Page 9 of Cursed
Aylin’s growl rumbles through Nori’s mind. “You will not mention his name again!”
Sitting up on her knees, waiting for the Mate Bond sensations to subside, Nori tries to console her wolf. “I know Aylin. He was the worst.” She shakes her head at the memory of her last so-called Mate. “In what universe was that abusive Beta chosen to be our Mate? Someone really dropped the ball on that pairing.”
“Wholeheartedly agree!”
chapter six
Ryland and Garek make their way to the dungeons in record time. On their way down the stairs to the cell area, they hear the Guards arguing loudly. As Ryland’s boot touches the bottom step, he stops so suddenly that Garek almost runs into his back.
Garek watches Ryland clutch his chest and gasp for air. “What the hell, Ry? Are you all right?”
Staggering from the electric current running through his body, Ryland tilts his head up, sniffing the air. At the same moment, they hear a loud gasp from furtherdown the hall.
“Well, fuck!” Ryland snarls.
“What the hell is it, Ry?”
He looks up at the ceiling, running a hand through his hair. “She’s another fucking Mate!”
Garek’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Oh shit! It’s been a while since you’ve run into a Mate.”
Ryland starts moving toward the cell holding his new temporary Mate. “It’s been at least five years since the last one. I’d almost forgotten the pain of the Mate Bond rejection.” Sighing heavily, Ryland rubs his jaw, trying to avoid the scar. He presses his lips into a thin line, supremely annoyed.
Bade's deep voice perks up with interest in Ryland’s mind. “What is that smell? Is that her?”
Ryland’s response is laced with anger. “Yes! Underneath that strange stench is her smell—” He abruptly stops walking again, clenching his fists. This time, he yells at his wolf. “Fuck! She smells like gods damned sunshine!”
He cannot believe it. He’s so tired of being punished for one irresponsible moment when he was young. Why did she have to smell so wonderful? He sighs and shakes his head. “What number are we on?”
Bade replies contentedly, savoring the new Mate’s appealing, warm scent, “This one makes 21. Lucky 21!”
Garek interrupts Ryland’s inner conversation with Bade. “Oh, man. Maybe...maybe you should just do this later.”
“No! I might as well get it over with,” Ryland growls, his voice thick with anger. Grinding his teeth, he struggles to regain his composure. He exhales slowly and releases his clenched fists. His tone softens to one of resignation. “They always reject me on sight, anyway. This shouldn’t take too long.”
He straightens his shoulders, bracing for the pain that will hit him in his chest when she utters the words to reject the Mate Bond. Then, he strides down the hall to meet his new temporary Mate.
Garek dismisses the Guards and tells them that he and the Prince will move the she-wolf out of the dungeon. He wants as few witnesses as possible for what is about to happen.
Ryland stops in front of the she-wolf’s cell and pushes his wet hair back, away from his face. The horrible scar will be the first thing she sees, and she will quickly say the rejection words. Then he can move on with what has turned out to be a shitty evening.
He watches her big amber eyes widen. Amber…they are lovely. Sighing, he shakes the thought from his head.
The she-wolf squeezes the blanket tightly around herself and scoots back against the far wall, cowering. Ryland hears her heart rate kick into overdrive as her eyes flick back and forth between him and Garek, clearly trying to figure out which of them is the Mate.
Shocked, Nori shouts at her wolf. “Holy shit, the Prince! We are Mated to the Cursed Prince!”
Aylin joins Nori’s panic. “Whoa! What do we do?”
Filled with apprehension and a fair amount of wonder, her breaths come in uneven bursts. “Would you look at him? He looks like a god wrapped in muscle and leather. He’s taller than the Beta. He must be six and a half feet tall—maybe more.”
“That scar! It’s awful! It must be painful, too. How long has he had it again?” Aylin’s worried tone vibrates through Nori’s head.
“Eighty years? And there are supposedly more all over his body. Man, that sounds unbearable. Even with the scar, though, he’s…he’s beautiful.” Nori tries hard to control her breathing, so she doesn’t pass out.
Aylin whimpers nervously, “What if he beats us like the other Mate?”
Nori winces, remembering the sting of the slaps to her face from the Starfall Beta knocking her to the ground. But then she has a thought. Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe, before he rejects the Bond, he would be willing to help her. Help her get away from her Pack. Help her find a safe place for her and Aylin. A small smile spreads slowly across her face.
