I shake my head.
“You will. Your power calls to mine now, little seer.”
My heart thunders as he approaches. He moves like his wolf even in human form, all contained violence and lethal intent. But there’s something else in his gaze too—a hunger that makes heat pool in my belly despite my fear.
“Tell me what you dreamed.” It isn’t a request.
“I...” The vision is already fragmenting in my mind, slipping away like water through cupped hands, but one image remains clear. “Blood on stone. Wolves fighting in darkness. But I couldn’t tell if they were attacking or defending.”
His laugh is dark silk against my nerves. “Both, my little mate. Always both.” He reaches the edge of the bed, looming over me. “The Grand Alpha will come for you. And my pack will paint these stones with the blood of anyone who tries to take what’s mine.”
The possessive growl in his voice makes me shiver. “I won’t be able to help you fight. I can’t even shift?—”
“No.” His hand shoots out, gripping my chin with surprising gentleness despite the speed of the movement. “But you can see. And that’s worth more than teeth and claws.” His thumb brushes my lower lip, sending sparks of sensation down my spine. “Your gift will let us know where they’ll strike. When they’ll come. How they’ll try to break us.”
I shake my head, pulling away from his touch. “It doesn’t work like that. At least, not for me.”
“But it will.” He tangles his hand in my hair, not painfully, but with enough pressure to command my attention. “We will train you.”
“And if I refuse to use it for you?”
His smile is all fang, a predator’s warning. “Then I’ll have the mate I claimed.”
The words steal the breath from my lungs.
I stare at him, unable to speak.Mate—the word is ancient, sacred, terrifying. My heart thunders against my ribs, the pulse in my neck fluttering like a trapped bird. My body is trembling, but not just with fear.
With want.
I force myself to meet his gaze, refusing to be cowed despite the feelings coursing through me.
He’s staring at me with that dark, searing intensity that strips me bare. I can feel the truth of his words in the heat between us, in the way his thumb brushes against my lip like he’s memorizing the shape of me. In the way his voice is still sharp, still dominant, but softer now; threaded with something close to reverence.
He doesn’t see a mistake.
He sees his mate.
Gods help me, part of me wants to belong to someone who sees me like Ryker does.
But I can’t allow myself to believe we can be more when I know exactly how much of a disappointment I am.
“I was born broken. My own mother couldn’t look at me after my first failed shift.” I look away, shame tightening my throat. “Do you know what it’s like to feel your wolf pacing under your skin and never be able to reach her? To hear her howl and know you’ll never run with her?” I wrap my arms around myself, retreating inward. “I’m not a wolf. I’m a mistake.”
Silence stretches between us, thick with tension.
Then Ryker moves, one hand rises, not to grip, but to cup my jaw with surprising gentleness.
“You’re not broken, Kitara. Your pack was just too small-minded to understand you.”
I startle at both his touch and the use of my name for the first time. It lands with weight; the way he says it sounds like a caress.
“I don’t want your gift,” he continues, his voice rough. “I wantyou.”
His mouth crashes down on mine, swallowing my words. The kiss is possession itself—all heat and demand and barely contained violence. His hand tightens in my hair, tilting my head back as his other arm wraps around my waist, dragging me up against his chest. The furs fall away, leaving nothing between us but the blood dried on his skin.
Power surges through the claiming mark, making me gasp against his lips. He takes advantage, deepening the kiss until I can taste his wildness, his rage, his need to possess every part of me. My hands come up to his chest, whether to push him away or pull him closer, I’m not sure. His skin burns beneath my palms, hard muscle and rough scars under my fingertips.
When he finally breaks the kiss, we’re both breathing hard. His eyes have shifted, the gold one burning bright, while the red one seems to glow—a sign of how close his beast is to the surface.
