Chapter Twenty

WOLF

Heading back towards my room, I fucking want to break something; my beast is rattling so hard inside me that if I don’t get a handle on him right now, he’ll shift, and then Sasha and I will both be fucked.

Stay calm, Wolf, stay the fuck calm, I growl while scolding myself. I can’t go barging into my room this wound up because I look like a madman right now, and it will scare the shit out of Sasha. I need to stay calm, but how the fuck can I... Caius’s words are ringing in my head like a death sentence, and there’s no fucking way I can get us out of this now; we’re trapped; either way, we’re both fucked.

~

Leisurely walking into the hole where Caius’s pack of mutts are all gathered over on the furthest corner, debating some bullshit about who’s the strongest, most innovative, and most cunning. I want to roll my eyes at how pathetic they all are. Still, I resist because they stare daggers at my head when they notice me walk in.

Same shit, different day.

I’m probably the most hated mutt amongst them all here, and it must be because I wouldn’t take Caius’s blood.

I want this over, so I make my way toward where Caius is standing with his back to me, fisting my hands as I stop short of him. My beast wants to growl, but I force it back down; it’s my typical response to this fucker whenever my wolf is around him.

I wait for him to acknowledge me, but instead, he keeps his head hovered over the table, engrossed in books, maps, and scrolls. My gaze drops to them when my brows furrow; what the fuck is he looking at? It’s all in writing and hieroglyphics I can’t understand.

He must notice me looking down at them because he instantly turns his head and smirks as he shuts the book he was looking at to prevent me from seeing any more of it when he grumbles,

“I believe you took my property outside today.” It’s not a question; he’s just stating a fact because he knows I took Sasha outside,

“She wanted somewhere to wash and freshen up,” I respond nonchalantly; my tone gives nothing away, nothing about what happened earlier today at the lake.

“Who the fuck told you that you could take her outside?” He scolds with a snarl; my brows furrow into a full-blown scowl as I stare at him in response,

“She refused to shower under your roof; what was I supposed to do?” I retort irritably, scoffing; Caius narrows his eyes at me,

“Do you think I care whether she wants to or doesn’t want to do something?! She is not to leave this mine shaft again, is that understood?”

My steel, indifferent expression must piss him off because he suddenly takes the maldonite stone from his back pocket and places it against the table before looking me dead in the eye. Everything from that moment slows down as I watch him grab a rock from the table beside him and hold it above the stone. His eyes are still fixed on mine, serious and determined as he readies to slam it down onto the stone at any second.

My body instantly freezes as my eyes widen in horror; my hand shoots out in front of me as I shout, “No!” Caius goes to smash the stone but stops only an inch away from obliterating it before looking up at me. He grins wickedly,

“She doesn’t- leave- this- place, understood?” He drawls out the words, and my eyes narrow on him when I grit out,

“Yes...” My eyes are laced with such hatred towards this asshole as I glare at him, but he doesn’t seem phased; instead, he smirks when he grumbles,

“What? Sorry, I missed that,” and at this point, everyone’s eyes are on us. Grinding my teeth, my jaw ticks when I grumble,

“I understand,”

“Good, because she’s mine, not yours. I told you, fuck her all you like, but she is mine and mine alone to do with as I please.”

A low growl suddenly reverberates from me; damn it, my wolf is harder to control when he’s this far gone. Caius raises a brow at me and then sighs,

“You know what? You’re being very disrespectful. I’ve given you a place to live, a reason to be happy for once in your goddam life; you were nothing before this moment, always alone and roaming like a lost fucking cause. Now you have a purpose: to protect your fated mate until I need to use her, and you can’t even be happy about that.”

My jaw suddenly goes slack, my eyes widening as I blink at him in disbelief; it feels like all the air has just rushed from my lungs in an impossible moment of stupefaction. I stand in silence, everything falling silent as heat runs to my ears when Caius chuckles lowly,

“What, you thought I didn’t know what she is to you?” Letting out a sinister laugh, he shakes his head, “Why the fuck do you think you’re here? There’s nothing you don’t know when you run with witches. Best you remember that.” He sneers as he lowers the rock beside the stone, and my eyes are glued to it.

