Selah’s POV
His commanding presence filled the space instantly, so massive and imposing that the room suddenly felt half its size.
He was still wearing his dark leather clothes.
I gave him a flat, unimpressed look, then turned right back to the mirror, going back to examining my silver hair as if his sudden entrance didn’t affect me at all.
I had no idea why I was annoyed at him, but I was.
His presence here only reminded me of how quickly my life had changed in just under a week.
How I had gone from being an Omega to being killed by my own mate, to losing my voice and my face, to being an Oracle and the wolf mate of one of the most powerful men in the country.
“Selah,” Lord Garrick’s deep voice came from behind me.
“I want to talk to you.”
I paused, then slowly turned back around to face him, folding my arms over my chest and cocking one eyebrow at him in a look that clearly said: Then talk.
Lord Garrick glanced at my empty hands, then jerked his head toward the small table in the corner.
“Pick up your notepad.”
I walked over to the table, picked up the notepad and charcoal pencil, and stood waiting, my eyes fixed on his face.
Lord Garrick took a step closer, his dark green eyes searching my expression.
“I want to talk to you about what happened yesterday, at the western wall. When the rage took over me, I was going to kill that guard,” he said plainly, without any hint of shame or apology.
“If you hadn’t been there, if you hadn’t come out to the breach, I would have done something much worse to him. I couldn’t stop myself. I haven’t been able to stop my wolf like that in years.”
He paused, his jaw tightening as he seemed to struggle with the words.
“When you touched me… when you placed your hand on my chest, the rage vanished. You saw what you did. You calmed me in a way that nothing else has ever done.”
I frowned, wondering where he was going with this.
“I want to propose a term between us,” Garrick continued, taking another step toward me until there were only a few feet separating us.
“That is partly why I arranged for you to move into these quarters today, closer to my own rooms. We need to be close to each other. If my wolf loses control again, or if the threat to this territory grows, I need you nearby.”
I stared at him for a moment, letting his words sink in.
He wanted to use me as a leash for his wild wolf.
He wanted me nearby so I could keep him sane.
I lifted the charcoal pencil, wrote one short line across the white page, and turned the pad toward him.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
He didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he closed the distance between us in one long stride, and before I could move back, he raised his hand and placed his fingers firmly underneath my chin, tilting my head up.
The moment his skin touched mine, a violent twang from our mate bond snapped through my veins.
A sudden heat that rushed from the tip of my chin straight down to my toes.
I stared up into his green eyes, completely trapped by his gaze.
All the chaotic, terrifying thoughts that had been spinning in my head since I woke up this morning suddenly fell away.
Being in this strange body, in this strange house, I felt more grounded in that single second than I had ever.
My eyes fell to his lips, and a sudden, shameful heat rose in my chest.
I wanted to kiss him again.
I wanted him to press his mouth against mine just like he had last night, even though I knew it was dangerous, even though I knew I shouldn’t trust him.
Lord Garrick kept his fingers on my chin, his thumb resting gently against my jawline.
“The man you saw when you were listening to my private conversation, his name is Asher. He wants to take you for himself. He belongs to the Umbra Pact, and he knows what an Oracle is worth.”
My heart gave a painful thud against my ribs at the sound of Asher’s name, but I kept my face blank.
I didn’t want him to see the terror that name brought to my soul.
I didn’t let him know that Asher was the monster who had plunged a dagger into my heart and ended my life.
“He wants to drag you away from here,” Garrick continued, his green eyes darkening with fierce anger.
“And I can only imagine the horrors that will be inflicted on you if you are taken away from this house. If the Shadowwalkers or the Luphiran Court get their hands on you, you will be nothing more than a tool to be used and discarded.”
He leaned down slightly, his face inches from mine.
“You are my mate, Selah. Whatever else happens, whatever political games anyone tries to play, I will do everything in my power to see you safe. Nobody will touch you. That is what’s in it for you.”
So, he was offering me protection in exchange for proximity.
I carefully pulled my chin away from his grip, stepping back just enough to write on my notepad again, scribbling the letters fast, then held it up to his chest.
I WILL DO THIS ON MY TERMS, NOT YOURS.
Lord Garrick looked down at the paper, then looked back up into my eyes, a rare trace of approval crossing his strict features.
“That’s totally fair,” he said softly.
Then he stepped even closer, his eyes dropping to my lips.
“It’s been getting harder and harder to stay away from you,” he murmured.
“Every hour you’re near me, the bond pulls harder. We might as well make good use of the opportunity.”
Before I could process his words, he leaned down and captured my mouth with his.
This wasn’t like the short kiss from yesterday.
This was completely overwhelming.
The moment his lips pressed against mine, desire crashed through my entire body.
Lord Garrick reached up and tangled his long fingers into the hair at the back of my head, holding me firmly in place as he deepened the kiss.
My breath caught in my throat, and without even thinking, my hands rose on their own, my fingers wrapping around the back of his neck and pulling him closer to me.
The instant my palm made contact with the bare skin of his neck, I felt a violent tremor run straight through his body.
Garrick flinched sharply under my touch, letting out a low sigh that vibrated right against my lips.
All the tension in his shoulders seemed to snap, his heavy body relaxing into me.
He pulled me tighter against his chest, his mouth moving against mine with a desperate, hungry passion that made my knees feel weak.
He kissed me like a dying man reaching for water, like he wanted to strip away every barrier between us and take everything I had to give.
I didn’t know what to do.
My eyes were squeezed tightly shut as the sensation threatened to consume me.
My heart ached in a way I had never felt before, not the sharp pain of betrayal I had felt with Asher, but an ache of desire, confusing my mind and making me forget who I was, where I was, and why I was supposed to be guarding my heart.
The kiss went on and on, sweeping us both away into the heat of the bond.
Then all of a sudden, the warmth pressing against me vanished.
A faint breeze brushed against my hot face and lips.
I opened my eyes slowly, dazed and trembling, expecting to see Garrick standing right in front of me.
But the space before me was completely empty.
The door to the room was hanging wide open, swinging softly on its hinges.
Lord Garrick was gone.
Garrick getting jealous of his own wolf might be my favorite thing I’ve written.
Do you think this bond is just his wolf, or something more?
Tell me below.