Page 3 of Grace of a Wolf 1
"But—"
"Now!" he roars, eyes flashing gold.
His mate—whoever she is—smirks, pressing herself against Raphael's side. "You heard him, little human. Run along now. The Mate Hunt is no place for a little girl like you."
Andrew shifts uncomfortably. "Grace, I'll escort you back to—"
"No," Raphael cuts in. "You should return to the Hunt. I'll make sure she leaves."
"Mate!" the black-haired vision protests, and he touches her face.
"Stay here. I'll be right back." So gentle. So sweet. The same tone he used to use toward me.
How can things change in an instant?
Of course I know about mating bonds. I've been living among wolf shifters for six years. But Rafe was supposed to be different.
Was supposed to be on my side.
My other half.
He stalks towards me, snatching my arm in a rough grip, like a fucking stranger. Worse than a stranger. Like someone who doesn't give a shit at the pain he's causing me.
I struggle to pull my arm out of his grasp, to no avail, limping along behind him.
"Rafe, stop! You're hurting me!"
He releases me abruptly, as if burned. For a moment, I see a flicker of the boy I love in his eyes. But it's gone in an instant, replaced by cold fury.
"What were you thinking?" he hisses. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to be out here tonight?"
"I don't know how I got here! I woke up in the woods, and—"
"Bullshit," he snaps. "You were trying to interfere. Trying to make sure I didn't find my mate."
Shock has me standing still, stunned by the accusation. "I didn't—I wouldn't—!"
"Was this how it was always going to be between us? Always insecure and forcing me to prove my loyalty?"
A gust of wind whips through, sending a violent tremor down my spine. Goosebumps prickle all over my exposed skin, but the chill in my bones, in myheart, isn't just from the weather or my lack of clothes. It's from the ice in Raphael's perfect blue eyes. From the venom in his words.
His accusation cuts deeper than the frigid air. How can he speak to me like this? Like I'm nothing more than an annoyance, a burden he's finally free to cast aside?
"Rafe, please," I whisper, my voice trembling. "I swear I didn't—"
"Save it," he snaps, cutting me off. "There's no excuse for this. You never should have stepped foot out here tonight."
My heart shrivels under his anger, leaving me empty and aching. The Raphael I know—the one who held me close and promised me forever—would never treat me this way. He'd listen. He'd understand.
But the man before me is a stranger, cold and uncaring.
"How can you do this?" I ask, struggling to keep my voice steady. "How can you treat me like this? Just a few hours ago, you were holding me. Kissing me. Swearing we'd be together forever. How can all of it change inhours, Rafe?"
His jaw clenches, a muscle ticking in his cheek. "That was before. This is now."
"Before what? Before you met some random she-wolf who batted her eyelashes at you?"
The words are out before I can stop them, fueled by hurt and disbelief. In an instant, Raphael's eyes flash gold, a low growl rumbling in his chest. Before I can blink, his hand is around my throat, squeezing.
