Chapter 3
Caedmon Moroz
Iwas absolutely no different than Weylin or Reamann.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that I was worse.
At least they presented themselves as a clear threat to Effie—at least they were clear about the danger they posed to my mate.
I’d tried to be as transparent as possible.
I’d tried to warn her about my past, about the limited options of what I had to offer… but nothing seemed to work.
She trusted me. Cared about me. Viewed me as someone who would never hurt her…
and I’d taken that trust, absolutely demolishing it when I left bruises on her soft, beautiful skin.
What did she see in me? Why did she keep giving herself over to me without question?
I couldn’t deny it anymore, though—Effie wanted me, and I would absolutely give her everything I could to make her happy.
I had no idea if that was possible, but I would try anything to keep her.
Which is why I was so pissed at myself for fucking up already. I closed my eyes, trying to not think about how much I liked the evidence of when I’d gripped her hips, holding her hot, wet pussy against my mouth to bring her pleasure—to bring her to relief.
The worst part? I liked them. I fucking liked seeing my mark—my claim—on her, and that made me feel like I was far worse than the pieces of shit I’d saved her from.
A surge of pride went through me at the concept of saving her.
I may have been a fuck-up, but I’d managed to keep my lycan brand of bloodlust at bay enough to make sure my mate was safe. To make sure that Reamann wouldn’t fucking touch her again. Then I’d ruined it by bringing her here and placing her in a very unsafe position—alone with me.
Honestly, I was half tempted to wake her up and have her chain me back to the wall.
I mean, it would make the most sense—I was unpredictable like this.
Then there was the part of me that actively wanted to shift.
It was safer there mentally. Easier. The problem was that nothing but primal and instinctual reactions would remain—which was why it was so dangerous for Effie to be here.
I didn’t want to even think about how tempted I’d been to mate with her.
The form I was in hadn’t mattered. I’d wanted to keep her pinned to the ground with her ass up in the air and body on full display for me as I slid into her tight, hot heat.
Suddenly, I had to restrain a groan that nearly broke from my throat.
I needed to get her the fuck out of here.
After she’d fallen asleep, I had adjusted her panties and jeans, covering her up as she curled up against my chest like a sleepy kitten. Trusting. Vulnerable. No concern for the possibility of me having a nightmare and posing a threat to her in such a violent state.
My mind returned to the bruises I’d left on her hips. Hips that I’d been wanting to hold, to grip, for fucking days now. If I’d thought that a taste of her would quench my need, I’d been so fucking wrong. I was almost damn positive I was addicted to the woman.
Fuck, tonight had been such a shit show.
I’d abandoned my pack, the men who were supposed to be my brothers, but when Ryder had mentioned her being in potential danger still, I hadn’t hesitated to take her.
To steal her and bring her back to what was equivalent to a goddamn lair.
I tightened my hold on her, burying my nose in her hair as I considered keeping her here.
I knew I couldn’t, but I wanted to.
I kept her head underneath my chin as I sat us up, holding her against me to shield her body from the winds howling outside.
We needed to go back. I understood that rationally, but I didn’t like it.
My lycan side thought it was bullshit. Why bring her back to somewhere she was in danger?
Why not keep her here or somewhere else equally as safe, away from the others? Seemed fucking reasonable to me.
Then again, my lycan side didn’t consider us an active threat to Effie.
Shifting my weight to bring us to standing, I let out a hiss, the lingering soreness in my ankle reminding me of how the monster inside of me couldn’t be contained.
Three days a month, I came here to shift and chain myself up by the ankle.
Normally, it worked…but not tonight. Tonight I’d heard my mate’s call, her panic and desperation, and broke free.
I hadn’t cared about logic, reason, or the consequences of my actions once there—as long as she was safe.
I didn’t care what punishment I would have faced for Reamann’s arm if it hadn’t healed.
If it meant keeping her safe, I’d gladly endure it.
Frowning, I tried to sort through what I’d seen through my lycan form’s eyes.
Effie’s magic was absolutely nothing like I’d ever witnessed, her healing far surpassing a normal shifter.
