Fate Stained - Part Two
Chapter 33 - Hours

I was happy that Quinn had taken our advice and went back to the pack house for a rest. We had no idea when this shitstorm was going to hit; so if Quinn insisted on being a part of it then she needed her energy. The part I was not entirely happy about was her refusing to let me stay with her. I understood why she wanted me here at the gates but I knew my wolf would feel a lot less anxious right now if I was by her side.

“She’ll be fine son. Stop stressing, you’re going to wear a crater into the ground”

I stopped pacing at my father’s words and sighed. He was right. Mason was sitting downstairs at the pack house, keeping an eye on things. That was our compromise, much to Quinn’s disgust. I knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to her and due to their father-daughter bond, he would surely feel if anything was wrong.

“I know. She’s stronger than anyone else in this place, but also the one I worry about the most. The thought of anything happening to her or our daughter…”

Dominic’s hand rested gently on my shoulder and he was just about to open his mouth to speak when the air around us began to vibrate and a portal materialised in front of us.

“Here come the cavalry” I muttered.

But instead of the influx of wolves and panthers that I’d been expecting - along with one panther Prince I didn’t particularly want to see - we were shocked with the sight of two headless bodies falling at our feet at the exact same time the familiar and overwhelming sensation of pack bonds being severed tore through our souls.

Gasping for air, both my father and I readied our stances and prepared to shift, thinking that who or whatever had done this would be soon to follow. But instead all that came through the portal, before it vanished, was a long silver sword covered in blood and the heads to match the lifeless bodies.

“What is Goddess’s name?!”

Moira appeared next to us, along with several other wolves that remained on guard at the gates. In the distance I could hear the pained howl of a she-wolf that had just lost her mate and the cries of a mother and father that had lost a son. Even though they weren’t yet witness to this horrible sight, they knew their loved ones were gone - feeling a loss that was immeasurable and hollowing.

“Corey and Jordan” Dominic whispered, “may the Goddess guide them safely to their next chapter”

Closing my eyes, I reached out through the link to Cameron, even though I knew he was too far away to hear me. Nothing. Silence. It didn’t mean anything, just that he was out of range. A small sense of relief hit me when no more severed bonds followed Corey and Jordan’s - our other men were ok, for now.

“Who would do this? Do you think it was—”

“—Darius”

I cut Moira off mid sentence through clenched teeth as I stared down at the sword. The patterns on it - the same as the ones on the basket - stared back up at me with a glistening mockery. This was Yo-Na weaponry. If they hadn’t been killed by Darius’s hand then they’d been killed by his men under his orders.

“We need to go to them!” One of my other wolves growled, his hands already partially shifting into wolf claws as an uncontrolled rage boiled within him.

“No” I answered, “we can’t leave Fern Creek unprotected. We already have too many wolves in the forest, we can’t afford to lose anymore within the walls. Understood?”

A chorus of grunts and mumbles were the only response. My men weren’t happy about the decision but I knew they understood. As much as they wanted to go out and fight with their brothers, they also had family and friends here that needed protection, along with their Luna.

“Moira” I said, turning to face the wolf-doctor, “Please make sure that all elderly, children and women that choose not to fight, are secured in the safe house”

Moira nodded and set off into the body of the compound to round everyone up.

“Father. Make sure that all wolves that are prepared to fight are ready. We don’t know when this battle is going to reach our walls. I want no surprises”

“You got it Alpha”

Quinn POV

“I’m sorry Quinn. I wish it could be different, I really do - but I have a job to do now. Do you understand?”

I stared blankly back at Atropos. She had a job to do; a job that consisted of informing Zeus who my child’s father was so he could immediately sever the bond of my other mate.

“Quinn?”

“Just a moment” I whispered, holding my hand up to silence the Goddess, “Just give me a moment. Please”

Now that I knew who the father was, it was all suddenly becoming very real. All of the unknowns were now knowns. I could picture where we’d be living. I could picture her extended family and the friends that would surround us - day in and day out. I could imagine a beautiful little baby girl with features from both myself and her daddy..

But I didn’t know how I felt about any of it.

This revelation from Atropos changed absolutely everything. Very soon I would only have one mate, one love, one destiny - and very soon one of the loves of my life would have his whole world turned upside down again because of me and would be left a broken, shattered man.

“When?” I asked, looking up to the very quiet deity that stood before me.

“Sorry?”

“When will it happen? When will Zeus sever the bond?”

Atropos cleared her throat and broke eye contact with me. My heart sank instantly and she didn’t really even need to answer. I knew.

“As soon as I tell Zeus, he will sever the bond…immediately. He is furious that it’s been taking so long for me to discover the identity of the father—”

“—Is that why you haven’t come when I’ve called you? Because you didn’t want to know?”

“Partially” Atropos replied, “I have genuinely been very busy too. I wasn’t lying when I said that Zeus was keeping me occupied”

“Is it really as painful as I’ve heard? Could it have adverse affects on the baby?”

Atropos shook her head and sighed. The Goddess’s eyes were sad and for a moment I actually felt bad for her.

