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“I’m not worth this!” she says, throwing her hands up and gesturing between us. “I’m not worth you losing your pack or the council coming after you, or my coven. Gods, my mother wants to kill you—killus.” She angrily swipes a stray tear from her cheek, her voice just above a whisper. “I’ll get rid of my wolf, and it’ll get rid of our bond. You won’t be a target anymore.”
Pain cuts through me like a thousand knives piercing my chest, and I barely register her walking around me as I stand there, glued to the ground like a fool. Kaylus caws, swooping just past my snout, breaking me from my nightmare.
I shift, sprinting to her and grabbing her wrist. I pull, spinning her into my chest, and my hand slides down, lacing her fingers with mine. She gasps as my other hand reaches up, cupping her cheek and brushing my thumb across her lips.
“Is that what you think will make me go away?” I ask, my eyes searching hers before watching my thumb drag over her mouth again. “I’ll bite you a thousand times over until I prove to you where you belong.” Dipping my head, I suck her bottom lip into my mouth and bite her, sweeping my tongue into her mouth as I kiss her, desperate to claim her mouth as mine —as desperate as I am to claim all of her over and over again.
She pulls away, the deep purple of her eyes swallowed by her wolf’s silver, like two shining stars in this shadow-filled forest. “I’ll get you killed, Gideon. Your whole pack. I—”
“Shut up.”
Her eyes widen, and she opens her mouth to speak, so I press a finger to her lips.
“Shut up, Adara. Stop talking. Stop thinking.” I slide my hand from her cheek until I’m gripping her neck and slip my other around her lower back. Pulling her to me, we turn until her back hits the trunk of a tree, and I press against her, pinning her to it. “I’m tired of repeating myself, so I want you to hear me now.” My grip on her neck tightens as I bring her face to mine, my lips brushing against hers. “You will always be destined to be mine. By the fates, I will love you for eternity, your wolf be damned. Wish it away, keep it, it doesn’t matter. You will always be mine.” Closing the breath of space between us, I crush my lips to hers, willing her to hear me this time. Tofeelit—the truth of my words, the desire coursing through me, the love pouring out of my soul for her.
She kisses me back, desperate and clinging. Her nails drag down my bare back, and I move to trail kisses down her jaw to her neck, licking my way to her collarbone.
Then, I’m stumbling back as her two palms press against my chest and shove, and a growl tears from my throat.
“Gods, Gideon,” she says, her voice trembling. She holds a hand to her mouth as she glowers at me. “You can’t love someone you’ve known less than a month. Why are you so hellbent on being with me when all I’m doing is bringing danger into your life?” Shaking her head, she looks back at the path into the darkest part of the forest.
“Don’t,” I growl, stalking toward her.
Refocusing on me, her anger flares, seeping off her. “Don’t what? Protect you? Is that such a horrible thing to do?”
“Don’t pretend like you don’t love me too.” I step back into her space, forcing her back against the same tree as I hold her gaze. “Don’t act like you’re doing this for me when it’s the most selfish thing you’ve ever done.”
Her eyes flash, teeth piercing into her lip as her fangs come out. “What—”
“You want to protect me?Fight. Learn control, for gods’ sake, but don’t put this martyr shit on for me, darling.”
She moves to shove me again, but I grab both of her wrists, keeping her hands on my chest.
“You want to get rid of your wolf so the bond disappears, but what if it doesn’t? What if the bond stays and you just can’t shift anymore?” Fear spikes in her eyes at my words. “There’s no spell to get rid of it, Adara. Take some gods damn control of your life and make a choice.Do something.”
“I am!” she screams, pushing against me, but I don’t budge. “I’m trying to get rid of all of this! My wolf, my fire, everything. I can’t bear the thought of you dying because of me. If I get rid of this bond and my wolf, the council and my coven will leave you alone!” Tears stream down her cheeks, trailing through the smears of dirt. “If I get rid of my fire, my mother will leave me and Jules alone. It’s the only way I can keep you all safe.”
I press my forehead against hers, wishing I could erase the agony written on her face, the torment scarring her heart. “It isn’t your responsibility to shield the whole world, Adara. Sometimes, you have to fight back.”
Her face crumbles, and I release her wrists, wrapping her tightly in my arms as her body shakes.
“It’s okay. It’s okay, I’ve got you. You’ll never fight alone,mia fiamma. I’m right here.” I kiss the top of her head, smoothing a hand down her hair as she slowly gathers herself.
We don’t say a word once she lifts her head from my chest. I stare into her eyes, wishing with every ounce of my soul that she would just accept her powers and fight for what she wants—all of it. Her wolf, her fire, her sister…me.Brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, I kiss her temple, my eyes closed, praying to the gods they’ll let me keep her. I won’t survive if they don’t.
I step back to shift, and she copies me, shifting into the most beautiful black wolf I never want to go a day without seeing. Running alongside me, with Kaylus flying above us, we make the long way back home. But I can’t shake the fear of the soul shattering heartbreak I’m worried is heading our way… unless I can remind her why being together is worth everything.
Chapter seventeen
Adara
Gideon keeps stealing glances at me as we run back toward his house, as if he’s unsure whether I’ll actually go with him or if I’ll take off in a different direction at any moment. And maybe he’s right. Maybe I would take off if I wasn’t so exhausted from fighting against my instincts at every turn. The instinct that’s begging me to stay close to him, that’s screaming at me to stop running from him.
Even if that’s the only way I know of to keep him safe.
If you would stop being a stubborn fool, you’d realize you’re safer together because that’s when you’re stronger.
I glare at the ground, hating that I can’t deny the truth in my wolf’s words. The faint scent of palo santo swirls around me, and I freeze, sniffing at the air, trying to find the direction it’s coming from. Gideon glances over at me as my head snaps in each direction. But I don’t see any movement, and the smell of burned paper doesn’t grow stronger in any specific direction. My eyes dart up to Kaylus, circling in the air above us.
