Page 6 of Mated to the Wolves

Plans of an apartment and a fresh start with my best friend circle the drain like dirty water. Stupid girl, hoping when you know you’re cursed.

The voice in my head sounds a lot like Aunt Gerda. Shoving the shrill banshee to the back of my mind with my past, I round the corner and burst through the front door of the apartment building.

Sprinting up the two flights of stairs, I use my shoulder to break the door in. I have no time for keys and locks.

Inside, I dart through the hall and into my room. The sickening ammonia-laden stench of blockers assaults my senses, burning my nostrils and eyes.

Coughing, I lift my arm and try to breathe through the robe. The closet door flies open. Hangers clatter to the ground, and clothes drift to the floor.

A giant of a man emerges like a golem dressed head to toe in black steps forward out of the shadowy space. He moves forward in a dizzying blur, wraps a strong arm around my waist, and lifts me from the ground.

I kick my legs. Desperate, I sink my teeth into his arm, breaking the skin. Thick, salty, metallic liquid gushes into my mouth. He releases me to apply pressure to his wound.

“Little bitch,” the man yells.

I land on the floor with a thud and roll away. Clearing the doorframe, I abandon my paperwork and money.

Scrambling to my feet, I run down the hallway toward the front door. I have to reach my car. Cadoc strides in my exit, followed by a group of muscular men who smell of the Thostenson pack.

I’m no match for their combined strength, but I’m not going down without a fight.

“Why are you here? Alpha sanctioned my time here.” I throw the official words out like a shield. It’s been four and a half years, why are they showing up now?

Cadoc ignores my words. “And now your family is calling you back home, where you belong.”

“No.” I haven’t fit in since they found out I was a dud.

This must be a nightmare. The man I looked on fondly growing up, cannot be the one speaking to me like a stranger.

“As the only Eskildson able to reproduce and carry on the family legacy, you have a duty to uphold the traditions and continuation of the Thostenson pack,” he recites robotically.

“According to who? My uncle and aunt do not get to make that call. Cadoc, please.”

“No.” He drops his cerulean gaze to the floor. “But Alpha does.”

“You lie.”

What the hell would our alpha want with me? Our politics are filled with the notion of things being done for the greater good. A beta wolf with no talent to speak of. I’m amazing at creating art, but that will not better the pack.

“I asked for this extraction to ensure it went smoothly. Are you going to make a liar out of me, Yl?”

The childhood nickname on his full lips enrages me. He’s trying to use our connections and memories to tame me.

It’s a sick betrayal. I won’t let him place me back in manacles because he brings up memories that give me the warm fuzzies.

Growling, I snap my teeth at him.

“You can make this easy or hard. Either way, you’re coming back home.” Cadoc’s voice is melted butter, easing over my frayed nerves.

I fight against the compulsion he works into his words effortlessly. A powerful alpha in his own right, the older wolf is one of the best at what he does.

“Should I feel flattered you choose to honor my father by forcing his only daughter into a life she doesn’t want? I was declared an independent pack member, which means I get to choose my path.”

He flinches. I’m happy to see him hurt.

“Stay back. Ylva is mine,” Cadoc commands the other men.

“Wait. Don’t hurt her.” Kez’s frantic voice drifts in from the hallway.

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