Page 35 of Cursed
She snaps her gaze to Garek and asks, “Well, how many rules are there exactly? I would like to avoid dying again, if possible!”
“That’s it; only those two rules. He cannot accept or reject the Mate Bond, and he cannot force the Mate to choose. Oh, and he can’t tell you anything about the curse either.”
Ryland slowly raises his head to look at Nori, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. She was waiting for him to reject her? He asks, “You thought I wouldn’t want you?”
Nori looks at him sadly with tears in her eyes and whispers, “Of course.”
Zayne rolls his eyes at the sympathy in his brother’s voice for this troublesome she-wolf. “This is all bullshit! You’ve done nothing but manipulate my brother since you arrived. You are a danger to this Pack!” He turns to the others. “We should force her to sever the Mate Bond our—”
In a blur, Ryland is in front of his brother, grabbing Zayne by the throat and shoving him against the wall. “You will not touch our Mate, boy!”
Only it’s not Ryland’s voice, it’s Bade’s. “We have just watched her die and will never allow anyone to harm her again! Ever!”
chapter twenty-three
Adele and Garek react swiftly, each grabbing one of Ryland’s arms. They try to pull him off Zayne, but he’s too strong. They can’t even budge him.
“Bade, let him go! He’s your brother!” Adele screams. She watches Bade’s grip tighten around Zayne’s throat, while Zayne claws at Ryland’s hands.
Adele panics and turns to Nori, pleading with her, “You need to stop this! He's going to kill his own brother. Please!”
“Me? Why me?”
“Because you’re his Mate, Nori. You are the only one he’ll listen to! Please!”Adele begs.
Nori puffs out a breath. She might be angry with Zayne, but she doesn’t want to see him hurt. She pushes herself up off the floor and walks over to Ryland. Kneeling next to him, she puts one hand on his shoulder. “Bade?”
He turns his head and stares at her, nostrils flaring. Nori looks into his completely black eyes and gently says, “Let him go.”
When he doesn’t move, Nori scoots closer to him, placing both hands on either side of his face. She feels him flinch when she touches the scar, and she gets right in his face. They are almost nose to nose.
Instead of trying to reason with him, Nori tells Aylin, “Maybe you should speak to Bade.”
Aylin agrees and pushes Nori aside, taking control of her body.
Bade watches Nori’s amber eyes change to Aylin’s golden eyes, and he grins. In his low, gruff Wolf Voice, he says, “There you are, little one. No one will ever harm you again.”
Aylin sighs and responds in her own, higher-pitched, Wolf Voice. “I love that Wolf Voice of yours, Bade. Now, let him go, please.”
When Bade’s eyes change from black to Ryland’s deep chocolate brown, Aylin gives Nori control again.
Ryland releases his hold on his brother and sweeps Nori into his arms, holding her tightly. Releasing a single sob, heburies his face between her neck and shoulder, dragging her scent deep into his lungs, so thankful she’s alive.
Zayne collapses to the floor, gasping for air and rubbing his throat. Garek and Adele sag against the wall in relief.
Nori’s arms hang by her side as Ryland clings to her, not sure what to do or how to feel about him now. His whole body is shaking against hers. It breaks her resistance when he mutters, “I’m so sorry; so sorry” over and over again. She slowly wraps her arms around his neck and holds him tightly.
Adele gets up and pulls her younger brother to his feet, inspecting his throat. When she sees the bruises healing, she narrows her eyes and points a finger at his face. “You need to get on board with this, Zayne! They are truly Mates. Don’t you want that for him after all these years? Don’t you want the curse to be broken?”
Zayne pulls his sister in for a quick embrace. “Yes, Adele. Yes, I do.”
After a moment, Nori looks up at the others. “Maybe you guys should leave. I’ve got him.”
Garek slowly gets up from the floor and joins Adele and Zayne as they file out of the bedroom. The men do their best to prop up the broken doors.
Adele takes one last look at the couple embracing on the floor. She walks out with Zayne and Garek, hoping with all her heart that they both accept this Mate Bond.
Nori holds Ryland tighter and gently whispers, “It’s OK, Ryland; it’s OK. We’re OK.”
