Page 13 of A Trial of Fate

“Gilen … Look, I—”

Before I could say another word, Gilen crossed the distance between us, grabbed the base of my neck, and pulled my lips to his. The feeling of our bodies colliding was intense, all-consuming, andeverything I ever dreamed it could be. The smell and taste of his lips were so sweet that it made me want to devour every inch of him.

I was not a complete novice in romance, though still holding onto my virginity, but this, this kiss, was different.

Desire rolled through me like liquid fire, and my body instinctively reacted to his dominating hold on me. I could smell a discreet shift in the aroma around us, and there was no mistaking what it was. The scent of Gilen’s arousal was tantalizing, and it increased the rising pulse of heat through my middle. My stomach twisted and did a backflip as Gilen kissed me with reckless abandon.

My lips parted, inviting his tongue inside my mouth as my hands wrapped around his strong arms, possessively pulling him closer to me. His grip tightened on the base of my neck while his other hand migrated down my curves to cup my backside. He squeezed it, and I pushed my hips forward in response, grinding into his hardening length. A soft moan escaped my mouth as my tongue parted Gilen’s lips to explore his mouth further. With his sculpted body pressed against mine, I could feel every inch of muscle that formed his delicious physique.

I said move out now!The alpha’s command rang loud and clear in our minds. This was the absolute worst gods-damned timing. Just my luck, it seemed.

My heart was racing, paired with rapid and uneven breaths, as the spark throbbing in my middle blazed to life. Gilen’s breathing was ragged and unhinged. I could feel him trying to fight the pull of the alpha command, but he could not will himself to disobey. Even this level of hesitation was astonishing for him. I reluctantly pulled away from his kiss, our lips separated only by a thin layer of breath.

He clung to me like I was the only thing keeping him grounded in this world. “I… We need to…” His voice was shaking along with his hands. Refusing the command from his father was physically hurting him.

“Later,” I whispered. “I will have more questions later.”

He released a slight laugh with his teeth clenched. I shifted my weight and grabbed his hand to lead him back toward the others. I didn’t tremble or shake like Gilen did. I had heard our alpha’s command but didn’t have to follow it. I chalked it up to another lovely gift from my human half. Thanks, Mom.

Rejoining the others, I gave Rhea a weary look as we paired off together to scout the southern area of our pack’s territory. I made a conscious effort not to reach up and touch my swollen lips. I knew I couldn’t hide the flush of my cheeks, but anyone could assume it wasfrom arguing or a brush of cold air from the brisk evening chill. No one would believe it. Hell, I was still shocked and questioning the reality of what had just happened. It was hard to fathom that my swollen lips and flushed red cheeks were due to a passionate kiss from Gilen. The heir of our alpha.

“Not now. I promise I will tell you everything,” I whispered to Rhea, and she nodded, content with the fact that I would divulge every detail soon.

I steadied my breath, clutching my bow in my left hand and sprinting off through the forest on our patrol. The nearly full moon hung high in the clear night sky, allowing us to see perfectly into the depths of the woods. Shifters naturally had exceptional eyesight. Even in the darkness of the night, we could see every detail of the woods like it was high noon.

Gilen and Shaw took the lead, with Talon in his wolf form following close behind, leaving Rhea and me at the rear. With Talon as a wolf, he was able to communicate with other members of the pack, giving our scouting party free rein to investigate a section of the territory on our own.

As we arrived at our rendezvous point, Gilen sent us out in different directions to look for any sign of hunters. Before I had a chance to leave for my area, Gilen reached out and grabbed my hand. Frozen by his touch, I didn’t say anything at first, and neither did he.

“Remember, if you see something, come find one of us. I don’t care if you are one of the best archers we have… Don’t engage anything alone, Skylar.”

“Understood.” Smiling softly, I squeezed his hand before running toward the meadow he assigned me to watch.

Green spruce along the outskirts of the grassy field were wilted brown and stripped bare of any sign of life. The once bright, colorful birch trees full of life now held whispers of their once whimsical state. The forest was strong, but the wilt was stronger. The essence of this meadow shifted from a beaming home bursting with vivacity to a mere shadow of its former self.

We didn’t know why, but as shifters, we could feel the change in the nature surrounding us. Glancing around the open grass field, I found the perfect tree to climb that would conceal my presence as I watched the night unfold below. I strapped my bow across my chest and climbed onto the bottom limbs that were still shielded with a thick array of branches covered with needles. It was the perfect camouflage. Not even the wind could sneak through and touch me, so I leaned backand waited to see what would come.

And waited …

As the night dragged on, I caught myself dozing in the comfort of my hideaway tree stand. To be honest, I was a terrible scout. Sitting still was not a strength of mine, and I struggled to remain in one place for long periods of time. I blamed my shifter side for that lovely trait. It was obvious that my animal was not meant for any type of cage, and that translated into my consistent fidgeting. At least, that’s what I told myself anyway.

Snap.

My ears twitched, hearing the sound of someone approaching off to my left. I froze, waiting for the creature or person to reveal themselves in the glowing moonlight. Only silence followed. I kept my sight locked on where I heard the sound. Whoever was entering the meadow was stealthy, and the snap from before was not intentional. I couldn’t hear or detect the scent of anything in the air. If I hadn’t caught that first hint of noise, I wouldn’t have known anyone was there.

Slowly, a silhouette along the tree line at the edge of the meadow appeared. The stranger’s identity was concealed beneath a heavy dark cloak, but with my shifter eyesight, I could make out features that were draped in shadow.

This was definitely a male. A large hand clutched the pommel of a long silver sword resting on his shoulder, while the other hung all too casually at his side. He paused at the edge of the clearing and straightened to his full height. Looking at the surrounding tree line, I could infer that he towered over my nearly six-foot stance, with strong, broad shoulders filling his frame. Judging by the defined muscled arm that escaped his black cloak, I assessed that this male had experience using the sword clutched in his grasp.

Please, for me… don’t venture off alone and try to handle a threat without someone going with you.Gilen’s words tugged at my conscience, trying to pull me away from investigating any further, but I couldn’t just sit here.

Sorry, Gilen.

I moved into a crouched position and silently readied my bow. I retrieved an arrow out from my quiver, my fingers delicately curling around the fletching.

The male quietly stalked out from the trees, tilting his chin toward the sky, revealing a trimmed black beard along a squared jawline. A breeze danced around him, circling under his cloak and carrying his scent straight toward my hiding place. I crinkled my nose at the strange foreign scent of this male. Fresh evergreen pine paired witha frost that reminded me of snowcapped mountains. My animal coiled inside my chest, thrumming with power and shooting prickles of fire through my veins.

This is different.

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