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fifteen

Rivern

S olen is off scouting the Kingdom of Haven while I traverse the temple tunnels. I am not pleased with the dampness of my clothes from my moonlit swim, but the heat from my mounting anger keeps me nice and toasty.

The bond I can barely keep up with continues to cause a flip-flop of emotions; one movement, a feisty arrow spears my heart, and the next, a shiver runs down my spine.

Right now, the bond is slowly building intensity as it spreads through my chest.

I’ve roamed these tunnels under Haven for many moons from the comfort of my bed back in Terra. The system in Haven is much more straightforward than the one we have at home.

Standing in front of a solid stone wall where I know a door should be provides a new challenge. “Come on, come on.” I glide my fingers around the outside of each stone, looking for a double-rounded symbol.

Close to the bottom, something gives way with a click before a latch in the stone wall moves back an inch. Looking down, I realize the door is half my height, so I crouch down to gain access to the other side.

“Figures,” I mutter under my breath, squeezing through the hole. Since these walkways were made by fae, you would think they would be taller.

A narrow, dark tunnel stretches out before me. If nothing has changed under human rule, this tunnel should branch off and form a network of walkways under the kingdom.

Sensing the need to keep going, I move swiftly down the tunnel at a jog, letting that strange bond draw and guide me. Putting my faith in the Goddess to the test.

I must find my bonded and be done with this—done with her. With some separation, I can think more clearly. I am here for my family, for the upcoming nuptials that will see my lands safe from a new threat. I will not let history play out again the way it did in the human and shifter wars. No matter my feelings, I will undertake my duties to my family and my people.

So, this bond? It has to go.

However, I cannot stop thinking about the small woman with the silken hair. In theory, I can break the bond, and with space, I’ll hopefully forget her. Surely, with her big, strong dyre wolf, she does not want me.

My blood fizzles and pops at the thought of that dyre wolf. Even my lip starts to pull.

“There’s no other choice.” The words echo around me as I follow her, my bonded, the strain in my chest cavity pulling me further and further away from everything I’ve ever known.

“Goddess, please help me find a way.”

To break the bond. To save Terra and be done with this ache for good.