I’m Listening

Zayla

A clearing of throats pulls me out of my pit of self-pity.

“Who is her mate?” I can hear the curiosity ringing clearly in my uncle’s voice.

Walking the rest of the way, I sit right on the edge of the living room, taking in the view in front of me.

My family is all spread out on the couches. My mother and father are on the love seat while my Aunt Milani is sitting with my uncles.

Thackery lies across Aunt Milani’s lap while her hands run softly through his hair.

My Uncle Silas is holding a finger to his lips, tapping them slightly as he works through what my parents have told him so far, while also waiting for my father’s response.

I watch in amusement as my father’s hands fly up in frustration as he racks his brain over the name of my mate, which I’ve told him several times, but in his anger, he’s blanking.

“I don’t know, Silas! Doren, or Toren… Hell, it could be fucking Dorian! I don’t fucking know! All I do know is I’m going to beat his ass for deserting my baby!”

At the sound of his name, Thackery, Silas, and Milani jump up.

At the same time, “Do you mean ~Soren~?” flows out of Milani’s mouth in a panicked squeal.

I can do nothing but watch as a light bulb pops up in his head before confirming that their suspicions are correct, “Yeah, that’s what she said before.”

Then, almost like a scene out of a bad movie, the room goes from stunned panicked silence to erupting with hysterical laughter.

The three of them are cracking up, while my parents just stare at them, confused as all hell.

“Why are you laughing, Silas, this isn’t fucking funny.”

Silas lets out a few more chuckles at my father’s reprimand before asking a question that I myself am curious about: “Do you have any fucking idea who the hell he is?”

“What? Of course not, I’ve never fucking met him, Silas.” My father crosses his arms tightly over his chest, his irritation at the inside joke he’s not part of steaming through the pack bond.

“Oh Lord, Zayn, you poor fucking thing, I’d love nothing more than to put Zayla’s mate in a fucking headlock for not being here, but if her mate is the Soren I know, then…fuck…good fucking luck with that,” my uncle says as more spouts of laughter ring through the living room.

“You can’t die, Silas, you’re like a fucking cockroach.” My dad just rolls his eyes, irritation seeping through every pore.

My uncle just laughs harder.

“Boy, I fucking wish, but if Soren comes after you, you’re going to die. It doesn’t fucking matter who or what you are. So, like I said…good fucking luck with that.”

“Stop being fucking annoying, Silas, and just tell me who the hell he is!”

“Hell being the operative word here.”

Turning his head slowly in my direction, my uncle locks eyes with me, smirking devilishly before quickly looking back at my father.

“Zayla, would you like to tell your father who Soren is?”

As one, they all turn to look at me, my cover officially blown and my eavesdropping cut short. Walking further into the living room and around to an empty chair, I hop up and plop down.

Sighing before answering the question, I say, ~“My mate Soren is the supernatural Horseman of Death.”~

Silas’ eyes light up with humor as my parents’ widen with horror.

Chuckling at their stunned expressions, Silas claps his hands together overenthusiastically.

“I knew you’d have a strong mate, Zayla, but fucking hell, Death himself. Wow!”

I can’t help but puff up at his praise of my mate; pride with who Soren is shines bright behind my eyes.

I love his power. And having people that I love and care about talking about him with admiration makes me feel fucking good.

My moment of ‘yeah bitch, I do have a strong mate’ is cut short by another wave of pain rolling in. Wincing, I try to keep my reaction to a minimum.

Only small whimpers make it from my snout. My mom’s hands run up and down my furred side in a soothing movement.

Once the pain starts easing and my body drops its tense, rigid stance, my Aunt Milani softly gathers our attention.

“You know, it kind of makes sense now.”

~“What does?”~ I say while looking at my mom.

“She wants to know what it does.”

“Well, considering he is not here,” she says while fighting slightly, “I’m assuming he went back to Hell, correct?” Milani says while clearing her throat in another uncomfortable gesture.

Her need to be honest with me is overshadowing her need to comfort me. I can do nothing but just nod my head, but I can see her intentions shining in her eyes.

Mimicking what Silas does when he’s thinking, she taps her pointer finger against her lips. “Well, consider the mate bond is created for this world to bond two souls together for their life on earth…”

“So, in theory, if he went to Hell, then the bond between you would be severed.” Realization dawns on everyone’s face as Silas completes Milani’s thought.

“She’s right! That could be the reason for your pain, Zayla.”

~“It does kind of feel like a bond is forming only to be shredded. It burns so bad, like I’m getting lashed.”~ I link while looking at my dad.

His face is full of worry, then it drops and he tells them what I’ve just said.

“It feels like your bond’s breaking?”

I can’t stop myself from nodding my head overenthusiastically as my family starts putting puzzle pieces together.

“I think that you’re feeling that because while he’s in Hell, the separation from dimensions is severing your bond, but because he’s still alive, the bond between you keeps trying to fix itself.” Thackery’s voice rings clear.

He had been quietly observing up until this point.

Silas nods agreeing, “That means that if our thoughts are correct, then the pain you’re feeling is because your bond is trying to dig its way to Hell.”

He pauses for a minute, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck before taking a deep breath. “Which explains the extreme burning when the bond snaps.”

Another deep sigh escapes from his body, his eyes glancing at his mate for a moment before coming back to me.

“It’s the same feeling a mate gets when their spouse dies.”