Page 66 of His Bullied Fated Mate

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help you. You weren’t exactly yourself when you did it.”

She stepped into the room, and my mind went to what we’d done on the bed. She felt like a safe place that I’d beenwanting my entire life. A person that I could let my walls down and just be.

“So, where do you want to start?”

I felt grateful to have her. She didn’t have to stay. She doesn’t have to be here, but she was. Janella had a perfect reason to leave after what happened, but she didn’t. And I wanted to make her feel what I was feeling. I wanted to be her safe place and someone that she could turn to.

“Lighting a match might be easier.”

She laughed as she bent down. “Tomorrow we can look on the south side of the forest for the cauldron.” She picked up the shredded sheets and gave me a soft smile. It made my heart skip a beat, and I knew I was falling. If I were being honest, I was pretty sure I’d already fallen.

We searched every day and came up empty-handed. The mornings were spent handling the pack's questions and concerns, while the afternoons were spent searching. Janella and I were searching everywhere you could think—abandoned homes, empty wells, and forgotten land. We were in the woods and near ponds. I could see the frustration growing each day we came home without answers.

“I’m not crazy,” she said as we arrived home after another long day of looking. “I know it’s out there.”

“I don't think you're crazy. I might be questioning if it's in our pack, but I don't think you're crazy.”

She sighed as she headed into the living room, where she had some books sitting out. “I just wish I could tell where it was. Or at least have another vision about it. Some clue to help me out.”

“What do the books say?”

She groaned as she sat down on the couch. “Everything and nothing at the same time. If I had better control over my magic, I could probably tell you more.”

I followed after her and stuffed my hands into my pockets. “You managed to calm me when I was in a bad state. I think you need to give yourself some room.”

“That was different.”

“How so?”

“I was using soothing magic. It’s basic, and I wasn’t even sure if it was going to work.”

“And I think you can do it.”

She chewed on her lower lip. “And what if I’m not… strong enough.”

I moved closer, pulling her chin up. “You are. You have dealt with so much in comparison to this. You’ve worked through harder situations.”

She blushed, and I let go of her chin. “Now focus on that. I’ll start dinner.”

Chapter 18 - Janella

I chew on the tip of the pen as I stare at the notes in my notebook. I had mapped out the entire pack and was marking off the areas that we’d looked at and found nothing. There were so many x's on the paper that I was starting to run out of room.

“What ’cha doing?”

I jumped, finding Kyla standing on the other end of the bench. She gave me a soft smile as she tilted her head, staring at me.

“You scared the shit out of me.” I placed my hand over my heart and sighed. “Lord, you damn near gave me a heart attack.”

She laughed as she sat down. “I said your name three times, but I’m going to suspect you were deep in whatever that is.” She waved a hand at my notebook.

I shook my head. “Sorry, I didn't hear you. I’m just deep in thought here, trying to figure this out.”

“Is that your map for the cauldron?”

I had told Kyla about it, hoping she might have a clue where it could be, but she came up empty. She had no idea where I could even look or who she'd thought would have one.

I nodded. “Yeah.”