BOUND: Mates at War | 18+

4 Weakest Link

I wipe the tears from my eyes. I hear people starting to stir around me, the sun will be up soon.

With all the losses we've suffered in my lifetime, I have become skilled in hiding my grief. There isn't time for it. I know how lucky I am, I had my father until I reached nineteen, most people lost both of their parents much younger.

I will my tears to dry and try to get my mind right. I'll need all of my strength for today. The blood bonding ceremony is set for dusk. I roll my shoulders, squaring myself into an unemotional, committed leader, the person my people need.

When I sit up I notice that a few of the cots around me are empty.

"Hadar?" I whisper toward his cot.

"Mmm?" His response is groggy and tired.

"Where did everyone go?"

"A group of mountain elves went hunting and foraging this morning, Aerin volunteered to go with them."

I sigh, annoyed, why can't she ever just stay put? If something goes wrong out there, they will leave her behind. I know that they won't risk themselves to save her.

After several hours my unease grows.

"Where are they?" Hadar asks under his breath, shifting uncomfortably.

This feels off, I'm not sure how they manage a hunt but it seems like they should have returned a long time ago.

We take turns pacing around the fire, waiting for something, anything.

"It's almost time for the blood bonding ceremony, can I help you prepare?" A woman with kind eyes asks me quietly.

She is the first mountain elf to acknowledge our presence here. Most of them walk past us like we are invisible, the ones that do look, hold us in obvious contempt.

"Where is Finlas?" I ask her, hoping she is as kind as she looks.

"He is preparing for the ceremony with his father."

"The group that went out to hunt, do you know when they are set to return? A member of my dominion went with them and I am concerned..."

"Umm..." she hesitates, "they...have returned..."

I look toward Hadar who is already on his feet. They returned without Aerin.

Without thinking I run toward the small side room Finlas and I spoke in the night before. When I reach it I don't bother to stop and knock, I throw the door open, startling the men inside.

"What happened? Why wasn't I informed that the hunting party returned and that there was some kind of incident?"

Finlas stands, angrily, and stalks toward me, "we didn't tell you because we're still trying to figure out exactly what happened. Your girl almost got my entire team killed. We didn't tell you because, as of right now, you didn't need to know. Your people are ill equipped to leave the camp yet she begged to join, that is not on my head. They were instructed to leave her behind in the event of a chase. We can't afford to lose warriors. They did as they were told..."

My fists clench at my sides, I know that he's not wrong. We are weaker and not as equipped for the mountains but to be so heartless about it infuriates me.

It's nothing less than what I expect from him, the man I'm set to marry.

"What happened?" I turn away from him, looking toward the group of tattered men and women.

"It... it was like... I don't know," one of them says, shaking his head.

"It was like the wolves were waiting for us, like they were expecting us to come. It was different from their normal heightened senses. Is there something about that girl?"

I freeze.

"What do you mean, 'something about her'?"

"Well, it was like... one of the wolves in particular was after her, specifically."

Shit.

"They were probably just picking off the weakest link," Finlas cuts in.

I nod. If I tell them about the spell they will likely kick everyone out. Even though it was only Aerin, they won't care, they won't trust us.

"It's nearly dusk, you should be getting ready for the ceremony," he looks down at me, his eyes roaming down my simple outfit, "unless, you plan on looking like that."

I absolutely plan on looking like this. I'm not going to do anything special for our sham blood bonding ceremony. I turn and leave without responding to him. I need to tell my people about Aerin.

I walk toward them slowly. I hate this feeling. I feel responsible for her, sad that she's gone and furious at her, all at once. How could she be so careless? I knew that spell would cause her to let her guard down. She shouldn't have gone out today but she felt a false sense of security.

"Something about her," my mind swims, it seems like the spell put a target on her back, it didn't protect her at all.

Never trust magic. Never trust a sorceress.

I should have pulled her out of there. I should have kept her safe whether she wanted it or not.

I roll my shoulders back, squaring myself for tonight. I need to protect my people, whatever the cost. This ceremony will bond them to the mountain elves, to protection.

"Let's get this over with," I whisper to Hadar as we walk toward the gathering area in a strange rock quarry in the middle of the mountain. It looks like a courtyard, surrounded by mounds of rock and stone.

Finlas is standing in front of the large group with his father. His face morphs into an angry scowl when he sees me. I can't hide my satisfied smile.

"You could have at least wiped the dirt off of your face," he whispers angrily as he takes my arm in his.

"This is for bloodlines and protection, we don't have time for romance, Finlas. We aren't lovemates," I spit his words back at him.

His scowl deepens and his grip bites into my arm painfully.

"Elves of Mountain Ridge, Elves of Woodfell, we are gathered here to witness the blood bond between Lord Finlas and Lady Solana," Hadar says, an angry harshness in his tone.

He takes my hand in his, looking in my eyes as he slices across my palm with a dagger. I hiss and jerk back slightly, my palm burning as blood pools there.

"With the mixing of their blood..."

He's cut off by a scream shattering through the quiet, echoing through the rocky courtyard.

"Breach, breach, breach!" Someone yells from above as the group scatters.