Filed to story: Mated and Hated by My Brother’s Best Friend Book PDF Free by Anna Campbell
“I didn’t step through,” I whispered.
“I know.”
“I wanted to.”
“I know that too.”
“And I still don’t know if I’m strong enough.”
He tilted his forehead to mine.
“You just proved you are.”
I closed my eyes, tears slipping free.
“I remembered who I was,” I said, “the moment you
His hand moved through my hair. said my name.”
“And I remembered why I never stopped,” he said, “when you didn’t burn me.”
I pulled back slightly, enough to see his face.
“Why did you come?”
“Because even if you turned to ash,” he said softly, “I’d still know how to find you.”
My magic trembled inside me-flickering, afraid, hopeful.
The echo didn’t speak again.
And for once, the fire inside me was quiet.
Because it wasn’t alone.
*Nathaniel*
I don’t remember how long we stayed like that.
Her body pressed against mine, heat bleeding from her skin like aftershock, her breathing shallow but steady. I held her as if the moment I let go, the fire would claim her again. Her magic had quieted-barely. The flames curled low around us like a tired warning, as if her power was watching, waiting for a reason to rise again.
Jiselle didn’t speak right away. She trembled every few breaths, like her body was fighting to stay here, like part of her was still in that gate.
That place.
That name she wouldn’t say yet.
I adjusted my grip and shifted her weight into my lap, easing us both down until I was seated against the stone wall of the chamber, her back against my chest. She didn’t resist. That scared me more than anything.
The Jiselle I knew-before the fire, before the prophecy-would’ve fought me off with a snarl and a glare.
But this version?
This one barely moved.
My hand found hers, and I pressed her fingers between mine, grounding her, grounding me. She didn’t pull away.
That scar inside me-where the bond used to live-flared again. Not like before. Not the sharp pull of rejection or the emptiness of absence.
This was something new.
It ached.
Not because it hurt, but because it wasn’t finished.
I exhaled through clenched teeth. My magic responded, trying to stabilize, to calm-but it only triggered hers. Heat shimmered through her body in a wave so sudden I nearly dropped her.
“Jiselle-“
She hissed, clutching at her chest, her body curling tight. Flames danced over her shoulder blades, but they didn’t lash out -they clung. Like they were afraid too.
I reached for my side, unwrapping the leather sheath instinctively.
The Mirror Fang pulsed through the cloth.
The runes on the blade flared bright enough to burn lines through the leather.
It recognized her.
It recognized me.
And it didn’t like the tether forming between us.
It wanted to cut.
I stared down at it, at the edge humming like it already knew what I was thinking.
Could I do it?
Use the Fang?
Sever the connection before it killed her-or worse, consumed her?
Her body jerked again, flame racing up her spine, out her palms. The scar in my chest howled, sending me to one knee.
I gritted my teeth, wrapped both hands around the hilt.
One motion.
One clean arc.
I could sever the tether.
Save her.
Stop her.
She turned toward me-eyes wild, scared, blazing.
“Don’t,” she choked.
I froze.
Her voice cracked again. “Please. Nate. Don’t.”
I loosened my grip.
But I didn’t drop the blade.
“Your power-” I said.
“I know.” She coughed, barely holding herself upright. “But it’s mine. I won’t let it decide who I am.” “You’re burning from the inside out.”
“I’m still me,” she said, reaching out, hand trembling. “I’m still here. I chose to come back.”
My fingers faltered.
The blade dimmed.
Just slightly.
Enough to let me breathe.
I tucked it back into the sheath, then tossed it across the chamber-far enough that I wouldn’t reach for it again without thinking.
Jiselle collapsed into my arms, panting.
And I held her tighter than before.
Moments passed. I didn’t count them. I just listened to the crackling remnants of her flame, the uneven thud of her heart against mine, and the ghost of my own bond flaring like an echo.
Then I heard footsteps.
I turned fast, hand already halfway to the Fang again before I saw them.
Eva.
Maximus.
And behind them-two of the rogue wolves who had defected with information about Kael’s leyline manipulation. All of them were covered in soot and travel dust, Eva’s braid half-undone, Maximus’s shirt torn at the shoulder.
Eva was the first to drop to her knees beside us.
“Oh gods,” she whispered. “You found her.”
“She found herself,” I said.
Eva’s hands moved gently over Jiselle’s arms, checking for injuries, for burns, for rupture. Her eyes widened when her fingers hovered over Jiselle’s chest.
“She’s tethered again.”
“Something like it,” I said.
Maximus approached slower, more measured. His expression was unreadable, his eyes flicking from me to Jiselle and back again.
“She stable?” he asked.
“No,” I said honestly.
“But she’s here.”
He nodded.
Then his voice dropped. “Kael’s coming.”
My stomach turned.
“How soon?”
“Less than a day. He felt the flare. Your arrival didn’t go unnoticed.”
I stood carefully, Jiselle leaning into me as I pulled her upright.
“We can’t fight him here,” Eva said. “The gate’s too volatile.”
I nodded. “We move underground. Through the tunnels. She needs time.”
“She’ll never get enough time,” Maximus muttered. “Not with what’s coming.”
I didn’t disagree.
But I wasn’t leaving her behind again.
“Go,” I said. “Lead the others. We’ll follow.”
Eva hesitated.
Then kissed Jiselle’s forehead. “We’ll hold the path.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?