Bear with Me (#2, Completed)

43. Smoke And Mirrors

CALLUM

The voice of an angel- my angel- saved me.

Please fight. Please, Cal, I beg you- fight!

Her words, her angst, the despair in her voice were enough to snap Mahon of whatever haze he was in from that damn potion and to come back. Flame's presence alone was everything my bear and I needed to regain our strength. It was like our mate bond, reinforced by her closeness, negated all of the effects of the magic that kept Mahon bound and weak. The very essence of our connection was raging and roaring, demanding that I protected my mate, and I couldn't do that until I had resolved the predicament that I was in as Jade was charging towards me, ready to rip out my throat.

I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Cal. I love you!

Flame's distressed pleas rang in my head, the tears in her tone tugging at every muscle to get up and end this so that I could hold her in my arms again. Rage once again bubbled inside me, menacingly rising to the surface with the promise to obliterate everything in its way, until it erupted in the form of a furious roar: a roar that caused the ground to shake and the eyes of my opponent to widen in fear.

Mate, Mahon mind linked simultaneously, and I had never been happier to hear his voice.

With renewed energy and strength, my bear quickly moved to the side as Jade continued to barrel in our direction, escaping her attack. Now that her efforts to kill me came to no fruition, she stopped and looked at me. The realisation that the potion no longer affected me made her shiver, and I could see her tense, even in her bear form.

You're not too scared to finish what you started, are you, Jade?

She was frozen in her place, eyes wide, struggling to comprehend. Gone was her previous confidence, her ballsiness. She knew- she knew that she had fucked up royally. And there was not going to be a good ending for her.

How... How is this even possible? My opponent stuttered, cowering a little. The potion was meant to bind your bear for days to come. This is impossible!

Sorry to disappoint you, dear, but it looks like your plan didn't work. Now, as you said- let's get this over and done with.

We rose on our hind legs, not wasting any time to begin fighting again. Jade did not give up, I had to give her that, but her small bear was no match for Mahon, not at his full potential. It didn't take long for my bear to take a powerful swipe at Jade's animal, causing her to tumble on the ground, unable to continue. She trembled in fear, undoubtedly worried whether I was going to end her like she had intended to do with me. And I was tempted – just rip her throat out for the betrayal she had committed towards her sleuth and her Alpha.

Yet, I couldn't do it. At the end of the day, she was just a pawn and my only lead to the person behind it all. She certainly deserved to be banished, but I had bigger issues that I had to deal with right now, and finding my mate was one of them.

Callum! Flame's distressed voice echoed through our mind link, bringing me to a halt. I whirled around to look for her, but all I could see was just the celebrating sleuth members who cheered on my victory.

Damn it, she was right there not that long ago. Where had she disappeared?

Then the realisation dawned on me. Shit! The deal, Mahon.

I was supposed to lose the challenge, and that was the opposite of what had just happened. Had that fucking bastard taken her again? Did she escape just to be snatched once more?

Her scent! I can sense it and follow it, my bear retorted.

He didn't even wait for my response and darted through the crowd, both of us in agreement on what needed to be done. The trail, even if mixed with the scents of sleuth members, led us straight to the forest, deeper and deeper, until a chilling sight made my blood curdle- my mate, unconscious on the ground, while Fergus crouched next to her, hovering over Flame like some predator.