Chapter Six
John
My stomach churned as I watched her move closer to me as we walked toward the cabin. I could see it up ahead and was glad that it wasn’t too far of a walk. There was something about her that I couldn’t place. She frightened me and interested me at the same time, and that was a first for me. I stuck my nose in the air to pull in her scent and my wolf stirred, and my heart jumped. Mate.
There is no way, I told my wolf. I drew in a deep breath and released it, hoping it would clear my thoughts, but it didn’t. It only brought in another whiff of her scent. It was earthy, with a hint of vanilla. I couldn’t stand her being angry at me, I certainly needed to get her on my side.
I cleared my throat and said to Kara, “I can feel the magic surrounding this place.”
“It’s heavily warded,” she said with a smug smile. “It’s to protect all that I allowed within the boundary and keep those who wish to do harm outside the boundary.”
I gave her a reassuring nod, “I like that.” I did like that she could protect herself, as well as others against harm. Honestly, I could’ve come up with something better than talking about magic, but my brain couldn’t function at the moment apparently.
“Would you like some tea?” she asked me as soon as we were inside.
“I’d love some,” I replied.
By the time I had slipped on the clothes that she had given me to put on, the tea was ready, and she had everything set out on the kitchen table.
“How long have you been here?” I asked as I sipped my tea. It tasted a little different than what I usually drank, and as I took another sip, I felt the warmth spreading through me like a blanket, comforting me.
“For a long time. How long have you been here?”
“I just got here.” I took another sip, feeling more relaxed. “I wanted to check in on the woman.”
“She’s resting at the moment. What is your business with her?”
“I wanted to make sure she was okay,” I replied and then cleared my throat. My answer felt forced from me, somehow. “I simply want to help,” I added, but those were my words.
I stared at Kara for a moment as a smile broke out on her face. She couldn’t have poisoned me, would she? My eyes darted to my cup, and I had a hard time forming the next question. “What did you put in my drink?”
“Just some herbs to help you speak the truth,” she said with a smirk.
“But, I’ve been nothing but truthful from the start.”
“I know,” she shrugged. “I had to make sure. You can’t be too careful.”
I shook my head as if it would help clear my thoughts and break this spell she had me under, but I was feeling fuzzy. My wolf was certainly not happy and was fighting it just as much as I was.
“What did you think of me when you first saw me?” she asked.
“That you were beautiful,” I replied and then clapped a hand over my mouth to keep from saying any more. I drew in a deep breath and then said carefully, “When will this wear off?”
“Hard to say. Each person is different. It also depends on how strong you and your wolf are, too.” She stared at me for a moment as if waiting to see how I would respond. “Do you know the woman who escaped your pack?”
“No and not my pack,” I replied with a small growl.
“I thought you said you were the alpha.”
I drew in a deep breath and let it out before I answered. “Temporary alpha.”
“Who is the new alpha then?”
My body ached as I fought to tell her I wasn’t the bad guy, but again, I answered her question truthfully, “It’s my brother, but he sent me to take his place until his replacement shows up.”
“When will that be?”
“I don’t know.” It was the truth. I winced as the supposed truth serum continued to run its course. I needed the control of my own awareness to return. She continued asking questions as quickly as I answered them as if her magical herbs would wear off within minutes. I hoped they would.
“How do you not know?” she asked sharply as if my answer offended her.
“My cousin Vince shows up on his own time.”
“What do you think about the way your pack treats women, Temporary Alpha?”
My brows furrowed at her question. I hated how the former alpha did things here. “Horrible. That’s why I was sent here. The Council is trying to make changes within the pack.” My body shuddered as I fought to gain control of my senses. My chest rumbled as my wolf growled, showing his own displeasure.
“Somebody seems displeased,” she said with a breathy laugh.
“Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?” I asked through clenched teeth and watched her reach into a kitchen drawer behind her. She pulled out a notepad and pen and handed it to me. “This is my number. Should you need anything, please call me. I seriously want to help.”
I left it lying on the table as I stood up and stared at the door for a moment. I wanted to leave but wasn’t sure if I could. I turned my attention to her and asked, “May I leave?”
“Yes, but only if you wear this.” She walked to one of the cabinets and pulled something out. “I’m not sorry for giving you the herbs. If you had been in my shoes, you would understand why I had to do it. I have a hard time trusting anyone from that pack. This place needs to be protected at all costs. The women that come to me need to be protected.” She held out her hand and I stared at the object in it. “It isn’t easy for me to give out my secrets, but I feel like deep down I can trust you. Wear this and you can get through the ward without trouble.”
The moment my hand touched hers, I felt an electrical spark go through me. It must’ve happened to Kara as well as she flinched, and she glanced up at me with a shocked expression that matched mine. My wolf also stirred, as both of us were curious as to what just transpired.
I sniffed the air just once, a quiet gesture, but I needed to know. My heart rate picked up as soon as I picked up her scent. It was funny how my wolf caught it before me, but maybe it was because I was used to helping others and not looking for anything that benefitted me.
Kara continued to stare at me as if she was expecting me to make the first move or possibly speak first, but I was too stunned to. I listened in and could hear her own heart rate go up as well as her breathing. She knew what had happened. I couldn’t make that step unless she was on the same page as me, it would hurt more than anything if she denied this.
My hand slowly moved to touch hers again and she didn’t pull away. That same spark I felt earlier rushed through me again, stirring every part of my being. It was thrilling to finally experience this for myself. It wasn’t nearly the same feeling as it was when I first discovered Aiden’s mate. But now ... I wanted to howl excitedly.
I cleared my throat, “I, um, I,” I stuttered. My words seemed stuck in my throat or maybe it was the magical herbs still coursing through my veins causing my brain to feel muddled. “May I see you again?”
She smirked, her eyes darting down as if she was too embarrassed to answer. “We’ll see each other again.”
I stepped back and put my thumbs into my pants to prepare to shift back into my wolf and paused. As odd as it seemed for me as a werewolf, I couldn’t let her see how hard she had made me. “I’ll take these off outside,” I said with a small laugh and turned, making my way toward the door.
The moment I stepped outside, I slipped the necklace on, slipped out of my pants, and shifted feeling ecstatic. My wolf jumped elatedly before taking off in a full run back to the pack’s estate.