Page 5 of Rituals & Runes

CHAPTER3

I woke with a splitting headache. Through blurred eyes, I sat up and peered around the room. Oh, my dear. I no longer stood in the laundromat, but somewhere I’d never been before.

An overbearing scent of wolves choked me like a suffocating blanket yet my nipples were coming to hard peaks and my core warmed.

My heat. Not what I needed. Not when I needed to find a way to get out of here.

In a haze, I tried to make sense of the sensations tangled in my body. If my wolf kind had nothing against me, I wouldn’t have anxiety prickling my insides. I had a target on my back for being half-human and every male within a mile had to sense my unwanted arousal. It still came in waves but was ramping up, and soon I’d have uncontrollable urges to have sex for days.

I’d need to find a male wolf to satisfy my needs and impregnate me or the urges would practically kill me. Since I’d been through this once before three years ago when I turned eighteen, I had full knowledge of the insanity rearing its head.

Pushing myself off a charcoal-colored, leather couch, dizziness roiled my head and my legs wobbled. I reached out and grabbed a desk that stood next to me. At least Kaden hadn’t tied me up. I had to be grateful for that. But I saw by the high rafter wooden ceiling, he had to have brought me to his compound.

Weakness crashed through me. I didn’t know what had made me pass out but I suspected he’d tranquilized me, leaving my body weak, especially since my human side made it more difficult to recuperate.

I plopped back onto the couch, crossed my legs, and rested my head against the cool material. Given the bookshelves, desk, and couches, this room appeared to be an office lounge. I mashed my hands into my eyes with a groan as my wolf sniffed the air, searching for the one she had been convinced she needed.

Kaden Stone.

What did he want with me? And how could this be true? I seriously doubted he wanted a scrap half-human. Not that I didn’t love myself. I did. Even with the sting of rejection from other wolves. It wasn’t my fault my mother had been human. Still, pureblood wolves would rather die without a mate and the chance to procreate pups than satiate my heat.

But memories of him left my stomach fluttering with butterflies and my breath coming faster.

Long ago, he’d been everyone’s crush. I’d met him before our packs had become adversaries. We’d been teens and our fathers had been friends. My father had always kept me separated from the others but a few of my cousins had snuck me out of my room for the annual Winter Solstice Ball. At that time Kaden’s father had been Alpha. I’d seen him across the room for less than five minutes before my cousins hid me again.

No one wanted to face my father’s wrath. My father had banished me soon after that ball. He figured at thirteen I’d end up dead.

My father didn’t get his nasty wish. I’d found a way to survive on my own, even got myself through school to get my modest job as a vet tech.

And things had been flipped on their head. I’d kept track of shifter news through our website system finding out Kaden’s father had died along with a quarter of their pack making him Alpha. Everyone on the internet had said Kaden had been involved in their deaths. Plus, my pack had cursed his making us deadly enemies.

Something didn’t add up about that because his pack had allowed him to lead. Maybe out of terror Kaden would kill them as well.

And his brother had died because of my people. Something I had nothing to do with, but surely had to make Kaden hate me even more than my half-human nature.

I shuddered at the thought as someone waltzed into the room. My stomach tensed but I kept my breath even to not give away my twisting nerves. Over six feet of solid muscle filled the doorway sending goosebumps skittering across my body. Short, raven black hair surrounded his pulsing temples as if he clenched his jaw. Impassive green eyes forced my gaze to lock with his yet something in his broad hands caught me off guard.

Kaden held a steaming plate of roast beef, stewed potatoes, and carrots with a side salad. “You’re from Firebrand Pack, aren’t you?”

I swallowed hard but lifted my chin. No way would I let him get to me. So he knew. “Yes.”

He narrowed his eyes and his nostrils flared. “You’re the last person I wanted at my compound.” Inhaling deeply like he tried to get a grip on himself, he followed up with, “But I’m forced to care for you. Are you comfortable?”

Not what I expected. My stomach rumbled with hunger and my mouth watered. I hadn’t eaten anything in who knew how much time but why would he bring me a plate of food? To make my death quick by poison?

Though I peered at the plate in the corner of my eye, I pursed my lips. “I don’t want to be here either, so how about we pretend this never happened and you let me go. I’ll leave the state and never return. Never mention this.”

He gripped the plate harder. His jaw clenched and he bit out, “I can’t do that.”

I pumped my fists. “You can't hold me captive. Why did you bring me here?”

He jutted the dinner forward. “Would you like to eat something?”

My gaze dipped to the food then back up to his stunning face. “Again, what do you want with me?”

In two steps his long legs ate up the space between us and he hunkered onto the couch still balancing the meal in his broad hands. Sitting way too near me since my wolf wanted to force me to shift to get close to him. He placed it on my cross-legged lap. “Eat.”

His voice rang with a decisive command that was impossible to ignore. And his cedar wood scent swirled around me both intriguing and throwing me off balance in a way that had my heartbeat racing. I needed to stay centered in the belly of the beast’s compound.

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