“Be happy with what I’m giving you right now because she won’t be yours after the full moon; she will be mine, to have, to use, to fuck if I choose to... Hey, I might even let you watch if you’re lucky. But make no mistake; I’m merely giving your miserable existence a few more days of happiness before I rip it away from you, and trust me when I tell you, nothing will make me happier.” The look in his eyes when I stare up at him, the hatred he has towards me, it’s cold as death, and I’m suddenly at a loss for words when I croak,

“Why?”

Caius narrows his eyes when he crosses her arms over his chest and grumbles,

“What?”

“Why me, why her? What the fuck do you have against us?” I mutter, my entire soul feeling like it’s about to shatter for our mate. Scoffing, he pretends to think it over before shrugging,

“I have nothing against her, personally. Besides the fact that she was promised to me, sad that you don’t know what she truly is, but you will soon enough; by then, it will be too late.” Looking down, he picks up the stone and holds it to his face as he pretends to inspect it before continuing,

“You, however, well now, you’ve been a thorn and royal pain in my ass from the moment you were born. But when I found out I could use you for this purpose and gain something I couldn’t have imagined, how could I pass up that opportunity.” My eyes narrow in questioning confusion when I mutter,

“Wait, You knew me from the moment I was born?” It’s all too surreal to comprehend, impossible, actually. I met Caius when I was younger, but I can’t remember meeting him as a small child.

His eyes narrow on mine as he scowls,

“Of course not, don’t be absurd,” he diverts his eyes; he clearly slipped up and is now trying to cover it up and brush it off like he didn’t just say that he knew me from birth. My eyes stay on him, my wolf rumbling behind my chest; this is all too surreal.

Caius flips me off with a wave of his hand when he grumbles,

“Now leave; we’re all heading out for training in a short while, so do what I fucking tell you and keep her inside.” Waving me off again, he turns back to what he had been busy with when I first walked in.

I’m fuming, my beast rippling through me like an earthquake, each vibration shattering through my chest with such precision and rage as I glare at the back of his head before abruptly turning on a heel and walking away, only to hear the whispers and snickers from the other rogues as I exit the hole.

Fuck them, too, fuck all of them.

~

Standing before my bedroom door, Caius’s words swirl around like a hurricane inside my head. I take a deep and slow breath as I blow it out. I need my mate; I need to hold her and breathe in her scent just to calm myself down so that I don’t fucking kill something. I want to have a moment to try to come to grips with this; Caius had known about us being fated mates long before I even stepped foot in this place. Fuck. How long has he been working on this plan of his?

I knock on the door because I told Sasha to lock it, but the moment I do, the door just swings open, and my heart drops down to my ass when my wolf growls.

Sasha!

I shove the door the rest of the way before pushing into the room; my eyes widen frantically in search of her when they land on her fast asleep in my bed.

A sigh of relief washes over me; thank fuck she’s alright, but that relief is quickly replaced by frustrated anger.

She didn’t listen to me; she disobeyed me on purpose.

Closing the door as I slide down against it, my ass hits the floor. Leaning my head against the door, I’m still trying to calm my wolf; he’s rattling like crazy, and Caius’s words only make it worse...

I’m not surprised that she didn’t lock the door; alpha females rarely like being told what to do, but it pisses me off that she couldn’t listen to me over something this important. It’s that anger pulsing through me right now that has me up on my feet in an instant as I open the door again, only this time, I slam it shut so hard it nearly comes off its hinges.

That gets her attention.

Sasha jumps out of bed, her eyes wild and bewildered, her wolf ready to attack anything that moves, until her eyes land on me. And I have to give a little smirk at her reaction; my little mate looks fucking adorable when she’s all fired up and confused all at the same time, that whole not knowing up from down but being ready to fight as she comes to her senses is the alpha in her, it’s what makes the difference in whether a wolf will fight or choose flight. She’s still panting heavily when she growls,

“What the hell, Wolf? You nearly gave me a heart attack?”

“I should ask you the same thing, princess. Is it so goddam hard for you to follow a simple instruction like lock the fucking door?” My voice is deep and severe as I stare at her, and the humor is long gone.

“Jeez, I didn’t forget to lock it on purpose; I just had a lot on my mind-” Cutting her off, I scoff as I roll my eyes,

“I asked you to lock the door, Sasha, not disarm a fucking bomb.” My beast swirls in my eyes, a deep growl reverberating through my chest, having her flinching away at the harshness in my voice as she clenches her fists at her side.

