I nod tentatively, unable to tear my eyes away from his expression, the gray depths magnified and glowing against the dark contrast of the enclosure we’re in. Somehow, in the tumult of being caught by the hunter and then saved from a greater enemy, he’d pushed me into a cave that has vines creeping around the entrance, narrowly blocking us from being seen from the outside.
Brooks glares at me through the icy cold depths of his gray eyes, shards of lightning bolts flashing across to hint at his irritation, his anger fuming in the way his nostrils flare. My heartbeat slows as I become lost to the hypnotizing swirls of his eyes, suddenly becoming fully aware of the dexterous finger held to my lips to keep me quiet, and I hold my breath as if I’m too afraid to let the warm air fan the digit.
My lips feel tingly as if I’d been kissed, and the thought alone scares me into a shudder. Eyes widening with horror from the realization that Brooks is so close, my response is my undoing when he grunts under his breath with frustration andapplies enough force to his finger to push my back against the cold, moist rocks before he immerses me in the full extent of his larger frame when he comes closer.
“I told you not to make a sound,” he whispers the warning, allowing me to taste his minty breath in close proximity. It’s almost impossible not to lose myself in the ferocity of his intense stare, but I also can’t ignore how the tips of his jet-black hair brush lightly along my forehead.
I can’t believe there was a time when I imagined what it would feel like running my fingers through his sleek hair…
What was I thinking?
It was probably the most foolish thing to consider the future sub-alpha of Snehvolk with such intimate thoughts.
Just as foolish and ridiculous as it is now to be letting that very same thought cross my mind while we’re in such close proximity.
Gulping hard to push aside that unbidden thought, I tear my gaze away, as far from Brooks as I possibly can in this tight, confined space. That’s when my attention goes outside, and I’m able to hear the thumping footsteps of huge werewolf paws approaching the area outside the cave.
A fresh wave of panic washes over me, this time with the alarming realization that we’re moments away from being caught by the enemy pack. If we remain in this cave, we’re bound to be caught when the werewolves of Valley Moon catch our scent.
Suddenly, my quick thinking kicks into gear when I spot a rare species of mushroom growing alongside one wall of the cave. My eyes flit to Brooks and widen, and when I have his attention, I whisper as faintly as I can.
“They’re gonna sniff us out,” I warn, then point at the growth beside me. “But I know how to mask our scents from them.”
Brooks frowns as if he doesn’t trust me, unmoving as if he plans on keeping me here like a prisoner. I roll my eyes, mustering up my resolve with a deep breath as I ignore the consequences of soaking in the potent masculinity in the air.
It’s toxic right now because he doesn’t seem to trust me, so at least it’s not intoxicating or pleasurable.
Without waiting for his permission, I reach over and grab a fistful of the fungi, squeezing them between my fingers and feeling the way the soft, squishy heads expunge the natural juices.
Deer mushrooms are known for their psychedelic effect on humans, but not on werewolves with strong, quick metabolism that burns it off as soon as it’s ingested. However, the liquid extracted from this strain of fungi has a masking effect on a werewolf, which lasts for about half an hour.
But that should be enough time.
Once I’ve squeezed enough of the liquid out of the mushrooms, I lift a dripping hand to Brooks’s neck, about to cover his scent gland in the natural shield, when he grabs my wrist and throws daggers at me with his steely eyes.
“What are you doing?” he mumbles angrily. “Are you gonna poison me, huh?”
Great! I think as I roll my eyes. The alpha with a superiority complex doesn’t have faith in me to do what I do best in his pack.
It’s no wonder he abused me in the past with his bullying.
He can’t see beyond my being an omega.
Goddess! I need to get away from him!
Chapter 4 - Brooks
My eyes flicker to the hand Rissa had been trying to lift, and I scoff.
At a time of grave danger, she wanted to poison me? Wasn’t running away enough to prove that she couldn’t care less about the Snehvolk Pack? Now she wants to kill their sub-alpha?
As I keep staring at her through the burning depths of my eyes, Rissa shakes her head and presses her lips into a glum line as she snatches her hand back. Instead of wiping away the poison she tried using on me, she presses her palm to her neck and wipes it in circles over her scent gland.
“Can you smell me now?” she whispers faintly, and turns her face away, allowing me to get a full view of the neck I would have sunken my teeth into if we’d agreed to the mate bond.
That’s something she clearly refused when she ran away instead of meeting with me as we discussed. Now that we’re out here in the valley, forced into this awfully tight space to hide from the Valley Moon werewolves whose territory we’d stumbled on, I’m left staring at her neck and the way her veins pulse with the heat of her hot, werewolf blood. For a brief moment, I forget that she’s the reason we’re in this predicament in the first place, and stall on the scent gland she’d just covered.
Her scent is masked, allowing me to quickly snap out of my uncalled-for daze and remember that she’s the one responsible for this mess. Not only do we have a group of enemy wolves approaching us as they patrol their area, but we’re huddled together in this tight space where I can barely breathe.
