Page 150 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

Kirsten furrowed her brows and licked her bottom lip. “Go away. I have a theory.”

Chuckling, I raised my hands in surrender. “Okay, fine.”

I went down the hall, waiting for whatever she was planning. A few minutes later, she called me back.

“Jace, get back in here.”

“Yes, my lady,” I called.

“Try again,” Harley said once I’d walked back in.

Kirsten’s hand hovered over the fruit, and a moment later, the apple morphed into an orange. She then moved her hand to the left, and an apple appeared from thin air. She pulled her hand back slowly, her eyes focused on the illusion. Kirsten let them sit like that for a few seconds before snapping her fingers. The illusion vanished.

“You were right,” Harley said to her with a grin.

“About what?” I asked.

“My magic is stronger when you’re nearby,” Kirsten said. “Nothing was happening, but as soon as you walked into the room, my power spiked and it worked.”

Harley bounced on the bed. “He’s your magic Viagra.”

Kirsten turned a withering glare on her friend. “Thanks for that.”

She shrugged a shoulder, unperturbed. “It’s true. You couldn’t get it up, and Mr. Wolfman here walks in, and boom, massive magic hard-on.”

“Harley, could you give us a minute?” I asked.

“Sure thing.” She jumped off the bed, swatting Kirsten’s butt as she went by. “Don’t wear him out too much.”

Kirsten rolled her eyes. “We aren’t—”

But Harley was already gone.

“I have my own theory,” I said. “What if it doesn’t have to be me close to you? I hate the idea that you have less protection if I’m not right there.”

“What are you thinking?”

“What if you had something personal of mine? Something that means a lot to me.”

“I’m listening,” Kirsten said.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I dug under the collar of my shirt and pulled out my necklace.

“What’s that?” Kirsten said, eyeing it.

“It’s the pack crest,” I said, holding the small medallion in the palm of my hand. The solid white alabaster stone had a carving of a howling wolf’s head and a thin crescent moon. “I haven’t worn it in a long time. It belonged to my mother. Dad gave it to her the night they officially became mates. I wore it every day, but then they died. It hurt to look at it, so I tucked it away safely. It’s been there for… well, as you know, a very long time. This morning, when I got up, something… I don’t know, it called to me. I dug it out of my bedside drawer. It’s one of the only things I have from them. Nothing is closer to my heart than this.”

I pulled it from my neck and looped it over her head. The medallion lay nestled in the dip of her breasts, looking as if it belonged there.

“Jace, I can’t take this,” Kirsten said in protest.

She made to take it off, but I put my hands on hers, stopping her. “I want you to have it, especially if it helps with your magic. Just remember,” I said, tapping the medallion, “when you’re wearing this? I’m with you.”

Kirsten smiled sheepishly and looked down at it. “It really is beautiful.” She lifted the crest and stared at it more intently, inspecting every curve carved into it.

Seeing her hold the crest sent my inner wolf into a spasm of desire. My chest swelled with need. The need to claim her. It consumed me almost fully, and if I didn’t leave soon, I wouldn’t be able to control myself. Claiming her needed to wait until Eren was handled.

Taking a step back, I gestured vaguely at the door. “I need to head out. Langston and Waylan are gonna get some more people together to guard the whole town.” I swallowed hard, trying to force the image of me claiming her from my mind.

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