Intended Bondmates

by D. Lieber

Overview

A supernatural bond. A heartrending betrayal. Can a werewolf guardian resist forbidden urges before she loses everything?

Werewolf Runa was raised with one purpose: to protect her chosen faeling from bloodthirsty vampires. But when tragedy shattered her plans, she was forced to protect a different fae, Mikhail, who makes her every day a living hell.

Konner was gutted by Runa's betrayal. Despite needing a werewolf's protection before his fae magic awakens, he refuses to accept any other bondmate, even if it could cost him a painful and terrifying death.

When Mikhail throws her away, she's desperate. If she can't complete her rite, she will be banished from everything she has ever known. Her only chance is if Konner accepts her bond.

But returning to her intended bondmate becomes much more complicated when forbidden thoughts and urges arise within her. Giving in would cost Konner his magic, Runa her place in the pack, or worse: both their lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781732832374
Publisher:	Ink & Magick
Publication date:	05/01/2019
Series:	Intended Fates Trilogy , #1
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.64(d)

About the Author

D. Lieber writes stories she wants to read. Her love of the worlds of fiction led her to earn a Bachelor's in English from Wright State University. When she isn't reading or writing, she is probably hiking, crafting, watching anime, Bollywood, Korean television or classic movies. She may also be getting her geek on while planning her next cosplay with friends. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband (John), retired guide dog (Samwise) and cat (Yin).

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

"Wake up!" Mikhail demanded at the foot of my bed as he kicked me awake.

I cracked my sleep-crusted lids and peeked at him. He was pristine as always. His golden hair was artfully arranged, and he wore black trousers with a black waistcoat over a white shirt. His tie was the same color as his fiery-blue eyes, which squinted at me.

I didn't need the bond to tell he was irritated I wasn't already on my feet. I turned my head to look out the dingy curtains.

"It's still dark." I yawned and rolled out of bed.

He turned his back to my half-clothed state.

"Of course it is still dark. Father and Mother would never allow us to leave if they knew where we are going," he chided like it was obvious.

"And where is that?" I asked, rubbing my eyes as I scouted my bedroom floor for a decently clean pair of pants.

He grumbled under his breath about having a useless bondmate and then sighed. "We are going to the Wolf Council. I wrote to them a while ago to request we be unbound early, and they have granted us an audience."

The shoe I was about to pull on thumped to the floor as it slipped through my fingers. Mikhail looked over his shoulder at the sound.

"Mikhail, I know we aren't well-matched bondmates, but it isn't that long before your awakening. Can't you hold out until then?" I pleaded.

"I have been forced to suffer your presence far longer than I have patience for. I am lucky I could even find a worthy mate like Colleen with your low-class stench surrounding me like a cloud of noxious gas. You will accompany me to the Wolf Council and agree to be unbound from me as soon as they will allow."

As his words slashed into me, I barely felt the pain. I'd long become familiar with their sting over the last thirteen years. I stifled a sigh, resigning myself to his will as I finished dressing.

"And pack a bag. I doubt you will be returning," he ordered.

I filled my rucksack with my small supply of clothes and shouldered it. It was packed so tight I couldn't fit anything else. I even had to leave behind my hairbrush and toothbrush.

We exited the dark, quiet mansion via the servants' entrance and walked softly through the complex to the depot. The conductor waited for us inside the large, wooden structure.

"Thank you for meeting us so early. Can I rely on your discretion?" Mikhail asked the conductor.

"Of course, Sir," he assured. He motioned us into the transportation circle and asked, "Where to?"

"Lupine City Hall," Mikhail told him.

He nodded and began whispering the spell. As the soft command flowed from his lips, the circle started to glow with yellow light. There was a blinding flash, and we stood in another circle in another depot.

As we exited the depot amongst a crowd of morning commuters, it was obvious we were no longer on his family's estate. The solid stone structures of Lupine City were a far cry from the picturesque architecture of his family complex. Dawn was just lighting the eastern horizon as we approached the imposing edifice that was Lupine City Hall.

Our footsteps echoed off the marble floors and walls of the entrance hall. Many archways led to other rooms, and there was a marble staircase to the right.

