Page 7 of Wicked Wolf

He stopped in his tracks, cursed, and then rubbed the bridge of his nose.

What the hell was he thinking?

Maybe he hadn’t been with a woman in so long that he’d finally lost his goddamn mind. He didn’t want that young girl who probably hadn’t even seen a naked man outside of wolf hunts before.

He didn’t even like her.

She asked too many questions and thought herself better than she was because of her family. She probably hadn’t even had to work for her position. No, she was the Alpha’s daughter; therefore, she could do what she wanted.

So what if the goddess had given her dreams of her future gift and role as an Enforcer? All that meant was, yet again, her family connections had given her the power and prestige.

She wasn’t like him. She hadn’t had to work for every scintilla of power and placement within the hierarchy as he had for his role as lieutenant. No, it had been given to her.

In the back of his mind, he knew he was just making excuses. He was only lying to himself because he actually admired the way her mind worked, the way her wolf pushed forward when needed. Her family connections might have helped with the goddess, but even then, the power wouldn’t have shifted unless the wolf could handle it. In fact, she wasn’t even related by blood to the Jamensons. She’d been adopted into the royal family.

He remembered that had happened during the Central War when the Talons had been dealing with their own turmoil. People had talked, gossiped, and tried to understand how the new Alpha of the Pack had been in his right mind when he adopted not only one, but two children. Wolves were usually very family-oriented. Orphaned children would have been adopted into a family. There was no way they would have been left alone. The fact that they’d been taken into the Jamensons without question though, was different.

Blood conquered all, or at least that’s how some of the wolves thought. The fact that Gina and her brother, Mark, had been taken into the family with its attendant power and responsibility, was huge news. Not everyone had taken it well, although he hadn’t heard of the children being treated poorly.

That didn’t mean it hadn’t happened though. For all he knew, Gina had fought for what she had because of it.

Damn. Now look at him, he was making excuses for her and trying to soothe hurt feelings, even though she wasn’t even there.

He clearly needed to go on a run and forget the pretty-eyed wolf.

The pretty-eyed, hybrid wolf.

Oh yes, he’d heard more stories about her than about her brother. Mark hadn’t gained any powers from his mother’s witch blood while Gina had apparently gained enough to become a true hybrid.

Half wolf, half witch.

Yet he didn’t know anything about her powers in that respect. He’d heard only whispers about strength and instability. That scared him even more. There was no way he wanted to work with a wolf he didn’t understand, and now his Alpha had put him in the position to do just that.

Not that he wanted to spend time with her to understand her at all.

No. What he was going to do was deal with her on the council until she became the Enforcer, and then she’d leave. He didn’t want to know her more than that. He didn’t want to have to find out all of her secrets. He’d leave that to the others. He didn’t need to know more about her because, honestly, he was afraid once he did, he’d want to know more. He didn’t want to want her. He was stronger than whatever his wolf thought he wanted.

Now he needed to ensure his Pack was safe and if he had to work alongside the woman, then he’d grit his teeth through it.

Just the thought of not doing everything to protect his Alpha and Pack burned under his skin, and he growled. Now look what that damned woman was doing to him.

He cursed again and started moving toward his home. He’d caught a ride to the meeting with Mitchell and Gideon but had chosen to run back. The exertion hadn’t worked on the aggravation as well as he’d have liked, but at least he wasn’t ready to tear someone’s throat out.

Or pound a certain wolf up against a wall.

He cursed. He needed to get that image out of his head. She wasn’t for him. Frankly, no one was for him. He’d had his shot and had lost it when Helena walked away.

He snorted.

Walking away was such an inadequate term for what she’d done.

She’d broken their mating bond.

Quinn hadn’t thought such a thing was even possible.

When wolves mated, they not only found someone to spend the rest of their forever with, but also someone who became a vital part of their soul. Their wolves bonded through the mating bite, and their humans bonded through sex, as long as the male came deep within her. There were only a few potential wolves, humans, and witches in the world that a wolf could mate with and the union be blessed by the goddess. The fact that the Talons hadn’t had that within their own pack in years was troubling enough. The fact that his former mate had destroyed their connection made him feel as though he’d lost part of his life.

His wolf had lost his other half, and the man had lost much more. He’d lost the mother of his child, the woman of his heart, and his trust of all things with a future.