“It’s not a big deal; I’m fine, see!” She snaps, pointing at herself in exaggeration as her wolf pushes to the surface.

Feisty little princess.

This only agitates my wolf even more when I take a challenging step towards her,

“Are you fucking serious right now? You’re only fine because I was the one who walked in through that door; what if it was one of the other mutts?” Crossing her arms, she smirks,

“I don’t think any other mutt could be worse than your girlfriend.”

“My what?”

“You know, the she-mutt from earlier,” she mutters, waving me off,

“Mason? She isn’t my girlfriend.” I retort irritably,

“Oh really, does she know that? Because she told me a different story when she cornered me outside your door just now.” My eyes narrow in response when I grit out,

“Mason was here; what the fuck did she want?” I snap, but she doesn’t flinch away; instead, she smirks when she shrugs,

“Just to make sure I understood that you belong to her.” I grit my teeth together so goddam hard that I almost break them when I grind out,

“That’s bullshit; we’ve known each other since we were kids-”

“Yeah, she taught you how to fuck; I got that part.” She grits out in disdain. Clenching my jaw, I swallow a suddenly uncomfortable lump in my throat when I grumble,

“Am I suddenly on trial for shit I did in my past?”

“Sure she’s your past?” She mutters accusingly, and I growl as I stare at her,

“Mason coming and confronting you is exactly the reason I need you to lock that door,”

“I can take care of myself; I’m not scared of a she-mutt, thank you very much!” She snaps in defiance. Smirking, I lower my eyes when I scoff, knowing exactly which angle to come at her with when I lift and narrow my eyes at her,

“And tell me, warrior princess, how many have you killed?” Her brows furrow, her jaw going slack as she stares at me silently. Yeah, I thought so.

I’m not expecting an answer, but then she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest,

“None,” She mumbles before diverting her eyes. Nodding, I smirk as I let her answer linger for just a moment before gritting out,

“Yeah, well, Mason kills for fun; she gets a kick out of it. Just lock the fucking door, okay.” It wasn’t exactly a request; the moment I saw her wolf swirling around in her eyes defiantly, I knew she wasn’t going to let this go and obey my request, my stubborn little mate.

“I’m not backing down to her; I don’t care how many she’s killed; it will only make kicking her ass much more rewarding.” And it’s like my beast suddenly sends my veins blazing with fire as my eyes narrow and a low growl reverberates through me,

“Instead of kicking the shit out of Mason, maybe you should be more worried about what Caius wants with you because come the next full moon, he plans on fucking claiming you and using you for whatever his little plan is.” Her eyes widen as she gasps, her breath hitching in her throat as she lowers them to the floor, and I know I’ve got her attention when I grumble,

“Stop playing games; tell me what you’re hiding because I can’t help you unless you tell me what the fuck you are!?” Her head snaps up towards me when she snaps,

“What kind of question is that? I’m just like you, a wolf shifter-”

“Bullshit, Sasha,” I cut her off, “Caius wouldn’t be after you if you were just a wolf shifter. You’re keeping something from me, and it’s going to end up getting us both killed,” I bark agitatedly,

“W-what- how will my situation get us both killed?”

“News flash, princess, you and I are bound together by the same curse, and Caius seems to know we’re fated to each other,” her eyes widen even more in response when she mutters,

“That’s impossible; how could he know that?” The disbelief and shock on her face is almost comical. But my wolf is way too revved up to find the humor in it when I grunt,

“Oh, it gets better; Caius has a moldavite stone in his possession with your name on it; if he smashes it, you die. If I don’t do what he says, you die. If I leave here with you, you fucking die... he’s got witches helping him, fucking witches, Sasha. Why the fuck does Caius have witches helping him to curse us?!”

I let that stick for a moment, and I can see the horrified look in her eyes as she gulps; her breathing picks up, and the panic in her eyes builds as she looks down at the ground. She grabs for her chest and starts breathing like she’s about to have a panic attack, and that instantly has my wolf wanting to comfort her. Fuck, this damn mate bond has everything so warped around protecting, defending, and loving Sasha that I can’t even be pissed off with her. The second she steps back, shaking her head and whimpering incoherently, my brows furrow in response. I start moving toward her, protectively holding my hand out to her when I murmur,

“Sasha-” But she snaps,

“No!” when her arms fly outward, and the next thing I know, the large mirror against the wall shatters, pieces smashing to the ground in splintered shards.

