Chapter 225

“Daisy, please don’t ask me to shift,” Diana begged. “I must help Mark get through the ritual. He is in agony.”

As much as Diana was hurting, her thoughts were for Mark. It reminded me that not just my happiness was at stake.

“Mark, you must believe me. Completing the ritual will end our pain,” she pleaded. “I’ll always treasure my bond with you. Please don’t spoil the memories I will have of us with violence. There will be another for you someday.”

The priestess realized the danger. “Step back now, and continue to pray with me while I sever the bond,” she ordered Victor.

After he returned to Alex’s side, she turned to me. “Daisy, do you wish this bond to be forever broken?”

“Yes, I do,” I said.

“William, do you wish to be free of this bond also?” the priestess asked.

“Yes!” exploded from his mouth. His upturned features and bulging throat told me he was still struggling with Mark and his own pain. His efforts were impressive.

The priestess took a sharp ritual blade from the leather pack on the altar and put the sharp edge to the cord she had used to bind William and me together.

But she gasped and backed away when William’s body began to buck as Mark almost burst free. William’s flickering half-wolf and half-human face turned upward, and a mighty howl echoed through the room.

I screamed and tried to pull away from him. But the cord held us together. It was too frightening. I had to act before it was too late.

“No. Don’t call me forth, Daisy,” Diana begged. “I can help Mark through this ordeal. And don’t forget, this is William, your friend. He needs our help, too.”

“You are right, Diana,” I said. “I’m being a coward.” I recalled pleasant memories with William and calmed myself. “Mark,” I called through the bond. “Please, listen to Diana. She wants to help you.”

Diana began to try again. “Mark, please listen to me. I know the depth of your pain, but we must allow the priestess to complete the ritual. It is the only thing that will bring relief and peace.”

“I can’t lose you, Diana,” Mark replied. “This ceremony is making my soul feel as if it’s being torn apart.”

“I feel it too. But sometimes things must get worse before they get better,” Diana replied. “You must know that I am going through the same thing. We must allow the priestess to finish before we will feel better.”

“Mark, I command you to stop fighting the ritual,” William demanded. “You are making it worse for us all. Can’t you feel Diana’s anguish?”

William stopped flickering and stood straighter as he chastised his wolf. “If you continue to try to overpower my will, I swear I will remain in human form until my death, and you will never be allowed to run free again.”

A sad howl echoed through my mind as Mark relented.

William calmly spoke to the priestess. “Please continue and break my bond to Daisy.”

The priestess nodded and put the knife’s edge to the leather cord that bound us together.

“As I cut this cord, the bond that ties your hearts, souls, and minds shall be forever severed as if it never existed,” she intoned as she cut through the leather.

When the last of the leather was split, I felt a pop that vibrated through my mind and body, and William and I fell away from each other.

I heard Diana weeping and knew it was done.

“Let us pray to the Goddess and offer her our thanks for seeing us through this difficult situation,” the priestess said before leading us in a somber prayer.

After the last word of the prayer melted into the air, I turned to William.

“I’m okay,” he said. “Mark wants everyone to know he is sorry for his behavior.”

“Well, we certainly understand that he was provoked,” Lily James said. “Let’s go home, William.”

“I’m having breakfast first, Mother,” William insisted. “There is no need to be rude.”

“That’s a wonderful idea. Right this way, William,” Alex told him and led everyone out of the room.

Benson had the cook prepare an impressive breakfast served by two liveried footmen.

Even though the conversation around the table was subdued, the spread of eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles, fruit, yogurt, croissants, and toast was delicious and appreciated by all.

I sat between Alex and Victor and ate heartily. I was ravenous now that the ceremony was over, and I could look forward to the future.

William’s parents were still upset. Lily sipped a cup of tea and made a few passive-aggressive comments that were ignored while his father ate and occasionally glared at Victor.

I understood how they felt, though. They loved their son, and William had been through a lot since my first shift when we discovered the double-mate bond.

But as we finished eating, Lily went too far. “I hope you've learned to stay away from her,” she said as she pointed at me. “Why would she put you through that horrible ordeal? I thought I was going to lose you.”

“The ceremony was my idea, Mother,” William said gently. “It was necessary and no one’s fault.”

Tears came to her eyes. “I can’t sit here and pretend for a moment longer,” Lily said before bolting from her chair and leaving the dining room.

“I’m afraid we must be going, Alex,” Mr. James said. “I apologize for my wife’s behavior.”

“I understand her feelings and hope we can resume our friendship in the future,” Alex replied.

Mr. James hurried after his wife, and William got to his feet as if to follow his father.

He stopped behind my chair before leaving the room and whispered into my ear. “Daisy, may we speak in private for a few moments?”

I couldn’t deny him such a simple request, and I was curious to see if the bond was fully broken between us.

“Of course,” I replied. “Meet me in the living room. I'll be there in a minute.”

A few moments after William left the room, I excused myself and walked to the living room. William was standing near the window, looking at the view of the river valley.

“William, are you alright?” I asked. “I was frightened for you too.”

He turned to me and nodded. “The ceremony was harder than I thought it would be, but I think it worked.”

“Do you feel differently about me?” I asked. I didn’t feel the bond, and Diana no longer reacted to William’s presence, yet I had to be sure.

“I still think you are a smart, strong, and beautiful woman I admire,” he replied. “But I don’t feel the bond any longer.”

He smiled. “In fact, I was thinking about calling Mindy for a date tonight when you walked into the room.”

“Mindy seems nice, and she looked fantastic at the prom. But tell her no more glitter confetti promposals,” I teased.

“I already did,” he chuckled. “I still want to be friends, Daisy …with you and Victor.”

“Absolutely,” I said. I wanted to dance with joy. I had the mate I wanted and kept William as a good friend.

“I’d like you to be at my last football game next week,” he said. “Another recruiter is coming to see me play.”

“Sure,” I replied. “I like to watch football better when you’re playing.” Then I decided to ask him something I had been wondering about.

“I think you should pursue your dream, and you have my support in anything you do,” I said. “But is your dream of playing professional football because you love the game, or is it a way to escape your family’s expectations of you?”

William didn’t answer right away. He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly to give himself a moment to think. “I never thought of that, but truly, either is possible,” he replied. “I promise to think it through before accepting any offers.”

“Is there any chance you could go to college and get your degree before playing professional ball,” I asked. “Maybe you could play on a college team first.”

“That’s also a possibility,” he said. “Two universities offered me football scholarships. It would give me more time to hone my skills while putting them on display for a pro team. What about you? Is college in your future?”

“Definitely, but I want to explore my options to make the best choice,” I replied. “Many more universities will accept me now than when I was Daisy Smith.”

“Hey, what's going on?” Victor said from the doorway. “What are you talking about?”