117
NIRVANA
“Let’s get married, sweetheart.” It still echoed in my ears. It shocked me.
Gaping, I waited until he took it back, but it didn’t happen.
“I’m sure Sebastien has connections to process our documents.”
“You want a civil wedding?”
“Yeah. I want to do it right with proper documentation.”
I held his hands. They were cold. “Baby, are you nervous?”
“Yeah. I’m afraid you might disagree.”
“We’re getting married in the States. Period. And yes, let’s get married today or tomorrow. Whenever we can.”
He kissed me again so badly his hands shook. I placed my hands on his, moved my lips, and instantly melted against him.
***
I watched him take off his shirt. His majestic abs were on full display, and I itched in anticipation of feeling those ripples of hard muscles against my fingertips.
“I have to go out for a run.”
“Do you know this territory? Shouldn’t we be avoiding running into someone or another werewolf?”
“I’ll be fine.” He worked on pulling down the sweatpants, not caring to show me his firm ass and big cock.
“Baby?”
“I’ll be careful.” He pressed his lips on my forehead. “My wolf needs it.”
“I’ll come looking for you if you’re not back in ten-” I wasn’t done talking. Knight opened the door, shifted into his big badass gray wolf, and ran into the woods.
I put on my shirt, jeans, boots, and slid the dagger. I tied my hair up and wore my jacket.
A few minutes later, I paced in the small space of the sitting area, and Knight hadn’t returned.
It was fifteen minutes before I decided to go out of the cabin. My heart pumped hard as I followed where he went to the woods. I could still catch his scent in the air.
About half a mile from the cabin, I lost his scent. He must have made a turn from this point. I made my way to the small clearing and followed the small path leading to a small stream with no scent and no footprints to follow. Then, the sound of a growl made me stiffen.
“Shit.” My heart pounded in my chest as I followed where the growl came from.
I suddenly felt rage in my veins, fury in my bones, and a sudden urge to feel blood in my mouth. Then it hit me-it was Knight who was feeling these emotions.
It still astounded me how powerful our connections were.
As I crossed the stream, I tried my best not to make any noise. I wasn’t a scout and didn’t know how to camouflage myself in the woods. The growling continued, and it became more apparent as I got closer. Knight’s scent became strong, invading my nostrils.
Then I saw his robust wolf standing tall against another brown wolf, stalking, rounding, and snarling at each other, revealing their vicious fangs.
The brown wolf growled and might have just sniffed another scent. Its head snapped in my direction, eyes bloody red, and drool dripped from his mouth.
A rogue wolf. I’d never seen a rogue werewolf before until now.
Shit. Fuck.
The brown wolf just made me a target, his meal. Then I just felt the intense dread coming from Knight. All of a sudden, the wolf ran in my direction.
Knight was quick. I felt the rage consuming him, pumping in his blood, ravenous for a kill. Considering he was an alpha, his wolf was way bigger and stronger. He blocked the wolf and swung his claws at the rogue, tearing off the skin.
The rogue wolf was thrown away, landing on the ground, whining. Without wasting any seconds, Knight sunk his fangs into the neck of the wolf, tearing off the flesh and making me wince. The blood from its neck gushed out, bringing the rogue to its death.
Then, another savage snarl came from behind me. Before I could turn around, Knight rushed to my defense.
Time seemed to slow down as I felt my heart hammered in my chest. I bent down and took the dagger. Its power vibrated in my hand, and its blade glinted in the sunlight as I wielded it in my palm.
Asina summoned herself, serving as my armor. I instantly felt the rapid waves of power pulsed through me.
Taken by my instinct to protect myself, I felt the urge to do so, like a muscle memory of some sort. I twisted the heel of my boot, my body rotated.
It seemed that I was sure where the attacker was as I raised my hand, aimed the dagger, and it sunk into its flesh.
I faced the wolf. My eyes widened in shock that it was infected- pitch black eyes, black-greenish fluid dripping its mouth. For a moment, it howled in pain before stumbling down before me.
I sucked in a breath as I watched it decay and turn into ashes before my very eyes.
“What the hell?” I looked at the dagger in my hand without even a trace of blood on the blade and back to the ashes on the ground.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Knight was already in his human form. Bright green eyes cut right through me as he growled.
“You’re welcome.” I rolled my eyes, put the dagger back into my boot, and checked him for a scratch.
“What are you doing?” He was still pissed off, his body shaking in anger.
