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Draven

I strode out of there before my wolf broke free and I did something I couldn’t undo. Her professions of innocence, her lies, ran through my head on repeat, and I snarled again as I walked through the bar, through the door, and out into the night.

I fucking hated her. I wanted to end her life for what she did, for the pain she’d caused my pack. But I’d lied. She didn’t repulse me, not physically, anyway. Far from it. I was ashamed to admit how much I wanted the deceitful little witch. When I’d first met her, I’d believed myself in love with her. But it had all been a twisted ruse. She’d bewitched me so I’d do her bidding. But even under her witch’s spell, I’d never burned for her like this.

I burned for her now.

I’d wanted her then, but nothing like this. Resisting her charms had been hard, but now—

I growled and paced across the parking lot.

I’d only kissed her once—one chaste kiss was all she’d allowed—and that’s all it took for me to let her lead me and my warriors to our doom. Now she was doing it again, bewitching me, trying to control me, and if I touched her again, I was afraid of what I might do.

What she had me feeling now? I growled. Her magic was poisoning my mind, and somehow I had to fight it.

I gripped the sides of my head and my wolf whined and clawed to run free, to run to her. Yes, she was doing it again—a spell, a curse, a potion. Another fucked-up attempt to make me want her, crave her. To control me like a puppet on her strings.

I would not let her win. Despite how different it felt this time, stronger, more all-consuming, I would fight it. She’d had over three hundred years to perfect her magic, but I’d had the same amount of time to plan her end.

My wolf whined again, demanding I go back to her, and I wanted to roar my frustration.

The beast wanted to take her, keep her.

I wanted to slit her fucking throat and watch her bleed for what she did. To finally free myself of her and her treachery and never look back.

I couldn’t do that, though, not with the hellhound alpha mated to a female claiming to be Selene’s sister. They’d fooled him as well, and I had to find a way to make him see the truth for himself before I took my revenge.

“Fuck.” I needed to run as far from her as I could get, especially while I was this close to the edge of my control. I strode to my truck, stripped off my clothes, tossed them in the back, shifted, and sprinted into the forest.

As I headed for Wolf Hill Woods, my mind raced, the past twisting with the present. The forest closed in around me, but all I could see was her face, her deceitful fucking face. After more than three hundred years trapped, the seven of us confined to a small piece of woods—our wolves unable to run as far as we needed, never able to fully unleash—our sanity had suffered. Food had been scarce, and two of my warriors had starved to death.

If it hadn’t been for one of the Knights of Hell—half demon, half angel, demon hunters—stumbling upon us in his search for the dagger Charity had hidden, along with the map to set us free, we’d still be trapped.

It was my job to protect my people, to keep them safe, and I’d failed. I’d lived. Fuck knew how. I could only assume my hatred and thirst for revenge had kept me going.

Now Selene was finally within my grasp, and I’d hesitated.

I howled in fury and frustration. Kenric, one of our elders, had gladly given up his position as alpha when I’d returned. The old wolf had stepped up to take care of the pack while I was gone, even though he’d never wanted the position. I fucking hated that I was failing him now, that I was failing my entire pack, again. I needed to end this—end her—or I would never get any peace, and my pack wouldn’t either.

I let my wolf take the lead, running faster, harder. The wind ruffled my fur, the earth soft beneath my paws. Yes, I needed this. I needed to run, to clear my head.

A familiar scent reached me.

Demons.

More than one, encroaching on my territory. We’d been reclaiming this part of the Roxburgh State Forest the last year, land that had always belonged to the local pack. The previous one had been driven out, depleted by the demons that lived here. The place had been infested with the evil fuckers when we’d arrived, and there were still some reluctant to move on.

Killing these twisted pieces of shit was exactly what I needed to work off the rage still pumping through my veins.

I burst through the trees.

There were four of them.

They all turned to face me. One of them grinned.

Stupid fuck was about to die and didn’t even know it.

I howled into the night, then charged my prey.