She had enough power to reattach a limb…
that shit was unreal. It didn’t exist. Looking down at her gorgeous, relaxed face, I shook my head.
I shouldn’t be surprised that Effie was something uniquely spectacular.
I had no idea what I did to deserve an angel like her as my mate, but I would never forget or take for granted such good fortune.
Which is why I needed to be more careful with her.
I didn’t regret my actions, taking her sweet lips and tasting her, but I also hated that I’d marred her body.
No, that was a lie… I didn’t hate it. I worried she would hate it.
I worried that she would regret what we’d done.
Regret me. I frowned, wondering how it was different from a mating mark?
I suppose it wasn’t exactly. I just knew that Effie had seen so much violence in her life, and I never wanted her to associate that with me.
I didn’t want to be the animal, the uncontrolled beast, that all lycans were believed to be.
I wanted to be better than that—better for her.
I just wasn’t positive that was possible.
Deciding it was time to go, the temperature dipping with the increased wind speed, I tightened my hold on her in my arms, but not before draping my shirt and jacket over her frame.
My hand came up from where it was wrapped underneath her, my gaze zeroing in on the bite mark she’d left on my hand.
She’d given me a gift that I had never imagined possible—her teeth digging into my flesh, branding my soul while I brought her to climax.
Effie had locked herself to me willingly, and I had no idea how to come to terms with that.
Besides worshipping the fucking ground that she graced.
There was so much more to it though. Effie couldn’t leave me. We wouldn’t allow it—neither my human nor my wolf side. Even if she tried, we would hunt her down. The gravity of that realization and this situation leveled me. I knew Effie trusted me; I just wanted to be worthy of that, worthy of her.
As I walked towards the back of the cave, pain radiated through my chest at the prospect of not being able to do that.
Shaking my head, I shifted her and grabbed the rusted handle of a hidden door.
Much like the alcoves on campus, this cave had tunnel access to it.
It had clearly been used frequently at one time, but now it was just where I came to be alone. To keep others safe.
I knew I’d scared her, jumping over the cliffside, but this tunnel wasn’t one that could fit my lycan form.
The door closed behind us as I carried her through the dark passage, my pace a bit slower than usual.
My ankle was healed, but a persistent ache remained due to the severity of the injury.
It was taking longer than normal for it to dissipate, my energy drained from the amount of control I was exerting.
In my life, especially with my past, it never felt like I healed fast enough.
I obviously also didn’t want to risk shifting to speed up the process.
I cursed under my breath, realizing that I would need to reach out to the others because I’d gone too far north to walk back in this form, especially with how cold she would be.
Not for the first time, I cursed my lack of control.
I didn’t trust myself to shift once they were here, either…
I had a feeling I wouldn’t react well to other men being around my mate.
I didn’t want her to fear me, and I always felt like I was two steps away from that with Effie.
Then again, at the start she had feared Tore more than myself, which was the exact opposite of how she should have felt.
When I opened the door to the outside, I realized it wasn’t necessary to reach out to the others.
Dakota stood leaning against a large SUV that I knew belonged to Ryder, wearing a tense look that matched Tore’s, who was in the front seat.
I had to assume Ryder and Julian were in the back, because there was no way they wouldn’t have come.
I offered Dakota a nod as he walked forward and looked her over, exhaling in relief.
“I shouldn’t have left,” I admitted.
“No. You should have,” Dakota argued. “We had no idea how they would act when they woke up, and she would have been in danger once again.”
“Did they wake up?”
“Yes.” He frowned. “They were acting weird as fuck. We need to keep them far away from her—they were almost obsessively interested in where she was. Ryder is worried her magic fucked with them somehow.”
I let out a low rumble. “That’s not fucking good.”
“Yeah, I don’t like it,” he grunted before focusing back on her. “When did she pass out? Why did she pass out?”
“Only a bit ago,” I answered, purposely ignoring the second question.
He offered me a questioning look before shaking his head, amusement flashing in his gaze as he stepped to the side. “Alright, well, you should get her in the car before the others lose their shit.”