“Did that thing scratch you?”
“No.”
I sighed and hugged his naked body. “It scared the hell out of me.”
“You scared the fuck out of me.” He pulled away and held my arms tight. “Don’t ever-”
“Don’t ever say don’t ever, Knight, because I will do everything for you to save your ass, and I know you will not hesitate to risk your life for me. So suck it up.”
Eyes still narrowing, he cupped my face and kissed me hard quickly, and it hurt. My lips might just bleed. “I know, but don’t.” He snorted, shaking his head. “Never mind. You won’t ever listen to me anyway.”
“Let’s get out of here before another sick werewolf will come here.” I held his hand as I dragged him away from the dead rogue.
“Yeah. I found another scent. I caught a lot of scents in this area.”
“Maybe there’s a pack around here, Kain forgot to mention.”
“Maybe, or maybe they were attacked and scattered around.”
“Shift. You can run fast in your doggy form.”
His eyes narrowed, not taking my compliment well.
“Don’t be a baby. You’re a dog.”
“Fuck you.” It was amazing how easily he shifted, as easy as stretching himself. And then he bent his legs and sat before me.
“What are you doing?”
He tipped his head on his back.
“Are you silly? No. I’m not riding on you. We only do that in bed.” Chuckling, I ran away from him, using my newfound speed and strength. Everything I had just came in handy, and I started to love this new me despite the danger of having this gift.
We ran side by side as we headed back to the cabin. My heart pumped so hard and felt so good, letting the adrenaline rush run through me.
“You look ridiculous,” I told him as he looked like he was grinning at me, showing off his teeth. He still looked handsome, though.
Once we returned to the cabin, he rubbed his fur against me. He was so tall and mighty.
I scratched his cheeks and raised my finger when he stuck his tongue out. “Don’t lick me, Knight.”
He groaned, pressing his snout into my neck instead, but he was an alpha and never took someone’s command. He licked me in the neck instead.
“You’re disgusting.” I ran my hands through his soft and smooth fur. “I can’t believe I let you do it.”
It felt good, though. The more Knight licked his mark, the more I suddenly felt something. I was aroused.
KNIGHT
I instantly caught the smell of her arousal before she ran inside the cabin, avoiding me. I shifted and used the back door to get inside.
“Hey.”
She just jumped. “You scare me.”
“You okay?” I wrapped her in my arms, kissing her shoulder.
“Knight, get in the shower.” She loosened my arms around her, getting off me.
“Are you coming with me?” I joked to lighten up the sudden tension between us.
“No.”
“Why are you like this? You suddenly pulled up walls between us and tried to distance yourself from me.”
“Of course not.” She shifted her gaze away, but I could hear her heartbeat racing.
“Did you just lie?” I cupped the back of her next so she could look at me. “Nirvana, there’s no shame in feeling turned on when your mate touches you.”
“Oh, yeah? When you’re in your wolf?”
“Yes. It’s normal. Sometimes, mates licked each other in their wolf forms. They roll around the bushes, ink their scent on their mates to ward off those unmated werewolves from their females. And I’m flattered that I made you feel that way.”
“Just shut up and hit the shower. You smell like a dog that hasn’t bathed for months.” She sniffed my armpit and wrinkled her nose. “You stink, baby.”
I chuckled. “Are you sure you’re not up for a round in the bathroom?”
“In that space? No thanks.” She went to the sitting area and turned on the TV with a sigh.
I showered quickly and put on a new set of clothes. When I came to her, she was watching a series.
“Have you heard from Dane?”
“They’re working on my request. I want to end this problem with Cadogan, or he could expose us.”
“That’s true.”NôvelDrama.Org owns this text.
“I have to text Dane.”
She gave me my phone and the burner.
I quickly texted Dane to call me as soon as possible and hit send. When there was a knock on the door, my lips did not reach Nirvana’s neck. She and I looked at each other.
“Stay here.”
“Are you expecting a visitor?”
“In here? No.” I got up from the chair when another knock followed.
Dread settled in my chest as Nirvana went behind the door, sniffing the air.
I caught the scents, too, before I opened it. “What are you both doing here?”
“You mean four of us?” McKaye grinned. “Hey, Alpha.”
“Oh, my God.” Nirvana pushed me aside and dashed out to hug Kailin. “I miss you so much.”
“I miss you too. How’s your little getaway?”
She grinned from ear to ear, and my senses were flooded with contentment. It definitely came from her. “Not fun, but I’m glad Knight came to me yesterday.”
