Page 9 of Her Wolf's Demands

“I know it’s hard,” she said, glancing at Malone, “but the bond is worth fighting for, no matter what stands in the way.”

Thanking her, I left, my heart thundering as I wandered across the grass, towards the alpha. Evie was a romantic, that was plain to see. Could she be right? Was it my destiny to be with Malone, whatever it took?

My heart fluttered as I sat on a shorn log next to the man who had changed my life. His gaze rose to meet mine as his fingers danced across the strings, sending them into a vibration of melody.

A shaky breath left me, the anger of the last twenty four hours draining away and into the ground beneath my feet. How long could I fight him? It made me feel weak, this connection that was out of my control.

“Malone!” Manual barked, drawing our attention.

We both looked over to the debonair werewolf, who jogged across the grass towards us. There was an urgency in his gait, a frown pulling his eyebrows low.

“What is it?” Malone got to his feet, almost dropping the guitar on the dusty earth.

I rose next to him, resisting the urge to take his hand in reassurance. We were not that type of couple – duh, we weren’t a couple at all, not really.

Running a hand through his hair, Manual glanced over his shoulder, towards the woods. “We went to check the perimeter and sensed other wolves.”

“Other wolves?” Malone’s tone was sharp. “How did they get so close?”

He set off so fast, I had to jog to keep up. My tummy rolled as Manual glanced at me before hesitating.

Grabbing my hand, Malone squeezed my knuckles together. “She’s with me now, you can tell me anything in front of her.”

Tingles travelled up my arm and spread throughout me. He might be a confusing son of a bitch, but when he did take control, he softened my resolve.

“I recognised Kieran’s scent,” Manual started, holding up a hand when Malone went to sneer. “He’s not alone.”

Guilt racked my bones as we marched into the woods. If I hadn’t been so friendly with the Crawley werewolf, he wouldn’t have a new vendetta against Malone. It had already been bad enough before I’d arrived, and now, I’d added coal to the fire.

“Shall I talk to him?” I offered.

Releasing my hand, Malone turned to me. “No. If there are other wolves with him, he’s come to exact revenge. I wounded his pride when I arrived in the woods and protected you that day.”

I was about to reply when Manual scoffed. “The bastard was making a show of trying to take your mate. He got off lightly in my opinion.”

My muscles froze, the ice cold sensation engulfing every inch of me. I had been completely naive about Kieran, trusting him way too soon. And yet, his smiling face had been the first to greet me after one of the most traumatic experiences of my life.

“He was trying to…?” I murmured.

Malone snarled as he dropped his mouth next to my ear. “He was trying to have sex with you in wolf form. If he’d been successful, we wouldn’t have been able to bond. You would’ve been ruined and our tie completely broken. It’s how the wolf spirit inside us works.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.” Malone scowled. “Shit.”

Licking his lips, he nodded his head, indicating that we had to go. I wrung my hands together as I followed, my stomach icky from the idea of Kieran forcing himself upon me when I’d been at my most vulnerable, barely a babe in werewolf terms.

Manual led us through the trees, careful to keep his footsteps silent. I was torn between the urge to rage or cry. How could my life have got so hectic in the space of a few weeks?

A shadow emerged from behind a tree, sending adrenaline pumping through my veins. The smell of apple and cinnamon reached my nostrils as the moon shone down, highlighting Lionel’s pale face. “Well,” he whispered when he saw me, “maybe the witch can show us what she’s made of.”

Gesturing for us to follow, he spun on his heel and started to run, his frame suddenly dropping as he morphed into a black wolf.

Manual surged forward, his legs super speedy as he flew over the debris on the forest floor.

What were they going to do? They hadn’t even discussed a plan with Malone, instead leaving us alone in the dark.

“What do we do?” I asked, clinging to Malone’s arm.

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