Page 146 of The Hunger
No, the druid’s spell would keep me from lashing out. But did I really want to let myself get that hungry? I’d fed discreetly from Fenris several times without affecting anyone else. I glanced at Willow. She was watching the others around us. Her gaze lingering on a few males, which caused her sexual energy to rise tantalizingly.
“Would you mind?” I asked.
She looked at me, confused for a moment. Then understanding lit her gaze.
“I don’t mind.”
I reached out to touch the back of her hand. The contact wasn’t necessary, but I was hoping it would be less noticeable. However, when I called the lust to me and tried to breathe it in, I couldn’t. It didn’t respond to me in any way.
My eyes widened, and I tried harder. Nothing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“You don’t look good. Are you okay?” Willow asked.
Letting go of her hand, I shook my head and stood.
“I’ll be right back.”
Raiden was standing by himself, watching the woods, when I found him.
“I can’t feed,” I said. “Did you know the spell would do that?”
He sighed and glanced at me. “Yes. It blocks all of your abilities.”
I stared at him, too stunned for anger. He’d known I would go twenty-four hours without food and hadn’t batted an eye about it. That meant his suggestion that I leave to feed had been solely to get rid of me.
“You are so many things to me right now. A good leader isn’t one of them.”
He finally turned his head to look at me.
“I understand that you’re important to the Quills and your mother, but Fenris is important to me. He matters just as much. They might be willing to sacrifice him to your hunger and be indifferent to his future, but I can’t turn away. He needs to find his mate, Eliana. He is the future of this pack.”
“Do you know why Fenris and I are so perfect for each other? We both were raised by parents who refused to try to understand us. He won’t forgive you for this.”
I turned my back on him and headed back to my seat, ignoring the angry glares sent my way.
“I’m sorry,” Willow said when I rejoined her.
“Don’t be. You didn’t do this to me. I know who to hold responsible.”
I knew it was getting close to the next hour mark when more of the nearby people started to strip. As the bundles of clothes on the ground increased, my hunger climbed higher. I struggled to look away from all the nudity.
A howl and a yip came from nearby, drawing everyone’s attention. When I turned, I saw a pair of wolves tumbling between the trees. The smaller of the two overpowered the other, pinning the other one underneath its body with a firm bite to the neck.
My eyes widened as the top wolf jostled the backside of the bottom wolf. Averting my gaze, I did my best to ignore the sounds, the cheering, and the growing lust around me.
Willow didn’t ask if I was okay. Instead, she wrapped an arm around my shoulder and leaned into me. The comforting support helped a little. The wolves didn’t mate for long. Once the yips settled, those gathered congratulated the pair.
“Do you know them?” I asked without lifting my gaze.
“The girl’s a year below us. The boy’s from another pack. He looks like he’s barely old enough to run. Fourteen, maybe?”
My stomach churned at the thought.
“You’re nice. Laurel’s nice. Jenna’s nice. You’re all the same age as Aubrey. Is it really the age of the person or the personality that causes a wolf to lose its humanity?”
“It’s a bit of both. Some of us can hold out longer. Some can’t. Aubrey’s in the can’t category. That’s why the elders are worried about her. The elders aren’t sure what to think of Fenris, though. They see his behavior over the last four years as withdrawn and erratic. That’s why they’re pushing so hard for a mating. They know he’s trying to hold out, but they’re worried he’s closer to losing his grip than anyone knows.”