What the fuck?

My jaw drops when I blink in shock, my widened eyes slowly trailing from the shattered pieces of glass back to Sasha’s mortified face; the look in her eyes as more tears shimmer behind them tells me this isn’t the first time that’s happened, she doesn’t look surprised at all, no, she looks scared.

Did she do that? Did she just break that mirror?

Tears start rolling down her cheeks, and the shimmer behind her eyes is the same striking colors from the lake; the green and blue blended together like a spectacular watercolor display. She’s frozen in horror as her breathing becomes labored, her eyes trailing down at her hands as her bottom lip wobbles. My eyes track the movement as they lower to her hands and widen in shock. A puff of air leaves my lungs when I gulp in response; I’ve never seen something like this before. Electric blue shimmery veins illuminate throughout her hands and up her arms; shaking her head vigorously, she starts whimpering,

“No... no-no-no. This can’t be happening again, please no-” Sasha begins backing up towards the wall, tears falling from her eyes, “Don’t feel, don’t feel, don’t-” she whimpers as she closes her eyes. I’m still standing there like a fucking statue, staring at her in shock, when my wolf suddenly rocks me straight out of my frozen state and shoves me toward her.

Clearly, he’s not freaking out.

I close the gap in one stride when I take her in my arms and wrap her in the warmth of my body; my arms snake around her protectively when I whisper, “It’s okay, it’s okay, I’ve got you,” against her ear, I’m trying to calm her down, she’s freaking out, and that’s my only concern right now. My brain is trying to play catch up, even for a wolf shifter, and being exposed to the supernatural things of our world; this isn’t something I can explain. A tornado of blue sapphires is shimmering through her hands and wrists, like powerful electric waves pulsating energy I don’t understand or know.

On the other hand, my wolf isn’t freaked out by all this one little bit; all he wants to do is defend and protect her at all costs, and that’s the part that’s dominating right now.

PROTECT. MATE.

She starts sobbing hard against my chest, and it doesn’t matter that I’m freaking out inside anymore; all I can do is hold her. She’s my mate, and every fiber of my soul wants to console her, even if I don’t understand what’s going on with her.

I just stand there, holding her, allowing her to cry and let go, whatever just happened replaying in my head over and over again. She slowly pulls back and lifts her head to look up at me, and the shimmering of her eyes has stopped; the emerald green is back, and I notice that her hands are back to normal, too.

“Sasha-” I whisper her name but fall short on anything else. She wants to start crying again, and I swear my wolf does the only thing he thinks will fix this. To be honest, I’m totally on board with him; it’s exactly what I want to do, too. My lips suddenly claim hers, my one hand snakes around her back and the other behind her head; she’s so startled by how forcefully I’m kissing her that a loud gasp escapes her. She slowly relaxes into my kiss, though, as she mewls into my mouth. What starts slow and careful quickly escalates into a deep and hungry show of affection as we begin devouring each other. Zaps of energy start shooting through my entire body, instantly having my cock rock hard. Her lips are so sweet that my dick begins straining painfully against the inside of my shorts, and the sudden scent of her arousal has my wolf howling in my head.

Mine.

All rational thinking goes right out the window when I pick her up, cupping her tight ass in my hands as she wraps her legs around my waist. I nip her bottom lip, and she moans into my mouth, eliciting a low growl to rumble through my chest.

Her little noises are driving my wolf fucking crazy.

Mine.

Small whimpers are still escaping her as she tries to reason with herself. She breaks the kiss and looks up at me. Her lips are swollen and red from me kissing them when she croaks,

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you; my dad wouldn’t let me talk about it,” She sniffs as she shakes her head, and I can’t help smirking in response when I grumble,

“I don’t care, you’re mine, and that’s all that matters.”

Looking up at me with her big doe eyes, I’m completely mesmerized by her. She’s my world, and nothing else matters. The puzzle pieces are starting to fit together now. Why does Caius want her? She has the ability he wants, and I need to figure out exactly what it is so I can stop him from using her.

