigorated.

“By the Goddess… it’s working!” I heard her whisper, awe echoing between us .

Slowly, Alexis began to sit up, the energy radiating from us growing stronger, nourishing each other like twin stars entwined in a cosmic dance. I wrapped my arms around him, absorbing his warmth, feeling the tremors of relief ripple through me as Alexis regained his strength.

He reached an unsteady hand toward my face, and I held it there against my cheek.

A smile spread across his lips. “Ilak,” he murmured, the warmth of his voice igniting my heart as he used the goddess’s word for mate.

Yet, even amidst the joy of the moment, it reminded me of the only time I’d said that word to him, when I’d first seen him… and the look of aversion he’d had.

“I’m so sorry, Ilak,” he said between breaths, his voice now gaining strength. “Back then, I was scared we’d end up like my parents.” His gaze shifted, focusing somewhere far beyond, memories flashing across his features—haunting remnants of his family history.

I remembered when he’d sworn the blood oath, how he’d spoken of not wanting to end up like his parents. “What do you mean?” I whispered, weaving my fingers through his. “What does that have to do with us?”

His brow furrowed, the storminess of his past darkening the air between us.

“My father’s heart was always tied to another.

His relationship with my mother was never genuine—just a mental pull from the fated bond.

Their forced marriage was a prison, punishing my innocent mother with a breakdown that drove her to suicide.

The mate bond… it felt like a curse, an illusion of the perfect love story. ”

A wave of horror cascaded through me, rising like bile. “Alexis…” I began.

“Seeing my mother’s empty eyes—” His voice thickened, teeth gritted as he fought against the past. “She took her own life to escape those chains.” The words cut deep, and I attempted to process the weight he carried, a burden etched into the very essence of him.

“And my father? After her death, he spiraled into grief. He never loved again. He thought he was damned to that broken life.”

Suddenly, his pain filled the space between us, heavy and unbearable. “You’d think my mother’s tragic death would have freed my father, but I used to believe the bond has a way of punishing you for bending against it. His depression followed, haunting our family until he, too, died.”

The anger and sorrow rolled through me like waves crashing against a rocky shore. I couldn’t fathom the torment he had endured, the specter of his past casting long shadows. This was why he’d fought our bond for so long.

His confession hung in the air, heavy with truth, and I felt the bond between us thrum, each pulse conveying the depth of his emotions. Worry beat through me as I wondered whether, even though it had saved his life, he’d always regret the bond now binding us together.

“Alexis,” I said softly, tears springing anew. “If you don’t want this bond—”

“I do,” Alexis said.

““Selina, you have to understand—loving you, being bound to you scared me more than anything. But now? Now, and for a long time, I’ve seen that this bond doesn’t have to dictate our fate.

It’s a force of good and a source of strength.

How can it not be when it’s healed my heart and let me love you and Mia with a strength I’d never imagined I could? ”

I swallowed hard, aware of the love that shimmered between us, vibrant and healing. “I love you too, Alexis. I was so worried that I had to choose between my business and my love for you. But I know with the way you love me, you’d never make me choose.”

His breath steadied, and for the first time in ages, the weight on his shoulders seemed to disappear. He pulled me closer, warmth enveloping us as he whispered, “Whatever you want is what I want, too.”

With each heartbeat, I felt the shadows recede, our bond encasing us in a cocoon of trust and love. I leaned into him, grateful that in this moment. We were strong—together—as our daughter watched in wonder.

Finally, we both looked at Mia, our gaze shifting to the little girl who stepped away from Lyvia toward us.

“Mia,” Alexis breathed. My heart soared to see the unbroken bond strengthening before my eyes .

With the vibrant light of the dawn illuminating her features, Mia approached, her innocent gaze filled with questions. “Are you okay?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yes, sweetheart. I’m fine,” he replied, emotion cracking through his voice. The tenderness in his gaze and the way he focused solely on Mia was more than I could have ever dreamed. Every dream I had ever wanted for our family seemed distilled in this moment, pure and untainted.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, watching their interaction unfold, each word spoken stitching the fabric of our family tighter.

Alexis knelt before her, opening his arms wide as Mia rushed to him, wrapping her small arms around his neck.

It was a beautiful sight, and no wound in the world could dim the golden glow of that moment.

“I found you,” he murmured softly, pressing a kiss against her hair, her frame fitting perfectly against his as if they were forever meant to be. As I watched them, an overwhelming rush of indescribable affection and relief washed over me.

“I was so scared,” Mia admitted, her voice muffled as she pressed against him. “But then, Lyvia said you’d come for me.”

“I will always come for you, Mia.” His voice rang pure and honest, and with each word, I felt the threads of our love strengthen, solidifying our family.

“You’re my girl, and nothing will ever take you from us again.

” As I watched this beautiful reunion, a fierce pride and joy ignited within me.

“Mia,” I finally spoke, taking a breath to steady my voice.

“I want you to know something important.” She turned her gaze from Alexis to me, her wide eyes reflecting curiosity.

“Alexis is your father. He’s always going to be here for you.

” My gaze went to Alexis. “For us. Because we’re a family. ”

Mia’s eyes darted to Alexis, searching for confirmation. “Really?” she whispered, hope blossoming in her expression.

“Really, Sweetheart,” Alexis said, his voice steady with unwavering affection. “I’m your daddy, and I love you so much.”

Mia’s small face lit up, and the moment felt as if the universe had aligned perfectly, stitching together lost pieces of our lives .

Finally, Alexis turned back to me, eyes shining with both gratitude and determination. “Selina… this, us—it’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Tears stung my eyes as I nodded, unable to find the words to express what surged within my heart. I drew closer, joining them, wrapping my arms around both Alexis and Mia. The bond between us pulsed with life, blooming with every heartbeat, rising like the sun to greet the new day ahead.