Read Online Mates in Life and Death by Scarlet Hyacinth - Free Book Online

at them, couldn’t take the look of pity in their
    eyes. “Ash…” Dan began.
    Ash shot to his feet. “I’m going out for a run,” he said.
    Before they could try to stop him, Ash rushed out into the kitchen
    and out the back door. The Rivers’ home was located a short distance
    away from the edge of the town, and it didn’t take long for him to
    reach the forest.
    The warm rays of the sun filtering through the vegetation didn’t
    reach him. He pictured the horrible images Dan painted. He didn’t
    know what exactly happened after Linden’s transformation, but he
    didn’t have to be a genius to guess. Caesar must have been forced to
    kill their mate. Did he blame Dan for the mistakes of his past life?
    Yes, he did.
    He shifted into his wolf form and began to run. Unleashing the
    beast within him always served to purge his frustrations. This time,
    however, it didn’t work. The primal part inside begged to be back
    with its mates, to nuzzle at Dan and Linden’s side, to claim them
    both. Even as his senses detected the scent of rabbit, he ached for
    more delicious prey.
    The feel of another wolf approaching suddenly came to him. His
    instinct recognized the other animal, and Ash could no longer control
    himself. He veered back, his paws carrying him the way he’d come.
    He sensed Dan’s apprehension, but even with that, Dan didn’t stop his
    chase. They met in a small grove and circled around each other,
    tentatively approaching. Dan looked almost afraid, and yet he padded
    forward until he reached Ash’s side. Their snouts touched briefly,
    almost shyly, until at last Dan bared his neck to Ash in a gesture of
    submission.

    Mates in Life and Death
    55
    They shifted back in their human form at the same time. “If you
    ask it of me, I will leave you and Linden be,” Dan said. “I don’t
    deserve either of you.”
    Fear and anger coursed through Ash. “I would never expect or
    want such a thing. Does our bond mean so little to you that you’d cast
    it away like this?”
    Dan shook his head. “I just want you to be happy. And you’re not
    happy. Neither is Linden.” Dan sighed and looked away. “It seems
    like the only one who gained something from our meeting is me, who
    least deserved it.”
    The heavy guilt Dan emanated settled over Ash, and in that
    moment, Ash hated himself for being so unfeeling. He should have
    been there for his mates, not fled like a coward. He should have
    helped them through their dark memories instead of being jealous of
    their shared past. A true mate would help his other half surpass the
    festering wound of self- hatred, not twist the knife further.
    Ash pulled his mate close until their naked bodies came into
    contact. “Don’t say that,” he whispered. “We’ll learn to be happy
    together. Things are difficult now, yes, but we’ll get used to it in
    time.”
    Dan seemed doubtful. “But how can you ever forgive me for what
    I did?”
    Ash hesitated. He recalled his own feelings at meeting Linden, the
    intense desire to touch, claim, and possess. From what he gathered,
    Dan—in his previous life as Caesar—had been with Linden quite a
    while before disaster struck. Could Ash have kept himself in check?
    He doubted it. Could he blame Dan for wanting to be with Linden
    forever? Definitely not.
    They needed to get this out in the open, expose it before the
    wound became infected and damaged them all beyond repair. “What
    happened?”

    56
    Scarlet Hyacinth
    “Linden fell deeper and deeper into the madness with each
    passing day,” Dan said. “I killed him. I asked Valerius to burn down
    our home with us inside.”
    For a few moments, Ash didn’t move and didn’t speak. He
    struggled to breathe, the pain that coursed to him at those words so
    intense it paralyzed him. They sat there, kneeling, staring at each
    other, sharing memories that refused to be forgotten.
    “Ash?” Dan ventured at last. “Are you all right?”
    Ash nodded and struggled to make sense