AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Grant’s eyes narrow, and Rathmann gapes at me, shock written clearly on his face for a moment before his jaw clenches. “Mate?” Rathmann spits. “You mated with that mongrel hybrid?”
I dart forward, my hand wrapping around his throat. We’re similar in height, but I lift him easily onto the tips of his toes, his face hovering a few inches above mine. “Don’tever,” I whisper, my eyes searing into his, “talk about her like that again. Don’t talk about herat all.”I throw him down to the ground, waiting a moment as he glares up at me. Spinning on my heel, I walk back to the front of the room.
Frank steps forward from where he’d been standing behind my chair, a deep growl coming from his chest as his eyes flick to silver. I turn and quirk an eyebrow at Rathmann, who’s now on his feet with a red handprint around his throat, and smirk when Grant holds his hand up at him again.
I fix the collar of my shirt and smooth my hands down the front of it. “Great speaking with you, councilmen. Next time, try an email. It’ll save some time.” Frank trails behind me as we walk through the thick oak doors, letting them slam shut behind us.
As we make our way to the black sedan parked in the circular drive, I curse the fact that I chose to drive here, knowing I could’ve saved at least fifteen minutes by shifting and racing through the forest. But these council meetings demand appearances, especially for the occasional mundane human who ‘walks the trails,’ hoping to get a glimpse of the lodge and its ‘members.’
I stare out the window as Frank drives, my mind drifting to Adara, the little lycan witch that’s stolen everyone’s attention. Is she awake now? Is she disappointed that I’m not there to be with her? The image of her wrapped in my t-shirt this morning before I left with Frank pops into my mind, her dark hair draped over the pillowcases as light snores escaped her.
Frank clears his throat, and I glance at him, annoyed he interrupted my thoughts. “Was that the best decision? Announcing that she’s your mate?” His gaze flicks to mine before returning to the road in front of him.
“It was the best choice, given their concern over her powers.” I shrug, gazing out the window at the trees racing by.
His brows furrow. “Won’t they be even more concerned knowing she’s your mate?”
A dark chuckle escapes me. “Yes, but they’ll also be more afraid. As my mate, our power will be shared between us, making each of us stronger. At least now she’s under my protection.”
Mates aren’t as common as they used to be, with the wolf packs as large as they’ve grown now. They’re harder to find, and the knowledge and stories surrounding them have died down a bit. Even in my own pack, there’s only a small handful who have mated, and the one time I saw a bond stronger than any other was Jaz’s parents… The memory of Bella’s death, her pain and the way she couldn’t bear to live without a scum like Sawyer, makes me wonder what it would be like to suffer the loss of a mate I actually enjoy being around…
“And as my mate, she’ll be more vital to me, more protected, and more avenged if they dare to attempt anything,” I whisper, trying to push the thought of anyone hurting Adara from my mind.
They wouldn’t dare, my wolf growls.
And I have to admit, I hope he’s right.
The drive home is long—far longer than I have the patience for, and I struggle against the urge to tell Frank to pull over so I can run the rest of the way back. It’s nearly dinnertime when we pull into town, driving past the bar’s empty lot.
My wolf paces inside me, anxious to see our mate after the events of the night before—after searching for her endlessly with a weakening bond between us, just to have her appear injured on our doorstep. My jaw ticks at the thought of her wounds, but it’s the next image—of her wet hair dripping onto the floor as it hangs over her shoulders, with a towel wrapped tightly around her, clinging to every curve—that sends my wolf into a frenzy. My claws lengthen, and it’s all I can do to focus on not tearing the sedan’s doors from their hinges as we pull into the driveway of my house.
I barely notice Frank’s smirk as I burst from the car and cross the front yard. Trees loom in the distance as a backdrop against the dark house. I reach for the front door when a light laugh hits my ears, and I quickly spin around to walk to the back of my property.
Adara sits beside the fireplace, her legs pulled up onto the seat. Her cheeks are red from the slight chill in the late September air, and her raven sits perched on her shoulder. Within moments, I find myself standing before her, her lips parted in surprise as she gazes up at me, and I drown in her violet eyes. A small smile tugs at my mouth when I think of how I thought they were blue just a couple of weeks ago—a color I could never picture them being now.
Leaning forward, I cup her jaw in one hand and hold her gaze, waiting for her to pull away, but she doesn’t. She melts into me, and I barely register the ruffle of feathers just before I touch my lips to her.
A small cough comes from my left, and I snarl as I break our kiss, scooping Adara up into my arms and spinning to sit in the lounge chair with her nestled on my lap. Her cheeks flame, and I smirk, catching Mila’s teasing glance thrown at Adara. “Comfy, little witch?” I whisper against her hair.
She audibly swallows, nodding slightly, then turns her head to glare at me when I chuckle. Frank wraps an arm around Mila’s waist as they stand by the grill, asking her about whatever food she’s cooking. Inhaling deeply, I let the mouthwatering scent of steaks swirl around me.
“Steak?” I raise a brow at Adara.
She smiles. “Yeah, Mila has been cooking all day. Everything she’s made so far has been delicious.”
I chuckle again. “Made a new friend then?”
She snaps her gaze to mine, her furrowed brows betraying the war going on inside her head.
“It’s alright to make friends. We’re all pack here.” I rub my thumb over her hip where my hand lays. “Relax,mia fiamma.”
Chewing on her lip, she glances briefly down at mine before turning back to Mila and Frank standing before the grill. “I’ve never had a friend before that wasn’t Kaylus or Jules. I’m not sure how to do that. Make friends.”
“You’re already doing it,” I say, noticing how Mila smiles at us as she rests her head on Frank’s shoulder.
Adara nods again, but the tightness in my chest lingers. What kind of monster of a mother never lets her child have an actual friend in life? I inhale slowly through my nose, keeping my anger in check so I don’t accidentally dig my claws into her hip. The thin material of her leggings between us is enough to drive my wolf wild in a whole other way, though, and I have to work to focus on anything but the weight of her in my lap, the feel of her body heat seeping into my skin, the scent of this forest nymph sitting so close to me.
Chapter three
