Page 15 of The Night Calling

SHANE

The momentI found her standing by herself along the wall, watching the entrance, all thought fled from my head.

I practically rammed into her, spinning her around and pressing her back against the wall. My hands splayed on either side of her head. I caged her in, because I was sure this was an illusion and I had to get to the bottom of this before it disappeared.

Raika’s light blue eyes rounded. “Shane,” she whispered. My name on her lips was like a knife to the gut. By the moon, I fought my self-control, but I lost.

I embraced her so damn tight. I pressed my nose to her neck and hair, inhaling deeply. Moon above, how I had missed her warm jasmine scent.

Raika stood frozen in my arms, but then she brought her hands up and shoved hard against my chest.

I let her go, but I didn’t step back. “Raika, I—“

“Stop!” Her eyes turned fierce. “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t even want to know what you’ve been doing, you coward!”

I frowned. “What?”

“Return to whatever hole you were buried in and stay there.” She attempted to step away from me, but I wasn’t having it. I placed my hands on either side of her again. “Let me go!”

“Never.” The words were out before I made sense of them.

“What? You left us to die!”

“Left you to die? What the hell are you talking about?”

Raika scoffed and crossed her arms, pushing her breasts together and up. That tight dress, that low cleavage … I was having a hard time looking at her face.

“You know what you did.”

“Apparently, no, I don’t.”

“Is this some kind of sick game?” Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “When the Nightmist witches attacked the pack with Conri and his gang, you fled. Conri killed your father and you didn’t even try to win the pack back. You put your tail between your legs and ran. Like a coward.”

I stared at her, sure I hadn’t heard her right. “Wait. That wasn’t what happened. Conri used his alpha command.”

She shook her head. “That night … it’s a jumble in my head. I don’t remember details.”

That night had been pure terror and chaos. I doubt any of us did. “Regardless, that’s a lie. Who told you this?”

“Lie? Here you are, aren’t you? Free, happy, dancing in a damn nightclub.”

“So are you!”

“I’m not here by choice, coward. I’m here because Conri wants me here. And—”

I snarled. “Conri? You’re here with Conri?” Wait … He had killed everyone from our pack and kept my mate alive? Why? Was she his woman now?

A ball of fury grew in my gut.

“Didn’t you hear me?” Raika brought her arms up, and for the first time, I noticed the bracelets around her wrists. Only they weren’t bracelets … “It’s not my choice. I haven’t had a choice since you fled and left us behind.”

Was he … was he forcing her to be with him? I touched the thin cuffs disguised as bracelets to match her outfit, and Raika promptly lowered her arms. I knew what those were. I had worn those same cuffs for six months. I hadn’t been able to turn into my wolf form with those. Even my strength, my healing, my hearing, and my sense of smell had been affected.

It wouldn’t be different for her.

If Conri wanted to, he could use those to bend her will.

I clenched my teeth and breathed out slowly before I either punched the wall or went after that demon.

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