Page 35 of The Scent of Seduction

“Disagreement? I’d hardly call this situation something so mundane.”

“I take it you have a much more noble reason, then, for breaking into my home?”

“Give it up, Broyles. We’ve already released your hostages and eliminated your mod squad. It’s time to turn yourself over to the council for the crimes you’ve committed.”

Jaryn really hoped that Mac had taken care of the men who’d run out into the forest after him. He didn’t want any unexpected surprises.

“I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. I’ve provided a home for all kinds of lost souls, out of the goodness of my heart. They were free to leave if they wanted to.”

“Really? That’s why they were being held in cells, and there was a biometric lock on the outside of the barracks?”

“We live in the country. I’m very protective of those under my care. Surely you can understand that, Chaunterel? You live in the wilds of Montana, and I know you take precautions to guard those near you.” Adam stepped into the bedroom, keeping his eyes locked on Jaryn’s. “Even if they belong to another.”

“I assume you talking about Nicole. Funny thing about that. She’s my mate. My true mate. Our love is not some part I tried to coerce her into.” Jaryn took a step towards Broyles. “I guess in a way I really should thank you. If you hadn’t been such a sick fuck, she never would have run and it may have been who knows how long before I found her.”

Adam smirked and took a couple of more steps forward. “Nicole is mine. I’ve already taken steps to ensure that, and there’s nothing you can do to prevent it. How’s she been feeling lately?”

Jaryn’s finger tightened a fraction on the trigger. His hand was steady and his sight never wavered from the pale target of Broyles’ forehead.

“She hasn’t been restless or anything, has she? Hearing voices?” Adam looked out the windows that filled the wall up to the high vaulted ceiling of the bedroom. “The moon is nearly full. I can feel its pull, as I’m sure you can. I bet sweet Nicole is sitting in your home, all tucked in nice and tight, staring up into the sky and wondering why the urge to walk into midnight’s embrace has filled her body.”

Jaryn closed the distance between him and Broyles. One last foot and the barrel of his weapon would create in impression on the son of a bitch’s forehead. “What are you talking about?”

“By now, the results of one of my experiments should be in. You can’t expect me to believe that you never noticed the scar on the back of Nicole’s neck. I wanted Nicole for my own, but how would it look if I, Alpha of the Northwoods, took a mere human as a mate? So, I took the liberty of scheduling Nicole for a minor procedure. It was nothing, really. Some women want a bigger rack, some want a nose job or a little fat sucked away. A little gene therapy magic and presto—I had a bitch for a mate, in the truest sense of the word.”

The growl that emanated from Jaryn’s chest rumbled throughout the room. How dare this monster change a single hair on his mate’s head, let alone alter her genetics to suit his twisted desires? He wanted to deny Broyles’ taunts, but unfortunately, what he said explained a few things. His baby had to be so confused about what was happening inside her. Now that he had answers, he was still helpless to soothe her since he was hundreds of miles away.

“By my calculations, this full moon is the third since her procedure. My scientists predicted it would take this long for her DNA to completely accept the change, and for her beast to emerge.” Adam took the last step, separating him from Jaryn. He leaned into the muzzle of Jaryn’s weapon. “So what are you going to do now, Alpha,” he sneered. “Are you going to shoot me? My men already have Nicole in their possession. My men assured me they have placed the bitch in her cage and are ready to transport her back to where she belongs, based on my word. Then again, if they don’t hear from me, they have the authority to put her down—out of compassion, you understand. Without her mate, she’ll succumb to the madness of the moon. I programmed her that way. The only way to keep her sane is the injection of her mate’s DNA with each full moon.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m her mate.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

“Are you willing to risk her life with your certainty? A lot of changes are taking place in her body right now. Biological changes that are… let’s face it, not exactly natural. All manipulated by yours truly.” He smirked. “Who’s to say that when Nicole’s wolf emerges, she’ll even recognize you anymore? Her wolf may despise you. Her wolf may very well want… me.”

“. The mating bond represents the meeting of two spirits, two souls destined for one another. It's sacred among our people, and not all about biology. So yes, I’m sure I am Nicole’s mate, as she is mine. I don’t care what kind of voodoo you performed, we belong to each other.”

“Then shoot me. Kill me and end it here. Take your revenge.” He leaned harder against the muzzle. “Go ahead… do it,” Adam dared. “If you are one hundred percent certain that you’ll never need me to tell you what to do if something went wrong… then pull that fucking trigger.”

Jaryn’s finger squeezed the small lever. The metal dug into his skin despite the leather gloves. He stared into Broyles’ dark eyes. There was no emotion in the dark orbs. No humanity existed in his soul. Jaryn had killed before. In the military, he’d taken more lives than he’d ever really been comfortable with. Sometimes the situation had even required him to look into his opponent’s eyes as he made the kill, but it had never been like this. Never in cold blood. Never without the sanction of his government, never without orders. However, this thing had toyed with not only his love’s psyche, but her health, her well-being, her safety.

Jaryn felt the wolf creep closer to the surface. This man was a threat to everything he held dear. We should take him out, wipe him from the face of the planet, and send him to burn in the fires of hell from which he came.

“You might also consider that Nicole was a guinea pig in our little endeavor. I’ve done a lot of experiments over the years, with varying levels of success, but Nicole is the first human I turned wolf. How often have you heard of these kinds of things going right on the first try? Keep that in mind as you’re making your decision.”

“Jaryn, we’ve breached the house. There’s something here you really need to see.”

Shaun’s voice echoed in Jaryn’s ear, distracting him for a fraction of a second. It was all the prepared wolf in front of him needed. In the time it took Jaryn to blink, an icy hot pain pierced his lower back. He stumbled a few steps. Broyles spun and gave Jaryn a hard kick to his head. His weapon hit the floor, and he lost his balance. The floor loomed up at him, and he twisted to land on his front to avoid whatever Broyles had embedded in his body. He watched as the son of a bitch disappeared through the same passageway he’d hidden in earlier.

White spots danced behind Jaryn’s eyelids. He pressed the button for the microphone of his comm-unit. “Shaun. Master bedroom. Second level. West wing. North corner. I need you.”

Jaryn stared at the moon low in the sky outside the wall of windows. He prayed Cooper was looking out for Nicole and that everything Broyles had said to Jaryn was to rile him. But just in case it wasn’t and Nicole really was in the hands of Broyles henchmen, her mind slowly losing its grip on reality…

He closed his eyes and opened their link with the last of his strength.

“I love you…”

---