Braiden
The little minx is standing with her back to me, my far too big shirt on her, covering everything essential but having
the same effect as lingerie. It is the sexiest thing I have ever seen. Her brown curly hair is messy and flat at the back
because she has been horizontal and unconscious for two days, but it doesn’t detract from this look. It adds to it,
like putting butter cream on a cake.
She doesn’t turn right away but takes a de ep breath, goosebumps rising on her legs and the exposed parts of her
arms. My ego flares, knowing my scent affects her as much as hers does me. Since meeting her, it has consumed
me, lingering where her bare skin touched mine. I’d heard about a mate's scent, but experiencing it is entirely
different. Its potency is surprising.
“Leave, Nick.” The command is issued, my eyes glued to her back as she stands frozen in place.
“I will see you later, okay?” Nick says softly, snapping her out of her trance.
“No. Who do you think you are?” She whirls around, her brows furrowed as she places her hands on her hips.
Her beauty floors me every time. I memorized her features while she was unconscious, but this is much better. So
much expression, not just in the small lines that form at the sides of her eyes as her eyes pull slightly or the
tiny pout of her lips, but in the d epths of her eyes. Green eyes, the color of the olives found at my favorite olive
grove in Greece.
“You can’t just boss people around. What if he is my boyfriend?” she asks, a smile crossing my face when I see
Nick blush.
“Highly unlikely,” I say to her, st epping further into the room. “If that were the case, his mate would not be
impressed.”
“His mate.” She gasps, turning to him. “Your mate? Geezus, how long have I been asle ep? When did this happen?”
“He will tell you later. For now, I will speak to you alone,” I interrupt, not giving Nick time to answer. These words
have her turning on her heel, her hands still on her hips, and inadvertently pulling the shirt up to reveal more of her
gorgeous legs.
“You can’t just boss people around.” Her words are cute but disturbing at the same time. She doesn’t know who I
am.
“Well, actually, he can. He is the King,” Nick responds, his words instantly changing her features as fear appears
briefly, so strong it even taints her scent. Her hands drop to the side, her eyes moving from mine to Nick.
“You’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll be back later.” And with those words, he leaves, the click of the door behind us
indicating we are finally alone.
“Why don’t you know my face? While not frequently, I have appeared on social media and in the papers.” This
question seems to calm her, some confidence returning as she turns around and continues rummaging in the
cupboard.
“When I was younger and lived in a pack, I was never shown a picture of you, though I had heard of you. When I
became rogue, I swore to remove myself from the werewolf world as far as possible. If this stupid gathering
weren’t mandatory, I would never have gone. I also don’t read werewolf news or have any social media accounts.”
She pulls out a pink T-shirt and some tracksuit pants, clothes I arranged for her yesterday.
“Can you please turn around?” she asks, facing me, irritated.
“Illogical. I have seen everything already. How do you suppose you got into my shirt to begin with.” Lie. While she
was naked after shifting back, pieces of her dress had remained draped across her body, covering sections.
By the time I got my jacket on her, my eyes were so focused on who of the guards were looking at her that I barely
had a chance to take in her
magnificence. When I brought her in here, the nurse and doctor tended to her injuries and dressed her in my shirt,
while I beat the shit out of Alpha Alexander.
“You’ve seen everything,” she chokes out, turning around and unbuttoning the front of my shirt.
“Well, that’s refreshing. Then you know I am not a normal werewolf.
That I cannot heal like the rest of us can,” she says, allowing the shirt to fall to the ground so that she is in just her
panties—also part of the clothes I arranged.
My eyes travel up from her ankles, only now noticing small scars dotting her skin. While it is more infrequent on
her legs, as I travel upward over her delicious rear, a loud growl es capes me. Pure fucking rage surges through me
when I see the array of scars littering her back. Some are inflicted by a knife, others by scratches. Claws.
“What the fuck happened to you, Ava?” I can barely get the question out, her arms quickly finding the holes in the
sleeves before pulling it over her head.
“I don’t know,” she responds, spinning to face me.
“Don’t play with me, Ava. Who did this to you?” I growl out, trying to calm myself down.
“I said, I don’t know. All I remember was a white room and some doctors. And the pain. Beyond that, I don’t know
who did this,” she says again, looking away as her eyes water.
I mind-link Samuel, telling him to bring Ava’s parents to Darius’ office.
With Alpha Alexander being held in one of the Silver Wood prison cells, and the rule of Bloodmoon Pack up in the
air, everyone from that pack who attended the gathering was still here, including Ava’s parents, to my surprise.
They never once asked about her. Their lack of concern was unusual.
“Anyway, that’s ancient history.” She pulls on the tracksuit pants, turning around again to look at me, all sadness
gone.
“Look, this has been fun, but it’s time for me to leave. Bill and Angie over at the diner are probably worried about
me, and I have missed two shifts already,” she says, looking around the room as if to check if she has left
something behind before looking at me and then at the door behind me.
She st eps toward it as I approach her, blocking her path.
Her nostrils flare, out of anger and because of my scent invading her space, as hers does mine.
Her eyes close as she leans forward, inhaling de eply. But when she pulls back, her eyes fly open in shock as she
realizes what she’s done. Confusion flashes across her features. Followed by irritation.
“Please move,” she demands, st epping back to look up at me.
“No.” I st ep forward, crowding her and forcing her back. With each st ep back, I take one forward until her back is
against the wall beside the bed.
“What are you doing?” she asks nervously, her hands plastered to the wall while she looks up at me.
I lift my hand slowly, my index finger touching her jaw. The sparks where we touch make her eyes widen.
I run the finger along her jaw and down her neck, pushing her hair back.
Her eyes close, and her head inches to the other side, a moan leaving her lips when I place my nose to her neck.
“What-what are you doing?” she asks huskily, her voice coated with the sexual tension between us.
“I’m finding the place where my mark goes,” I murmur, kissing her neck right at the spot where my teeth will
penetrate her skin, making her mine.
The spot smells the sweetest, and when I flick my tongue out and lick it, I swear it tastes just as heavenly. She
moans out, her hands clinging to my shoulders as I suck de eply on that spot, tempted to mark her now and make her
mine.
“Braiden.” The feminine voice behind me has Ava jumping, her cheeks flushing bright red as she locks eyes with
me.
Fuck. I told her to leave, but she didn’t listen.
“Selene. What are you doing here?”