Page 98 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“They’re here. Wolves in the road.”

One of the wolves, the one in the center, tilted its head and gazed through the windshield at me. Dogs and wolves couldn’t actually smile, but this one did a good imitation. I knew exactly who this was.

“Is it Eren? Is he there?”

I nodded, even though Jace couldn’t see me, and my voice caught in my throat. I swallowed hard and forced myself to speak.

“He’s here. He’s one of the wolves.”

“Get out of there. Now!”

“They’re blocking the road,” I said.

“Then run them the fuck over or back up. Whatever it takes, get out of there.”

“Okay, okay.” I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself.

The wolves were just sitting there, watching me. Nothing bad had happened yet. I still had time. Jace was right; I could just back up and turn around before they could come for me. A glance in the rearview mirror showed me three more wolves loping out to block me in. I sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of them.

“There’s more, Jace. Three more. Behind me.”

“Fuck! I’m coming as fast as I can. Which road are you on?”

“The country road that goes between Crestwood and Goldstone,” I managed, barely keeping my voice composed.

I’d chosen the most scenic route that would keep me off the interstate as long as possible. It was also the road that kept me as far away from Scottsdale as possible. If Eren and his pack were here, then that meant he had been watching me. Had followed me. He’d probably ordered the fire the moment I pulled out of the driveway. The thought of them right on my tail, watching me, racing along the road as I drove made my skin crawl. Eren watching me as I pumped gas and bought snacks. My magic had been pulsing the whole trip, but I’d assumed it was because I was leaving Jace. No, it had been trying to warn me of danger.

“I’m actually already headed that way. I’d hoped that was the route you’d gone.”

Eren shifted, standing between the two other wolves, and grinned at me through the window.

“Howdy there,” he said, waggling his fingers at me in a wave. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“What do you want?” I shrieked. On the phone, Jace was calling out my name, but I had tunnel vision. All I could think about or process was Eren.

“You don’t gotta yell,” Eren called out and tapped his ear. “Shifter, remember? Let’s not make this difficult.”

My car tilted backward slightly. I turned, craning my neck. Two of the three wolves behind me had shifted to their human form. One of them was the big guy who’d first introduced me to Eren. Poli. That was his name, wasn’t it? The two of them stepped back, knives in each of their hands. A hissing sound told me they’d slashed my back tires.

Oh, shit. This was bad. I’d already dropped the phone and clutched at the steering wheel like it was an anchor, something to keep me steady in a raging storm. The tinny sound of Jace’s voice was a distant memory as he continued to scream into the phone.

Eren circled around to my passenger side door, tapping the glass with a knuckle. “Open up, sweetie. I got things to talk to you about. Real important things.”

My skin crawled at being so close to him, and my magic reacted in a way that nauseated me.

“I need a little help, you know what I mean?” Eren added, gaze drifting down to my chest. “I think you know what I mean, anyway.”

“I gave you a fucking potion. That’s all you’ll get from me. Maybe if you weren’t such a cock-sucking douchebag, I’d do more, but I’d never do whatever that sick head of yours is thinking about. Prick,” I added for good measure.

Eren’s smile vanished. “You know what, you stupid cunt? You made a real bad mistake choosing that limp dick Stone over me. You never had what a real man can give,” he said, cupping his own groin. Bile rose at the back of my throat.

“All you needed to do was fix my little issue and then be my mate. How hard is that?” Eren asked.

I pounded my fists on the steering wheel. “I did help you! Aren’t you fucking listening? I made that potion. What more do you want?”

“I just said it.” Eren put his face right up to the glass, close enough that his nose touched it. “Fixing the problem isn’t enough. I want a witch for my pack. I want my offspring to have witch blood. Simple as that. Until I get that, I’ll never be happy.”

“Not gonna happen,” I said, jutting my chin out belligerently. “I’m Jace’s mate.”

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