Chapter 3
Evelyne breathed in Kaldrek’s rich and intoxicating scent; so wholly his that she could spend the rest of her life surrounded by it.
Her fingers traced the lines of his alpha tattoo, gliding slowly from his arm to his neck.
And when she reached the curve of his jaw, a quiet moan escaped him in his sleep.
It was the first night they’d truly had to themselves—or as close to it as possible—tucked away in a narrow hollow carved into the mountainside.
They’d come across plenty such shelters before nightfall, and almost everyone in the pack had managed to claim a dry, hidden space.
Kaldrek believed these openings were remnants of old passages, chiseled by travelers who once braved the journey north.
They were finally nearing the end of the range, and the faint promise of warmth came with it.
The tallest snow-drenched peaks now fell behind them.
Evelyne prayed the wind would ease, for every breath cut like ice, and her legs felt as heavy as stone.
Still, Cillian bore it all in silence, never complaining or faltering.
And that gave her enough strength to endure.
Her fingertips traced a lazy path down the curve of Kaldrek’s arm, lingering over the strength there before trailing across the solid breadth of his chest. His arms, so often wrapped around her now, felt like home. Her anchor. He was hers, and the thought sent a warm ripple through their bond.
A low groan rumbled from him.
“Careful,” he murmured, the sound thick with heat. “I can feel exactly what you’re thinking… and if you keep going, I’m going to act on it.” His dark brown eyes locked onto hers, and his voice lowered, its depth sending a subtle vibration across her skin. “I don’t care how many people we wake.”
Evelyne’s cheeks flushed, but the warmth inside her wasn’t from embarrassment.
She loved the way he wanted her, cherished her.
At first, she’d been shy knowing he could feel every spark of her longing, but when she began to sense his in return, it was all-consuming.
Her fingers traced the new mark at his neck.
Their mating mark. And a small smile tugged at her lips.
“As tempting as that is, the pack really does need sleep. And so do you.”
Kaldrek exhaled, rolling his eyes in mock defeat. “Fine." But instead of letting her go, he drew her over him, his heat sinking into her as his fingers slid into her hair. He grazed the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine, then tilted his head and caught her lips in a slow kiss.
Gods, he was distracting. She could never resist him when he kissed her like that, always teasing her with the promise of more.
Kaldrek. She slipped his name into his mind like a moan.
The kiss deepened, his tongue tangling with hers, his large, strong hands roaming her body, cupping her hips as if to claim every inch.
You can be loud in here, his sinful voice purred through her thoughts.
She almost gave in. Oh, how badly she wanted that moment with him.
It had been too long—too many cold nights on the mountains, too many times the bond pulled insistently low in her belly until it became unbearable.
And now, feeling his raw want through their connection, it was almost impossible to fight.
You are bold, Evelyne whispered into his mind. She felt the grin spread across his lips before she saw it. He knew he was winning.
Desire rushed through her as his dark, hungry eyes claimed her attention.
Seconds—that was all she had to bring up what truly pressed against her chest. But how could she ruin this?
How could she confess that sleep terrified her now, that every time she closed her eyes she was dragged back to the same unnerving thought that had plagued her since that night?
When she’d learned not only of her own bloodline, but of his and of the power that might be pulsing through his veins, waiting to thrive in dark magic.
No.
He was nothing like his mother. So why did her mind insist on betraying her? Why did it conjure dreams of her mate staring down at her with cold, black eyes as his hands closed around her throat, squeezing the life from her?
The truth still twisted in her stomach. All that time spent chasing the shadow that haunted her brother, only to learn the monster behind it was the mother of the male she loved.
Even now, it sent a chill through her, anger tightening in her chest. Not at Kaldrek for keeping it from her; she understood that now.
But at what had been done to him. At the cruelty he had endured.
At the way his own mother had taken his family from him.
Kaldrek’s brows knitted. “What’s wrong?”
Of course he could feel the ripple of her frustration and fear through the bond. She forced herself to smooth her features, willing the storm inside her to quiet.
“Nothing that should ruin this moment with you.”
For a heartbeat, it looked as though he might press her, but then he exhaled and shut his eyes, surrendering the answer for now. She loved him for that—for knowing when to push and when to yield. For all his arrogance, his respect for her never wavered.
