Page 66 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“Good morning.”

Stephanie froze and turned to look to the stairs where the voice had come from. Kirsten came padding down the stairs wearing an old T-shirt of mine. It swamped her, brushing against her skin a few inches above her knees. She smiled at me, but her eyes widened when she saw Stephanie.

“Whoops. Hi there,” Kirsten said to the other woman.

From my vantage point, I could see Stephanie’s face. A combination of hurt and disappointment as well as worry and what looked like fear washed across her face.

“I’m sorry,” Kirsten said, noticing the look in Stephanie’s eyes. Suddenly self-conscious of what she was wearing, she tugged the shirt lower, trying to cover her legs. “I didn’t know anyone else would be down here.” Kirsten’s look of embarrassment faltered and her brows knit together. “Wait, have I seen you before?” she asked. “Somewhere in town, maybe?”

Stephanie recovered gracefully and smiled. “I don’t think so. I’ve not had the pleasure.” She stepped forward, hand outstretched. “Stephanie Bridges. I run the clinic in town. Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you, too,” Kirsten said. She smiled back, but I could still see the look of confusion on her face as she tried to place Stephanie’s face. Worry glinted in her eye.

“I’m sorry for, uh, intruding,” Stephanie said. “I’ll leave you two to”—she sent a hateful glance at Kirsten—“enjoy your morning. Jace, I’ll meet up with you later to discuss what I wanted to talk about.”

Stephanie gave me one last look before slamming the door behind her.

I moved around the counter to Kirsten, wrapping her in my arms. “What’s up? I can see you thinking something.”

She ran her hand up my back, making me shiver, but her eyes stayed glued to the front door. “I think I’ve seen that woman before.”

“Stephanie? Was it when you were in town? At the grocery store, maybe?”

“No, not in Crestwood. In St. Louis. Yesterday. Jace, I’m like seventy percent sure that woman was with Eren yesterday.”

“Eren?” I said, tensing. “You saw Eren yesterday?”

Kirsten blinked, finally pulling her attention from the door and looking at me. “Yeah. I didn’t get the chance to tell you. I didn’t want to ruin our night. He ruined the first one, you know.”

She proceeded to tell me about her trip to the city and running into Eren and a mysterious woman in the shop, what he said, and how the interaction went. By the time she finished, it was all I could do to contain my rage. He’d followed her? That son of a bitch followed her? He’d probably sent one of his betas to scout her cabin and phoned in when she left. That fucker. And the day after I warned him.

“I told him what would happen,” I growled. “He knows damn well what I’m going to do now that he did this. It’s bullshit if he thinks we’ll believe he just randomly ended up in a women’s clothing store two fucking hours from his house at the exact fucking time you were there.” I sighed and rolled my shoulders back, trying to stay calm. “I’m gonna start having some of my betas watch out for your place. Check and make sure nobody is hanging around near your property.”

“Is that really necessary? I have the ward. That will keep me safe.”

“The ward only works around your cabin. I want to make sure you’re safe everywhere. Until I’ve dealt with Eren.”

“Wait. I don’t want to be the cause of some big fight.”

I brushed her hair gently off her shoulder. “Eren made his choice. He knows what the outcome would be when he followed you. He didn’t listen, and now I’ll deal with it. This isn’t your burden to carry. What did he want from you?”

When she told me of his request for fertility help, I was shocked. That wasn’t what I’d pictured. It sounded like this friend was Eren himself. The big bad alpha was infertile. That was almost as dark a secret as my own, especially with how tenuous his hold on his pack was. If they caught even a whisper that his line was about to end, it would go badly for him. They feared him, but that type of control only lasted so long. He was probably desperate to have a child to take over and stabilize his hold.

“I’ll tell you this,” I said when she finished. “There’s no point trying to find a cure for him. At the rate that dumbass is going, he’s going to be dead before he ever gets the chance to use it.”

I went back to the kitchen, pulling the bacon out of the oven and sliding the biscuits in.

“What about Stephanie?” Kirsten asked.

I shook my head and put a pan on the stove for the eggs. “It was probably another pretty blonde. Eren is known for shopping his affection around. He’s left a trail of broken-hearted ladies from here to St. Louis. Stephanie is on my council, part of my pack. She’d never do anything with or for Eren.”

The uncertainty in Kirsten’s eyes gave me pause as I finished breakfast and served her. Stephanie hadn’t been happy about Kirsten being a witch. She’d been one of the few to speak out against allowing Kirsten access to town. But would that really be enough for her to turn to Eren—Eren Miller, of all fucking people—to get her point across? I’d known her and her father for decades. I couldn’t believe it. Wouldn’t believe it.

Thankfully, the rest of our day went by in quiet peace. I made calls to Langston and Waylan about getting men to patrol the area near Kirsten’s cabin. Afterward, we spent the day watching movies and binging TV shows. We had a late lunch of sandwiches and chips. The whole time, I played it off like I was right there in the moment, but I kept imagining tearing Eren’s balls off with my bare hands.

Late that afternoon, Kirsten made to leave, and I kissed her goodbye. Standing on my porch, I waved to her as she turned around in my driveway. She’d declined an escort home, which I’d agreed to, but had no plans to actually follow through with. As soon as she was out of sight, I leaped from the porch, shifting and taking off into the forest that ran parallel to the road toward her house.

Her car turned onto the main road. Keeping her in my sight, I sprinted along as she drove, staying back in the forest so as not to be seen. Kirsten arrived back home ten minutes later, and I paced the perimeter of her property after she was safely inside.

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