Unchained

Chapter Twenty

With a short yelp, she plunged into neck high water, causing her mate to scramble after her, peering down into the clear watered stream. He looked down at his pale skinned mate with confusion as she bounced around in the water with childlike excitement. Romulus couldn't say he had ever seen a wolf that enjoyed swimming as much the wolf below him, his lovely mate. She was a such a mystery, one that was impossible to unravel, Lym was contradicting his beliefs on her. He had always held a high regard for his elusive mate after she managed to slip through his fingers for a year and a half. Not many could say they escaped the Alpha King.

There was a part of himself that held her at a distance, wary of her. The knowledge of her killings and actions always lingered in the back of his mind, yet he was in a haze of love though the female never acknowledged him. It was hard for him to see the bad in the playful femme below him, seeing that mischievous gleam sparkle clear in her eyes, he silently wished it would stay forever.

§

After Lym had indulged in a bit of fun, her cold exterior returned, even worse than before. She could barely tolerate the smallest of things, the distant sounds of the patrolling Enforcers drove her nuts. The need to have her own territory was clawing at her insides, the yearning to be understood grew worse.

                It had been hours since her little swim in the creek and thirty minutes since her mate went off to goddess-knows-where. All she wanted to do was to run until she collapsed, with no consequences. A wolfish grin spread across her human face, her eyes glowed with the presence of her wolf dropping in on her thoughts.

                 What's holding you back, Lymmie? Her wolf whispered to her.

              Though annoyed with her presence, Lym saw she made a good point. There was nothing that kept her grounded to the castle grounds. Sure there was the mate bond, but it was near nonexistent, she didn't feel it save for the few sparks that sizzled when they were close together. She just wanted to escape for a few weeks.

              So that's what she did.

                                          §

              Romulus had entered the clearing, the unofficial site of his mate. If she was ever sought out by anyone but him, they knew she'd be there or near by in the forest. He had went hunting for a rabbit, as a present for his mate, but it had soon been forgotten when he couldn't scent her.

                The smell of her, earth and cinnamon, was stale, crisp. Old. A small wave of panic overcame him.

She might just be out hunting. Or is in the castle.

He told himself. But he knew deep inside she was gone. The thread of the mate bond was stretched to near nonexistent, pain pulled his heart into is barbed grasp, his breathing became erratic with sorrow.

He had tried everything to make her happy, given her everything a femme could ever want, a nice home, many clothes, jewelry, anything she wanted he would have given it to her, yet she had rejected everything. So he had resorted to giving her space, but kept her in view, holding out hope that she cared for him, even if it was barely a fraction of what he felt for her.