Page 22 of Never Tamed
It’s likely that I used it to scream in that bitch’s face and now I’m paying for all those curses. I regret none of them.
If curses were claws thenshe’dbe the one recovering from a near gut job. As it is, I can’t remember if I got any good hits or not. I sure hope so.
I hope she’s having a tough morning and regrets every single second of her past. But it’s wishful thinking.
I tilt my chin up and my gaze latches onto Noble until his face solidifies and the blur retreats to the edges of my vision.
Noble places a hand over mine and leans into the touch, closing his eyes. “I’m fine, baby.”
There’s a bruise on his brow that’s purple, but outside of a few scabbed over places, he looks normal. Tired, but normal.
And Mathis?I ask.
He…needed to take a walk. To get himself together.He’s having a hard time keeping it together, Noble answers.
If I tune into the bond between me and the Grey Valley alpha, I’m greeted with nothing but nerves, which isn’t like Mathis. Ever since I met him at Rudy’s, he’s been the pillar we all lean on, stable no matter the circumstances. I pull back sharply from the sensation although there’s no escaping it. Our mate bond is locked in place.
My free hand clenches.
I remember the amazing feeling of plowing my knuckles into Catarina’s face and catching the glimmer of surprise in her eyes before her head rocketed back. If only I’d killed her when I had the chance. Then half of our issues would be solved instead of left out in the open like stray tendrils of rope needing to be woven together.
I catch a flash of shadow pacing back and forth in the gray watery pre-dawn light. Through the half open doors I see Dax scoping outside, watchdog style and humming that weird song under his breath.
“He hasn’t stopped since we got here. The car crash must have jarred loose the last shred of his sanity.” Noble says it like a joke, but I sense his worry.
Dax going stir crazy isn’t going to help us figure out our next moves.
Pliant, I let Noble gather me onto his lap and snuggle closer, breathing him in. The nearness helps. I hadn’t realized I needed the contact until my muscles relax and I sag further into him.
Wolvesneed this kind of closeness. That’s what Mathis has always said. Once you give into the wolf, the comfort of the pack is almost a necessity, especially in tough times.
If this doesn't count as a tough time—
I thought surviving my twenty-fifth birthday would be the hardest thing I had to do.
The universe really has a sick sense of humor. Or maybe it’s the Moon Goddess who is kicking my ass so thoroughly. Surprise after surprise after surprise.
It’s got to end.
I need my life back. And I need Andras and his bitch Catarina dead.
Dax scoffs, pausing at the entrance to the storage container almost like he heard my thoughts. “I hate the concrete,” he says with a grimace. “This place smells like gasoline and piss. It’s all wrong. Wolves aren’t meant to live this way.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Noble replies.
Dax sneers and adds, “Not fucking likely, Nobie. You might be trained to accept this unnatural bullshit but I won’t be.”
Mathis rounds the corner and stops when he sees me awake. The night outside should have hidden most of his expression from me but the sharp wolf eyesight lets me see every crag, every line, every exhausted crease around his eyes.
“I contacted the pack.” He slides his hands into his pockets. “So far, everything is fine there. The others are taking care of things.”
“You have your cell.” I force a smile, shaking my head.
Mathis is too keyed up to relax. A small part of him does when he sees me but it isn’t enough to erase the strain fromhis shoulders. And there, at the edges of my mind, a deepening consciousness.
Torin tuning into us. Listening to us no matter how far he goes.
I sniff.
