Marked Claws (Mystic Bonds #2) | COMPLETED

5. Cara

"And this is our Master of Arms. We're a bit more primal, you see."

In front of me bowed a bulky man, broad chested and scarred on almost every part of tan skin revealed. Akhil Walls was two heads taller than me. Taller than Xander.

Xander.

My mate.

The King of Adalda.

The Werewolf Alpha.

My mate.

It was still too foreign a concept for me to grasp. I was as dizzy as I'd felt when I woke up from death.

"I take it you're still adjusting?" Melida steered me away from the Maser Of Arms as they all bowed respectfully and I gave a slight nod in return, words failing me.

"That's an understatement, don't you think?" I cast her a sharp glance that made her smirk.

It's only been a day since my confrontation with Xander but it feels so much longer. The feeling I have is a strange mix of returning home and a forlorn future that awaits. It's baffling but I keep these thoughts to myself.

"You'll have to get adjusted faster, Cara." Micah's tone was serious and the two walked on each side of me as if I were someone they considered both a friend and queen, I had to suppress bouts of unwilling emotions surging forth.

"Well, forgive me for taking time, Lord Traitor." 

Micah groaned as we all came out into the garden of the Royal Adalda Palace. 

"I told you and I'll tell you again. I'm not a traitor and I'm not working to get you killed." The pain lacing his voice was coming from a different place, sincere nonetheless. I remained silent as the Russell princess didn't call him out on it.

The two were like oil and water. Or maybe not. Their snips at one another had a history I'd dig up soon enough.

I took a deep breath. The garden was a beauty to behold because there was absolutely nothing screaming wealth here. The things considered of value were the nature itself for the wolves as I'd come to learn. And I couldn't argue because the nature here was attuned to housing the wolves - a part of it. No matter if in human or wolf form, the land recognised its own it seemed.

I bit the inside of my cheek, "I feel overwhelmed, Micah." I even shot Melida a glance and she smiled almost understandingly.

But what I feared was this inherent feeling to trust them and give up whatever semblance of control I was trying to establish over a life that was no longer even mine. Because with opening myself up to them, came the risk of feeling that gut-wrenching agony and fear of losing them.

Just like what had happened with Sera.

I couldn't go through with that a second time so going against my instincts seemed like the best course of action.

"We get it." Melida's short black hair flew in the breeze as she put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "But you have to understand that these are turbulent times and Xander-"

"Xander killed me. And I don't know what angle the two of you are playing either." I speared them with sharp looks that shut them up. "But I don't even care. It's not like I fear death anymore."

As I picked up my pace to reach the Palace, walking across the garden, the two kept up.

"That's because nothing went accordingly! Nothing! It wasn't Xander's fault either and...Cara..." Melida's voice was bordering on hysterical and since the time I'd met her, she'd come off as nothing but collected so this gave me a pause.