"How may I help you?" a receptionist asked from behind a desk to the left of the entrance.

"We have an audience with the Wolf Council this morning," Mikhail explained.

"Runa and Mikhail?" the receptionist asked after consulting a schedule book.

I felt my jaw tighten as Mikhail's irritation shot through the bond. He nodded at the receptionist.

He can't stand that they put my name first.

The receptionist gave us directions to the council chambers and told us to wait until we were called. We climbed the marble staircase and took a seat outside a set of huge, polished wooden doors. I slouched beside Mikhail on the stone bench. He squinted his displeasure at my posture, although he kept his criticism to himself for once. As if I need him to rebuke me aloud to know how he's feeling. I sighed and tried not to think too much, but my mind flew off in multiple directions.

Why is Mikhail doing this now? What's going to happen to me? I have always known he resented me for Isla's death. It's not like I really wanted to be bound with him either, but what else could I have done in that situation? I was young and impressionable, not to mention grief-stricken and scared. At least I can say I tried to be a good bondmate to him. Where can I go if they agree to unbind us? My pack won't allow me to return a failure.

A no-nonsense young man interrupted my thoughts when he'd opened the chamber doors and called, "Runa and Mikhail?"

My pulse quickened with Mikhail's resurfaced irritation. We stood and stepped forward.

The man met my eyes with disapproval and motioned to us. We followed him inside, and he took a seat near a long table, readying to take notes. The table was occupied by thirteen alphas in human form, one from each of the thirteen families. Two court security officers in wolf form stood guard by the door we had entered.

Three chairs faced the table. My pack's alpha sat in the chair to the left. I hadn't seen her in thirteen years, but I would recognize her presence anywhere. She turned her amber eyes on me when I'd reached her, and I immediately dropped to my knees and bowed my head.

She patted my head as she said my name. I glanced up, and her eyes softened with pity.

Mikhail, on the other hand, looked on in shock. His mouth hung open at my show of respect. I've never shown him such respectful obedience. All he ever got was resignation.

Mikhail and I each took a seat. I resisted the urge to fidget under the oppressive stares of the alphas as I awaited my fate.

"Runa of the Mountain Meadows Clan, you were called here at the request of your bondmate, who wishes to be unbound before his awakening. Do you have anything to say?" the alpha in the middle asked.

"As always, I will bend to my faeling's will in all ways that will not compromise his safety," I responded.

The alpha nodded and turned to Mikhail.

"Mikhail of the noble house Azure, why have you requested to be unbound from Runa? Are you not to awaken in three months?"

Mikhail rose to address the council, and I ducked my head at the disrespect. Soft growls from the court security officers behind us told him to sit down. He complied smoothly and spoke as though nothing had happened.

"Honorable alphas, I submitted this request over a year ago. In my opinion, Runa and I are poorly-matched. Indeed, she was not even my intended bondmate. She was bound with me in response to tragic circumstances and as a matter of convenience. My parents should have resubmitted my application for a bondmate upon Isla's death rather than binding me with Runa."

"We understand your distress at losing your intended bondmate," an alpha toward the left chimed in. "However, that does not answer why you believe Runa is unfit. Has she not protected you as is her duty?"

"She has protected me from minor threats but has never been tested against our true enemy while bound with me. I am to be mated shortly after my awakening. I fear Runa's presence, since she is not of an equal status, may disrupt these plans."

"Mikhail, we are reluctant to grant a request that would leave you vulnerable to vampire attack so close to your awakening. Would it not be better to wait to break your bond at your awakening? Then, you can realize your full magic and protect yourself. You are aware that as you approach your awakening and your magic ripens, the increased magic in your blood will make your scent stronger and more appetizing to them?" the alpha in the middle cautioned.

Mikhail waved his hand dismissively. "I am well aware. However, my parents' estate has hired wolf guards. I assure you, I am quite safe."

The alphas conferred amongst themselves for a while, and I remained painfully still. After much debate, the center alpha addressed Mikhail. "Very well, we will grant your request."

