Page 19 of His Rejected Fated Mate

I pulled into the city hall and found Martin standing at the steps waiting for me. He smiled at me as he waved a cup of coffee. I pulled myself out and headed toward him. I was still a little angry that he hadn’t told me the truth about why he wanted me here, but it was Martin. He’d always been there for me, and I knew I could let it go.

“Morning, Martin.”

“I bought coffee for you.”

I smiled as I reached for the cup. I took a sip and smiled as I soaked in the warmth. “Alright, lead the way.”

“Are you sure you want to go in and see the cauldron? I’m sure there are other ways around this.”

I shook my head, not letting him change my mind. “Nope, now lead the way.”

“Very well. But you are not allowed to touch the cauldron.”

I frowned. “How am I supposed to find out anything if I can’t touch it?”

“I don’t know, but no touching it. We already had a bad experience with it being touched. That’s the only way I’m going to agree.”

I scuffed. “Fine, I won’t touch it.”

We headed inside, and Martin led me toward the meeting room. He opened it, and I found the room empty. He pulled a tapestry aside and revealed a door. We entered and headed downstairs into the basement.

We walked for a while, and I felt a shiver roll over my body. I suddenly could sense the change, and the hair on my body rose.

He paused at a door and popped it open. Inside sat a black cauldron that was bubbling softly. I stepped into the room and felt like someone was pressing down on me. I swallowed as I looked around the room. The room had no windows, and the cauldron was chained to the ground. The space smelled of rotten decay, and the air felt eerie.

I stared at the cauldron, walking closer to it. It didn’t seem special in any way. It was just a simple, black cauldron.

“How long has it been down here?”

“A couple of months.” Martin stood in the doorway, looking sick.

I walked around the cauldron, being sure not to touch it as I moved. I stepped around the chains. “And why is it chained?”

“Precaution.”

“Because it had legs before?” I asked sarcastically.

Martin shrugged. “We just wanted to make sure it didn’t get moved. So, if anyone tries, it’s chained. We’re keeping the packs safer by doing this.”

I rubbed my hands together and bent down. I looked closer into the cauldron. I watched the water inside bubble. The water wasn’t clear, but it wasn’t dirty either. I could see the bottom, and it looked like any other cauldron. But I could feel such a powerful energy coming from within it.

“Does it stop bubbling?”

He shook his head. “No.”

I noted that information. I would need to look up cauldrons and see what I could find. I’d never seen one so large. We had a small one back at the healing center that we used to make potions, but nothing to this extent.

After taking a few notes, I arrived back home in the afternoon with a few books that I’d taken out of the library. I huddled down with a cup of tea on my couch, ready to dig into them. I wanted to find out what was going on. Or at least start to figure something out. The quicker I got an answer, the quicker I could get out of everything.

I heard a knock on my door and set my cup of tea down on the coffee table. I headed over to the door and pulled it open. I froze as I took Troy in.

He offered me a nervous smile, seeming unsure of what to do with his hands. “Hi.”

I crossed my arms. “What are you doing here? How do you even know I live here?”

“Martin told me.”

I sighed. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I knew he would come seeking me out, but I figured it would be longer than forty-eight hours. “What do you want, Troy?”