Chapter 25
I shift in the center of the cabin, let my wolf brush by Leah, and then I head into the valley at a full-out run.
I’m not sure even the miles I roam tonight will be enough. I may have to hunt.
My wolf is nearly feral-he’s angry and volatile. A tangle of rage and passion. If I stayed in my human form, I would’ve done something dumb.
Like killing Leah’s father.
Or taking out some of my anger on her, for what she’d done.
But most of my anger-the real depth of my rage- is aimed only at myself.
I forced us into this situation.
I called Leah’s bluff and left her with no recourse other than to
sell herself.
And while I wanted my wife’s loyalty, no, I demanded it, there
is no real bond or loyalty at all, if it is coerced.
I hate that we have come to this.
And I don’t see any way to fix it.
Maybe I should’ve let her go and just let the chips fall where they will.
Her father’s pack is vast and powerful, but in the last decade, my Alpha powers have surpassed his. Where we have thrived
and prepared, Leah’s old pack has grown lax. Instead of using the peace to build, they’ve partied and squandered.
They’ve weakened their financial holdings-something I’ve taken advantage of.
Where once Robert had been a fierce opponent, he’d begun
to spiral in the wake of his Luna’s death. Sometimes, I think
that’s why he was so quick to get rid of Leah, so he wouldn’t
have to see the disappointment in her eyes. Because Roberts didn’t just drown his sorrows or party to forget, his grief pushed him out of control.
All these years later, he’s a fraction of what he once was.
I’ve no doubt I could best Alpha Roberts one-on-one.
I should’ve challenged him and been done with it.
Instead of retreating here, with Leah, to let my temper cool, so I don’t explode.
Even now, my men are relaying one of my messages to Leah’s
father. If he wants to survive, if he wants to ensure that he
has a pack to come back to, then he’ll shut his mouth, take his punishment like an Alpha, and leave Leah the fuck alone.
My wolf snarls viciously, pushing me to a corner of my mind,
where my thoughts are relegated to more immediate things.
The scent trail of a doe. Tracks from a rabbit, a squirrel.
The sounds of the river trickling over smooth stones.
The presence of Leah, waiting in that one-room cabin. Alone.
I know what my wolf wants.
He’s wanted it from the first moment I brought the girl home.
But I won’t give into my baser urges.
I won’t bind her to me. Well, not in the true ways of our
species.
So I run.
4/5 Hard and fast, up the side of the mountain until my mouth. hangs open, my muscles ache, and air is burning cold in my
lungs.
It’s several hours before I return.
I haven’t gone far. I kept close enough that I could hear if the engine started or if she tried to leave. Not that I think she
would. She keeps her word.
Mostly.
Except when she’s evading my men and sneaking off
packlands.
Or when she’s conspiring with her father and handing him
over all her money.
And just why exactly would she do that?
Why would she give him everything?
My wolf grumbles and swings its huge body back in the
direction of the camp.
If I start asking questions, I’ll have to be prepared to answer
some too.
But that won’t work.
Because I can never tell Leah why I won’t mate her.
The secrets I carry would ruin us both.