"Thank you." Mikhail bowed his head from his seat.

"Elva, do you have a proposal for what we should do with Runa?"

My alpha nodded. "It is by no fault of Runa's that she was born to a working-class pack, and even he has admitted that she has done her duty. Before she was bound with Mikhail, she was intended for another faeling of a similar class to ours. I suggest, if the faeling's family is amiable, she be bound with her intended bondmate. It is my understanding he was never bound, and his awakening is also fast approaching."

The council deliberated once more. Eventually, the center alpha said, "Excellent suggestion, Elva. We will dispatch a message to the faeling's family. In the meantime, please escort these two to be unbound."

CHAPTER 2

The thirteen alphas of the Wolf Council dismissed us. Mikhail and I followed Elva out of the council chambers.

Mikhail's slight form bounced with every step, and satisfaction hummed through the bond.

We went downstairs and turned into the first archway on the left. The room we entered had a counter splitting it in two. On our side of the counter, benches were arranged to give visitors a place to rest while they waited. On the far side of the counter, werewolves and fae who worked in the office bustled about their duties. There were not many people in the waiting area. Two other werewolf and faeling pairs waited with their parents to be bound.

I smiled at the children. It was easy to see they were well-matched by how close they sat to each other. One pair even held hands.

I remembered being close like that with Konner. My heart leapt at the prospect of seeing him again. Then, I glanced over at Mikhail, and my hope turned sour. I have failed as a bondmate. Why would Konner want me after all this time?

When we'd been called to the counter, I stood dutifully but moved with heavy feet. Every step was a reminder that I had failed. As instructed, I faced Mikhail and took his hands. Mikhail, what could I have done to prevent this? Why couldn't I make you trust me enough that class didn't matter? I'm sorry I'm not Isla.

As always, the bond from me to him was cold and limp. I couldn't convey my feelings, or he ignored them if I had.

A wolf mystic and a fae priest said the words of unbinding over our joined hands. I felt the thin thread of Mikhail's emotions unbind my heart. The bond's silence left me empty. I started to shiver, my body chilled.

"Are we finished?" Mikhail asked the priest.

He nodded.

"Excellent." He turned his fiery-blue eyes on me. "I hope I never have to see you again." My teeth started to chatter as I watched him stride from the room.

"Elva, what's happening to me?" I managed through numb lips.

The wolf mystic gave her a blanket. She wrapped it around my shoulders and sat me down on a nearby bench. "Unbinding too early can shock your body. Your drive to protect him is strong. You know he cannot yet protect himself."

She approached the counter and returned with steaming tea. "Drink this," she ordered and then left the room.

I sipped the hot liquid slowly. Warmth gradually spread through me, but the emptiness remained.

As I finished the last of the tea, Elva returned. She looked at me closely to determine my condition then smiled. "Good news: the Fireleaf family is happy to welcome you as Konner's bondmate."

Konner still wants me? A strong desire to fill my emptiness with Konner made me throw off the blanket and shoulder my pack. I looked at Elva when she hadn't moved. "Well, when do we leave?"

She chuckled, and I followed her to the depot.

I tried to calm my excitement as Elva told the fae conductor our destination. All I could do was picture Konner's smiling face. His brown hair stuck up as cowlicks disrupted the waves. His five-year-old, brown eyes were so serious when he'd asked me to be his bondmate until his awakening. The memory of his smile at my response had haunted me. It would catch me off-guard at unpredictable times, and I'd be flooded with guilt.

The yellow light flashed, and we stood in a deserted country depot. The dirt road that led to the Fireleaf family farm was packed as though that morning's dew still held the soil together. Our boots made little sound as we hiked down the moistened path.

"You understand this is your last chance? Seeing Konner successfully through his awakening is the only way for you to rejoin the pack. I know your parents would have wanted that. Whatever mistakes were made for Mikhail to request an early unbinding, I hope you have learned from them and will do better with Konner. I want nothing more than for you to complete your rite and return to the pack. Do your best, all right, Pup?"

I bowed my head to Elva and promised to succeed.

