Page 71 of The Reign of Blood

This fucker.

“You wouldn’t,” I bite, hands clenched in my lap as he takes my warning as an opening.

In the blink of an eye, I’m hoisted over his shoulder, my stomach clenching from the impact of his tight muscles before he starts sauntering through the dining hall with ease. “Put me the fuck down,” I growl, irritated and embarrassed that I can sense people looking at us, but he proceeds to ignore the hell out of me. “Everyone is looking!” I push, my irritation growing to new heights.

“I can speed walk if you like?” It’s not an offer. It’s a threat. One that makes my stomach churn.

“Nope, an audience is better than the nausea,” I snarl at him, accepting my fate as he leads us outside and away from the crowd.

He lowers me to my feet, holding my body tightly against his so we are pressed chest to chest. My hands fall to his chest, feeling the warm pitter-patter of his heart before he releases me.Remembering myself, I take a step back, clearing my throat as I try to remind myself how agitated I am with him.

“What’s so important we have to talk right now?” I ask, folding my arms over my chest in hopes of putting a defensive layer between us.

“My father.”

“Is an asshole.”

“That’s putting it lightly,” he grumbles, swiping a hand down his face.

“You’re telling me,” I retort, pointing at my ears.

His jaw ticks as he looks away. His gaze settles on one of the picnic benches set up outside and he strides toward it, taking a seat. It’s clear the conversation isn’t over, no matter how much I would like it to be. So, with a heavy sigh, I take the spot beside him.

I get comfortable with the silence. It’s not me that needs to get something off their chest. It stretches out for what feels like an eternity as his gaze remains unfocused, staring off into the distance.

“He wants me to take you to the compound.”

“No,” I snap back quickly, and he nods.

“I know.”

Trying to take a deep breath to calm my racing heart, I shake my head in disbelief. “Why?”

“Because he doesn’t like that you’re my alpha.”

“I’m not your alpha.” He cocks a brow at me in challenge and I avert my gaze. I’m not a wolf or a shifter of any kind, so I’m not his alpha. Not in the way his father would assume, anyway. The nickname he seems to throw at me, though, is out of my control. “He said that?” I ask, needing to understand what the leader of the Kenner pack thinks.

“No, but he doesn’t like the fact that you keep winning the duels.”

“I mean, there have been two, and I would have thrown them both, but—” His hand claps down over my mouth, effectively cutting off the rest of my words.

“Don’t piss me off and finish that sentence.” His voice is low, but the rumble of irritation is evident enough to know that I’m toeing the line with him. Gulping, I keep my mouth shut. “Have you finished with that train of thought?” he asks, and only after I nod does he remove his hand, taking his heat along with him.

“You’re nothing but mind games,” I mutter, and he scoffs.

“If you think these are mind games, you have no clue what else awaits you out there,” he mutters, leaning back against the table as he looks at me. “He wants you to face five wolves of his selection. If you lose, I have to stay away from you.”

My heart races, and my chest clenches. “That sounds like a win to me,” I quickly sass, even though deep down I don’t believe that to be true.

Cassian gives me a deathly glare. “Sass may suit you, Addi, but sarcasm doesn’t.” My eyes narrow on him and his shit statements, but he pays no interest as he continues. “If you win, he will leave me alone and offer you what he believes to be the most luxurious prize that was ever offered.”

I scoff. There’s no chance in hell this man has anything of interest to offer me. Despite knowing it already, I still ask. “Which is?”

“Your mother.”

My head rears back. That’s not what I was expecting him to say at all. Not even a little bit. She was completely gone from my mind.

“I don’t want her,” I blurt, glancing away, and I could swear I hear him snicker, but when I turn back to him, his face is as stoic as ever.

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