Page 12 of Luna Cursed

Ciara let the easiness wash over her. A part of her had needed Layla to reassure her that if she did turn wolf, no one would care about it. She needed to talk to Lachie, to tell him everything that had happened. No doubt he would lecture her too.

"We can get Alruna to portal us to Oslo tonight," Tor said. "That way, we can start the hunt fresh tomorrow."

"Good. I have some gear at Mardøll still. I don't know what happened to the car I was in," Ciara said, frowning. It was probably towed by now.

"I had it taken care of," Tor replied. Just like that.

"Oh. Um, thanks," she said.

Layla was watching them, her brown eyes full of mischief. "You two are going to make a great team. All your alpha aggression will be directed at other people instead of each other. You never know. You might realize how much you're alike and finally be friends."

Tor and Ciara shared a look. He knew what Layla was doing too.

"Nah, we like our hostility. It keeps things interesting," Tor said.

Ciara bit back her smile. "I still think we need to have a proper fight. Get the 'who is the bigger alpha' question solved once and for all. See who ends up on top." She said it casually, but the word choice put her straight back into the forest again, Tor's big body pinning her down.

"You have a short memory,kanin," Tor said, the slow smirk returning. There was a touch of feral in his eyes that had Ciara going hyper-aware of him, her hunter senses alert.

Arne choked on his beer. "Did you just call her rabbit?"

"She tried to run," Tor replied before turning to Ciara. "That's what bunnies do. Don't they, bunny?"

Ciara glared at him. Tor could play host as much as he liked, make dinner, joke with Layla, and fool everyone into thinking what a good tame wolf he was. Ciara knew the truth. She'd felt that hot alpha power he kept bottled up. It had been a split second, and that had been enough. She smiled the Ironwood smile at him, and the wolf flickered in his eyes. It knew a challenge when it was thrown down.

"Just wait until I'm healed up. You are going to regret sharing your strength with me when I'm kicking your ass," she said sweetly, not dropping his stare.

Tor hummed, leaning into Ciara's space. "Joke's on you, bunny.I'm into that."

Layla tapped Arne. "Is this actually happening?"

Tor's energy suddenly shifted, his eyes darting at something in the tree line. "We have company. Let me do the talking."

Two wolves, one gray and one brown, appeared and trotted across Tor's yard. A woman followed them, and Ciara instantly thought, 'Valkyrie.' She was tall, built, and blonde, with stunning green eyes. She was gorgeous, and she was looking at Tor like she wanted to eat him alive.

Arne whispered a curse under his breath as Tor stood and walked to the patio's edge.

"Petra. What brings you out here?" Tor asked, his tone casual.

"Tell me the rumor isn't true, Torsten," the blonde said.

"What rumor is that?"

Petra pointed a finger in Ciara's direction. "That you put a bond on that wolf murdering bitch!"

Ciara raised a brow. Well, this was interesting.

"I don't think that's any concern of yours or your brothers'," Tor replied, looking at the wolves flanking her.

"The hell it's not! You are my fiancé, for Odin's sake!" Petra shouted, her eyes flashing golden with the wolf under her skin.

Ciara's whole body went cold like she had plunged into the lake. Tor didn't move, only angled his body between the wolves and Ciara.

"We aren't engaged, Petra," he said, his voice deepening in anger. "Whatever agreements stood between your father and mine died when he did. I've told you this more than once."

Petra didn't look like someone who got told no often, and the snarl on her face was vicious. "You just need time to get used to the idea. Our mating would produce a powerful bloodline. Something that will strengthen the clan. Are you really going to pass that up for what? This skinny human bitch who hunts wolves for sport? Fuck no. I won't allow it. We are fated, and there's no changing that."

Layla's hand closed around Ciara's wrist. "Don't even think about it."

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