By early afternoon, we had reached the Fireleaf farm. The medicinal herbs they grew were just starting to sprout in the spring sun. Fresh green leaves peeked above the roof of the blue farmhouse, and the trees' reaching branches formed a grove for growing plants that needed shade.

A werewolf in human form with black hair and ice-blue eyes answered our knock at the front door. His lips curled back over gleaming white teeth as he glared at me, but his menacing scowl didn't diminish his appeal. Before he could say anything, a faeling with brown hair peeked over his sturdy shoulder.

"Who is it, Rowan?" the faeling asked.

My heart jumped with excitement then plummeted in disappointment when I'd realized the faeling had green eyes.

"The betrayer is here to bind with Konner," Rowan spat, making me flinch.

Elva placed a hand on my shoulder. "Remember what I said, Runa." Then, she left the way we had come.

I cleared my throat and squared my shoulders. "May I speak to Master or Mistress Fireleaf, please?" The green-eyed faeling stepped out from behind Rowan, who tensed but didn't stop him.

"I'm Wilhelm, Konner's younger brother, and you're Runa?"

A memory of a green-eyed faeling following Konner around flashed in my mind. I nodded and tried to smile as Rowan stared daggers at me.

"This is my bondmate, Rowan. My parents are tending to seedlings. They said to make yourself at home. Konner is at the spring. Would you like me to show you the way?" My heart jumped, alarmed that Konner wandered around unprotected.

"Wilhelm," Rowan censured. "Konner said he didn't want to be bothered."

"I thought that was just for us. She's his bondmate. How could she be a bother?"

Rowan snorted.

"Thank you for your help. I remember the way," I said hurriedly.

I turned on my heel and walked around the house. The grove was mostly maple trees. I strode quickly and soundlessly under them, following a well-worn path to a spring.

A man lay on his stomach on a smooth rock at the spring's bank. His hand dangled over the edge, and he gently dipped his fingertips into the clear water. Mussed brown hair played around his pointed ears and splayed over half his face. His forlorn expression as he gazed into the water made my heart sink. I sucked in air to fortify myself.

His sad, brown eyes looked up at the sound and hardened. He stood quickly, yet gracefully, and stared me down.

Unlike Mikhail, Konner had grown to be healthy and strong. His broad shoulders and solid chest only momentarily distracted me from the murder in his eyes.

"Why are you here?" he demanded in a rigid voice.

The warm welcome I'd been expecting shriveled and died.

"I came to protect you until your awakening," I said helplessly.

"I've survived this long without you. What happened? Did your high-born bondmate find out you're a liar and demand an early unbinding?"

I flinched at his words and hung my head. "I thought you wanted me to come," I whispered.

"Why would I want someone who doesn't keep her promises as my bondmate? My parents accepted on my behalf. They didn't even ask me."

Hopelessness overcame me. Filling my emptiness with Konner felt like a foolish dream. Do your best, all right, Pup? Elva's words sounded in my mind. I made a desperate final reach for Konner. I fell to my knees and bowed my head as I would to my alpha.

"I'm sorry, Konner," I said through a lump in my throat. "I never wanted to be bound with Mikhail, but that's no excuse. I should've fought for my promise to you. I have regretted it every day for thirteen years. I'm not asking for forgiveness. But could you find it in your heart to give me a second chance? Please let me protect you until your awakening."

Silence followed my pleading, but I didn't raise my head.

"You're already here. Do what you want," he grudgingly agreed after a while.

I looked up at him gratefully, still on my knees.

He'd been staring at my bowed head and quickly averted his gaze as I met his eyes.

"I can tolerate your presence for five months. Just stay out of my way." His words were harsh, but his tone had softened a little.

"Thank you," I said sincerely.

He turned swiftly and left the grove without another word.

I followed silently, smiling to myself.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Intended Bondmates"
by .
Copyright © 2018 D. Lieber.
Excerpted by permission of Black Rose Writing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

"A tale rich with emotion and sprinkled with surprises, Intended Bondmates held me captive in a wondrous world of fantasy filled with lovable characters."

- Linda G. Hill, author of The Great Dagmaru series

From the Publisher