Page 13 of Ruthless Reign

Slowly, I feel his weight move off me, but I keep my eyes closed expecting the blow.

When nothing comes, I finally open my eyes slowly in confusion, finding his, as he stands above me with folded arms.

"Get up," he demands, but just as I go to refuse, he turns and starts walking away. No—not away. Towards the thick of the woods… the direction I was running to escape.

I push myself to my feet, bewildered. But instead of pestering him with questions, my body moves on its own.

There's silence between us as he walks further along, until we're about thirty feet from where we fell. He turns to look at me wordlessly, and just as I open my mouth to speak, there's a flood of feeling—like I've been electrocuted.

I'm dazed for a moment, trying to figure out what just happened and if I'm physically okay, but then I feel her.

Mira.

"Is it really you?!"I yell, hearing a soft whimper in reply, confirming it.

My eyes snap up, feeling a touch of anger, but mainly… defeat. Thirty feet—that's how close I was to freedom. I was nearly there, out of the magic forcefield.

But then it quickly dawns on me that I should be able to mind link for help now. Cade must see it on my face too, his arms folding as he smirks—but he makes no attempt to stop me.

And then I realize why.

That damn scent comes back, but it's so much stronger this time. It actually feels like it's overwhelming me—and then it happens.

Click.

This time, it actuallydoesfeel like there's electricity coursing through my body. I stumble back with wide eyes, shaking my head in disbelief.

No… no… no. Why does this keep happening to me?!

Cade steps forward, amusement on his face. There's not an ounce of shock or surprise as he parts his lips, eyes locked with mine.

"Mate."

Chapter Six

Lex

There's a crisp chill to the wind as we stand on the edge of Daxton's town, waiting for the arrival of Wyatt and his pack.

I'm appreciative at how quickly they moved into action, immediately leaving their town and making the trip to Shadow Creek. There's no time to waste, and the longer we wait, the more anxious I feel. It's equal to a thousand knives slicing through my gut, but instead of letting the pain bring me to my knees, I'm gathering it up. I'm going to channel my rage and unleash it to a worthy recipient—the bastards who took Nyx.

When Daxton received notification from his wolves that Wyatt had crossed the border, we all immediately sprang into action. Maverick is standing on the other side of Daxton, and truthfully, I'm happy for the distance and body between us. If we don't get our hands on Nyx's capturers, I know what my second option will be for my anger.

I don't care about his sob story that his people gave us. At the end of the day, he made his decision to push her aside. I gave them both leeway to indulge in their fated needs but look where we ended up.

All of this could have been avoided if we had been smart. If Maverick had stopped being an asshole for one second, things would have been clearer.

Whoever took Nyx not only had motive, but we gave them the opportunity. They found our weakness and capitalized on it.

I blame myself as much as I blame Maverick. But I didn't shove her away when she needed someone. If anything, I tried to give her freedom, so that she wouldn't feel suffocated. Things were already complicated enough without her feeling the pressure of being locked up. The whole dual mate situation spiraled out of control. She's so young—not used to this lifestyle. As much as we needed to move things along, which is why we had scheduled her Luna initiation, I wanted her to know that she still had control too.

It's important that she knew that she could still be herself—not just a mate or Luna. And I let her down.

It was the lapse in judgment that haunts me. And I'll do everything in my power to rectify it once she's safely back with me.

But I can't dwell on what's potentially happening right now. We knew from word of mouth that packs were getting desperate—but Nyx is strong. I know she'll fight back… just hopefully it's not consequential.

I also can't allow myself to let my thoughts drift to what I should have been doing right now as the full moon hangs overhead.

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