Page 32 of These Wicked Desires

“Breathe, Ellis,” Kai murmurs, rubbing his hands up and down my arms. “Close your eyes.”

I do as he says, blocking Sterling from my vision. It’s harder than it should be. Every instinct in my body is screaming at me to not take my eyes off him. To make sure he’s okay. But I squeeze them shut and breathe deeply, imagining cool water flowing over my fingers, dousing the flames.

“Good job, baby girl,” Kai whispers in my ear.

I keep my eyes closed for a second longer, but a gasp from the crowd draws them open again. The sight drops me to my knees. Sterling is on his back, with Noah’s jaws closed around his throat.

Time seems to slow down. My fingers dig into the dirt, and each breath I take hurts my chest. Fight, Sterling. The bond inside me goes taut and I cling to it. Fight! With each beat of my heart, I push every ounce of love I have for my mate into the bond. I pray he can feel it, that it gives him the strength he needs to overpower Noah. I need you, Sterling. Don’t leave me.

His head turns to me, blue eyes pained, but he bares his teeth and growls. With a visible effort, Sterling pushes Noah off of him. Blood sprays from the wound at his neck, fur clinging to Noah’s mouth. Bile climbs up my throat but I swallow it down.

Sterling is on his feet faster than I can track, and he tackles Noah to the ground. Jaws snap and clumps of grass fly in the air as they tussle. My fingers ache from how hard I’m digging them into the ground.

Come on, Sterling. End this.

Sterling closes his jaw around Noah’s leg and bites down hard. Noah yips and backs away, limping, but Sterling doesn’t give him the opportunity to regroup. He charges Noah and buries his teeth into Noah’s neck. My breath lodges in my throat and every muscle in my body tenses. Sterling swings his head to the side, tearing a chunk out of Noah’s throat. Noah falls to the ground, and Sterling is on top of him in seconds. Another viscous bite into his neck, and the brown wolf stills.

Sterling steps away, body heaving with each breath he takes. A second later light flares through the clearing and Noah’s wolf form disappears, changing into a naked man. He’s unmoving, chest not rising. A gaping hole where his throat should be gushes blood and soaks the grass in red. Sterling stares at him for a second before stumbling backward and collapsing.

I’m up and running before I even realize what I’m doing. My gaze is glued to Sterling, watching his wolf’s chest rise and fall rapidly. When I reach him, I drop to my knees, hands hovering over his fur, matted and stained with blood.

“Sterling,” I whisper shakily.

His form shimmers, and slower than usual, he shifts back into his human form, bones snapping and popping. Blood streaks his skin, bite marks mar his body. The one on his neck is deep and blood still runs from it steadily.

“Cade!” I yell, but he’s already kneeling next to Sterling, purple light flaring around his hands.

People start to gather around us as Cade’s magic settles in Sterling, healing all of his injuries. Cole does his best to shoo them away, giving us privacy. Shari stands behind Cade, clutching her stomach, tear tracks trailing down her cheeks.

When Cade steps away I grab Sterling’s hand, relieved to find it warm. His eyes open and a slow smile spreads across his face.

“We did it,” he whispers.

“You did it.” Tears spill over and blur my vision.

Sterling sits up with a grunt and pulls me onto his lap. He kisses me deeply, and I temporarily forget there are people around watching us and that he’s covered in blood—his and Noah’s. He hardens under me and I rock my hips, making him moan.

Kai clears his throat, bringing me back to earth. “You might want to wait for that,” he says wryly.

Heat burns my neck and I bury my face in Sterling’s shoulder. “Oh gods.”

He chuckles, but squeezes me tighter, and I sit in his lap, listening to his heart beat. “You know what this means?” he asks.

“What?” I pull away and look into his eyes.

He dries the tears clinging to my cheeks and smiles. “You’re my alpha mate.”

“And that means what, exactly?”

“You’re my equal.” He kisses me lightly.

I raise one brow. “I thought I already was.”

He chuckles. “No. You are far superior to me, kitten. But in terms of the pack, they have to obey you as well, now.”

That sits heavy on my shoulders. More responsibility I don’t know what to do with. As if being a harpy wasn’t enough.

“Sterling Harrison.”

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