C5

Nyla Ravensalt POV

"Is it really worth crying over a stupid dog like that?"

The deep voice cuts through my anger. I look away from the wagon window where the dark trees of the Shadowmoon Territory are flying past. My eyes are burning and wet.

I blink hard. Magnus Saltwood is sitting right next to me on the plush fur. He looks super grand and noble, with his back straight like an alpha king. His dark eyes look at me, and I suddenly remember I jumped into his wagon to hide from those mean girls at the tavern.

"You are wrong," I say, wiping my wet cheeks fast with the back of my sleeve. "I am not crying over him."

Magnus raises his dark eyebrows. He leans closer, his eyes fixed on my face.

"Do you know what a strong wolf does when a hunt goes completely wrong?" I ask him, trying to make my voice sound tough.

"What does a wolf do?" he asks.

"You drop the bad meat and you walk away fast," I tell him.

Magnus smiles a tiny bit, and my heart does a giant flip. He looks so handsome under the dim magic lights of the wagon. The shadows make his face look like it was carved from stone by the pack elders.

I know some handsome boys, and Ronan is supposed to be a good-looking Alpha Successor. But Ronan looks like a little pup next to this man. Magnus is like the giant silver moon in the sky, and Ronan is just a tiny spark from a campfire. He looks like a supreme warrior who can fly over the whole Grand Wolf Assembly.

A crazy idea pops into my head because the fire-water is making my brain super hot. I swallow hard and look at his lips.

"I get it now," I whisper.

"Get what?" he asks.

"What do you think about an Omega Courier who carries runic herbs for a living?" I ask him fast.

"It is just normal pack work," Magnus says, his brow pulling together. "A wolf has to feed themselves. There is nothing wrong with it."

I let out a big, happy laugh. My head is spinning from the drinks, but his words make me feel super warm inside.

"I think so too!" I say, my voice getting soft.

I smell something really good on him, like fresh snow and pine trees from the Whispering Moon Woods. I move my body across the fur seat and lean right against his big shoulder.

"Then tell me the truth," I whisper, looking up into his dark eyes. "Am I a pretty female wolf?"

Magnus goes totally stiff.

I am super close to him now. I am just wearing my simple leather hunting vest, but I can feel his heartbeat going fast under his shirt.

"I have never seen a girl wolf more beautiful than you," he looks like he is thinking, but he does not say it out loud.

He just swallows hard and lets out a small sound. "Mm..."

I lean even closer until my mouth is right by his furry ear. I try to whisper, but I am too drunk to care.

"If I want to sleep in your den tonight, will you let me?" I ask.

Pfft!

In the front seat, the Beta commander Garrick Wolfhart lets out a loud laugh.

The wagon gets super cold all of a sudden. Magnus shoots a scary wolf glare at the front window.

Garrick stops laughing fast. He hits a button, and a thick wooden panel slides up to close us off from the front.

Magnus turns his big head back to me. His eyes look small and dangerous. "There is always a price to pay when you invite an Alpha into your den. Are you sure about this, little wolf?"

I giggle and pull out my leather pouch. I dump all my silver tokens onto his lap.

"You want tokens? I have tokens!" I tell him, tapping the silver. "You can count them. If it is not enough, I can go to the Silverclaw Alpha Holdings and get more tomorrow!"

Magnus looks at the silver tokens, then he rubs his head like he has a big pain in his brain. He realizes I am completely serious.

"So you just want to sleep with any male wolf who sits next to you tonight?" he grumbles, sounding mad.

"No way!" I say, shaking my head hard.

I giggle again and reach my hand out to pat his cheek. His skin feels warm and smooth.

"I am not a dumb pup," I tell him, smiling big. "I want you because you are the most handsome Alpha in the whole territory! They all think I am trash. So I have to find a male who is way bigger and stronger than Ronan. It will make his wolf wolf-spirit so mad!"

Magnus just stares at me. He looks like he does not know whether to bite me or laugh. He does not take me seriously.

Screech!

The wagon stops super fast.

My body flies forward, but Magnus catches me with his big arms before I hit the wooden wall. He holds me tight against his chest.

"What happened out there?" Magnus barks.

"Sorry, Supreme Alpha Lord," Garrick calls from behind the wood. "We are at the gates of the Saltwood Alpha Keep."

"Fine," Magnus says. "Go back to your own lodge now."

"Yes, Alpha," Garrick says, and I hear the outer door click shut.

Magnus looks down at me. My cheeks are super pink and my eyes are sleepy.

"We are at my fortress," he says softly. "Let us go inside."

I do not move. I just stay in his arms and look at his beautiful mouth. His thin lips look so sweet, and the fire-water makes me lose my mind completely.

I put my arms around his neck and pull myself up.

His whole body goes hard like stone. His eyes go wide. But before he can push me away, I let out a big giggle right against his neck.

"Handsome wolf," I say, laughing. "Your skin feels so nice."

Magnus looks like he wants to throw me out into the dirt path. He takes a deep breath to calm his inner wolf. "Get your hands off me right now!"

But I do not listen. I look at his cold face, and suddenly my heart remembers Ronan’s mean words again. My eyes get super red and hot.

"So you are just like him," I sob, my voice breaking. "You also think I am a cold, boring female wolf. You do not want me either."

Magnus clenches his jaw tight. "That is not what I said."

"Then why do you look so mad at me?" I scream.

Two giant tears roll down my face. They look like shiny moonstones dropping from my chin.

Magnus looks at my face, and his eyes change. He looks like his heart just got squeezed by a trap. I start crying super hard, and my wet face rubs all over his fine dark fur coat, soaking it with my tears.