Page 71 of Wanted By the Wolves
The orgasm Dex gave me didn’t do anything to stem the heat rising in my blood. If anything, it seems to have kick-started my neediness. I squeeze my legs together, my mind replaying the feel of his mouth on me.
My mates already make me insatiable. I can’t imagine how much more I could want them. I can’t wait for Dex and Briggs to take me between them. Or to feel Gage’s knot. I imagine myself between the three, all my mates taking me at once.
Without conscious thought, my hand dips between my legs.The sound of boots in the hall signals the return of my mate, and I tease a circle around my clit in anticipation.
“That was quick,” I purr.
“Not nearly,” a sharp voice growls.
It’s the voice of my nightmares, and I blink, confused by the shadowy figure lurking over me.
“We meet again, troublemaker.”
My nostrils flare, but the king’s scent is missing, covered by the grey ash marking his face and hands.
“I don’t make the same mistake twice.” His cruel lips twitch. “This time, I came prepared for my opponents.”
The grey scent-blocking ash hollows his cheeks and eyes, making him look like a skeleton king. His dark, cruel gaze looks lifeless and devoid of any warmth.
A million questions race in my mind. All the answers break my heart.
My wolf bursts from my skin in a splashing wave as she lunges for the Alpha King’s throat. Before my teeth sink into his jugular, another shadowy figure steps into the doorway and raises a hand. I feel the green sparks before I see them, the electrical current freezing my spine in a burst of pain.
The healer keeps me immobilized while the King slaps on a collar. The moment the metal touches my skin, my wolf yelps, the searing brand forcing her to give me back my skin. It’s a mind-melding combination, the freezing numbness of the dark healer’s magic and the burning fire of the wolfsbane. I fight against it, thrashing in the King’s hold and sinking my teeth into his shoulder.
He throws me onto the wet tile floor. “Stupid bitch. You’ll learn to respect your alpha.”
“You’re not my alpha,” I growl, crawling for the door.
The King grips my ankle, yanking on my leg and flipping me in a harsh move that quakes through me. His ghostly face hovers over me, his lips curled into a cruel snarl.
“I’m your fucking king!” He tugs on the chain connected to the metal collar, painfully yanking me forward. “For weeks I’ve hunted you, biding my time, circling the territory while I conquered the ferals and tested for a way past the wards. I’ve watched from afar. Now, it’s time to claim what’s rightfully mine.”
I should be afraid. Iamterrified for my mates, for myself. If he’s here, then something is very wrong. He means to make good on his original dark promise, which can only bring more suffering. But I don’t fucking care what he thinks he’s owed. I won’t fucking cower for him.
“Even after your worst, you will never own me,” I spit the words. I may be afraid, but I’m also angry at him, at the world, and at how things are.I had forgotten the feral world here in this cabin with my mates, and I resent the king reminding me of it. Why can’t I just be an omega who bonds her pack without the constant threat of death?Is that so hard?
He wraps the chain tighter around his fist, forcing my head to tilt back. “That’s where you’re wrong, omega. I already do.”
His mouth covers mine in a brutal kiss. I bite him until the coppery tang of blood makes me want to choke.The king curses. The back of his hand lands with a resounding smack on my cheek, and I wince at the thudding ache but scramble from his grasp as he backs away, spitting blood.
His dark sidekick steps in, another bolt of his magic immobilizing my spine. The force of this blast is triple the power of the last. Darkness tugs at my vision, and the floor rises to meet me.
Chapter 38
Gage
The sun and moon battle for dominance in the sky. My tongue hangs from my mouth, my wolf panting from our run along the perimeter. Briggs and I are almost finished with the checks, and I’m ready to go back to the cabin with Nova and settle in for the night.
I race around the last stone marking the coming boundary line and follow the snow-packed path to the ancient pine tree. My wolf skids to a halt before the crystal in the ward fencing. The black tourmaline stone sits dark and lifeless. Its usual soft-green glow is missing.
It’s completely drained.
Again.
I backpedal, sniffing the tree's base for scents I might have missed.
Briggs chuffs next to me, clearly anxious.
