Abandoned By My Mate

To be bonded

Yawning, I sank into the soft furs covering the bed my mate and I shared. He still hadn't returned from whatever he was doing to my twisted parents, but I had decided to try not to think about it. The only thing I could really think about was Garren and Esmae.

I had never known a male that had mate rot before. Most of the males I knew were young and hadn't yet found someone and those that had were still happily mated. Rayan had told me about the condition a few years ago when she had bonded with her male.

She had been telling me how worried she was about what would happen if they separated. Rayan then told me about the myth of Masin. A female that had been abused by her mate and was terrified to leave him in case he came after her. She ran to the sacred waters of the mother and begged to be saved.

Our mother heard her cries and punished the male for raising his hand against his mate. He lost control of his lycan and was found torn to shreds next to the scarred female. His blood sullied the water of the mother and as punishment for ruining a sacred land she cursed every male with mate rot. Without a bond they lose their minds. The more powerful a male the sooner it happens.

Pulling up the furs to my chin I grabbed my book, leaning towards the candle so I could see the words better. The clear sky let moonlight stream onto the bed, my eyes drifted away from the page. It had been an exhausting day, but still I couldn't relax. I wanted my male beside me, I wanted to talk to him about his day and tell him about mine.

It's a horrible thing to become so attached to someone who will leave you.

~~~

The bed sank in beside me, cold air kissing my skin before being quickly replaced by a warm body. I took a deep breath, opening my eyes wide in the darkness. The scent of my male engulfed me and I rolled, nuzzling into his cool chest with a happy sigh.

"Hello," He said, kissing the top of my head, "How was spending time with your brother?"

"It was okay," I replied, "We went out to a tavern with Theorn and ran into Garren."

"How was he?" Azrael asked, pulling me onto his chest, "Sanu and Rasen have been worried about him."

"Very drunk," I huffed, "Bryn and Theorn had to carry him back to his house. Rasen thinks Garren is showing signs of mate rot."

"Really?" My male let out a long sigh, his hand coming up to rub my back.

"My older brother is going to be here tomorrow with his mate," I said quickly, his body immediately stiffening beneath me. "Bryn said they changed their minds at the last minute. Henry thought it would be good for her to get a change of scenery."

"Fuck, Aslin," Azrael growled, "I don't know if I can handle any more of your family."

"You'll like Henry," I huffed, craning my neck to look at him, "Besides maybe having Marie here could be helpful to both her and Esmae. None of us actually know what they are going through."

"Are you alright?" He asked softly, his lowered voice raising goosebumps on my skin.

"I will be," I pressed a kiss to his chest, his happy hum lighting up my insides, "Az... What did you do to them? They're still..."

"Alive?" Az laughed, "Don't worry love. I did not kill your parents. I just decided that your brother was right. Since Henry isn't here to punish them for their words I decided I should. So... I did what Bryn said Henry would do."

"You cut out their tongues?" I gasped, watching him smirk at my wide eyes.

"Just the tips," He grinned wickedly, "Don't worry. I took them to Esmae and while horrified she did fix them up. It'll be a few days before they can talk again."