“You’re not my Alpha. Stop putting words in my mouth. Staying to support you isn’t the same as trying to become one of you.”
His hand snaps, catching my wrist and locking me in place. Just like that, I’m trapped in this man’s snare. His lips pull apart, his head lowering until brushing my cheek. Teeth lightly nip the base of my ear, sending a pleasurable chill down my spine. My head falls to the side, a safe-enough gesture I’ve seen others use to prove their submission.
In other words, he gained exactly what he wanted and smiles against my skin. “You have thirty seconds, Carina. Start walking or I’m carrying your ass back home.”
Looking into his face, I realize he’s not bullshitting. He’ll do it, and while I want to keep arguing, we’ll continue going in circles. Actually, no, there will be no more circles. There will be a line. A straight line from here to town.
I sigh, lowering my head to show he’s won, then turn and walk away—through the trees where we first met, past the spot where my spell, for some reason, didn’t work, and towards the road on the other side that’ll lead me home.
After a dozen steps, I glance behind me.
Ryder is back in wolf form, stalking me.
Thirty-Five
RYDER
My wolf’svoice is jumbled with my own. There is no separation between the two. No wolf urging me to claim Carina while the mortal side resists.
Both sides want her.
Iwant her.
Except, she needs to be safe behind her coven’s lines, where I’ll never claim her. I have to forget Carina Hargrove and move on with my life.
Pain surges through me as I follow her towards the road on the other side of the woods. Between her leaving and Dad’s death, my lungs are bound to give out any time now. Every step she takes away from me, every memory of Dad…it’s too much.
The burden of leadership.
After Mom’s death, Dad’s heartbreak was nothing I’d ever seen before. It went beyond losing a mate. Dad lost a limb. His heart. His soul. All because of thenîkâkîstisbond, I now understand. He left, content, to be reunited with Mom, and wherever their souls ended up, I pray they’re together.
It proved one thing: by claiming Carina, there would be no getting over her death. The world would stand still. Winter,summer, it wouldn’t matter. There’d be no adapting becauseIwould be permanently changed.
My wolf knows what I’m doing by bringing her home and locking her away where we’ll never see her again. I’ll always know mynîkâkîstislives basically beside me, and I’ll never be able to see her. Never be able to look in on her. I can’t know anything about her life where intervening could be possible.
She walks quickly, peeking behind her every so often to check if I’m still following. When she does, I flash her my teeth. She presumes it’s in warning, but it’s actually at the inner voice that recites his own desires.
Keep her.
Claim her.
Mate her.
I want to. That’s the problem.
After another few minutes, she slows and then eventually stops entirely. I trudge up behind her and nudge her forward with my snout, but she doesn’t move any farther than my forced push.
“Between the day and going to look for you, I’m tired, okay? Give me a minute.”
We don’t have a minute. Every moment in her presence—no, every fuckingsecondis one more I’m closer to forcing her to her knees, ripping off her clothes, and sinking into a heat that’ll doom us both.
So, without breaking stride, I shift to human form, wrap my arms around her waist, and hoist her over my shoulder. I head for the treeline, walking within it in case a vehicle drives by and stumbles upon a naked man carting a woman off. Pretty sure human authorities find issues with stuff like that.
“Ryder!” She kicks her legs, trying to dislodge my hold. “What are you doing? Put me down!”
“I warned you. You walk or I carry you. You’ve stopped walking; thus, I’m carrying you.”
“For a moment to catch my breath, you dick!”
