“If you have to do one thing I say, this is it. If you run from me, my instinct will be to chase and claim.”
I swallow, looking around at the few passersby who can’t see us, but it somehow feels like what we’re doing is wrong. I mean, obviously being in a public fountain is wrong, but this doesn’t feel as innocent as it started out.
“Chased a lot of damsels over the last decade, Alpha Silas?” I say, knowing I’m pushing his buttons.
I just don’t care.
“No, and don’t tempt me, witch,” he replies, and the way he says witch doesn’t have the same bite as I would suspect. It almost comes out as a caress.
His nose touches my neck again and I swear a deep rumble pours out of him, before he suddenly lets go of my shirt, making me off kilter and I go flying forward. I splash against the water and sputter before turning around and gaping at him.
I swear gold flashes before Silas pushes his wolf down.
“Time to go back to reality, Violet,” he says.
It’s worse than the slap of water I was literally just hit with. Instead, I just nod. Because this was all pretend.
We both have people who need us home. We have a mystery to solve, a hex to unburden us with, and a secret to keep under wraps.
“Today was a mistake,” I say and Silas nods in agreement.
“It was. Can you do something about our wet clothes?” he asks.
“I can do something about mine,” I reply, climbing out of the fountain and drying myself completely, while Silas stands there dripping wet.
His shirt clings to his skin along with his pants and I smirk. “You look like a drowned wolf,” I snap before heading in the direction of my car.
The large man follows me, his shoes squishing with water the whole walk to the car.
He changes on the street as I sit in the passenger’s seat, feeling like I lost so much more than I gained from this stupid fucking trip.
I’m no closer to solving our little marriage issue. I have more questions about my lineage than ever. But worst of all, this trip showed me that maybe Silas isn’t the sworn enemy I thought he was.
Or maybe the magic between us is confusing me more than I realized.
Chapter 21
It physically pains me to hop right onto my motorcycle and drive away as soon as Violet and I get back into town.
But there’s no way I can stay here. Not after that trip, not after the day we had together. I need to clear my head and there’s so much pack business I need to get caught up on.
This little side quest means nothing. So what we had a good day together, so fucking what Thorin feels more at peace than he’s ever felt. It doesn’t matter.
Her coven means everything to her and I’ve pushed myself as pack leader. We both have responsibility and none of those responsibilities are to each other.
“Delusional doesn’t look good on you, pack leader,”Thorin says, and I shake my head. Shoving him deep, deep down into the recesses of my mind. The last thing I need is his input right now.
As soon as I get back to the Alpha cabin, Jonas is there waiting for me, his laptop open as he glances up at me with a smirk.
“Did you have a good time with your mate?” he asks and I glare over at him as he rolls his eyes. “What am I even saying? Ofcourse, you had a great time. You smell like her, and like some stagnant water, might wanna get that checked out, Alpha.”
“Is there a reason you’re here at this unholy hour getting on my fucking nerves?”
“Let’s see, I remember getting a frantic text asking me to look into a random woman who works at an obscure jewelry store in the French Quarter. Do you want the info, or do you want to chew my head off?”
“Sorry,” I grumble, the distance from Violet is riding me.
I can’t let it affect my mood. It’s the curse making me feel this way, nothing else.
