8
Valor
I stood there, realizing that somehow Zeke had altered the memories in my brain. I remembered everything now, how Kane chased me through the woods with the urge to claim each other, taking hold of us faster than we both expected. This man wanted to kill me, but even from that moment when he made his goal clear, he still had that look of captivation in his eyes. Even now we were standing in the middle of nowhere on the Eclipse's property. He still looked at me the same way.
I had questions for Zeke because he had manipulated me into believing he was Kane and I followed him out here. If he had just told me the truth, I would have followed him anyway because we still had unresolved issues between us, but with this happening, I was doubting how true everything that occurred from the start was. I let out an exhale of frustration and Kane just stood there watching me. Kane’s presence excited my wolf, Leo, and I had to shut him off after several telepathic warnings. This wasn't the time to get back to becoming obsessed with an Alpha. I had to think with my head not with my dick. “I need to get back.”
I told him and gestured toward the path, but he stopped me even before I took three steps forward.
“I came here to ask you for a favor.”
“What could I possibly have?”
I was saying and turned on my heels to leave, but he reached out and tightened his grip around my wrist. His expression unreadable, his eyes still holding that look in them.
“Everything, little wolf. You have everything.”
He remarked with a smile.
“I just want you to leave me alone.”
“Look, whatever Zeke has planned for you isn't good. What do you think would happen to you when he figures out that you know? I'll protect you, Valor. I just need you to come with me.”
He declared, a hint of fear lingering in his eyes. I shuddered and turned on my heels. I didn't even know what to do at this point. Trusting this stranger seemed like a better option than going back to Zeke. Besides, he would be too busy with the Eclipse to even notice I was gone. Kane put out his hands for me and I sighed with contemplation and took it. Before I could tell what was happening, he shifted into his beastly form, ears slanted, claws and fangs drawn, black fur coating every part of his body. He picked me up and carried me like I was the most precious thing in the world and made a run for the woods. He looked at me with yearning burning behind those beautiful crimson orbs. And it made me wonder what he saw in me. Of all the wolf shifters in the world, he saw me.
We left the building’s premises after moving through the forest of trees at a precise speed and arrived in the middle of the road where a black SUV parked. He set me down and morphed back into his human form, walking naked to the trunk of the vehicle. I stole a glance at his solid back muscles and the tattoos that covered them while he shuffled through the bags there until he found shorts and pulled it on. He turned to me with a smile, almost catching my gaze. This time I saw the inked tattoos splayed over the dark skin of his chest, abdominal muscles and his arms.
“Would you like me to put a shirt on?”
He teased, and my cheeks burned red. I couldn't let him see the effect he had on me, but he knew from the fact that he walked over to the other side of the car shirtless, inviting me over.
“If he had worn a shirt, I wouldn't talk to you until next year. I mean, don't you see how hot he is. Oh, goddess. I want him. I want him. I want him. I want him. I. Want. Him.”
Leo screamed in my head, and I rolled my eyes, getting into the vehicle. Kane crossed over to the other side and got in; he turned on the engine and glanced my way, putting the car in motion.
“If you have questions, I'm all ears.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“My pack. I want you to be my date to a ball.”
“A ball? Are you serious? So you came all the way from your pack to an unknown territory just to ask me out?”
I let out a hearty chuckle and rolled my eyes. He sure knew how to surprise someone.
“Valor, please,”
he whined. “But if you'd say no, I'll accept it. I want it to be what you want.”
He added, and I went silent. I wouldn't give him an answer now.
“How did you get into my pack?”
“I was keeping tabs on Ezekiel for some personal reasons, and it led me to you. I got information about the chances of you coming back to life and stayed for a while.”
“So you were stalking me?”
“No, I wasn't. If I was, I would have fucked you by now.”
His voice contained more than a touch of his wolf’s growl, and that was enough to stir my cock to life. I wanted to know what it was like to take him against the bonnet of the vehicle. I shouldn't be thinking about this, but that was all that came to my mind. And he wasn't helping by the way he stared at me. This man right here was so fucking handsome.
“What is it like in your pack?”
I asked as a form of diversion from my lewd thoughts.
“We are not much because some of my people left when the former Alpha died.”
“I thought that gave you the mantle of leadership. Or are you one of those spoiled children who runs away from their duties?”
I arched my brows.
“No. I only discovered I was an Alpha months ago. I almost died, but luckily I survived.”
“That’s the scar on your chest.”
“Yeah, very observant,”
he smiled at me. “I don't know Valor, but you've charmed me. Being with you feels so right. I want to be with you all the time. I don't want you to go back to Ezekiel.”
