When no one said anything, Emma met my gaze and added, “That’s why you were able to find him last night, wasn’t it? The bond has already begun to form.”
“Listen to me,” I said, glaring at her with narrowed eyes. Anger sparked hot and fast, blotting out everything else, along with an urge to protect Reed that felt impossible to ignore. I didn’t raise my voice, but my words were flat and hard as granite when I added, “I don’t know what you thought you were doing, but that wasn’t yours to share. The relationship between Reed and me isourbusiness. And if and when he chooses to tell you his personal business, you will be respectful and keep it to yourself. Because he is your alpha.”
A strange sensation flowed through me—a thread of power jolting up my spine, almost like getting zapped by a bolt of electricity. I felt it as the current flowed into my words, making them something more than ordinary speech.
Then the power flowed out of me all at once.
Emma’s eyes went wide, her jaw dropping with shock. My gaze was locked on hers, so I caught the way her eyes flashed gold for an instant.
Daniel’s hand flew to his mouth. His gaze was fixed on me in wide-eyed disbelief.
“Holy shit,” Sarah breathed, a strange mixture of fear and wonder transforming her expression. “How—”
“We’re leaving,” Reed growled, fixing me with a hard look. “Now.”
With that, he stormed out of Emma’s cabin without so much as a backward glance.
Feeling strangely spent and shaken, I followed him.
Reed led the way to his cabin, his back ramrod straight and practically trembling with—well, I knew it wasn’t anger, exactly. It was something else, far deeper than that. As though the gravity of what I had just done was threatening to upend himfrom the earth and he was struggling, with every step, just to remain steady.
When we entered his cabin, he pointed to the couch. “Sit.”
Feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion crash through me, I obeyed.
I expected Reed to have a meltdown, or to at least ask me what the hell had just happened, but instead I heard him busying himself in the kitchen—more aggressively than was strictly necessary, judging by the banging. But I could barely hold my head up. My body began to tremble. And the air felt cooler than before, as if it was leeching my body heat away.
My eyelids became too heavy to keep open and drooped shut. I practically melted into the couch cushions, a wave of darkness overtaking me.
“Drink,” Reed said, snapping me awake with a jolt. He was kneeling before me, holding a steaming mug of dark liquid, like strong tea. He pressed it into my hands. I would have dropped it, but Reed kept his hands pressed against mine. His words were gentler than I expected when he added, “Careful, now.”
I nodded and let him help me drink. The brew was herbal, vaguely floral, and very sweet—cloyingly so. Reed encouraged me to drink half the cup. It was hot, but not too hot to drink.
“Lavender and chamomile for calming your nervous system,” Reed said gently, watching me with obvious concern. “And skullcap, to stabilize your internal energies. Honey, to restore your blood sugar. Also, because the herbs taste like ass.” He paused. “And some ice, too—so it doesn’t burn you when you drink it.”
“Is it magic?” I asked, already feeling better. My eyelids became less heavy and my hands stopped trembling. I straightened up on the couch, my grip tightening on the mug.
“Sort of. It’s tea, but there’s plenty of natural magic in plants. It’s an old pack recipe,” Reed explained, relaxing as he spoke.“The first time an alpha uses their powers, it’s extremely taxing on the nervous system. Your body takes time to get used to it. It’s kind of like a massive blood-sugar crash. You ought to finish the entire cup.”
Dutifully, I drained the mug.
“You just scared the shit out of me,” Reed said, taking the mug from me and setting it on the floor next to him.
“You’re not angry?” I asked, trying to catch up with him emotionally.
“I thought you were about to die,” Reed said, his eyes widening slightly, as though I had startled him by suggesting he might have been angry. “The powers of an alpha are taxing on anywerewolf, and we have supernatural healing in our corner. I had no idea what it would do to you. It freaked me out.” He paused, and a faint smile curved his lips as he met my gaze. “But I shouldn’t be surprised. You’re stronger than I give you credit for.”
“I’m okay,” I said. “I think.” Then I paused and his words sank in. “Wait—what do you mean… powers of thealpha? Are you saying—”
He nodded solemnly, and the rest of what I was going to say died in my throat. “Alphas can force other wolves to obey their commands. It’s called adjuration. It’s a type of compulsive magic and it’s not something to be done lightly. Trust me on that.” Then he paused and his gaze locked with mine. “You somehow tapped into my power, Harris.”
CHAPTER NINE || REED
“I’m fine. Seriously,” Harris scowled at me, after I asked him for the sixth time how he was feeling. It was only half an hour later and he was already well enough to stand. To pace, even. He was going back and forth, seemingly without realizing he was doing it, and if he kept it up, he’d probably start creating a permanent track in the wooden floor.
To be fair, he did seem okay. Even though he shouldn’t have been. No human should have been able to channel the power of an alpha and be up pacing less than an hour later, no matter how many cups of tea he’d been served. There was something extraordinary about him. But I was starting to learn that maybe there werelotsof extraordinary things about Harris.
Like the fact he was halfway hard—I could tell through his jeans—and his size was… quite nice. A lesser man might’ve been intimidated.
