Page 8 of Masked Fate

Soren turns his body to me, his eyes narrowing. It seems like the feeling is mutual.

But Astrid and Rave have asked me to do this, and for them, I agree. “I’m in.”

“Thank you. We owe you,” Rave replies, tilting his head to the side and watching me. “But just a heads up, Salem will be there.”

Wow, the hits just keep coming.

Salem is a shifter I was once betrothed to. Luckily, when my mother died, so did that agreement because Salem is completely batshit crazy. He’s unhinged, wild, and psychotic. He’s also possessive as fuck, and because I was once his, he has a hard time forgetting that fact, even if he never even wanted me in the first place. Shifters can be like that, especially wolves like Salem and his two brothers. The triplets are dominant and strong apart, but together, they are unstoppable. I don’t know how their younger sister, Saylor, puts up with them. They’ve also got an older brother, Shadow, but no one knows where he disappeared to.

“You don’t owe me anything. Friends don’t keep tallies.”

“Family, don’t you mean,” Astrid says, her eyes gentle. “And that is what you are to me, Pandora.”

Family.

My heart warms.

I wonder if she knows how much that means to me.

Rave turns to Soren, eyebrows drawing together. “Watch out for Salem with Pandora.”

“Of course,” Soren promises.

Well, I guess that’s it.

I’m going on a mission with my fated mate, who doesn’t know he’s my mate and hates me, to watch him seduce another female.

With my former betrothed.

What could possibly go wrong?

CHAPTER FOUR

Soren

There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my king and queen, but traveling to another kingdom with just the witch isn’t exactly my idea of a fun time. Not to mention, Astrid made it clear I’m not allowed to fuck Milana, the female I’m meant to get information out of, which is another strike against this mission. However, I’ve never been to the Goblin Kingdom, so I can’t say I’m not intrigued. Goblins are secretive creatures and rarely leave their territory. They are known for their strength, size, and darker magic.

“You ready to go?” Pandora asks in her soft, melodic voice as I step outside the castle. She’s wearing an emerald satin gown that clings to her body like a second skin, her breasts pressing against the material. Her cherry scent hits me and makes my cock twitch against its will. Her full, pouty lips are painted a fire red, covering the scar she has there. That large black diamond sits on her chest like always, drawing my attention.

She pushes a lock of her silky, black hair behind her ear and arches her brow. It hits me then that she’s waiting for me to answer her, but I’ve been standing here eye fucking her instead.

What is wrong with me?I need to get laid tonight, and not with the evil temptress in front of me.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest and studying her. “Rave has made it clear that I’m to protect you, so I want to know where you are at all times. What’s your history with Salem? Did your Mom torture him too?”

Fuck.

I don’t know what made me say it because I usually don’t speak about it. I don’t want her or anyone else to know howmuch being down in that dungeon fucked me up. I suppose I usually ignore her, though. So now that we have to spend time together, I guess it’s hard for me to keep my mouth shut. I’ve only been around her for two fucking minutes, and I’m already giving too much away. This is why I normally pretend she doesn’t exist.

Something I can’t decipher passes over her face, and her violet eyes flash with hurt. “Don’t worry about Salem. I can handle him.”

“That’s not what Rave said.”

“Rave is just being protective,” she says, lifting her chin. “You don’t need to worry about me, Soren. You get the information you need from Milana, and then we can go back to ignoring each other’s existence.”

My lips tighten. “Okay, good.”

I’m usually full of charm and easy humor, but this witch knows how to get under my skin and press all my fucking buttons.

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