Rejected Mate and Following Fate - Awakening Book

"COLTON! COLTON! ....." I yell in the hopes of him hearing me and being close enough to respond, but there's nothing but deathly silence in the eeriness of this green mist. It seems like even the wind around us is captured on the other side of the boundary and we are left standing in an airless stillness that isn't natural. My body shudders involuntarily and I cover my arms with my own palms to comfort the sudden pang of vulnerable that courses through my body. My heart screeching that this is all kinds of wrong.

"What's that, look, there." Meadow points thorough to a slightly less dense patch to our right and we catch sight of a huge dark figure moving across our horizon, getting close to the rune border and yet not coming further. It's almost like they hesitate as they reach the line from fog to clearing.

"Who's there.... who is it?" I call out boldly, feeling nothing of vampires and sensing only wolves nearby. I can feel the presence of my love, somewhere beyond that line, yet he can't seem to interact with me at all.

"Why aren't they answering us?" Meadow steps forward to gaze intently into the wall of emerald smog but she can't see through as it still billows and bombards our magical resistance with an effort to get at us. It's like watching the clouds roll in a thunderstorm and if it wasn't so terrifying, it would be almost mesmerizing.

"Maybe it's dampening sound out there and we can't hear them..... I can feel them, so surely they can feel us too. They're right here and yet not a single one has breached the boundary." I query in confusion.

We both flinch and instinctively step back as a pair of clawed hands come at us through the mist and meet an invisible almost glass like wall. It makes the barrier shudder with a magical spark that travels outwards like a ripple of disturbed water. Enough to startle my heart into pumping like I've been running and we both leap further back and stare in open eyed shock as they come at us a second time to try with more force. The claws bang against it with a violent reverberation, making us both recoil slightly into our own bodies this time and a face appears through the mist pressing to the separation, baring teeth and fueled with rage.

"Cesar?" Meadow frowns at the familiar face of her mate in wolf form, relaxing slightly, even if she seems confused at his behavior and moves to him, but his eyes catch my attention and I grab her by the upper arm and haul her back in panic. Fear gripping my soul and I shake my head dramatically to drive home she should stay back.

"Don't! Look at his eyes..." I nod towards the angry snarling glare of our pack brother and Meadow gasps as her own soft eyes land on the emptiness of his. Where normally his amber eyes would glow, is deep almost endless black, covering every part, including the whites and completely changing his entire appearance. Sheathed in darkness, sending tremors of mistrust through me and I step further back as another wolf makes a break at the wall to my left. The same ripple shuddering between us as they fail to get through and the slight dampening of fog reveals more wolf turned angry kin coming our way.

"They can't get in.... something is wrong with them." I point out as more appear along our invisible line and growls and snarls aimed our way pierce the air, proving sound is not a barrier issue as they spy us standing here. I shudder with a wave of apprehension and back away, hauling Meds with me so we leave a good ten feet gap from the rune line.

"Chica... It's Cole." Meadow drags my attention back to the center with a pointed finger, as the mist begins to thin out enough that those within the first few feet begin to become completely visible. I spot Colton standing only feet from me, tucked behind them, directly facing us, only he's not wolf, he's still human but his claws are extended, and his eyes are the same terrifying abyss of black as Cesar. He's focused straight at me, with a blood curling glare that isn't the Colton I know and love at all. He's a hunter in kill mode, rage pulsating around him, his snarl in place and his teeth beginning to peek. It's obvious that I am his prey. Trembling under his unbreakable and penetrating gaze I shiver and curl my arms around Meadow's arm, feeling instantly vulnerable and unsure what to do. The way he's looking at me makes my blood run cold in my veins.

I'm truly afraid of him in this moment. He looks like him, only

keep our own out. Look at them. They're almost feral and if they could get over here, I think you and I would be brindis" Meadow shudders and reaches out impulsively towards Caesar as he punches a clawed fist at the barrier and roars in rage when he can't get through. There's no denying the anger and aggression seeping from them, that we're what they want, and it's

she notes Colton readying himself to leap at us. He's poised, moving low and setting his sights higher than where the others keep trying to get through. "Wait. I can try something." I gasp in desperation and yank free, turning my attention back to Colton. Pulling my hands together to cage my own palms with my fingers until I feel my energy build into a loose ball, I throw it out wide, like a veil, to part and push the fog into the background of where our mates stand. Trying to clear the air around them in a

as I clear around them completely, and they stand in perfect focus breathing in newly fresh air as I hold my breath and wait. With the immediate ten feet lifted and clear in the morning light we can

A vicious and high leap that sends his full body shuddering into the invisible veil. The entire wall of air in front of us vibrates and ripples horrendously, as though he almost pushed it to its limit. The cascading effects sent out along left and right, like

follow, all aggressively pounding into the magical safety net and clawing, trying to rip through. It's like they are hoping combined force will be enough and my breathing becomes ragged as I freeze in real terror. Afraid they may actually get through, and then

eyes welling up with tears and I glance at Colton, afraid to make eye contact when it hurts this much to see him like this. My heart ripping in two that he's a stranger to me and it's as though all his love and

getting the better of me as a fire rages deep in my belly. Tears pricking my eyes, at this whole situation; my heart breaking

scattered into the forest brush with yelps of shock before they tumble to their feet and snap their heads back to me. My gifts are clearly not bound by the

to see

is not

say something, looking equally afraid given they are some of the males from the village and not from our usual sentinel packs. All our fighters, our warriors, our strongest – they are all out there in the fog with our alpha. We couldn't be in a worse position if we tried. We lost them all in one fell swoop.

the main doorway at speed and zoom straight for Sierra's room, scaling the stairs without

enveloped in mine and the worry and confusion is written all over her delicate face. Right now she doesn't seem like my mother figure, but that she's looking

homestead. What's going on. There are so many awful feelings in the air and noises of wolves howling in the forest" Sierra is pale and trembling and her words catch in her throat almost choking the last ones out as I frown at her. We didn't hear them howl from our side but that means more are behind the stead and around the village border now, where the wind would have kept their calls from us. They must be surrounding the border looking for a way

adult wolves, and Colton, he's with them; they seem different. I think it's some sort of curse or spell or something." I blabber it out almost incoherently as the tears finally scratch my voice and turn my throat hoarse. Meadow is pale and staring out past