“Are we interrupting something?” McKaye asked.
“No,” she replied gratefully. “I’m glad to see familiar faces. You have no idea.”
“Come inside,” I told everyone. McKaye and Luka went ahead. Then Kailin looked behind her shoulder. Dane just showed up carrying two bags.
“Dane.” Nirvana must be so bored living alone that she was even enthusiastic about seeing Dane. “Glad you’re here. We just sent you a message.”
“Just saw it on our way.” He came to me and dropped a bag to shake my hand. “Alpha.”
“Get inside. We might not be alone in this area.”
“Yeah. Kain told me to inform you that there was an attack a few miles from here. Rogues and infected caught a small pack off guard. He didn’t tell me the casualties, but there are survivors.”
I locked the door behind me, and all eyes were on me. “I went for a run, and this stubborn woman just followed me.”
She just shrugged while her arms crossed over her chest.
“I found a rogue, and then she just appeared out of nowhere. I killed the rogue, and she killed the infected.”
“How?” they asked her in unison.
“With the dagger.”
“Oh.”
She raised a brow at their one-word reply. “What’s the matter?”
“That means you’re a badass but reckless.”
She rolled her eyes at me as she joined the guys in the sitting area. “So, why are you all here? To save our asses or to join the fun?”
“Probably both,” Luka replied.
“Alpha, may I have a word.” Dane stood up next to Kailin.
“What about me?” Nirvana raised her hand.
“Let’s talk outside.” I went out first. Of course, Nirvana wouldn’t want to be left behind, joining me next before Dane.
“The job is done,” he began, but I felt like there was bad news attached to it.
“And?”
“We found photos of you and the vineyards.”
“Okay?” And that was not the bad news.
“As a wolf.”
“What the fuck?” I spat out. Anger pumped through my veins. “Who knows about this?”
“Besides the agency, none. From Cadogan’s side, I don’t know how far he shared that info. Some might believe, some might call him crazy.”
“You found the photos in his house?” Nirvana asked.
“No. At the office in the nightclub. It was closed for operation, but it looked like they were ready to trade drugs underground. We took care of it. We burned the whole building and planted drugs, so if the cops would arrive, they have evidence.” He picked something from his jacket pocket. “Here. A souvenir.”
“What the fuck?” It was the picture of me in my wolf. “It’s a week old.”
“Exactly. Cadogan knew what you were when someone got inside and shot my mate.”
“Are you sure there was no more evidence, maybe a flash drive, a memory card, or something?”
“No. That was from the camera. I took it with me and printed that for you.”
“How many casualties?”
“From us? None. From them, Cadogan didn’t want to die without a fight. Six of his men were there, and three from another group.”
“That would make a deal gone wrong.”
I looked at Nirvana, who seemed pleased with the outcome. “Yeah.”
“I killed his son, Travis. He was alone at home.”
“You went to his house?” she asked in shock.
“No.”
“He’s a sniper. How many yards?” I asked in amusement.
“900.”
“Impressive. Thank you. I’ll make the payment today.”
“No. I didn’t get mine. I gave it to the guys who came with me. I told them this was personal, and they all agreed. They wanted to meet you in person and tell you they have your back. All you have to do is give us a call.”
“Thank you, Dane.” Nirvana hugged him. I held the growl in my chest when my wolf stirred inside me.
“Anytime.”
When we returned to the cabin, the guys settled in and cooked something in the kitchen. Kailin was still in the same position.
“Where’s Victor now?”
“Safe with Alexander. Your grandpa said hi to both of you.”
“So they have additional members hunting deer in the Alaskan forest?”
“He won’t stay longer.” Dane turned to me. “About your message, what do you wanna talk about?”
“Zarah is trying to arrange a meeting between Eloh and Nirvana.”
“Not a good idea. He’s treacherous and dangerous. I don’t trust him even if he will come alone. He has always had a devious plan to get what he wants even if stepping on someone’s toe.”
“I know this is dangerous. That’s why you’ll be a part of my team,” Nirvana told him as a form of invitation in the hope he would say yes.
“It’ll be an honor, Luna, and I will protect you with my life, but I can’t guarantee your safety in just a short time, and we haven’t known the place of meeting yet. It’s our disadvantage.”
“This meeting has to take place, Dane. I’m tired of running. If we don’t settle this agreement, our plan to defeat Cyrius won’t succeed.”