“Zeus promises me that it won’t be any more painful than a regular human relationship breakup. Any side affects that would normally come hand in hand with a broken fated mate bond will be erased. Like anything, it will take time for you to move on from it…but rest assured you will. And the baby should be fine. Having your other mate to lean on will help get you through it…”

“Who will help him get through his pain?”

Atropos opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again without a word spoken. Of course that was a question she couldn’t answer. There would be two hearts broken when Zeus made his move but my heart would, just like Atropos said, heal in time - even though the idea was absolutely mind numbing.

“I’m so sorry Quinn. I know this is a lot to get your head around but there isn’t anything I can do. It has to happen”

“Can you do me one favour?” I asked.

The Goddess pursed her lips and sighed.

“I’m not making any promises”

“Can you give me a little more time?”

“Time? Quinn, I—”

“—please. I feel like I owe it to both Kyan and Jayce to explain to them what is going to happen. It’s not fair that I know and they don’t”

“That’s why I didn’t want you to know”

“What, so you were just going to disappear back to wherever you came from to tell Zeus, without giving me any idea of what was about to happen? That’s horrible. I’m sick of secrets and surprises. I’m sick of choices being completely out of my hands. I’m mourning the loss of my mate and I haven’t even lost him yet!”

“Like I said, I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try to give you some time”

I nodded, breathing out slowly, already trying to figure out in my mind how this was all going to work. I just needed a couple of days, maybe we could get all of this crap with Darius and the Point Invictus pack behind us and then I could—

“I’ll try to stall for a couple of hours…but any more than that and Zeus will suspect something—”

Hours?!

“Atropos! I need more—”

The Goddess’s eyes went blank for a moment as her mind appeared to travel somewhere else - then just as quickly she was back and her face fell.

“I’m sorry. I have to go”

With that, the Goddess was gone, leaving me sitting on the edge of my bed. Alone.

My heart sank.

Hours.

Hours.

I’d loved this man for three years. We’d shared so much. So much good and so much bad. The powerful, passionate, euphoric pull of our bond had kept us connected in times when any other relationship would have been destroyed in the storms we’d weathered. But had it all been for nothing?

It was going to break his heart to know this beautiful, strong little girl wasn’t his and then he was going to lose me too.

Hours.

I breathed out again, a little more shaky this time, and my hand crept over my rounded stomach.

“Quinn?”

A familiar voice and a knock at the bedroom door pulled me back into the room, into reality. The sounds and smells that I’d blocked out before all came creeping back in - the curtains to life’s stage reopening for my next act. I swallowed dryly, cleared my throat and licked my lips - trying my hardest to reset.

“Come in”

The door creaked open and my father walked inside. I knew he’d been downstairs and I wondered for a moment wether he’d heard the conversation between Atropos and myself. But when I saw the look on his face, I knew that something else had brought him up here and it had nothing to do with the impending loss of one of my mates.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, “I thought you’d be asleep”

“I’m— I’m fine. What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

“It’s Darius. He made another move”

I jumped up from the bed, my eyes growing wide and sweat instantly beading on my forehead.

“Flynn..Kyan—”

“We don’t know. They are too far away for the link…Wait, didn’t you feel something—?”

I shook my head, impatient that my father wasn’t elaborating.

“Felt what? What are you talking about?”

“Quinn. Two Fern Creek wolves were murdered, a few minutes ago. Dominic just came to tell me”

My heart lurched forward in my chest and I reached out for the bedpost to steady myself. Mason was quick to move, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and sitting me gently down on the bed. Concern was etched in his features as he watched me.

Two wolves. Dead. And No, I hadn’t felt a thing.

“Wh—Who?” I stuttered, my mouth dry and tacky.

“Corey and Jordan”

“Goddess. How?”

“Quinn…I don’t think—”

“HOW?!”

“They were beheaded as they jumped through the portal. A Yo-Na sword…”

My hand moved to cover my mouth and I thought for a moment that I might actually be sick, but thankfully I managed to compose myself. How had I not felt the pack bonds break? I was their Luna and I felt nothing.

“I didn’t feel anything” I whispered, “Nothing”

My father rubbed my back gently, sensing my obvious distress at not only the loss of two of my wolves but of being completely unaware that they’d passed.

“Perhaps it’s to do with the baby? She’s been masking a lot of things to protect herself, maybe the pain of a pack bond breaking is something she isn’t ready for”

My father always knew what to say. And he was probably right. Little did he know that I’d soon be dealing with the loss of a mate bond, not just a pack bond.

“Perhaps” I answered, “But you’ve felt nothing with…Flynn?”

“No, definitely not. Flynn is strong, as is Cameron and Kyanite. They will be fine”

At the mention of Kyanite’s name, my stomach sunk again. There was no one here at Fern Creek that was bonded to him. Onyx went back to Panthera when he did, so she was of no help. If anything were to happen to him in that forest - or if something already had - then who would know?

I stood up from the bed, a new wave of adrenaline giving me the energy and strength I needed to step up and push the nerves to the side.

“Where are you going?” Mason asked hesitantly as I moved passed him towards the door.

“To help my brother and my mate”