Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Luca hesitated. “When I become Alpha… would you ever consider being my mate?”
The question landed heavy, and she didn’t know the answer. Her entire future was beyond her reach, and she didn’t know the right move to make. What was best for the pack? For Caidrik? For her?
Luca cleared his throat. “Just think about it. Both you and Taryn are impressive females who’d do an excellent job for the pack.”
That was a kind thing to say.
The mine appeared suddenly through the trees, a dark mouth carved into stone. Rusted beams framed the opening. Snow drifted into the entrance but didn’t soften the blackness inside. “Oh thank God,” Nadia breathed. “We made it.”
“Speak for yourself,” Luca said, straining as he rolled the slab forward. “But yeah.”
They guided it into the opening, and he shoved it inside with a rough push. The stone clattered and bounced, the sound echoing deep and hollow. It soon disappeared into the blackness of the cavern. Then came a heavy boom that shook the ground.
Luca huffed out a breath and dusted off his hands. “That was satisfying.”
Nadia laughed. “Agreed.”
Then the wind shifted. She felt it before she heard it. A change. A tension. “What was that?” she asked.
Luca turned.
A tall figure stepped from behind a tree in green and white clothing that blended perfectly with the forest. He was at least seven feet tall with flowing white hair. “Hey,” he said.
Panic surged through Nadia.
He raised his arm and shot several red darts toward them.
Pain exploded throughout her entire neck.
The world tipped.
Darkness swallowed her before she hit the frozen ground.
Chapter 19
“Put your shirt back on,” Caidrik growled as he stalked out of the cave. Cold hit him hard the second he cleared the rock mouth. Snow whipped sideways, sharp and stinging, driven by a wind that screamed down the mountain. He wiped blood off his hands with a short, irritated swipe and shoved the knife back into the sheath at his boot. The metal scraped as it slid home.
How in the hell were there caves like that in the middle of Washington State?
His body ached with scratches and a few deeper cuts. Stupid wolves.
Taryn hustled after him, still swinging her shirt loosely from one hand. She wore tight jeans and boots, her breath puffing white as she smiled like she’d just stepped out of a cozy lodge instead of a blood-slick cave. She didn’t seem bothered by the cold.
“That cave was nice and warm,” she murmured, glancing back toward the dark opening. “We could’ve stayed longer. Made sure we were… compatible.”
“We’re not,” he said shortly, already moving down the narrow trail. Loose gravel skidded beneath his boots. Pine branches bowed under the weight of fresh snow. His senses stayed wide open, tracking every shift in the wind, every unfamiliar scent. He didn’t want anything to do with her, but he wasn’t about to let her get hurt, either. That wasn’t negotiable.
She laughed softly and closed the distance anyway, her fingers brushing his arm with warmth. He disliked the foreign touch immediately. Annoyance erupted inside him, sharp and unwelcome. “Taryn, come on.”
She grabbed his arm and pulled him around. “Be nice.”
He sucked in frigid air. “I’m not a nice guy.” If he tried to yank the shirt over her head, they’d end up wrestling. Something told him she’d like that. “You’re beautiful, smart, and strong.”
“But?” Her eyes twinkled, and she apparently had no trouble standing half nude in the snow as the moon began to rise.
“I choose Nadia.”
Taryn studied him, losing her smile. “Don’t tell me. You watched over her for a couple of months, studied her, and fell hard?”
That wasn’t exactly how he’d put it, but close enough. “I would’ve left her alone,” he admitted. She deserved better than a killer like him. “But Philip was challenged, and I didn’t see anybody who could protect the pack like I can.”
“So do that.” Taryn stepped closer to him as steam rose from her bare breasts.
He kept his gaze firmly locked on her eyes. “I will, but I want Nadia with me.” If she wanted to be, that was. He didn’t know. Not really. “She’s under my skin. Deeper than I would’ve thought possible, and she’s it for me.” He might as well tell Taryn the truth. She deserved that from him.
Taryn sighed. “What if Nadia doesn’t want to be here?” She swept out a hand toward the beating forest. “I’ve talked to many of the pack members about her, and they all love her. She’s apparently a sweetheart.”
“Yeah, she is,” he agreed softly.
“She’s not an Alpha female, regardless of her lineage,” Taryn said reasonably. “Why would you put her in a position, for life, that wouldn’t make her happy?”
Hearing Taryn speak his own doubts into the world pissed him right off. “She’ll take whatever position I want her to take,” he snapped. Crap. He didn’t mean that. He wanted the female to be happy, even if it was in farmland two territories away.