Page 68 of Malcolm

Malcolm picked up the stones and turned to Derrick, who took them. “After the last call for the night, you will leave and go and see what you can find out.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Finished, Malcolm looked at the others. “You can leave, but keep your ears open and noises sharp.”

They bowed their heads before they quickly left. Jamie shot Eliza a look before leaving; Eliza caught it and shook her head. “That man doesn’t like me, huh?”

“He doesn’t like Magic users in general,” Malcolm said, eyeing her. “You’re not leaving?”

Irritated by his question, she turned to leave. “I can leave now,” she snapped.

Quickly, he caught her hand, keeping her from going.

“What?” she sassed. “I thought you wanted me to leave?”

“Come on, Eliza, don’t be like that,” he said, pulling her closer. “I was just playing with you. I didn’t intend for you to take me so seriously,” he gave her a mock pout.

She rolled her eyes. “I can’t know that for sure; after all, I’m a dangerous witch who can’t be trusted,” she said, irritated. “Out of all the people here, he’s the first to show the same distaste for witches as the people in the Veil. Ass.”

Bringing her into his arms, he chuckled. He bent down only for his lips to be blocked with the flat of her hand.

“You—my words still stand,” she said, leaving his hold. “Mate, or not. We can’t be a thing.” She quickly left the tent.

Malcolm let her go.

Eliza thought she could fight their growing bond, but he knew differently. There was no turning back. Since they’d met, the string between them had already started tightening. Every day, the bond grew tighter and tauter. The night would bring her his scent and his need.

She could run and deny it but she would come to him when the time was right.

He grinned; he would not let her go. The moment she’d called him hers, she’d lost her ability to run, but he was a wolf, so he had no problem hunting her down.

The more she ran, the more he’d chased until she understood there was nowhere for her to go, that he wouldn’t be. Being Alpha was nothing more than a way for him to protect her, a title he’d leave behind to hold her.

She could pretend that his duties outweighed his promises to her, but that would be a lie. He wouldn’t let it get in his way.

Ever.

Eliza

She left the lodge, feeling like a piece of her soul had been left behind. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She hated the sensation, but she couldn’t accept how he made her feel. Despite her soul feeling set right in his presence, she wanted to give in, but that wasn’t an option.

That wasn’t her.

She wanted it to be her, but her dreams had been growing darker, and she knew that the heart that pounded in her chest might not be hers, nor the eyes she saw with. She wasn’t sure about anything anymore, so she had to say no to him and everything he thought about them.

When she could find more information about herself and what was growing inside her, she walked along the square toward her own lodging.

“Hey.”

She stopped when she heard someone call out to her. Glancing to her right, a man stepped out from the shadows of a building. His hair was loose and wild; as he drew closer, she saw his eyes. Something about them stirred up a memory that was just out of reach. “You’re the Alpha Malcolm’s woman?”

She fully faced him; her instinct told her she couldn’t turn her back on this stranger. “Who wants to know?”

He smirked, flashing his white teeth at her. Like most werewolves, he had sharp canines. “I do. I want to know what to demand if I win.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking him over. “I think you’ve got the wrong person.”

Eliza was eager to put space between herself and the strange man. She kept feeling the craziest urge to run, but instead, she chided herself and walked away.

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