“This is your final chance,” Alec said. “Break the bond.”
“Tyler, you don’t have a choice,” Kyle said. “Do the right thing.”
Tyler’s wolf stared at the two males for a moment. I held my breath, unsure of what was going to happen. I wanted Tyler to pay for all he’d done to me, but the most important thing was that the bond between us be eliminated. If he got to walk away from this, but I was free of him, I would be okay. Maybe.
Tyler’s wolf bared his teeth. He didn’t seem to like the idea of breaking the bond.
“Tyler, don’t,” Kyle warned.
The wolf charged forward and Malcom raced forward, knocking Tyler to the ground. Tyler’s wolf snapped at him, digging his teeth into Malcom's wolf’s shoulder. Malcom yelped but quickly broke free.
Kyle, still in human form, lunged forward and pushed Tyler’s wolf. This time, when he went over the edge, nobody caught him.
I turned away, not wanting to watch him fall to his death. The seconds felt like hours, but I felt the moment he took his last breath.
I collapsed to the ground, exhaustion and emptiness spreading through me where the mating bond had once existed.
Sheila wrapped her arms around me. “It’s going to be okay now.”
I nodded, unable to speak. This was what I wanted, and Tyler deserved everything he got. He didn’t deserve the kindness my friends offered him with one last chance to break the bond, yet they’d given it to him and he chose death.
“Let’s head back and find some clothes,” Sheila suggested as she released me from her embrace.
I stood and looked around at my friends. Everyone was back in human form. All of us were covered in dirt and couldn’t hide the fact that we’d just been through hell. I could sense their concern and their sympathy mixed with relief. My bond with Tyler was finally gone for good.
For a fleeting moment, my wolf mourned the loss of her mate. It didn’t last long, though. Alec approached and my heart raced at the sight of him. The two of us had been through so much and there was no doubt we had a connection.
Even now, as I should be feeling the pain of Tyler’s loss, all I could think about was Alec. It was consuming and intense, a strange overreaction perhaps to the trauma we’d just faced. Typically, after shifting, there was a desire for sex. This wasn’t the same thing. I didn’t want to hop in bed with Alec, I wanted to connect with him. It had to be the after effect of the trauma.
Alec stopped in front of me and his gorgeous eyes found mine. We stared at each other for several breaths, and then he tangled his hand into my hair, guiding my face closer to his as he leaned closer to me.
Our lips met in an explosion of fire and passion. The sensation of being truly and fully alive spread through me, my whole body alight with possibility. Every inch of me was tingling, my emotions escalating to impossible levels.
I could feel it. All of it. Him, me, us. My heart felt like it might explode from the sheer joy of connecting with him. The other half of my soul.
When he pulled away from the kiss, I gasped as the realization hit me.
Alec wasn’t just some guy I was interested in. He was my mate.