“The council didn’t just approve the hunting of hybrids.” His voice is low, lethal. “They put a bounty on you.”
Well, that’s fun.
Chapter 20
ROWAN
By the time Cade’s fist slices toward me again, my arms feel like overcooked noodles. I throw them up anyway, catching his knuckles with my forearm a beat too late. The hit jars through bone and muscle, shoving me back until my sneakers skid trenches in the dirt. Another bruise blooms to join the technicolor map already painted across my skin.
I’m sweating, panting, and aching in places I didn’t even know existed, like the weird strip of muscle above my ribs that only hurts when I breathe. Which, unfortunately, I need to do to stay alive. And still Cade doesn’t ease up. Not even an ounce.
But honestly? The bruises aren’t the worst part.
It’s him. The sheer proximity of him. His hands on me, even when they’re shoving or blocking, make my wolf hum like she’s being serenaded. Every brush of contact feels wrong, and right all at once, like the kind of torture you don’t want to end. And if that wasn’tdistracting enough, the wordbountykeeps blaring in my head like an alarm I can’t shut off.
The council didn’t just declare hybrids fair game. They slapped a price tag on me. As if I’m some exotic deer they can mount on their wall. The thought alone makes me want to hurl or punch harder, or both if I’m capable.
Judging by the storm brewing across Cade’s face, he hasn’t let it go either. His strikes are sharper, his corrections more cutting, like he’s trying to beat the news out of his own skull. I liked him better last night—steady, encouraging, almost gentle. This Cade is all rough edges and grindstone, determined to whittle me down until I’m nothing but dust.
“Focus,” he snaps, circling me like a predator. His golden eyes burn hotter than the sun overhead, and I’m fairly certain my skin might combust under the weight of his glare.
“Oh, I’m focused,” I mutter, wiping sweat from my brow with a trembling hand. “Focused on how much I’d rather be eating bacon than playing live-action dodgeball with your fists right now.”
His lunge is faster than thought. His palm slams into my shoulder instead of my wrist, harder than anything before it. Pain detonates down my arm, my knees folding beneath me. It’s not intentional—I catch the flicker of regret in his eyes—but my temper doesn’t care about his accidentaloops.
Anger surges hot and immediate, shredding through exhaustion like fire catching dry tinder.
“Son of a—” My shove isn’t calculated. It’s not trained. It’s raw, furious instinct.
And he actually stumbles back. Cade Westin, immovable, grumpy alpha extraordinaire, was forced to take a step by me. My chest heaves, my pulse thundering in my ears as I stare down at my hands like they’re foreign weapons.
“Well,” I growl, adrenaline burning away the ache in my muscles, “guess I’ve finally found something I’m good at—being pissed off at you.”
That’s not something you should be proud of, Wolf grumbles, but I ignore her.
Cade steadies himself, surprise flashing in his eyes before he masks it. His wolf, though, is less subtle. I canfeelthe rumble of approval vibrating in the air between us.
Cade’s jaw clenches, like he’s fighting with his own beast. “That strength,” he says carefully, circling me again. “It’s not normal—not for a first shift, not for someone this untrained.”
I roll my shoulders, energy still crackling through me, bruises forgotten. “Yeah, well, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything normal about me, does there? Maybe I just have natural skill.”
It’s pure bullshit, but goading him feels like the only logical move at this point. If I’m going to get pummeled, I might as well be mouthy about it.
The corner of his mouth twitches like he wants to smile, but he doesn’t. Instead, he prowls closer, golden gaze locking with mine. “No, Rowan.That wasn’t skill. That shove came from your power bleeding through. You need to learn to control it before it controls you.”
Heat flares in my chest at the way he says my name like he knows me, like he owns a part of me I never agreed to hand over.
My fists clench, mostly because he’s probably right. “Fine. But I’m not going to figure this out in a single day, and beating the shit out of me isn’t exactly speeding things along. Maybe you should try a little of that patience you showed me last night.”
His wolf rumbles, almost like an approval, golden eyes glinting with pride and hunger all at once. Cade tilts his head, studying me like I’m a puzzle he’s only just beginning to piece together.
“We don’t have that luxury anymore unless you want to go on the run,” he says, voice rough. “I told you that you’d hate me by the time I was done with you. It’s not what I want, but it’s what you need. So, unless you’re giving up, we keep going.”
For a beat, the world shrinks to the charged air between us, every inch of space vibrating with the challenge in his words. My breath hitches as he steps close enough that I feel the heat radiating off his chest. The bond tugs inside me, firm and demanding, until I swear the earth might split if I don’t reach for this man.
Lean on him,Wolf urges.He’s meant to strengthen you. The longer you fight this, the longer it will take to become who you’re supposed to be. Unless you’d rather end up the council’s prisoner.
Right. The bounty isn’t a death sentence now that I’ve shifted—it’s worse.It’s a leash.
