Chapter 3 Ryder #2
Letting her go would be stupid because she could be my path to Carina Hargrove.
But as she continues running, it’s not kidnapping my body is attuning to, but a different kind of hunger.
A darker, more depraved one, driven by the ache in my gums begging me to bite down on her neck, hold her in place, and fuck her into the ground until she understands why little witches don’t travel outside the safety of coven lines.
Catch her.
Keep her.
Keep her? My wolf is fucked in the head.
And yet…I obey the urge. Not to keep her, of course, but to stop her. To beg her to remove whatever she’s so clearly cursed me with that’s making this unbearable and uncontrollable feeling direct my thoughts.
My longer legs eat up all the distance she’s managed in the course of my inner torment, until I’m passing her entirely, hands lifting to block her advance. She slams to a stop and nearly rams into me. Her breaths are heavy and her head roves, seeking another escape route.
“I won’t hurt you, I swear. Don’t attack.”
A rumble twists my stomach. The thought of harming her feels wrong. It shouldn’t, given her species, but fuck if my partial lies from earlier are now the complete truth.
Holding her breath, she stares at me warily before, slowly, her arms drop to her side. Her lips part and my senses tune every other scent of the forest out, all to hear her voice when she gives me her name.
“The splash was nothing. Take a step closer, I’ll impale you on a tree branch. Don’t test me, wolf.”
Except she’s testing me with that threat, which annihilates my primal side. The side that desires fighting for dominance and showing the witch why testing me is a mistake.
Hands still up, I say, “I only want answers.”
She chews on the inside of her cheek, considering how much to believe. “Coven didn’t send me. No one knows I’m here. This is all on me.”
“You understand the accords, right?” Although I have complete justification to hold her accountable, if she’s new to the coven, I could allow it to pass. It’ll be Morgan’s fault for not explaining the boundaries.
She rolls her eyes, making me think her fear from earlier was a performance. Even her shoulders are no longer caved in, and her breathing is smoother—relaxed. She meets my gaze head-on, challenging the Alpha inside me that demands dominance from everyone.
“Believe me, I know the rules all too well. I simply choose not to follow them.”
Clearly.
“Look,” she utters after another few seconds, “I’m sorry. I’ll go now, if you promise not to say anything to anyone. I was curious, no other reason.”
Taking my silence as agreement, she moves to step aside, practically tripping in her rush to escape, but I block her with a single step that places me closer to her than earlier. Close enough, the heat from her body radiates, making me want to feel it for myself.
“Curious about what?”
Pink flushes her cheeks, guaranteeing I have to know. “Nothing.”
Another step from her and another block by me.
“Tell me and I’ll let you go.”
Another second of consideration before she huffs in exasperation. “You, okay? I’m curious about shifters.”
Those were two different answers, but nonetheless, I reluctantly move aside to let her pass, completely aware letting her go is a mistake.
She’s a bargaining chip to later use, but I’m gambling with the fact that kidnapping her might destroy my sanity.
If a five-minute meeting has both myself and my wolf feeling unusual things, I need away from her spell; not to bring the caster further into my life.
As she passes me, walking like a bunny trying to sneak away from a predator, the wind catches strands of her hair, highlighting the subtle streaks of blonde intermingled with the brown that glows in the afternoon sun.
By instinct, my hand lifts to touch.
Only to drop, unsure where exactly those instincts came from.
“What’s your name?” I demand before blocking her path again and breaking my own deal.
She moves quickly, going to dart around me, but I’m faster, and stretch my arm out. In her attempt to escape, the movement draws her shirt up by a few inches and as my hand comes up to block, fingers land on bare skin.
Electricity zaps through her to me. Pressure—weight—slams into my chest, breaking any chance of ever breathing normally again.
I dart backwards with a hiss, pulling my hand close while glaring at her for daring to curse me like that when all I asked was for her name.
“What the fuck was that for?”
Instead of responding, she scowls at my palm like I’m at fault.
As if I’m the one with the magick abilities.
Her eyes trail up my body, confusion deepening by the time she reaches my face, and her head shake splatters her scent around me all over again.
Just when I pretended to not notice it as much.
“I-I didn’t…I don’t know.”
“You mean, you felt—”
My question goes unfinished and thus answered when she takes off into the woods again.
This time, I let her go.
Follow.
Take.
She moves quickly, reaching the other side of the patch of trees, and she climbs into a little black car before speeding off. Gravel kicks up at her exit.
Deep in my chest, my wolf whimpers, begging her to return.
I wonder if she’ll be attending the treaty meeting tonight.
And why I care.