“Remember what happens if you fail us.”
In the silent room, memories surface in my mind. Memories of the things I endured. Things my own pack allowed me to endure. Memories of the echo of my restraint. The sick burn beneath my skin.
My jaw tightens as coldness coils in my chest.
I roll up my sleeves almost instinctively, almost like the memories in my head demand it. My gaze traces the pale, uneven scars etched along my forearms. The old, badly healed wounds. Wolfbane does that; it never leaves clean lines.
Ten long years.
My hands curl slowly into fists, then relax.
After all this time, after everything, I’m finally back. Back in the very pack that betrayed me and sold me off, leaving me for dead.
My eyes narrow at the resolve hardening in my chest.
Anne being here won’t change anything. I will not allow it to. Her recognizing me does present a problem, but it’s a problem I’m going to solve. One way or another, what must be done will be done. Nothing will stand in my way.
A knock echoes on the massive door of my office, pulling my eyes to it. I readjust my sleeves and pull the door open, ready to dismiss whoever it is.
But it’s her.
Anne stands in the hallway. The sight of her hits even harder than before, now that she’s right here in front of me. Mychest tightens and my breath catches as a fierce instinct surges through me. My body reacts before my brain can catch up: I feel every muscle coiling, my pulse pounding, every nerve screaming to grab her, pull her inside, shut the door, and claim what has always been mine.
My hand tightens on the doorknob, my fingers straining as I anchor myself. The urge…the need…It’s almost violent in its intensity, a near physical hunger that spreads through my limbs, intense and demanding. My wolf presses forward inside me, restless and furious at the restraint I’m forcing upon him, clawing at my control with a single, ruthless focus.
Her presence, her warmth, her nearness…My body leans toward it all instinctively, as if gravity has shifted in her favor. I can almost feel her beneath my hands, can almost hear the sound she’d make if I gave in. A low, dangerous rumble builds in my chest, but I shove it down, locking it away behind clenched teeth and sheer will.
For one perilous moment, we simply stand there, two souls caught in a trance.
When she finally finds her voice, it comes out small and agonizingly soft. “Kain? I—I can’t believe it’s really you. You’re alive.”
The sound of my name on her lips sets my blood on fire. It’s instant. Maddening. My entire being wants nothing more than to pull her against my chest, craving her like a drug. I want her in my arms. I want to taste her, to feel her, to press my face into the curve of her neck and breathe her in like it’s the only air left in the world.
But I can’t.
So, I do everything in my power to deny it. Every instinct. Every roar clawing at my insides. I school my features, force my body still, and clamp my voice into a neutral tone.
“I’m sorry,” I say carefully. “Have we met before?”
The effect on her isn’t immediate; for a second, she looks like she didn’t even hear me. But then it comes. She blinks rapidly, her mouth opens, closes, opens again.
“Kain?” Her voice cracks on my name. “It’s me, Anne. Anne Donaldson. Don’t you recognize me?”
I force my expression to change, softening it around the edges. I wear a mask of confusion I don’t feel, ignoring the protests of every cell in my being.
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly. “You must be mistaking me for someone else. I don’t believe we know each other.”
The words leave a foul taste in my mouth as I say them. It’s bitter, wrong, the result of a lie my body rejects even as I force it into existence.
Her face crumbles in an instant, bewilderment washing over her features. The sight of it guts me, but I shake my head to chase the feeling away. I move to shut the door, but she stops me, reaching out her hand.
“What do you mean? What are you talking about? Kain, it’s me. I—” She doesn’t finish. Her lips tremble violently as she clutches my forearm.
The contact burns. It shocks. It sends jolts through me. My blood rushes up to my head. That growl vibrates through my core again, more fiercely now, more hungrily.
I pull my arm away as if scalded. Even as my wolf whines with need, I take a step back. “Please, control yourself. I really don’t know you. And I don’t like being touched like that.”
Her eyes widen for a moment, and I see her mouth twitch at my words, but I don’t wait for her to say or do anything else. I force myself to close the door in her face.
