The Lycan King.
Oh, God. Or Moon Goddess. Or who-the-fuck-ever deity is up there.
I’ve been wandering through the woods with the most dangerous shifter alive, treating him like some kind of pet. Telling him my pathetic life story.
My knees threaten to give out again, but his grip keeps me upright. The forest spins around me as the full weight of my situation crashes down.
I’m alone in the dark with the wolf king who supposedly murdered his last mate-
A soft whine cuts through my panicked mental gibberish, and I blink rapidly at the glowing black wolf standing next to the strange man, poking his wet nose against my arm, where it’s gripped so tightly I’m positive blood flow has stopped.
Okay. Backtrack. Wolf is still there. So, not the Lycan King? Maybe a rogue. Rogue king? Do those exist? Or maybe a serial kille-
Pain shoots through my arm as he shakes me hard, growling some question at me. A shriek tears from my throat, echoing through the trees. The sound startles even me-high, piercing, full of raw terror. Like I’m being actively murdered.
Panicked self-preservation has arrived. A little late, but better than never, I guess.
The massive wolf’s growl vibrates through my bones. Before I can blink, he rams his shoulder into the man’s side. The impact knocks his iron grip loose, and I stumble backward.
My feet move before my brain catches up.
I turn and run.
“What the fuck, Fenris?”
His enraged voice carries through the trees, spurring me faster. My lungs burn. Roots and fallen branches grab at my feet, but terror keeps me upright and pure luck keeps me from spraining my ankle.
The darkness swallows me whole. Without the wolf’s ethereal glow, I can barely see where I’m going. My hands stretch out in front of me, batting away branches before they can take out my eyes.
Thorns tear at my clothes. Every obstacle threatens to send me sprawling, and at least one sends a shooting pain through my ankle, leaving me with a limp.
But I keep going. I can’t slow down.
The Lycan King (maybe). I just ran from the Lycan King (maybe). Or he’s a serial killer. Or something.
Oh God, oh God, oh God.
A heavy weight explodes against my back, and my consciousness decides then and there to give up.
CAINE
My wolf’s glower burns into my back as I finish tying his little human obsession’s hands together.
“Will you stop that? I’m not going to hurt her.”
Not yet, anyway. Or maybe ever.
“She was running away.”
“Yes, and isn’t that interesting?”
Grunting, I push myself off the ground, stretching my back. My entire body’s sore from sparring, and I just had to chase my wolf’s little rabbit through the woods for no reason at all.
I wasn’t even trying to scare her. She just ran for no reason.
Fenris scoffs.
“You know what effect you have on others. You should have treated her more gently. She’s going to hurt when she wakes up.”
One little tackle to the ground and she even lost consciousness. She’s pathetically weak, and the faint prick of guilt against my conscience is unwelcome.
“Not my problem, Fenris. We agreed you would stay away from her until I finished my investigation.”
To his credit, Fenris doesn’t argue, instead padding over to rub his head all over the human girl.
Her obnoxious blueberry muffin scent wafts through the air, and I grimace. It’s mixed with the scent of other wolves, one stands out stronger than the rest. My skin crawls and tightens, and I tell myself it’s because human scents should never mix with wolves.
“We’ll have to find a place to put her until tomorrow.”
A distinct sense of disapproval emanates from my bond with Fenris, but I ignore it.
“Just keep her with us. Is that so hard?”
“Stop it. You know the restrictions. I’m only here to investigate why they hid her existence and brought a human into a Mate Hunt. This is Brax’s second time flaunting law.”
Fenris scoffs.
“You would be hard-pressed to find a pack who hasn’t broken this one. Humans are historically desirable.”
“Humans are weak, and bringing them into any pack is considered kidnapping under international laws-“
“Only if they don’t like it.”
My eyes narrow as I stare down my wolf.
“This investigation will proceed lawfully. Get your obsession under control, Fenris. Humans only bring trouble to a pack. And stop marking her.”
My voice comes out rougher than intended as Fenris continues rubbing his massive head over the girl’s unconscious form.
“You’re acting like a pup with a new toy.”
“Her scent is tainted with other wolves.”
“And that’s none of our concern.”
The words are like rotten blood in my mouth as I get another whiff of the foreign wolf scents clinging to her skin. The one is particularly strong, and I want to scrub her skin raw until it’s gone. My jaw clenches.
“Back off.”
“Make me.”
The girl’s sweet scent floods my nostrils-warm blueberries and fresh-baked muffins. Nauseatingly sweet. Artificial. Wrong. My body responds anyway, and I blame Fenris’s obsession seeping through our bond.
I nudge her hip with my boot. No response, she’s still out cold.
“Gentle,”
Fenris growls.
“Shut up.”
My fingers curl into fists as another wave of that possessive wolf scent hits me. Someone’s been all over her, marking her like she’s his territory. It’s fresh.
“Now who’s obsessing?”
“It’s your fault. You won’t shut up about her.”
I grab her arm, hauling her over my shoulder. Her body molds against mine, soft and warm. I have to ignore how perfect her body feels, but blood rushes against my will.
“We’ll just keep her somewhere secure until tomorrow.”
“You feel it too. There’s only one explanation for this pull.”
“Enough.”
My tattoos burn with warning.
“She’s nothing but a legal headache. Focus on the investigation.”
Fenris disappears, and my tattoos grow warm. There’s always something missing inside of me when he manifests into his separate form, when he returns, the connection between us is stronger. Sharper.
Each step jostles her body against mine. Her curves press into my shoulder, soft and warm. Blood rushes south with a vengeance, and I bite back a curse.
“Fuck.”
Having trouble? Fenris’s smug satisfaction bleeds through our bond.
“Shut up.”
Her scent wraps around me with each movement. My fingers dig into her thigh to keep her steady. Another step, another shift of her body. My jaw clenches, and I use my other hand to stabilize her at the waist. And if a few of my fingers dig a little lower, into the soft flesh of her ass-it’s an unavoidable accident, that’s all.
You could always carry her properly.
“Not happening.”
Your loss. Though I must say, your struggle is entertaining.
“We know nothing about this girl or why she’s out here. For all we know, she could be a spy.”
A spy? Fenris’s mental laugh echoes through my skull. She’s been outcasted. Can’t you see she’s the victim here?
Her body slides against mine again. I adjust my grip, sliding my hand a little higher up her thigh. It’s just to keep her steady, to limit her bouncing around up there. Nothing more.
“An outcast wouldn’t reek of another wolf’s claim.”
Fenris goes quiet. The silence stretches, heavy with something dark and possessive.
It doesn’t matter who thinks they have a claim on her. His voice turns eerily mild. She’s ours now.
A dark chuckle escapes my throat, his true self is finally bleeding out.
“What do you think she’ll do when she realizes you aren’t a sweet little puppy?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.