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CYRUS
My wolf heavedagainst my control and I fought to hold him back as I marched after Knox and Bishop.
What the fuck was wrong with me? I’d had Audrey in my arms and all I could think about was kissing her. She was hurt and scared, the spell she’d put her faith in had failed — and it looked like it had been painful — and I was thinking about what her lips would feel like and taste like.
I’d been trying to do the right thing and convince her to accept Knox as her mate, and then she’d tripped and I’d lost my fucking mind.
Of course, it wasn’t really Audrey who needed to accept the mating bond, but she was the one who was going to get hurt the most. She needed to be prepared and understand that it wasn’t the end of her world. Because the thought of her continuing to suffer made my wolf howl and threaten to take over.
I didn’t want Knox to suffer, either, but no one, not even Bishop, was going to be able to convince him to accept his fate.
Unfortunately, the stubborn asshole’s inner battle was tearing a rift between him and his animal half, and I feared when I released the collar containing his wolf, the beast would take over and we’d lose him again. This time permanently.
It had taken everything I had to keep the collar intact when the spell had failed and the pressure of being inside the temple had become too much for my brother.
Next time, I might not get so lucky.
And without a doubt, there’d be a next time before we decided it was safe to let his wolf loose.
Which was why I’d sent Bishop to walk with him. Bishop could help calm him down as well as add another layer of compulsion to the collar which would hopefully keep Knox contained until we got back to Stonehaven and attempted Bishop’s next-to-impossible plan B.
But that had left me with shivering, too-pale, wide-eyed Audrey and the need to say something.
I wasn’t good at placating or telling sweet lies to make someone feel better. That was Bishop’s job. I was the practical brother. I saw problems and addressed them, and Audrey refusing to accept the inevitable was a problem that could shatter her burgeoning confidence.
If she embraced it, she could plan for it. The emotional blow wouldn’t be so hard, and she wouldn’t have to figure out her next steps while caught in an emotional whirlwind. Steps like where she lived and what she wanted to do with her life.
Just because she and Knox were mated didn’t mean they had to live together, at least not until they grew more comfortable in the bond and it compelled them closer.
But I had a feeling she wouldn’t think of that. Certainly not while she believed her life had been permanently turned upside down. I could even see her thinking that she belonged to Knox since power and strength had played a strong role in her old life. I’d gotten the impression that for her, the powerful owned the weak, and the weak had no say.
And then she’d tripped and every protective instinct I’d had surged along with my wolf’s determination that she was mine.
For fuck’s sake. I couldn’t be her mate. No matter what my wolf wanted.
She couldn’t ever be mine. I had responsibilities to my pack and they wouldn’t see Audrey the way I did, wouldn’t see the determined, resilient beautiful woman I’d caught glimpses of on our journey here. They’d constantly question and challenge her, and she’d retreat back into her shell.
No. I wouldn’t do that to her.
If she could accept the idea of multiple mates, Bishop would love and support her in ways neither Knox nor I could. Knowing he cared for her and was more than capable of protecting her would have to be enough.
I swallowed back a growl and rolled my shoulders, trying to loosen the tension in my body. I needed my wolf to calm the fuck down. He’d been going insane since the spell had ripped through her body, her expression locked in agony, and he hadn’t been able to do anything.
Nothing was going to happen with Audrey. Not now. Not ever.
Audrey gasped my name, her voice barely audible and strained, and the sound jerked me from my whirling thoughts.
I wrenched around to look at her and my pulse froze.
She was farther back than I expected, on her knees, and leaning against a rocky outcropping as if it were the only thing keeping her from completely collapsing to the ground. Her eyes were closed and even from this distance, I could see her breathing was short and shallow.
Shit. I should have paid closer attention to her.
I knew the spell had affected her. She hadn’t been able to stop shaking since we’d left the temple, and her complexion had been pale and hadn’t warmed up from the exertion of walking.
I rushed back to her and before I could even reach her, I was hit with the scent of her arousal.
Oh, fuck.
