Page 33 of Their Fated Magic

Her expression is still one of complete disbelief. “But I’m not a shifter.”

I smile. “You don’t have to be a shifter to be my mate.”

“Garrick, I–” Tara starts to reply, but we hear a commotion to our left, and the three wolves come barrelling into the cavern like they need to save Tara from me. But when they spot us in the water, all three come to a jolting stop.

“What the fuck?” Rinan shouts. His eyes jump from me to Tara and back again.

Drogo growls. It comes from low in his belly. I wait for him to attack me, but he just stands watching, his chest rising and falling rapidly as his gaze clings to our naked bodies.

Arlys stands, breathing hard, not taking his eyes off Tara. “Did you have sex?” His voice is low, so quiet I almost have to strain to hear him.

Embarrassed, Tara immediately turns bright red and looks away from him, sliding back into the water to try to hide her body beneath the surface. She’s keeping space between us, which I hate. Let the wolves be angry. Who cares. They don’t deserve any consideration. They treat her like shit.

Anger rolls through me as I speak. “Fuck yes, we had sex. No, we made love. She’s my wife, and I’m man enough to claim my woman.” I look each of them in the eye as I speak, unafraid of their reactions.

Drogo’s growling gets louder, and he takes a step closer to us. Arlys and Rinan put a hand on him, but they’re barely in control themselves. I can see it.

“We don’t need this right now,” Rinan tells Drogo, but he glares at me.

So the golden boy can get angry. Too bad. I won’t be ashamed or let them intimidate me. She’s my wife, and I’m not in it for a short time like they keep saying they are. No matter how much I can tell they want more.

Drogo finally pushes the other two men away and turns his back on us, fists clenched, breathing so harshly it shakes his whole body. I take that as my cue to get out of the water. I want to at least be on my feet if I do have to fight Drogo.

I stand, with the idea of getting dressed, when Arlys – quiet, calm Arlys – rushes me, eyes blazing with anger. It takes me by such surprise that the bastard manages to shove me off my feet. I land with a thud, my heart racing, as I look up to see Arlys, who is usually the voice of reason, take a few steps away from me before charging at me again.

Leaping to my feet, I swing, but Arlys ducks, and my fist only meets air. How the hell is he getting over on me? One of his fists pounds into my stomach, and I see red.

I roar, done playing games with this pup, then ball up my fist and aim for his gut. He’s too slow to step away, and it connects, sending him flying to the ground. Unphased, Arlys jumps back up and lunges at me. We grapple, before Drogo and Rinan grab him by the shoulders and pull him off me.

Is he going to attack again? I watch him. Noting the tension in his body. The way he breathes rapidly. He sure as hell wants to punch me again, but he won’t. This is done. For now.

I walk away to get dressed. He stands there, still being held back, panting. Watching me.

He turns to Tara, calmer now, but anger coursing through his veins. “You sure as fuck better clean yourself well, because if you smell like Garrick, I’m going to kill him.”

With that, he turns and walks away.

SIXTEEN

Rinan

We stand together outside the caverns waiting for Garrick and Tara to wash themselves. It won’t take away the scent of sex from them, won’t take away the fact that that fucking animal was inside her, but it’ll do something. It’ll be better than nothing.

I want to throw myself off the damn mountain.

“How could she sleep with him?” Arlys asks, dragging his hands over his face, his expression one of complete misery. “How could she?”

My words come out bitter and angry. “Maybe because he’s nice to her. Something we’re not.”

Arlys drops his hands, staring at the ground. “It couldn’t have been good. She doesn’t want him. She wants us. I know it.”

“You want to ask her?” My question’s a cruel jab, but I’m feeling cruel.

And utterly destroyed. Like my fucking heart was ripped out of my chest by the tiny witch.

Arlys flinches at my question, but doesn’t answer me. “Do you think she did it to hurt us?”

To hurt us? How fucking self-involved are we? I’ve grown up with Arlys and Drogo. They’ve never been this idiotic before. It’s like everything they’ve done since meeting Tara has been stupid as hell, and I’m even dumber for going along with it.

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