He professed with a strict tone, his eyes never leaving mine. Was he trying to convince me to leave my best friend behind? But after what he did—getting into my head and manipulating my memories after I had given him the access to share something special with me. He misused that opportunity, and it hurt me.
“Well, you have until the end of the ball to convince me.”
I said to him.
“Mine, little wolf.”
He told me. There was a feeling of rightness that came with his words.
***
By the time we had moved through the path in the forest to the houses in the pack, the sun was already overhead. Like Kane had said, their population wasn't large, and it showed from the number of houses I saw while we drove through the pack dwellings. We arrived at the mansion and headed into the house. The staircase led to a double-door, flanked by towering columns and adorned with intricate carvings. The walls creamy white with expansive windows and doors. As we walked through the doors, the foyer opened into the living room—an elegant space which had high ceilings, hardwood floors, a crystal chandelier in the center of the space, and beautiful tables and couches, the walls adorned with exquisite artwork and the fire place crackling with flames. I let Kane take the direction, and he led me from the living room to the kitchen, the basement, the ballroom and second and third floors of the buildings which had different rooms allotted to the ranked Lycans of the pack. During this time, he took his time to explain to me how he's been adjusting to the life of an Alpha and trying to get his life back together with his Beta, Gamma, and other family friends. The day had rolled by when we finished the tour, and Kane took me to his room, asking me to make myself comfortable. He left and returned with a tray of food and set it down on the center table in his comfortable apartment which had a king-sized bed, an extensive wardrobe with a polished brown surface, walls covered in exquisite wall papers and plush carpets with intricate designs. “You have a really nice place.”
“Thank you. Um, I need you to make yourself comfortable. The pack workers will bring you a suit for the ball…”
“Add corsets to the list,”
I informed him. “I wear it once in a while.”
“Yeah, well, my Gamma is obsessed with those. If there's anything you need, just ring me.”
He beamed and hurried to his drawer, pulling pen and paper and scribbling down the number.
“I’m sure I have everything I need here, Kane.”
“I can't wait to dance with you, little wolf.”
He smiled and walked toward me, brushing his knuckles against my cheeks. I let out a heated breath and leaned into his touch, feeling something extraordinary with the contact I had with him. My wolf hummed with excitement, unknown to me that he had manifested into my silver irises, turning them golden. When I leveled my gaze with Kane, his eyes were a fleck of crimson and his wolf hummed in agreement with mine. They were both staking claim on each other, and this elicited an unadulterated feeling of joy in my heart. “I’ll see you tonight.”
He said and pulled away from me. My wolf mourning at the loss of his touch.
After he left, I took my time to finish the food on the tray, humming at the delicacy that he had whipped up. I finished eating and hurried to the bathroom to have a shower, which lasted almost an hour, and when I came back to the room. I saw my dress lying on the bed just the way I wanted.
I sat next to it and lay back on the bed, pinning my gaze to the ceiling and wondering how I got myself here. How right it felt to be with Kane, to be here in his pack. I know everything was happening so fast, but it still felt right. Maybe this was what the moon goddess wanted from me—the new path in my life. From what I've heard from Kane, his pack was in shambles, and he needed help to get everything back on track. I wanted to be part of that help. I needed to be.
I rose back to my feet with these thoughts still streaming in my head and dressed up, putting on the black shoes, hooking my belt against the dark blue trouser with the same matching color for shirt. I was about to put on my corset when the door pulled open and I turned on my heels meeting Kane, who was ready for the ball. He was in an all black attire with a long tailcoat jacket. His eyes zeroed on me with a smirk and he stepped closer. The way he looked at me sent a thrill through me, causing my dick to twitch.
“Let me help you with that.”
He offered. I put on the corset, and he laced it, tightening his grip until he had successfully knotted it at the end. “Is that too tight?”
He leaned closer to my ears, pressing his hands on the small of my back.
“No. I can breathe just fine.”
I said, and let him hold me, reveling in the sparks that came with our bodies being so close. I sucked in a deep breath, and he leaned closer, his lips brushing against my ears.
“Before the end of the night, I'll be the one unlacing your corset and claiming your body,”
his deep, throaty voice grumbled, doing things to my insides. “You are so hard to resist, little wolf.”
He nibbled on my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. Goddess, every time this man was close to me, he drove me to the edge, awakening desires that left me yearning for him. Just like that night in the forest when he chased me or when he carried me in his arms and escaped from the Eclipse's territory.
“Kane, I need to…”
I was saying, but he interrupted me, “You’ll tell me whatever it is when I have you at my mercy.”
“Mm.”
I groaned and he took my arms with a smile and ushered me out of the room.
The pack was waiting for us.