My tongue dives right back into her mouth as it begins lacing with hers. She tastes so fucking good, and the desperate need to be inside her is becoming overpowering by the second.

Cupping her breasts through her shirt, I gently squeeze her soft mounds; they are perfect; everything about this girl is perfection.

She pushes her chest forward, her tits pushing into my hands even more, and she’s so fucking responsive to my every touch. Kissing her deeper, she mewls into my mouth, her body reacting perfectly to mine. I’m pushing her up against the wall behind her, my hands slowly trailing down on either side when I move her shirt up on either side as I trail kisses down her neck, earning me the most adorable little moans. Fuck, every part of this girl feels velvety smooth to my touch as my hands glide up her sides. The second I pull her shirt right up over her head, my eyes drop to her tits. Fuck, it’s the second time I get to see them up close, and my breath still gets hitched in my throat.

“Beautifull,” I breathe before cupping them, tenderly kneading them, and she moans while grinding her bare pussy against me. Her arousal swirls around my nose, her scent driving me wild when my wolf growls,

“Mine.”

My eyes remain on her tits. I never gave it much thought before, but I’m definitely a boob guy, and hers are flawless perfection; her mounds are just the right size, not too big, not too small, fitting into my big hands like they were made to be there; the truth is, they were. My breath is so labored and deep when my eyes trail back up to meet hers; fuck me, she’s a vision so fucking perfect I nearly cum right there. As cliche as it sounds, she completely takes my breath away.

I need to be inside her because I don’t think I’ll last if I don’t. Spinning around with her held tightly in my arms, I throw her down against the bed, having her gasp loudly in response as she bounces against the soft mattress. Her wide eyes and tousled long hair hang down as she peers through the curtains. My carnal instinct to claim her ripples through my body when I stalk closer. Her frantic heartbeat only excites me even more; the whole deer caught-in-headlights look is fucking adorable on her.

I’m standing right at the edge of the bed, staring at her, a low growl reverberating up my chest as I begin stroking my cock through my pants. He’s as hard as marble for her, and her eyes trail down when they widen. Her reaction is adorable. I’m still mesmerized by her when she slowly draws her knees up on either side of her, and my eyes lower to in between her legs when I fucking forget how to breathe. Her slick pussy stares back at me, and it’s physically painful to stand and watch such perfection. Another low rumble vibrates through my chest when a carnal grin forms against my lips; my eyes trail back up hers when I grumble,

“You’re so wet, baby. Is that all for me?” She bites down against her bottom lip, a blush forming against her cheeks when she nods in response. I continue stroking my dick through my pants, staring into her emerald green eyes while swirls of gold and blue shimmer inside them. All I can do is be completely captivated by how gorgeous she is; whatever else lurks inside her only intensifies the reason I want to protect her. But that’s my wolf; he’s an overprotective beast, and his dominating side keeps growling hard and loud in my head...

MATE. MINE.

Her eyes swirl with the arousal of her heat. I can’t take it anymore; I pounce on her, my mouth crushing against hers with a feral claim. Her little moans of desire for more scorch my skin with flames as she begins clawing at my back. She might be innocent, but this girl has a wild side that is all fierce. The hunger in her eyes is wild when I growl into her mouth. I start trailing soft kisses down her neck, over her collarbone, slowly lowering myself down until my lips wrap around her perfectly hardened nipple. Fuck me; a small gasp escapes her as she arches her back in pleasure, and my tongue immediately begins swirling around as a slight grin of satisfaction creeps up at the corners of my mouth.

Yeah, baby, I’m doing that to you.

I love how responsive she is to me, and nothing has ever tasted so sinful than her under me. Kneading both her breasts in my hands, a breathy moan reverberates through her as she again arches her back, pushing her pelvis right up against my hard-on.

Fuck.

A low and claiming growl rumbles from my chest as my tongue flicks her nipple once more before moving on to the other one. My hardened chest keeps rubbing against her velvety smooth skin, and sparks are eliciting between us. So good, so fucking good.

I feel like I’m on fire; everywhere my body touches hers, energy builds between the pleasure. I want to own her body, worship it, and become entirely consumed by her. She’s panting hard as I slowly begin moving south; I continue trailing kisses down to her belly button when I growl,

“I have to taste you...”