Tomorrow, she told herself. She would bring it up tomorrow. But tonight, she needed this moment. Her fingers traced the rough edge of his jaw as she pulled him into a kiss. He responded instantly, his hands gripping her hips before traveling up her sides toward her breasts.
Now this is all I want, my love, Kaldrek’s deep voice purred into her mind, wrapping around her like silk.
And she melted, utterly undone in his hands.
***
“Uuuuup,” Heidara drawled, tugging at Evelyne’s blanket. “Up, up, up—come look!”
Evelyne groaned into the scratchy wool. But when she realized Kaldrek wasn’t beside her, panic shot through her. She bolted upright.
“What happened?”
“Nothing. Just get up, I want to show you something.” Heidara’s grin was radiant, her green eyes sparkling with mischief.
Evelyne narrowed her eyes. “How are you always this chipper in the morning?” she muttered.
Ignoring her complaint, Heidara seized her arm and pointed toward the horizon. “See that low peak there?”
Blinking against the early light, Evelyne followed her gaze.
A small mountain rose about a mile away, and with the sun just cresting the horizon, she caught the glint of melted snow along its slopes.
Slowly, she turned back to the towering jagged peaks behind them, still heavy with ice, stabbing at the heavens.
She understood now why Heidara was practically bouncing with excitement. They were almost free of the mountains.
“I am so ready to get off this cursed mountain,” Heidara groaned. “A bath. A real meal. A fire beneath the stars… I’ll take anything that isn’t snow and rock.”
Evelyne couldn’t fault her. Though she was a wolf, the cold snow and stone day after day became tiresome, especially since they didn’t shift much during the travel back.
And this had been the hardest trek of her own life.
More than once, she had longed for the sanctuary of her bed back home—its sprawling mattress, heaped with feathered blankets and pillows soft enough to drown in.
Yet even the thought of home unsettled her.
Could she really go back to a world of ballrooms and gowns after months spent among wolves? After becoming one herself?
And then there was Kaldrek. How would her mother ever accept him?
Evelyne pushed the thought aside with a sharp breath.
None of that mattered anymore. She was no longer the girl bound to noble expectation.
She was what she was always meant to be.
She relished the freedom of shifting into her golden-brown form and racing the night wind, of sharing an unbreakable bond with the male she loved, of belonging not just to friends but to a pack, a tie far more sacred than any courtly alliance.
Still, doubt lingered. Which pack was hers? She was Kaldrek’s mate, but was he her alpha? She wasn’t sure she felt it—not yet. And that was a whole other conversation Evelyne was putting off.
“Evelyne?” Heidara’s voice cut through her wandering thoughts. She tilted her head, concern softening her features. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I’m fine. I’m just so relieved we’re nearly through this stretch of the journey. A bath does sound quite wonderful.”
The tension in Heidara’s shoulders seemed to ease, as though Evelyne’s words alone steadied her.
“It truly does,” she murmured. Then her smile faltered as she turned to meet Evelyne’s eyes.
“Have you spoken with Alaric?” she asked quietly.
Before Evelyne could answer, Heidara pressed on, almost as if she feared losing her nerve.
“I can’t shake the feeling I’ve done something wrong, or said something to wound him.
I’ve tried to think of what it could be, but…
nothing comes. He hardly looks at me anymore. ”
Heidara twisted her fingers, her vulnerability plain, as if his silence had been gnawing at her. Evelyne opened her mouth to reassure her, but no words came, because she had no answers. Alaric’s distance had unsettled her just as deeply. Finally, Evelyne shook her head.
“I haven’t spoken much with him either. I’m sure it’s nothing more than the cold wearing him down.”
“Maybe.” Heidara frowned. “He does seem quite brief with everyone, not only me. Perhaps I’ll try speaking with him again later.”
Evelyne reached across and clasped her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I don’t think he could ever stay upset with a face as beautiful as yours.”
A fleeting smile curved Heidara’s lips, but it never reached her eyes.
Evelyne resolved to find Alaric and pry an honest answer from him.
If the journey truly was wearing him down, then he needed someone to lean on—and perhaps then he’d finally speak of the nightmares he’d waved away before.
That thought, however, tugged another neglected duty to the forefront of her mind: she still had to speak with Kaldrek.