Page 277 of Rage

He sighs. “You’re not there anymore, and you’re not going back there.”

I stare at him while he speaks, feeling an overwhelming sense of calm wash over me, even though something about his words makes me question what he’s been through and if he would feel the same way if he knew the things I’ve done.

“Thank you,” I respond, tilting my head to place my lips against his in a gentle kiss.

A jolt of excitement fires through me when our lips meet, and I instantly rip my head back, noting the smirk on Ewan’s face.

“What was that?” I ask, bringing a finger to my bottom lip and rubbing away the staticky feeling of electricity.

“That, my love, was a mating bond.”

Chapter Six

Ivy

“You will if you want her to live. This is time sensitive.”

I pause, forcing myself to keep breathing in and out through my nose and willing my eyes to stay clamped shut. The voice doesn’t belong to Hurst or the others, and it takes a moment for me to register that there’s a body next to me. I focus on the smell and remember I came up to Ewan’s room with him after the scare earlier this morning. I never thought I would fall back asleep, but my body calmed in his presence, and here I am, still curled up next to him in his bed.

Ewan tenses beside me, and his palm finds its way to my hip, rubbing gentle circles against my skin as he speaks, but I still don’t dare move. The words out of Oliver’s mouth are not what I was expecting from my mate. A cold sweat starts to break out across my forehead, but I stay still, not wanting to brush it away. Ewan’s hand continues to move, seeming to sense the discomfort in my body.

“You have no idea when she’ll go into a heat.”

Oliver’s voice is low and quiet when he responds. “You can smell her as much as I can, and you know it’s coming soon. You push her until she’s in one. Usehimif you have to. You have a week or I’m getting rid of her and starting fresh.”

Ewan’s voice is calm when he speaks again. “How do you plan to do that? You already killed one of my mates andheis rotting away in your basement—this is the only way you continue your line. She can’t take your knot if she’s not in a heat, andyoucertainly can’t put her into one.”

“Fuck you!” Oliver seethes, my body tensing with his tone. “I’m going to work. Get your head on straight and don’t fuck this up.”

He must have noticed my body moving because after Oliver storms out of the room, I hear the heavy sigh that comes out of Ewan. “You can stop pretending. He’s gone.”

I scramble away from Ewan, sitting upright against the headboard and heaving breath into my lungs. “What the fuck was that? Is he sending me back? What did I do?”

I know my voice sounds incredibly frantic, but that’s exactly how I feel.

Ewan’s brows furrow, and he scoots his body so he’s sitting against the headboard next to me. He stretches out a hand and hesitates. “Can I touch you?”

I nod, and he slips his arm around my shoulders, tucking me in close.

“He’s not sending you back, and based on your reaction, I’m not sure I want to know what happened to you there. Who were you living with?”

“The Forrester pack,” I reply, glancing up at him.

Ewan’s jaw tenses, and he shakes his head. “Alright, we can deal with them later. First, we need to manage Oliver.”

“What was that?” I ask, my body still shivering from the terror that ripped through me when he started talking about killing me.

It’s funny—I wanted to die every day for the last few months, but now the thought of it scares the shit out of me. Or maybe it’s less about dying and more the fear of not dying. Of being stuck inthat house for the rest of my life, going through a heat and being tied to them for all eternity.

Ewan swallows. “It’s a lot, but I need you to trust me, Ivy. I know we only just met, but you feel it, don’t you?”

I chew on my bottom lip but give him a small nod of my head. “Yes, I feel it. With you, but not with Oliver.”

He smiles and instantly apologizes. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t be happy right now, but I’m so damn glad he found you—even if the circumstances are complete and utter shit.”

Ewan leans in and brushes his lips across mine, giving me a soft and quick kiss.

“That man isn’t your mate. That’s why you didn’t feel anything toward him and never will. He’s not actually Oliver.”

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