Page 25 of Moon Fated

Blake stared at Rowan a moment longer, then retreated to the driver’s seat. Rowan got into the passenger seat a moment later, his frame filling his side of the cab.

“I can’t have him in here, you know that.” Blake’s voice was low.

“He has our directions, Blake. And he’s just as concerned about these disappearances as we are,” I countered. Blake had been at the meeting just as I had. He’d heard how the packs wanted to band together.

Blake’s jaw tensed, and Rowan put an arm up on the back of the seat. “I can wipe down the truck for you after we get back. So nobody smells me on your leather.”

I held my breath. It was harder to keep my wolf from reacting to his scent when we were in such close quarters. She whined, and Rowan turned his head to look at me. He couldn’t hear her, could he? We weren’t pack mates, but truth be told, I knew nothing about mating bonds. Not that I’d accepted one, and not that I would accept it, but what if there was something I didn’t understand?

"Which direction?” Blake started the engine.

"East." Rowan snapped, his gaze still fixed on Blake as if daring him to say more.

This was going to be a long drive.

The dense canopy of the northern forest blurred past us as Blake's truck jostled along the rugged trail.

"Your family had a chance to make things right," Blake grumbled from the driver's seat, his eyes flicking to Rowan. "Nathan challenged fair and square, but your lot just couldn't let go."

They’d been sending subtle jabs since we left the highway, and now they weren’t mincing words. The conflict made my wolf lie down with her head on her paws, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop them. These were questions I had, too. Better Blake bring it up than me.

Rowan gave a sardonic laugh. “Is that the story he tells? At least he’s consistent.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Rowan’s jaw tensed. “It means he’s always going to spin things to his benefit. What I can’t understand is why you’d believe it.”

“I’m living in the aftermath, Steele. You pushed us out.”

“False.” That word felt like a prelude to a storm. “We recognized Nathan as alpha, but he’d burned too many bridges. When he realized he wasn’t going to be able to keep control, he poisoned anyone he could and left. I’m living in the aftermath.”

“You think I’m an idiot? Just followed him blindly?”

“No, I think he’s damn good at making people see what he wants them to see.”

That hit too close to home. I leaned forward from the backseat. "You know, if you two keep this up, I'll have to sit between you."

Rowan's blue eyes met mine, and I felt it—the pull of his wolf to mine, an invisible thread tugging at my senses, stirring something deep within me. “There’s room.” He patted the seat next to him.

“Shut the hell up. Are you shitting me?” Blake pulled over to the side of the road, and even though I was buckled, I slammed forward but didn’t hit the seat.

Rowan was halfway over his headrest, bracing my shoulder with one arm and cupping my face with the other. “Ash, I’m going to?—”

“She’s your mate?”

“No!” I yelled at the same time Rowan growled, “Yes.” I slapped his hands off me and pressed myself against the seat. His hands left streaks of heat across my skin.

Blake turned to look at me. “This can’t happen.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” I struggled to catch my breath.

“If Nathan finds out?—”

“If Nathan finds out, he can deal with me.” Rowan’s eyes were so bright, they shone. His wolf pressed forward, his power radiating through me, and that’s when my hands started to shake.

No. I started to hyperventilate. “Shit,” I hissed, scrambling for the red button to release my buckle. “Shit, shit?—”

“Evs—”

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