Chapter 4 - Reeyan
My mate is staring at me like I’ve grown a second head.
I don’t blame her. Five minutes ago, she was being kidnapped by Thornridge operatives, and now she’s watching me stand here covered in blood after killing three wolves with my bare hands. Or teeth. Whatever.
The mate bond hums through my veins like electricity, and I have to clench my fists to keep from reaching for her. Every instinct screams to touch her, to verify she’s real and safe and mine.
She’s mine.
The certainty of it rocks through me with enough force to make my knees weak.
This woman I’ve never officially met, this Llewelyn omega who makes my wolf lose all sense of control…
she’s my mate. On some level, I knew what she was to me, and I was terrified of it, so I avoided her like the plague anytime she came to Grayhide territory.
When she finally speaks, her voice comes out breathless, as though she can’t quite believe it. “You’re Reeyan. The historian.”
Hearing my name from her lips does something to me. Makes my wolf preen with satisfaction despite the circumstances.
“I am,” I confirm with a curt nod. “Reeyan Hale. Grayhide’s historian and strategic advisor.”
She nods slowly as those pale blue eyes watch my every move like she can’t quite believe I’m real. “And you just…happened to be here? On this road, at exactly the right moment?”
“I was on my way to Llewelyn territory. Meeting with Matriarch Lydia about the new intelligence network we’re setting up between packs.” I gesture vaguely toward where my truck is parked. “Council meeting ran late, so I was behind schedule. Otherwise, I would have missed you. I wouldn’t have…”
I trail off as the thought makes my stomach turn. What if I’d left an hour earlier? What if I decided to wait until morning? She’d be gone now, taken by Thornridge to who knows where, and I’d never have known what happened to my mate.
“Lucky timing,” she comments, though her voice is flat, emotionless. The Llewelyn reserve is reasserting itself now that the immediate danger has passed.
“Very lucky.” I force myself to take a step toward her, moving carefully so I don’t spook her. She’s been through enough tonight without me adding to her terror.
The zip ties binding her wrists catch my attention, and anger flares hot in my chest at the sight. They tied her up. Restrained her like an animal.
“Let me get those off you.” I close the remaining distance between us and reach for her wrists.
The moment my fingers brush against her skin, the mate bond ignites between us like a wildfire.
I suck in a breath and freeze. The connection is overwhelming, flooding through every nerve ending in my body with a force that makes the world tilt sideways. It’s recognition and need and belonging all wrapped into one sensation that threatens to bring me to my knees.
Her pupils dilate until only a thin ring of blue remains. She pulls in a quick breath, and I watch her throat work as she swallows.
“What—” she starts, but the word dies on her lips.
The skin underneath the ties is red and raw, already starting to bruise. Rage rushes through me again at the sight. I want to kill those Thornridge bastards all over again for daring to hurt her.
“Thank you.” She peers up at me through her lashes as she adds, “For saving me. I don’t know what they were planning, but—”
“Nothing good.” I sheath the knife and resist the urge to reach for her wrists again, to soothe the injured skin with my touch.
“Thornridge has been targeting high-value individuals from all the packs. You’re connected to Llewelyn leadership through your aunt, and you’re close friends with Raegan.
That makes you extremely valuable to them. ”
“How do you know so much about Thornridge?” She wraps her arms around herself, and I realize she’s probably freezing now that the adrenaline is wearing off. “About their strategies and targets?”
“It’s my job to know. I document patterns, study historical conflicts, and advise the council on potential threats.
” I start to shrug out of my jacket, then remember it’s covered in blood.
Right. Not helpful. “Thornridge has been on our radar for months now. Ever since they infiltrated the Llewelyn exchange program.”
Her face goes tight at the mention of Bastian. “That was my fault. I recommended him for the program.”
“Bastian was a trained operative,” I tell her. “His entire purpose was to seem trustworthy. You couldn’t have known.”
“I should have seen it.” She looks away, setting her jaw. “I’m supposed to be good at reading people. It’s one of the few skills Llewelyn women are encouraged to develop.”
