AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Nineteen
Pearl
Rylan was the last person I expected to see, which was stupid on my part. I knew he’d be here today, but I thought I’d have time to look around before he even get close.
Idiot.
The Moon Spirit showed me how to call a bone from out of the stone using the marks on my arm. It was disturbing but surprisingly easy. My arm started glowing with a soft light when it got close to what I was looking for.
It was a big femur that would have made the perfect weapon. So, I gave up the idea of trying to hide and instead prepared to fight my way out.
The footsteps stopped somewhere above my head, and I held my breath, praying they would continue. When the footsteps started again, I breathed out a relieved sigh, thinking that I’d gotten lucky.
Until a body dropped through the hole in the ceiling. Knees bent to absorb the impact. The intruder was momentarily distracted by the glowing white wolf opposite the entrance.
Using that distraction, I raised the bone quickly and swung at his head. He must have heard it or something because his arm came up, blocking my swing. The bone shattered on impact, but I wasn’t about to give up. I threw wild punches and kicks, hoping that at least one of them would land, but none of them did.
He pushed forward into my space, making my blows inept. My hands landed on his chest, trying to keep him at a distance. Despite my efforts, his hand found my throat, squeezing enough that I froze as his claws poked into the tender flesh.
I called on my wolf to help me, but for the first time, she didn’t answer. Before I could panic, steely eyes met mine with only a hint of green in their depths. Staring up at Rylan’s face, I realized that the man was no longer in control. His wolf stared down at me with a look that dared me to fight him.
I stayed still, not wanting to provoke him further but also seeing the challenge. He wanted me to do something, anything, but that only made my resolve harden. I wouldn’t do what he wanted me to. His lips peeled away from his teeth in a toothy grin that showcased his elongated canines. He was pleased by my resistance. So much, in fact, that I could feel the growing evidence of his arousal.
We were pressed together from chest to thigh, his hard ridges fitting perfectly against my soft curves. Unbidden, my thighs clenched as heat spread throughout my body, making my heartbeat faster and my breathing change.
Carefully, Rylan removed his hand from my throat, moving it until it was pressed against the stone by my head. My mind and body were at war. I knew I should fight, make him stop, but I couldn’t.
His face leaned down, and I thought for a split second he was going in for a kiss, but instead, he moved past my face toward my throat. His breath on my neck caused me to shiver with my own arousal.
His nose was millimeters away from my skin, and I desperately wanted him to do something besides breathe on me. He remained perfectly still, and I could feel the internal battle he was fighting. I understood it. I wanted him to touch me just as much as I wanted him to step back. I wanted to touch him, taste him, and explore every square inch of muscular skin.
My hands twitched, ready to touch him so he could give me what I wanted, what I needed.
All too soon, he took a step back, then another, putting space between us that I wasn’t ready for. I held in my whimper when I saw that his eyes were back to their normal green-gray color, which meant the man was back in control.
He face showed confliction, and I realized that he was on the edge of something. He looked ready to give in but also tired and frustrated. I wasn’t sure why until my wolf rose up and effectively hit me upside the head. My ears rang as the reason hit, making me feel like I couldn’t breathe.
Rylan wanted me more than I had ever realized. He didn’t just want me for sex, like I’d assumed. No, he wanted something else. Something more permanent.
My arm decided to start tingling, and my marks emitted a soft glow, like moonlight. The change caught Rylan’s attention. He reached forward, and I let him grab my wrist. He pulled my arm away from my side, staring at the swirling marks that covered me from wrist to shoulder. They seemed to sing happily at his touch, and I couldn’t deny that it felt incredible.
“Wait five minutes then leave,” he said, power lacing his words while his voice sounded different, like there were two speaking instead of one. “I’ll find you later.”
Before I could respond, he turned and jumped back through the hole in the ceiling. My knees wobbled precariously, and I felt my wolf lending me the strength that she’d earlier denied me, but I knew why.
Hating Rylan from a distance had been one thing, but when it came down to it, she wouldn’t let me hurt him. He was important to us both, and I’d been denying it for years. He was more than a childhood friend or a quick fuck. His soul was reaching out for me, and I’d been too blind to see it.
‘We need to get out of here,’my wolf reminded me gently.
Right.
I refocused, moving as if in a fog as I found my clothes and dressed quickly. Walking to the hole felt like an eternity. All I could see was Rylan jumping back through it, letting me escape on my own. Trusting that I’d be all right.
A pang hit my chest as I thought of him leaving me behind. It must have been so hard for him to do. I felt guilty after having put him through so much worry. My wolf was right though; it was time to move forward. I’d been living with my past hanging over me like a dark cloud. Existing but not really living. Faela had given me a chance to make a difference, to serve the Moon Spirit, to have a purpose. I had to make the most of it, and I swore to myself and my wolf that I would.
No more hiding. No more avoiding the pack because of the color of my wolf’s fur. I was done watching as life passed me by while I continued to make myself miserable. I deserved more than that.
Jumping through the hole was easy, as was the path out. I didn’t run into anyone, and I knew that Rylan must have had something to do with it. The winding tunnels seemed to stretch for miles as I weaved my way through the labyrinth.
