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Fuck.McGoven may have turned his back on pack life, but some instincts couldn’t be forgotten—ignored. The mating bond went way deeper than any other connection. It outlasted mother, father, brother, friend, sister. Kyle could only compare it to what he’d felt for his twin—an instinctive pull, as though she were his other half. A piece of his soul.
Such a deep, lupine tie couldn’t be forged on a whim. Seeing his mate in danger would have sent McGoven into a rage that Kyle shuddered to imagine. A fierce, primal need to protect at all costs.
He just wondered vaguely if there was anything left of the mercenary bastards that could be traced back to him. Though, his failure would mean more than a few dead contacts in the long run. McGoven would never release the girl now. And the longer the man remained bonded to a mate, the more dangerous he would become.
To be fair, revenge might have explained McGoven’s tenacity, at least partly. The animosity between him and Kyle went beyond hatred.
It was personal; Kyle could admit that. Why pretend? If poor Bill McGoven lost his mate for a second time, then—and onlythen—would he feel a fraction of the pain Kyle felt every fucking day. Until that moment, there could be no truce. No forgiveness. Not even an“order from the Alpha”could make him play nice.
“Did you hear me? McGoven will be out for blood,” Lukka went on, sounding all“I hope you’re happy”-like.
Kyle laughed. “No, he won’t.”
He covered his tracks too well. The men he’d hired weren’t from Lukka’s pack or the Eislander territory. They were shady, greedy little rogues who should have been honored to die as pawns.
Having McGoven fuck things up definitely put a snag in his plan, but he could be flexible. After all, the best revenge always came with a plan B.
“I’ll handle it,” he said.
“Before or after McGoven comes for your throat?”
“He won’t get the chance,” Kyle countered, confident of the fact.
As far as anyone knew, they had gotten stranded on Eislander territory. If anything, McGoven would just assume thattheywere the ones who attacked her.
In fact…
“You just sit tight, Lukka.” Kyle grinned as a new plan unfurled in his mind. Sure, it involved a little murder and some finagling on his part—but he had always been creative.
“Be a good Alpha and offer your condolences. You can even throw McGoven a pity party if you want and lower his guard. Just leave the rest to me.”
25
His heat engulfed her, and despite everything she’d been through, Loren relented to the embrace. Eagerly.Tooeagerly.
She couldn’t get enough of him—of his heat, his scent. She needed him closer. Her body went limp as her chin settled against the hard line of his shoulder. Nose buried against his flesh, she inhaled, and the rush of his scent in her lungs was… Incomparable. Her belly flipped. The pressure between her legs was a constant ache—but it didn’t feel wrong. Nothing to be ashamed of. Her reaction just meant…
He is mine.
Surprisingly, he allowed the embrace, but with restraint. He was careful, like one wrong move, and she might break. With utmost care, he ran his fingers through her hair, parting the wet tresses along her scalp while avoiding the area still throbbing from being pulled.
This is wrong, a part of her whispered. He was a stranger—and they were both half-naked. But she was so cold, and to be fair, he only seemed willing toholdher, nothing more. His warm breath ghosted the side of her cheek, alluding to the fact that his mouth was a respectful distance from hers.
Still, she didn’t stiffen when his hands slid from their neutral positioning on her ribcage down to her waist. Before fear could even enter her mind, she felt his fingertips brush over his intended destination—the bruise left behind after one of the men had crouched on her back.
The memory made her shiver. If he hadn’t…
She didn’t even want to think about what might have happened—but he was. His nostrils flared, and she recalled something from what felt like an eternity ago.
“My bruises.” She struggled to form a coherent question. “Can you really… Smell them?”
“Yes,” he said heatedly. “Every one, just as easily as fresh blood. There is a slight difference, but our senses can pick up even the smallest injury.”
“You saved my life,” she choked out. Acknowledging that felt too important not to voice out loud. She needed to say more. “If you weren’t there… Thank you.”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he cocked his head to bring his jaw against the crook of her shoulder. Loren exhaled sharply, her spine rigid with anticipation. She could sense his lips, a hairsbreadth from her flesh—but no closer. A ragged inhalation betrayed his intention—to breathe in her scent.
“I should have never let you go with that bastard.”
