Page 40 of Soul Bound

Rogue wolves become so desperate to mate, they end up raping and forcing mating bonds on unmated female shifters. A mating bond is permanent, and these poor women are forever bound to the males the force themselves on them. I understand and respect why Ryker has devoted his life to hunting them down and killing them. If anything, it’s a mercy for the rogue wolves. I can’t imagine living my life as a hormone-driven monster.

“Are you ready?” Remington’s head pops through my half-open door.

I mark the page I was reading in the leather-bound book I borrowed from Esme. By borrowed, I mean I slipped it into my bag the last time I was at her shop when she wasn’t looking. It’s a book on necromancers. Esme keeps assuring me there’s no chance that I’m a necromancer, but all the books I’ve read say a witch can’t bring something back from the dead without the use of a black magic spell. And I sure as hell didn’t use a spell when I brought back Poe.

Necromancers on the other handcan. The chapter I was just reading was about how some necromancers discovered a way to take a soul from one person’s body and put it in the body of a dead person. The person the soul was taken from has to be willing to lose their soul—and subsequently their life—for the ritual to work. It was a rare skill. Necromancers usually had to give a piece of their own soul to bring something back to life. Like Esme said the day I met her, it usually resulted in them burning away their humanity and becoming something worse than psychopaths.

I stand from the bed, shoving the book under one of the fluffy pillows. “I just need to grab a jacket. Are you sure it’s not weird I’m coming tonight? I’ve never even met your parents.”

“I told you they’re already expecting you and are both excited to meet you. And besides, it’s a going-away dinner, not an anniversary dinner.” She rolls her eyes. “It’s absolutely ridiculous we’re even throwing them a dinner. They’re going to Europe for a month, they’re not moving away.”

“Isn’t this their first vacation since your dad became alpha?”

I grab the jean jacket off the hook and pull it around me. The sleeves are barely long enough to cover the scars on my wrist, so I grab the leather cuff bracelets I had bought during my shopping trip with Remi and Pru. I’m not ashamed of my scars, but I’m not in the mood to have people stare at them and ask questions. On the rare occurrence Ranger is around me, I can physically feel his gaze on them. He hasn’t asked about them again, and I don’t know why I find that concerning.

“Yes, my mom is so excited. She’s always wanted to travel, but their duty to the pack always came first. Now that Pruitt and Ryker are slowly taking over the role of the alpha pair, my parents finally can go on vacation. Pruitt’s so nervous to be left in charge, it’s adorable. It’s like she’s forgetting she’s a born alpha and the rightful heir to the pack. She was literally born to lead this pack.” Remington rolls her eyes. “She’ll do great. She’s been learning from my dad for the past three months, she’s ready to take charge.”

I follow Remington out of the house to the waiting car. I notice we’re all piling into Ranger’s SUV. I didn’t even know he was here. “I’m sure she’ll do great.”

“Of course she will, I don’t think she’s ever been bad at anything. She’s annoying like that.” Remington opens the back-seat door and climbs in. “You can sit in the front, Pruitt and Ryker are already over there. It’s just us three.”

Through the tinted windows of the passenger seat, I see him sitting in the driver’s seat. I take a breath and steady myself. If he’s going to act all nonchalant and avoid me, I can do it too—I mean it won’t be easy because every time I’m around him lately, even if it’s just for a few seconds—my stomach gets tied into knots and my heart beats faster than I think it should.

I didn’t feel this until I helped him clean up after his fight with Ryker. Ever since I got caught staring at his lips and I found him looking back at me with such a hunger in his eyes, I haven’t been able to be around him without feeling the flutters in my chest.

Don’t get me wrong, I still think he’s a pushy and brooding man, but now I don’t find those characteristics as annoying as I did at first. Now, I’m attracted to them?

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I open the door and climb inside. I feel his eyes on me the whole time I’m putting on my seatbelt, but I ignore him. Once buckled up, I look out the window and wait for him to drive toward his parents’ house. They live right up the road from Pruitt and Ryker. I guess it isn’t weird to be neighbors with your parents in the shifter communities.

When we don’t start moving, I finally look over at him. His brilliant blue eyes are on me and his dark brows are furrowed in question. I notice his hair is still wet from the shower, falling forward on his forehead in slightly curled strands. He didn’t shave, so a bit of scruff covers his razor-sharp jawline. It’s honestly unfair how attractive he is.

I raise a brow. “What?”

“No hello?”

“I didn’t realize we still did that.” I frown. “I was under the impression we were still giving each other the silent treatment.”

“I’m not following.”

I don’t want to have this conversation in front of Remi. “Never mind. Let’s just go. I’m sure your parents are waiting for you guys to show up.”

Ranger’s eyes linger a second longer before he finally drives away from Pru’s house.

The drive is short, but it’s so pretty. Light comes through the tree canopy above us, rays of late afternoon light shine down on the winding road. Through the trees on my side of the car, I see the lake shining below us. I’ve always considered myself a city girl, but I find a lot of peace being out here away from the loud hustle and bustle of the city.

We pull to a stop in front of a tall wrought-iron gate. Ranger presses a button on something that looks like a garage door opener and the metal gate swings open, allowing us to drive through. The road we drive down isn’t paved, and the car bounces slightly from the uneven gravel below. I don’t know how far it is from the gate to the house, but I feel like we drive forever before we reach Ranger’s parents’ home.

I always thought I was raised in a large house, but the Weylyn’s log cabin style mountain house dwarfs mine. I count six garage doors and notice many of them are full of all kinds of toys like motorbikes and four-wheelers. There’s a large black Escalade and a sleek white Audi also parked in the garage.

The first floor of the house is made of stone, but the second story is made of cedar logs. It has that classic wood cabin feel, but just on a much larger scale. The windows are large and more on the contemporary side than you’d expect in a cabin style home. Whoever designed this house deserves an award—it’s beautiful.

Ranger parks behind Pruitt’s Jeep and we all climb out. Remington loops her arm through mine and pulls me toward the front door. He scowls at me as we breeze past him. I don’t know what’s got him bent out of shape,he’sthe one who hasn’t been around.

“Arizona,” he tries, but I keep walking with Remington, throwing him a shrug in response.

The inside of the house is just as beautiful as the exterior, with tall ceilings with exposed wood rafters. The front door leads directly into a grand entryway with the biggest chandelier I’ve ever seen—it’s not gaudy and flashy like the one I had at my house. It’s rustic, with a contemporary edge. Just like the rest of the features of the house. The great room is the first room we come to as we move through the house. A huge sectional takes up most of the room, it faces a large stone fireplace that goes all the way up to the ceiling.

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