Jasper

Phoenix's POV: 1 year after leaving home 

Jasper showed up at the river, seeking me six months ago.

I wasn't exactly kind to him, but he was persistent.

Very persistent.

He showed up at my camp every day. When I got back after hunting my dinner, I sometimes wondered how long he had been sitting there. 

He was the most patient person I had ever met. He didn't pry or ask many questions if he could tell it made me uncomfortable.

I could tell he felt our bond, but I didn't know exactly how it would feel for him since he wasn't a wolf. After a month of stopping by each day just chatting about our lives and childhoods, he finally mustered up the courage to ask me about my internal flame.

I had originally thought he had the same gift as me, but his gift was much different. He could manipulate the air around him, which allowed him to stoke the coals and start the fire that first day. 

Once I explained how I recognized my power and that it was set off by intense emotions, he explained that's often how powers are woken up but that they can always be controlled with enough dedication and practice.

He spent the following two months helping me daily with my internal flame. He was a great teacher and honestly, I just enjoyed being around him. It brought me comfort that I hadn't realized I needed.

We made small physical contact, such as high fives for every victory in my progress and sometimes the occasional hug goodbye.

I was thankful that he couldn't smell my arousal every time he was around, especially the way my panties were instantly wet anytime we did share any moments of physical contact. 

By the end of the two months, my internal flame was so powerful and completely under my control. I could heat up an entire ocean if I wanted to.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but you get what I mean.

We played around a lot with our powers together. Every time we connected with our magic, I could feel a little piece of him within myself, he later told me he had felt the same way. 

We floated tiny fire tornados across the river, created little fire clouds that rained down ash around my camp, and we often battled to see if he could manipulate the air to keep the fire out while I challenged him by trying to keep the fire going.

I found myself laughing more often and looking forward to him showing up. I was no longer the scared girl who had run away from home, desperately seeking answers to who I was.

I was a powerful, magical wolf who loved herself, every piece, even the ones I didn't know yet. 

Three more months had passed, marking an entire year since I left home and six months of knowing this gorgeous and insanely compassionate man.

In that time frame, I had discovered a few more "gifts" that Jasper continued to help me with. Essentially, I could put thoughts into people's minds. It was kind of like mind linking but I could mind link with anyone I wanted.

The twist was that I could manipulate that link, causing the person to think that they had the thought themselves.

Don't even ask how we figured out the twist to the gift; I'll say that my face had never been redder than at that moment.

I wasn't insanely comfortable with this gift as it felt very intrusive, but he reassured me that I had the ability to use it when I felt necessary, and there might be a day that I needed to use it. He always knew just what to say, and if I hadn't known any better, he knew his touch always calmed me due to our fated bond. 

This tall, manly god-like person let me use him like a play toy just to gain control of my ability. I was falling for this man, bond or not.

We set up a strategic plan: I would manipulate a thought into his mind twice during our meetups. Before he left, he would tell me if he recognized the manipulation in his mind and how he could tell.

After a month of doing this, I could fully manipulate two thoughts into his mind in the hours we spent together and retract them as if they were never there just as easily. 

Nat was a complete maniac during these six months.

She was so horny and lustful I could barely contain her.

His effect on her was just as heated as my own, but my strength was now so much stronger that I could control it, much to her dismay.

You could call it stubbornness, but I didn't want to be with someone just because of a bond. It felt like my free will was stripped, and I needed to know that the human part of me wanted him, too.

Damn it, she definitely did. 

Raphael's POV: 2 years after Phoenix left

It was decided in my mind. Atti wasn't exactly on board, but we were rejecting this "mate" of ours.

She abandoned us.

She never looked back once when she left. She left us with a gaping hole in our heart that we couldn't repair or fill.

I thought she just needed time, but it was now clear that she didn't care. She was out fucking someone else. 

"Alpha, I found her. I know where she is!" My heart sank at the words Noah spoke to me.

"She is in one of the Eastern territories!" He exclaimed while out of breath.

Interesting. I had reached out to every pack and coven in the Eastern area. None of them had spotted Phoenix. It didn't add up. 

"How do you know?" I didn't really ask; I demanded the answer from him.

My Alpha aura made even those outside the tent whimper. Noah never seemed to be affected by this.

I have always found that weird since even humans are affected by it.

He stood there catching his breath as if he had run to me as his life depended on it.

I couldn't tell him I had planned to reject my mate's bond yet. 

"The Chilila Trees. They're unmistakable. I saw the pink leaves outside the place she was in. It was definitely her. Her necklace... it's been blocking my visions. The second she put it back on, I couldn't see anything outside her anymore." He spoke with desperation, and the desperation to have her also sank in with me.

Atti was excited at the news, but it broke me. My heart felt shattered and torn.

I collected myself and remained with my decision.

She was no longer our mate.

Atti growled at me before I pushed him down. 

'Enough,' I growled inwardly. 

Based on the information he gave me; I knew that there was only a 500-mile span of woods that Phoenix could be in.

"There's one small pack territory and two united covens in the area she could be in. We will leave in one hour. Let Jo know. We will need 50 of our best warriors to travel with us." I guess we're finally off to find my mate.

Let's get this over with, I thought to myself as I began packing my belongings.