Maybe I was the prick. My legs ached as I stumbled further into the forest. I'd been hiking for nearly an hour. No one had come to collect me, so I must still be on Wild Hearth land.
I mean, I did tell Xander to claim me and then back out and flounce away like some romance novel heroine. Was I the prick? With all my bluster about not being forced, hadn't I forced his hand? Dangled what he most wanted and then jerked it away?Why did I have to be difficult? Why couldn't I just accept my place? Because it meant accepting I was only a womb. Not a person. I couldn't do that. Not and still be me.I missed my parents. Two years without seeing my mom's laughing face and my dad's smiling eyes. Did they still dance in the kitchen? Did they still spend every Sunday morning lazing in the family room, playing games and talking about the week?Now that I was claimed by my Husband, could I contact them? Why didn't Brides go home? Why musHe pushed into the room, the scent of rot overwhelming me. Great. This whole having heightened senses was getting problematic. "Who are you?" I was proud of myself. My voice came out even. Not even accusatory. Well maybe a touch accusatory, but he did tie me up. "Tell me, she-wolf. Why were you out taking a stroll?" He settled his large form on the floor across from me. There was something familiar about him, but I couldn't put my finger on it. "Because I could? It's not like I expected to be chased, knocked out, and tied up." "Why don't you shift?" He leaned forward. His eyes were dark, but the shape was familiar. I blinked slowly. Where had I seen those eyes before?I didn't want to tell him that I didn't know how. He seemed like the kind of man that would take advantage of that knowledge. I slid my eyes from his and glared at the corner of the room. "Come on sweetheart. I won't bite. I can sm
The walk from the cabin was quiet, thankfully. My headache was back in full force. Especially since I had too much to think about. During my conversations with Xander, his family had never come up. Since he mentioned that family was everything to wolves, knowing he had a brother in the woods, cut off from the pack could be seen as problematic. Was it all a lie? An act to impress the stupid human? We finally stumbled into a clearing. There was a small cottage set back against the trees, a large lawn with a sizable garden. Didn't seem like they were suffering too terribly. The man dragged me up the steps to the cottage. He pushed me through the door into the cutest little sitting room I had ever seen. It was so homey! The furniture was hand-hewn, cushions in riots of colors dominated the space. The other man busted into the room, wiping his hands on an apron. His pale skin was flushed and his eyes bright. "Hell
"Maddie!" Rhys' voice echoed in the woods. "Dammit Xander, this is your fault. You couldn't just be a proper mate?" We loped toward the rustling in the brush. Eclipse kept a steady pace, our strides eating up the distance. "Madison, where are you?" Xander sounded panicked. That made two of us. All I could see in my head was Dylan's leering face and Vic's glare. If Eclipse hadn't burst from me and into the change, we would be choking down laced food and going into heat. Eclipse chuffed, slowing as we approached. Xander's cinnamon and wood smoke scent and Rhys' chocolate washed over us. Home. We were home. And in one piece. Eclipse was panting, sides heaving as we struggled to pull in breath. 'Just a few more feet.' I tried to encourage my wolf, but she stopped. We were done. We couldn't go on any further. 'Xander! Rhys!' I called out as loud as I could in my mind. Eclipse collapse
Someone had dressed me when I changed back, apparently, and the clothes were kind of uncomfortable. I took a few moments to change into my sleeping clothes, a thin cotton shirt and a pair of shorts, before returning to the bed. Part of me didn't want to think about dress shopping. I just wanted to sleep. I settled next to Heather, and dozed off.Heather was an awful bed mate. She curled up around me and snored in my ear all night. Not to mention the knees and elbows. The bed was big enough for twelve, comfortably. Why the hell was she on top of me?! I fought to breathe around the cloud of dark hair that threatened to choke me. This was not okay. Flipping wolves and their need to puppy-pile. I shifted toward the edge of the bed, trying to escape Heather. But she snatched me and wrapped herself tighter around me. It was becoming uncomfortable. My door slammed open again and I jerked upright. Heather groaned, fin
Claiming me? It brought me up short. Did I really want to be claimed? I throbbed in time with my heartbeat. His mouth set me on fire and I knew I needed more. More than just his mouth on me. Claiming me felt intimate. It felt like the next step in a relationship we hadn't cultivated yet. But the need to experience something more overrode my common sense. He pressed his lips to mine in a soft kiss and all my thoughts fled. His heated kisses seared through me. I was on my back again. He hovered over me, still fully dressed. He needed to be as naked as I was. I had a sudden longing to see all that flesh bared before me. I tugged at the hem of his shirt and he huffed out a laugh. "Need some help?" My mouth went dry as he whipped his shirt off. He was ripped. Being a wolf must be a hell of an exercise regime. I didn't have much to compare him to, but the muscles of his clenching stomach mesmerized me.
"You needy witch!" Heather was entirely too loud and I glared at her over the plate of eggs in front of me. "Shut up!" I glanced around the room. There were a sea of faces I couldn't put names to. But they were all clumped together, and away from me. I had woken up that morning to an empty bed. Nothing like mating and then taking off. Flipping men. "I can smell him all over you. It's a beautiful thing. Did you bond?" She was too excited. My glare intensified. I said nothing, just shoved more eggs in my mouth. I didn't want to talk about it. Even think about it really. The fact that he had bonded me and ran off really pissed me off. "You did!" She crowed loudly and the conversations around us died down. Dammit. "Shut the hell up, Heather." I hissed. She wasn't getting the memo. I kicked her under the table and she grimaced. "Did he suck? Why are you being pissy?!" "
I tried to fill my head with anything but Rhys and Xander and the shitshow that was my life. I really did. But it was impossible. Especially when I was looking at all these dresses. Snow white and fluffy. Didn't they have anything in black? I felt like I should be in mourning. "What about this one?" Heather held out a taffeta monstrosity that made me shudder. Nope. No thank you. I would look like a demonic cupcake. The bridal shop was in the middle of downtown, ringed by cafes and boutiques. It was also very much not my style. I preferred simple elegance. Comfort."Is there anywhere else?" My voice was dull. I had traipsed this shop for the last hour, and I was no closer to finding anything acceptable. I mean, I could just throw one on. Not like I was overly enthused about marrying Xander, even if we were mate-bonded. But since I was only going to do this once, I wanted to at least feel pretty.
My room at the pack house was blessedly cool and quiet. Heather had chattered all the way back to Wild Hearth lands, and while I was grateful for her, I also needed time to process my thoughts. Like, how was I supposed to forget that stolen kiss? Or look Xander in the eye knowing his Beta stole a kiss from me? Or get married when my heart was torn between two men? I was screwed. So screwed. And it wasn't fair. I hadn't asked to be the true mate to my Husband, or asked to be so drawn to Rhys. And it didn't make sense. Why was I still drawn to Rhys? The mate-bond, from what I understood, should have cut off that need. For both of us. I groaned, burying my face in my pillow. I needed to forget, Heather was right. Agonizing over this was doing no one any good. I needed to close that door with Rhys and concentrate on Xander. Xander, who had mate-bonded me, and then left. While I was asleep in his bed. Who did that