Page 77 of Forbidden Wolf

He’d become even more possessive since I finally let my barriers down a few days ago. I’d gone from wandering around aroused, to being pinned to the bed and taken in every way imaginable until I screamed. My mate never did anything in half measures; it was everything or nothing with Levi.

“You can’t risk peace because of one vampire,” I said, pressing a kiss to his chest.

Levi walked me one step at a time backward until my shoulder blades hit the wall. “I clawed my way to alpha of this pack so that I could broker peace for one vampire. Don’t think I won’t pull it all apart because of her.”

His intensity gave me goosebumps. The fire in his eyes singed deep into my soul to make me shiver.

“He’ll anticipate an audience, and I’ll be expected to be there with the rest of the coven.”

Since that golden light had tethered us together, I could sense where Levi was in the base in the same way he described that he’d been able to find me when I was injured. Levi was now able to see different auras and souls when he was out hunting with his pack. We were fused at a fundamental soul level. I was as sure of it as I was of my fangs in my mouth.

Levi sighed and returned to pacing, tugging his tight black T-shirt over his head. His hair had grown longer and was a wavy mess, his short beard adding to his air of danger. He’d always been slightly wild, but there was a feral aspect to Levi that made everyone take a step back from him, his wolf close to the surface and ready to emerge.

His ears picked up and grew pointed at the ends.

“Helicopters overhead,” he announced.

I watched the transformation from affectionate mate to hardened leader. His eyes glazed over into a neutral expression, the shutters coming down to freeze everyone out of his emotions. It was a trick I needed to learn.

I dragged my hair back into a messy bun as I began to erect my own defences, once again becoming nothing more than a mindless soldier. My hand trembled with every passing minute, my stomach felt like a flock of moths had taken flight in it, and my head thumped at the temples. We’d left our coven with virtually the clothes on our back, so I was wearing traditional lycan combats and a T-shirt. Castus’ presence began to infiltrate the base, summoning us all to him. Palpitations pounded in my chest and echoed through my body. My fingers gripped the window ledge as I stared out into the inky darkness of the night.

Levi’s arm wrapped around me, infusing me with strength. His chin rested on my head, and his spirit wolf stood in front of me in a protection pose.

“You belong to me alone,” he murmured against my ear, his lips skimming the sensitive shell. “Remember that.”

Castus had been a dark shadow polluting my life for a long time. His touch repulsed me, and the memory of the vacant look in my sister’s eyes haunted me. He’d taken her to punish me, destroyed something inside her to satiate a darkness in himself. For that alone I would hate him forever.

“I’m fine, Levi. Your wolf tends to come with me when Castus is about.”

“What?” He froze behind me.

My hand traced through the aura of the wolf at my side.

“He was with me in the castle, protecting me and Kimber when we were scared,” I said. “He stood at my side in the battle with the hellspawn, you becoming him.”

I spun to face him when he didn’t speak or move. His eyes were wide, and brow furrowed. “I couldn’t work out how I got into the castle. I put it down to adrenalin and the need to find you mixing up my memories.”

Deftly kneeling, I framed the face of the soul of his wolf with my hands. “He’s here now.”

Levi crouched low beside me, his eyes scanning the area. “I felt him grow distant, but I never realised he’d taken himself to be with you.”

I visualised the golden energy from my chest rippling down my arm to flood the wolf. Levi’s eyes became huge orbs as he saw his wolf separate to himself. The golden aura pulsed, making him look like he was breathing.

“Have you been sneaking away to be with Tasha?” Levi asked in a low growly tone.

“He kept me safe when I was missing you,” I replied, my fingers trailing along the back of his wolf. His head brushed against me.

“I didn’t know he could do that.” Levi tentatively touched the golden wolf. “How can we be separate when we’re one being?”

“You once told me that black wolves were different. Maybe they have powers that no one discovered before because they’ve never been mated?” I wondered out loud.

“Maybe…” Levi stood, a contemplative look on his face. “Most wolves refer to their life partner as a mate, but it doesn’t mean the same as what we have.”

I groaned, my hand moving over my solar plexus as Castus’ compulsion strengthened to force all vampires belonging to him on the base to answer his summons. Levi grabbed my chin between his fingers, tilting my head back. His eyes were ferocious, glaring down into mine.

“Fight it,” he said. “You will arrive late to show that he has no power over you.”

Deep inside, I desperately wanted that. There had to be a way to sever a connection to my coven leader.

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