Six

REMI’S P.O.V.

My eyes flickered to the window, and as I felt him coming closer, I did what I always do.

I didn’t give it a second thought.

Rushing over to the window, I wrenched it open, momentarily stunned as I looked out over the vast city spread out between the mountains and in the valley just below it.

What I had seen before in the city center was beautiful, but seeing it from here was breathtaking.

But I didn’t have time to think about that now, or how I was going to slip past all of them and find my way out.

I just needed to go.

I would deal with the mate bond later.

It wasn’t like I could just reject it, no matter how many women he had brought here before me.

Lifting my leg over the ledge of the window, I finally looked down and felt my entire body turn to ice.

We were at least four stories up, but I hadn’t remembered walking up that many stairs. I might have stood a chance if my wolf was here…MIGHT. But without her stubborn ass, I was as good as dead.

I bet the witches in my town never predicted this would be how I met my end.

‘Here lies Remedy Vale:

Daughter, Friend, Pancake.‘

A scream ripped its way from my lungs as a large hand suddenly wrapped around my wrist, sparks erupting along my skin, and I was yanked back into the room. I stumbled sideways before colliding with a large, muscular chest that made my body want to burst into flames.

They were the same sparks I felt before when I was over his shoulder, being forced away from my friends and family, only a hundred times stronger now that he was in his human form.

It was all-consuming, and every instinct in me urged me to press more against him and to never let go.

His skin was slightly warmer than a normal shifter, and the faint smell of soap tickled my nose.

His slightly damp, dark brown hair looked almost black, matching the stubble on his defined jaw.

The deep green of his eyes had glints of yellow in them that seemed to grow brighter the longer I stared up at them, the same glowing yellow that had chased me through the forest.

My lips parted in surprise as I felt the warmth of his body transfer into mine, settling deep into my bones.

“What the hell were you thinking?” He growled, and I blinked in surprise as the sound vibrated against my chest from his, waking me from my stupor.

I stepped back quickly, narrowing my eyes at the beautiful stranger who still had one hand on my wrist and the other on my silk-covered hip from when he caught me.

“I was thinking that I’d rather not be Lycan food!” I said, and his head snapped back as if he hadn’t been prepared for that answer. Yanking at my arm, I sputtered, “I taste bad, by the way! Like sweat, and dirt, and… just bad! Really bad!”

“What are you on about? I wouldn’t eat you!” Alpha Malric snapped with anger, and my jaw dropped.

A pathetic rush of relief washed over me at the thought that my mate wasn’t planning on killing me.

“You… oh. I guess you wouldn’t.” I muttered, relaxing slightly.

I was his mate after all. If he killed me, it would probably kill him as well.

He looked down, and as if he had just realized he was touching me, he suddenly released me.

A part of me expected his jaw to drop and his beast to give in to our bond, unable to resist as he looked me over, standing before him in lingerie.

I had never seen wolves that didn’t mate and mark each other immediately after the bond formed, yet we had gone at least nine hours.

We had probably already set some kind of world record at this point.

I could feel our bond was growing by the second. The threads of the Moon Goddess’s blessing that connected our souls were growing thicker, and the fear and anger I had just felt were rapidly melting away.

Yet, his jaw clenched, and a look of disgust came over his face as he glanced down at my body again, sending an unreasonable stabbing pain through my chest.

I hated that I felt so bothered by it. Our kinds hated each other, so this shouldn’t hurt so bad… but it did.

Even more, I hated that a small part of me wanted him to look at me the way other mates did.

I couldn’t move as I watched him turn and march to the foot of the bed.

He grabbed the thin blanket that had been lying across it.

My eyes stayed locked on him as he approached, spread out the blanket, and gently placed it on my shoulders.

The hurt started to ease as he pulled it around me, holding it there until I had grabbed the edges to keep it closed, giving him a tiny, grateful smile.

Then his fingers found my head, bringing my face close to his chest, and I couldn't help but take in a deep breath as he pressed around, searching for the wound that had healed hours ago.

It was so sweet and caring, coming from a man who seems so bothered by my existence, that my head started to spin.

“It's healed,” I whispered, confused at how safe I felt with my head in the very hands I had thought would end my life only moments ago.

“Good,” Malric said just as quietly, meeting my eyes before he pulled back suddenly, as if I had burned him.

“Cover yourself,” he snapped, making my head snap back from the sudden anger after such a sweet and gentle act, “Before you catch your death from the cold.”

‘The last one he picked had more curves.’ The maid’s voice echoed in my head, and I felt myself want to shrink into a ball, resenting the mate bond for making me feel this way.

I couldn’t think about that right now. I could barely wrap my head around everything else.

‘Catch my death,’ I almost scoffed. He said it like I was some human, able to be taken down by a chill.

I might not have my wolf, but I was still a shifter by blood, and I could hear, see, and fight just as well as any other shifter in their human form.

“Thank you, Malric,” I whispered, a warmth spreading through me as I said his name, and I watched as his jaw unclenched and his body relaxed.

He looked almost happy for a moment, the side of his mouth starting to pull up, before his previous look of anger and disgust took over, and he turned to leave.

“Wait! Where are you going?” I called out, the blanket slipping from one of my shoulders as I instinctively stepped forward, unable to resist the pull even though everything in me knew I shouldn’t be here.

This was wrong, so wrong.

“Don’t leave this room,” he ordered. “And put some damn clothes on!”

My jaw dropped as the door slammed shut behind him. Heat burned up my neck and cheeks as I shouted back, “I didn’t want to wear this anyway!”

With a growl of frustration, I let the blanket drop and crossed my arms over my chest, my foot tapping on the ground as I took a deep breath.

Screw him! I didn’t ask for any of this! I just wanted to see them.

I never asked to be mated to one of them! Let alone a broody, frustrating…

My hands clenched into fists as I glared down at the lingerie I had been forced into, and I yanked it over my head before storming through the room for something else to wear.

My anger grew as I found a row of lingerie, but no other women’s clothes. I glared at them all, wishing I had the time to burn them, but I didn’t.

Yanking one of his shirts off the hanger, I quickly pulled it on before doing the same for a pair of his pants, bending down to roll them five times. 

He said to change clothes, but he never said not to wear his… and no one would try to stop me from walking around when I smelled like their Alpha.

Feeling proud, I walked over to the door and placed my hand on the knob. Turning it slowly, I quietly laughed with glee when it opened.

‘Stupid giant,’ I thought as I stepped out into the hallway, ready to go home.