Page 12 of Tide Touched

Just two paces from him, Carter and I stand together. I don’t dare glance up at him. I don’t know him well enough to feel a sense of solidarity.

The alpha appraises me, his lips folding slightly together. ‘Attractive, I suppose. Turn, Katherine.’

I scoff. ‘Gee, thanks.’

Carter elbows me.

I roll my eyes. It won’t help me any to piss this guy off, so I do as he asks, moving slowly enough for him to take me in. When I’m facing him again, I speak without meaning to, ‘Can I go home and visit my friend… sometime… please?’ The ‘please’ feels weird and unnatural on my tongue but sucking up to alphas is usually a good bet.

The lines between his brows deepen, as though sliced into his skin. ‘I’m afraid not. This is your home, now.’ He glances at his nephew. ‘Get to know her. Spend time with her.’ He rests his chin in his hand. ‘Bed her. Soon. The witches want this union. I want to be the first to produce pups with both fire and water powers.’

I make an indelicate sound from the back of my throat. ‘What am I, a horse? You can’t just… breed me.’ Of course, werewolves work that way sometimes. It’s in our blood to want to create bigger, stronger packs. There are all kinds of wolfy kinks out there… I snap my gaze back to the alpha before I can wonder about what Carter might do with me.

Carter’s eyes are on the floor. He doesn’t object. To anything.

‘I know how crass that may sound, Katherine,’ alpha says—I still don’t know his name, ‘and how strange it will be. But trust in your new bond.’ His cold blue eyes pierce his nephew. ‘Is that clear?’ I feel the alpha-command in his voice, chilling to my own ears.

‘Yes, sir,’ Carter says.

My gaze slides over Carter. Near his uncle, he seems… smaller. His shoulders bowed forward, tense. Is he afraid of disappointing him?

Carter turns to me and holds out his hand silently.

I look at alpha, who nods. Despite the almost-painful need still clenching my muscles, I hesitate. I don’t know Carter. ‘You’re not going to… right now?’ Nerves flutter in my chest, like a bird trapped in a cage.

Carter’s fingers curl, still beckoning for me. ‘Not yet. Not unless you want to.’

When I search his gaze, as strange as this all is, I’m more than a little relieved. I’ve never had sex before and as proud and stubborn as I am, I admit I am nervous. Especially with someone I met, oh, an hour ago. Finally, I nod and place my hand in his.

I let him lead me away from the alpha’s cold, calculating gaze. There’s something about him that seriously gives me the chills even though some of his words were mild, understanding, even. I’m tempted to ask Carter about his uncle, what type of person—wolf—he is, but we’re still within earshot.

I follow him up the back, right-hand side staircase. He isn’t dragging me or rushing me, nor is he slow and bored. Carter—or, at least, his back, as I walk just behind him—is the picture of cool indifference. Even his skin is cold, his fingers wrapped around mine.

When we reach the upper landing, neither of us looks back. I imagine it’s hard for him to walk away from Courtney. For her to watch him bring me upstairs… I push the thought aside. There’s nothing I can do about that.

Every part of my mind and body is focused solely on Carter. So much so that I fail to notice much about my surroundings, other than how Carter weaves and turns as we walk down long hallways. I end up staring at the back of his head and find myself itching to run my fingers through his strangely blond hair. Everyone in Fire Pack has some shade of red to brown hair. Blond… looks weird. But also soft, like sand. I wonder what it would feel like, to have that sunshine wash through my fingers. To have my hands in his hair, and his in mine, as he makes love to me.

I realise I’ve placed no small amount of trust in him when he leads me to a door, jarring me out of my reverie. There’s no one else around. I’m left completely to his devices. He turns and stares at me, something like sadness in his eyes.

‘You’re not pleased to have me,’ I whisper, ‘are you?’

Carter lowers his gaze. ‘To be honest, I don’t know how I feel.’ As though seeing me properly for the first time, he catches a lock of my loose hair. ‘Red,’ he muses, as though just as bewildered by me as I am him. He lets his hand drop. ‘Do you prefer Katie or Katherine?’

‘I don’t mind.’

He nods, then pushes the door open to my new home.

Chapter Seven

Killian

Despite the Water Pack wolves taking cars to and from their estate to Cinder, the journey isn’t long—on foot, it would take two days, maybe three. The Water Pack are just lazy, I guess. For the most part, wolves aren’t used to traveling by any other means than by foot, or paw. Besides, our pack doesn’t have access to cars out here. We’ve never needed them. So, we walk.

My father sent four other Fire wolves with me to guard his only heir, but I don’t even bother talking to them. My mind is spinning with thoughts of Katherine.

How could they just take her like that? No consideration for her choices, her wishes. Nothing. Anger burns through me. What kind of world do we live in where a woman has no choice in where she goes, who she goes with?

I know I should calm down. That it’s not really my father’s fault. That the Tide Witches bid Katherine go with her mate. A bond that, from what I know, is love incarnate. I’m sure the others, if they knew my thoughts, would think me crazy. That Katherine would want to go with her mate.

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