Page 14 of The Cursed Wolf King

I leaned forward slightly, letting a strand of hair slip over my shoulder. “Information. Insight into the Heraclids.”

At the mention of the rival pack, his expression hardened ever so slightly. “And why would a Heraclid share such things?”

“Who said I was one of them?”

He hesitated. “You’re not?”

I let my silence answer for me, a calculated move.Let him wonder. Let him question.

“Come down,” he repeated. This time his tone was less commanding, more entreating.

“Only if you promise not to bite,” I quipped.

His mouth twitched, as if he’d almost smiled but thought better of it. “No promises.”

Against my better judgment, I began to descend, moving carefully from branch to branch until my feet touched the forest floor and I was up close to him. The air between us crackled with unspoken energy. I tilted my head back to look him in the eye.

“Better?” I asked.

Standing before me, he was as much wolf as man, his powerful form entirely unabashed in his nakedness. He had arms that could snap me in two if he wanted, but I knew he wouldn’t. I could feel his attention tracking over me, intense and unbroken, and it set off a strange, almost feverish heat that pooled low in me. A sheen of perspiration covered me,and I bit my lip to keep the throbbing need between my legs in check.

I struggled to focus, to keep my thoughts sharp and my intentions clear, but he made it nearly impossible. I traced the lines of his body, following the paths of muscle across his chest, down his arms—broad, strong, marked by intricate tattoos. They wove together along his bicep, symbols I couldn’t fully understand but I could tell carried meaning. Each line of ink hinted at something more, something hidden, a story woven into his skin like visible secrets.

I clenched my braid tightly, grounding myself. He was so close now I caught the scent of evergreen and ocean clinging to him. It drew me in, each breath stirring a need to close the inches between us, to let his strength anchor me.

So much depended on my control.

We were connected, frozen in place. Finally, I closed my eyes, the weight of it too much to bear. His presence pressed against me, not as a threat but as two forcesmeantto meet.

It was unmistakable—a draw I’d felt in visions, yes, but here, it was as real as my pulse. It made me sway on my feet.

A small sigh escaped my lips, and I caught myself, clinging harder to my braid to keep steady. It didn’t stop the sensation from sweeping over me like the slow, heady crash of a wave, spreading through my limbs, leaving me feeling strangely bare under his unwavering focus.

The visions warned me, I told myself.They knew he had power beyond all others.

Nothing had truly readied me for the way his presence seared against me, igniting me, turning me into someone I didn’t know I was.

When I opened my eyes, I found his still locked on mine.There was no doubt in him, no hesitation, as if he knew something I didn’t.

I rolled my shoulders back and forced myself to sound confident. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

We stood there, two strangers bound by something neither of us fully understood. It would be so easy to let my guard down, to believe that perhaps he could be more than a means to an end.

I couldn’t afford that luxury.

He crossed his arms. “What’s your name?”

In the distance, a faint howl echoed—a sound that sent a chill down my spine. The Heraclids were on the move. My time was running short.

“I have to go,” I said abruptly.

His expression tightened. “Will you be back?”

“Tomorrow?” I didn’t know how I could find a way to get out of the Heraclid city, much less escape the watchful eye of Damian, but I could try.

“I’m in the human city tomorrow.” His face clouded over. “But again. Soon.”

“If I can.”

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