I even try to direct Marabella’s to Jonah’s, but the other one just follows, and Marabella’s pushing against my hand, trying to get back to him. Jonah, however, chases Marabella’s dark hue, wanting to merge but unable to. The two black blobs clash violently and fuse as soon as I move my hand.
“See, we can’t control everyone’s bonds, like Sierra and Donnie’s. Some refuse to do what we think is best.” Seline sighs and shakes her head.
“So what will happen to Jonah? Clearly, he wants to be Marabella’s mate, or at least his wolf wants him to be, yet she is bonded to this one.” I huff.
I want my daughter to find her happiness, even if it happens to involve something very dark, but I want Jonah to find his. The little boy has seen some terrifying things, endured so much over his short life, and it breaks my heart that my brother’s boy might never find it.
“That I can’t say, chosen bonds will always be stronger than mated bonds because it has a choice. Both wolf and human choose the same, and since she is your daughter, you also don’t get to see her future.” I force down the lump that forms in my throat, struggling to hide how upset this makes me feel. “But you can see her mate,” Seline then adds, and I look down at the black figures.
“You can touch him,” Seline says as I run my fingers through the murky water. The moment I touch his aura, I can tell he is an Alpha. A strong and powerful one, at that. However, the next moment, I feel the coldness of black magic and my eyes immediately snap back at Seline.
“Kyan Dominic Octavian,” I tell her as my eyes widen in realization.
She nods sadly. “I couldn’t find him a match until after I brought you back. I went to check your kid’s bonds only to find Kyan had already merged with her. This is what I meant when I said about the Octavian 12th-cycle bloodline. Every 12th generation born, I never get to choose a mate. Something I forgot when I remembered Kyan was in the fountain. And when Marabella’s vessel appeared, he instantly became attached to her,” Seline tells me.
“What do you mean?”
“Kyan appeared in the fountain of life with his wolf already decided. He appeared with his beast. I didn’t place him in the fountain, something else did. It’s almost as if every 12th generation just randomly appears in the fountain. Whatever the curse is that is on the Octavian bloodline is stronger than me.”
“So, who is his wolf?” I ask her because I can’t feel anything from him but darkness. The same darkness that I felt when confronting Dominic.
“That is something I also don’t know. I have never had the 12-cycle reincarnation come to the fountains. He only shows up with his vessel every twelve generations. He is a secret Celeste took to the heavens with her and, for some reason, I have never been able to see the Octavian 12th generation.”
“So, what can I do to help her?” I ask, growing more worried with each second.
“Maybe try to build a relationship between Kyan and Marabella, but if you try to separate them, it could end in disaster, that’s the only thing I can think of,” Seline tells me, and I nod while yawning, wondering what time it is.
“You should head back to your mates,” Seline tells me.
“When will I see you next?” I ask her.
“Hopefully soon, I still have a lot of things to go over, plus I need to tell Bain,” she tells me.
“Bain is here?” I ask her.
“Yep, he remained in this realm, never left my side. Though I am not looking forward to that conversation.” She averts her gaze.
“So can he shift between, or is he, like Kora, stuck in wolf form?” I raise an eyebrow. For some reason, I feel like this conversation is far from over, and we will come back to this.
“No, Kora is the only one that can’t shift in this realm. The rest can shift to their true Lycan forms, but most prefer werewolf forms now, evolution in a sense,” Seline says, and I nod.
“You need help to get back?” She asks, and I shake my head.
“I think I will be fine,” I tell her and quickly hug her goodbye. Then, I focus on the office back home, and in a heartbeat, I stand in the middle of it.
When I do, I find Ezra and Mateo sitting on the edge of the desk. I smile. They must have sensed that I was coming back home.
My eyes fall on the device Ezra is holding, and I grin. “You found my phone!” I say excitedly as I try to reach for it. Finally, I can get hold of Andrei and Sage without waiting for the landline to free up.
Ezra pulls it out of reach, and I pout, wondering why he is holding it hostage. “Not fair. Are you really going to make me jump for it?” I ask as he holds it above his head. I cross my arms over my chest. I am not making a fool of myself by jumping for it.
“Who is Android?” Ezra growls.
Huh? What the fuck is he talking about? I furrow my brows and glare at him. “Pardon?” I ask.
“Are you talking to other men behind our backs? Is this why you aren’t interested in us anymore?”
As the ridiculous questions spill from Ezra, all I can do is stop and stare. Somehow, he manages to catch me off guard time and time again. Is he on drugs? Did he bump his head a little too hard, and it knocked the sense out of him?
“Answer Kat, you are constantly up at us for screwing once without telling you, but you talk to some man behind our backs.” Ezra growls, close to shaking in anger.
“What man?” I ask, completely baffled.
“Android!” They both scream at me.