LOGINLyralei stared at Gerald’s departing form, fighting the urge to smirk. Since he’d arrived, he’d barely looked at her. Probably not comfortable with losing to someone he’d underestimated. Serves him the fuck right. Eliasen appeared beside her, arms crossed. Her red eyes studied Lyralei’s face with unnerving intensity. “What happened between you two during that challenge?” Lyralei kept her expression neutral. “What do you mean?” “Don’t play stupid.” Eliasen’s mouth twitched. “You’re both glowing and giggling like stupid fucks. Something happened out there.” Heat crept up Lyralei’s neck. The memory of Gerald pinning her to the ground unwantonly flashed through her mind. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Sure you don’t.” Eliasen turned and started walking. “Come on. Training area. I want to see what you’re made of.” Lyralei followed, her legs still aching from all the running and jumping and nearly drowning. Her clothes were finally starting to dry from the wate
Gerald stared at Lyralei’s departing form, his chest heaving with laughter. His leather pants were pooled around his ankles and his cock stood out in the open air, hard and throbbing. He’d never expected her to do that. When she’d moved toward him with that confident sway in her hips, he’d been caught completely off guard. The way she’d touched his chest, her fingers trailing over his skin like she owned him. The teasing in her voice when she’d asked why he was so hard. Then she’d bolted. And he’d tried to chase after her. That’s when he realized what she’d done. Somehow, in those few seconds when she’d been close to him, she’d hooked her fingers into his waistband and yanked his pants down. He’d been so focused on her face, her body, the scent of her that he hadn’t even noticed until he tried to move. Now he was standing here in the middle of the forest with his dick out and his pants around his ankles like some kind of fool. Gerald threw his head back and laughed har
Lyralei cursed under her breath as she stared at the dark-furred wolves circling her. They were bigger than normal wolves, not massive but large enough that their shoulders came up to her waist. Their eyes glowed amber in the shadows of the trees, watching her with that patient predator stillness that made her skin crawl.And above her, sitting on a tree branch like he owned the whole fucking forest, was Gerald Stormborn. Laughing at her.“I have to say,” Gerald called down, his voice dripping with amusement, “I’ve seen children with better evasion skills. Did your teacher not cover the part about staying quiet? Or were you too busy announcing your presence to every creature within five miles?”“Fuck you,” Lyralei hissed, not taking her eyes off the wolves.Gerald laughed harder. “You left a trail even a blind pup could follow. Honestly, I’m embarrassed for you.”Here’s what had happened after she’d jumped off that cliff like a complete lunatic.The fall had been worse the second time
Gerald stared at the empty space where she’d been standing. That smirk on her face right before she jumped. The way she’d turned without hesitation and thrown herself off a cliff that made his stomach drop just looking at it.Of all the things he’d expected her to do, this wasn’t it.And what the hell did she mean by “this isn’t my first time”?He’d never bothered to find out who she really was. All he knew came from Vale’s mention that she was from Silver Moon Pack. That was it. Nothing about why she’d been chased out or what she’d done to get banished.He’d been intrigued by her because she made him laugh. Because she was stupidly fearless in ways that shouldn’t be possible for someone with no pack backing her. Oh and also because Eliasen actually liked her, and his sister didn’t like anyone.The mark on her chest made him uncomfortable if he was honest. The Moon Goddess had said something about bringing the packs together, uniting them against some threat. Gerald didn’t want that r
Lyralei stared up at Gerald, her breath coming in short gasps. She could feel him pressed against her through their clothes. His dick hard and very much impossible to ignore.She squirmed, trying to shift away. The movement made her feel him more and a whimper escaped her throat before she could stop it.Gerald’s breathing got heavier the moment he heard that. His eyes darkened as he stared down at her, red bleeding to almost black.Then that damned smirk appeared on his face. “You’re so red right now.”Heat flooded her cheeks even hotter. “Get the fuck off me.”“What if I don’t want to?” His voice dropped lower. “What if I love it right here?” He leaned closer, his mouth near her ear. “Who are you to command me? An Alpha?”Lyralei gulped. Her mark burned beneath her clothes. “Fuck you.”“Is that an invitation?” Gerald smirked and started to push himself up.Lyralei stupidly took the opening. She squirmed and shoved at his chest at the same time, trying to throw him off balance as he
Lyralei’s lungs burned as she crashed through the undergrowth. Branches whipped at her face and arms but she didn’t slow down. Couldn’t slow down even. This felt familiar in the worst way. Running through a forest while being hunted. She’d done this just a day and a half ago, fleeing from Alpha Aldric and his wolves after she’d beaten Theron bloody at their wedding. A day and a half. That was all it had been. It felt like weeks had passed since she’d jumped off that cliff. Her confidence started to crack around the edges. Back then, she’d been caught so easily. They’d tracked her to the cliff edge in less than an hour despite everything she’d tried. Her father’s training that had helped her survive in the woods as a child didn’t even help, a bit. What if it wasn’t enough? She pushed the doubt away and focused on what she remembered. Water masked scent. Rocks left no tracks. Doubling back confused pursuit. Through the trees ahead, she spotted a cliff face with water cascading down







