BOUND: Mates at War | 18+

32 You Should Sit

The large gray wolf bows his head down slightly, a gesture I've learned is to show that he's not aggressive.

Everyone seems to be in a trance, no one moving, or even blinking.

Roman sways slightly on his feet. I can feel him through the bond, his emotions are going haywire. Everything he's feeling rushes through both of us and it overwhelms me.

"H-How..." he stutters.

He grabs my hand, unexpectedly, pulling me into his side. When our eyes meet he looks lost.

I vaguely register that Cale is throwing the man some clothes as Roman staggers back into the cave.

He immediately starts to pace and rip at his hair.

"That's my dad... I can feel it. My wolf could sense it before I even saw him."

I feel useless as he drowns in confusion, doubt and fear. My mark aches, the intensity of his feelings crippling both of us. My hands instinctively find his, squeezing him hard, grounding him.

"Let's go talk to him."

He lets out a shuttered breath and holds my hand tightly in his.

Outside, everyone is sitting uncomfortably around the fire. Aslyn is awake now, taking long gulps from someone's water.

I watch as the man follows us closely with his eyes as we approach. He looks like Roman, dark hair, green eyes, the same strong angular jawline.

"Who are you?" Romans voice is solid, confident, but I feel his hand shake in mine. "Don't let go of my hand," he links me, gripping me tightly.

"My name is Oberon. You're..." his eyes flicker and his voice wavers.

"Why are you here? Why now? Where..."

"Maybe you should sit," Aslyn speaks, her voice is small but there is a strange power in it, something strong and authoritative.

She sighs before making eye contact with Roman.

"Yesterday, you released me from a spirit bond. I was tied, through dark magic, to Oberon, who was also bound, trapped."

"What do you mean?" He looks back and forth between the two of them.

"My soul was trapped also. It's good to see you again, Solana," he gives me a small smile, "I knew I liked you, immediately."

I choke, "What? I've never seen you before!"

"You might remember me as 'Canuck,' you've never seen me, but we have met."

"Canuck..." I whisper, I recognize the name but I don't know why. My mind races, where have I heard that before? The feeling of forgotten recognition itches in the back of my mind.

Roman looks at me, confusion as present on his face as mine.

"Canuck!" I gasp, the memory flooding back all at once, "Melora's crow!"

He nods, "When you broke the spell on Aslyn, I was released as well."

"I placed a protective hedge over this ridge, in case Melora or Loreil try to harm us here. I also released a beacon for Oberon to find us. I haven't been able to use magic for so long, I apologize for passing out, it took more of my energy than I expected."

Roman nods, speechless.

"Um... can you... I just have so many questions. Can you explain? Why?" I ask, completely bewildered. My brain can't even formulate a question.

"Melora and Loreil are cut from the same cloth, ambitious, power hungry and ruthless. I chose, years ago, to live in a different realm, but I could feel the imbalance of power. So much dark magic was coming from here that the whole spirit realm was shifting. I came back to stop it, to contain it. Melora was using dark magic to help Loreil conceal your paternity."

Romans body is tense, his hand is crushing mine.

"I was a guard in the castle, I was part of her protective detail. She was... beguiling, beautiful and dangerous. I was weak, I gave into her. I knew right away that you were mine, even before you were born I could feel you, the bond between us was so strong," Oberon hangs his head.

"Did you have anything to do with the Kings murder?" His voice is rough, guarded.

"No! I was locked in the dungeons. I didn't learn of his death until I woke up... trapped in a bird's body," he sounds sincere and honest.

"Why did they turn you into birds? Why not kill you?" Miles asks what I was struggling to voice.

"In order to create a spirit transfer spell there needs to be a blood offering from two or more power sources. Each contributor needs to sacrifice a person of equal power or importance to the spell.

They couldn't just kill Oberon because Melora can't kill me. She's powerful but not that powerful. The worst she could do was to lock my spirit into that fucking bird," her fists clench and the fire flickers wildly.

She closes her eyes, taking a calming breath before continuing, "Your mother needed to contribute someone of equal value to the spell," she turns her gaze to Oberon.

"So you've both been... birds," Roman asks skeptically.

"For almost thirty fucking years," Oberon growls.

"Why was Melora helping her? What did she get out of it?" I finally find my voice.

"Ah, she's getting life," Aslyn shakes her head, "our kind are like stars, we burn bright for a very long time, but not forever. Eventually our fire goes out. The dark magic she's been using has fed her power source, keeping her alive and unnaturally strong."

"The orb," Roman questions, "what is it? Why does she have it?"

"With magic like that, dark, powerful magic, you have to put it somewhere. After they were finished with their schemes the magic couldn't be left to roam. Melora cast it into the orb, but now it has to be looked after, the orb can't ever fall into the wrong hands. It holds within it the magic's memory, as you saw, they had to protect that."

"Why were you with Melora all this time?" I ask Oberon.

He chuckles humorlessly, "in one last act of cruelty she said she 'didn't want a hideous crow hanging around the castle'. So, I was damned to live with Melora, as her pet, for all of these years."

"Trust me, living with Loreil was no treat," Aslyn grinds her teeth together.

Everyone sits quietly, digesting the massive overload of information. The entire tale is hard to wrap your head around but there were people trapped in bird bodies. I'm struggling to reconcile what I'm being told is reality.

"Now that you're free, can we beat her? Can we free the kingdom from her dark hold?"

"After I regain my strength, I wouldn't bet against us," she gives me a small wink.

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