“Nobody saw it. Not your matriarch, not your council, and not any of the pack leaders who signed off on the exchange program.” I take a small step back, giving her space even though everything in me protests the distance.
“You can’t blame yourself for being fooled by someone whose entire job was to fool you. ”
She doesn’t respond to that. Just stands there hugging herself, looking small and vulnerable in ways I suspect she’d hate if she knew.
“We should get you somewhere safe.” I gesture toward my truck. “Before more Thornridge operatives show up looking for their missing scouts.”
She nods and takes a tentative step forward. Her legs shake slightly, but she stays upright. Pride fills my chest at her strength, at the way she refuses to show weakness even after everything she’s been through.
We make our way to the truck slowly. I keep close enough to catch her if she stumbles, but far enough away that I’m not crowding her. My wolf protests the distance, demanding I pick her up and carry her to safety, but I ignore him.
She’s been through enough without me manhandling her like she’s helpless.
“My wolf…I can’t feel her,” she breaks the silence as we walk. “What exactly did they do to me?”
“It’s Thornridge technology. Cuts off your connection to your wolf.” I open the passenger door for her. “We’ve been seeing them show up in intelligence reports for the past few months.”
“How long until it wears off?” She climbs into the truck carefully, moving like everything hurts.
“Depends on the model and how long they had it activated.” I close her door and walk around to the driver’s side, telling myself to move at a normal pace when everything in me wants to rush.
“This one looked like the same type Raegen found when she infiltrated one of their camps. If I remember correctly, the effects lasted about a couple of hours.”
“A couple of hours.” She says it like a curse as I slide into the driver’s seat. “A couple of hours of being trapped like this.”
I start the engine with that familiar rattle. “I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to be cut off from your wolf.”
She looks at me with surprise. “You do?”
“Training exercise gone wrong when I was younger. Some idiot thought it would be good practice to see how we’d handle combat without our wolves.
” The memory still makes me uncomfortable, makes my wolf growl with remembered displeasure.
“They used a prototype suppressor on a group of us. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.”
A crease forms between her brows. “What was it like?”
“Empty. Like part of my soul was missing.” I pull onto the road, grateful for something to do with my hands that isn’t reaching for her. “Everything felt muted, distant. My senses were dulled, my strength was halved, and I couldn’t shake this feeling that something fundamental was wrong.”
Her voice comes out small when she replies, “That’s exactly how it feels. Like I’m only half here.”
“But you get through it. Your wolf is still there, just out of reach. She’ll come back once the suppressor wears off.” I glance at her briefly before focusing back on the road. “In the meantime, you’re safe. I won’t let anything else happen to you.”
The promise floats between us. It’s more than I should be offering to someone I just met, more than is appropriate given the circumstances. But I can’t help myself. Every fiber of my being demands I protect this woman, keep her safe, and make sure nothing else hurts her.
She’s my mate. Protecting her isn’t optional.
We drive in silence for several minutes. The landscape changes around us as we move deeper into Grayhide territory, away from the rocky borderlands and into the desert proper. The sun has fully set now, leaving us in darkness, broken only by my headlights.
I should turn around. Should take her to Llewelyn territory so she can report the attack to her matriarch and get medical attention from her own pack healers. That would be the logical thing to do. The respectful thing.
But every instinct I have screams at me to keep her close. To take her somewhere safe where I can protect her properly. Where no one else can hurt her.
After a few minutes, she sits up in her seat, seeming to realize what direction we’re headed. “You’re going the wrong way. Llewelyn is east. You’re driving south.”
“I know.” My hands grip the steering wheel harder.
“Then where are you taking me?”
“Home.” The word comes out before I can stop it. “My home. In Grayhide territory.”
She turns to look at me now, and I can feel the weight of her stare. “Why?”
“Because you’re cut off from your wolf and vulnerable.
” I force myself to keep my eyes on the road because looking at her right now feels too dangerous.
“Besides, Thornridge obviously knows you were on this road, and they might send more operatives to finish what those three started. Because taking you back to Llewelyn right now means driving through areas where we have no backup and limited visibility.”
All true. Also, not the complete truth.
My mate is coming home with me. Everything else can wait.