“I’m surprised you’re so articulate. I’ve never heard you speak to anyone, and our pack is small.”
I turned back to meet his gaze, my cheeks flaming with heat. “That’s because nobody speaks to me.”
His head tilted, blonde hair falling into his eyes. A devious smile pulled at his lips. “You have an almost forbidden lure toward you.”
My breath caught in my throat, making me cough.
He chuckled, taking steps forward until he was directly in front of me.
I glanced up, wanting to run as far away as I could, but something held me there.
Smirking, he grabbed my chin between his index finger and thumb, tilting it up. “I’ve always wondered—”
A painful jolt zapped down my spine before an explosive pain radiated from my chest that spiraled toward Grayson.
His eyes widened in surprise as I cried out, falling forward against his cold chest. My hands steadied themselves on his pecs. The pain stopped once I touched him, and my body shuddered.
What the Fates was that?
He tensed under my touch before his hands jerked forward, shoving me backward by my shoulders.
Losing my footing, I fell back into the plushy snow behind me. The snow dusted me in a blanket of white, and I wished it could make me disappear.
“I guess you’re no different from the she-wolves in the village throwing themselves at me for any ounce of attention I might give them,” he said with a forced sneer on his thin lips.
A gasp ripped from my throat, and I pushed back up to my feet. “I didn’t ask you to come talk to me.”
“Well, the interest I had is gone now that you’ve ruined everything I looked forward to,” he bit out with every syllable filled with malice.
An annoying twinge of pain continued to ripple through my muscles as if urging me to touch him, but I didn’t want to be near anyone with that much self-entitlement.
“What are you talking about? I—” My heart throbbed, and I winced, grabbing my chest. I fought against the desire to throw myself at him like he claimed I had already. “No. There’s no way. I didn’t think I had—”
“Wolf bonds are usually instant,” he growled, shoving a hand through his hair. “But because you’re a fox…” He spat my species with disdain, and the disgust in his eyes said enough.
I swallowed the contempt. “The bond didn’t snap into place until the right moment.”
I’d given up hope of finding a mate, but I never stopped wanting one. But Grayson? The Alpha’s son?
Growing up, he’d kept the company of many she-wolves. It wasn’t much different now except for the fact that he was training to take over his father’s position as alpha.
I used to think he was cute, but the way he treated others made me move on rather quickly. Watching the she-wolf’s get their hearts broken swore me off any kind of companionship besides my future mates’.
“How is this the right moment?” A low growl rumbled from his chest.
I gripped my bag tighter. The pull toward him was intense. “Look, I know this isn’t ideal, but—”
“But what?” A mirthless laugh belted from his chest, and his fists clenched at his sides. “You want to make this work? A fox and a fucking wolf?”
I flinched as his words struck my chest like a dagger. “There’s nothing wrong with a fox being mated to a wolf.”
“Oh, right. Your parents.” He huffed out a harsh breath. “Too bad for your mother. She was only hunted down because of the damn fox she bonded to.”
A loud growl rippled out of my throat, and I bared my teeth at him. “Watch how you talk about my parents.”
His brow rose. “What’re you going to do about it? You’re nothing.”
“I’m your mate,” I snapped, but the truth of that hit me raw.
