Bound By Moonlight to My Mates (by Sofange Daye) novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44

No matter how hard I try, I can’t rid my tongue of the taste of my Little Cricket’s blood. It tastes just as it did centuries ago, tempting and forbidden. I almost failed then, just as I almost failed last night. The way she looked at me with fearful eyes, the way her lips pushed out in a full pout, and the way the tears dripped down her cheeks, all drew me in. I could have taken her right there. Claimed her on that fucking rogue’s couch, but I didn’t. I am wrong for her. I know it, and soon she will, too. But before I slip into hiding again, there is one thing that I need to take care of.

The Blackthorn Pack house rises out of the fog like a fortress. All black stone and wood, it is a stark difference from the Southpaw Pack house. This place isn’t welcoming at all, and the people waiting inside won’t be welcoming to me.

It smells like rain, and when I step from the tree line, I tilt my head to the sky. The clouds hang heavily in the sky, dark and brooding. A storm is brewing, but I am not sure rain will be the outcome.

Pulling my hood over my face, I step further onto the territory as if I belong there. My power is muted beneath my skin, and no one looks my way. They won’t see me until I want them to. I keep myself hidden to everyone but Ronan. He needs to know I am coming, and I hope my presence on his territory is making him sweat.

By the time I push open the heavy front doors, Ronan is already waiting in the great hall. He looks like a statue carved from old wood. His arms are folded over his chest, and his jaw is tight. His cold eyes are focused on me, and I notice the steel at his hip. He foolishly thinks he can kill me,

“Of all the vermin to crawl into my house,” he says with a low growl. “It had to be you. Were the others too scared to come?”

I push my hood back and meet his gaze. “Is that any way to welcome a guest into your pack?”

“Why are you here, demon?” He doesn’t use my name. He never has. “If you’ve come to tell me you have claimed her, I don’t care.”

I let a small smile flicker, but there is nothing kind in it. “If I had claimed her, you would have felt it. Trust me. I am here to ask you for a favor.”

A growl rumbles in his chest as he attempts to be intimidating. “You are in no position to demand favors.”

Rolling my eyes, I continue. “I’m here to ask you to stop hunting Charlotte.”

He snorts. “Why the fuck would I do that?”

“You will,” I keep my voice level. “Because if you don’t‘ stop, you’ll drive her exactly where you don’t want her to go.”

“You can’t presume to know what I want,” he snarls.

I cock my head to the side. “Don’t play stupid with me.”

His eyes flash. “She’s already gone there. To rogue territory. With that bastard, Damon. She has made her choice.”

I step closer, my shadow stretching across the floor unnaturally toward his boots. “You don’t understand what she’s carrying, Ronan. She isn’t a threat. She’s the only thing standing between you and extinction.”

His lip curls into a snarl. “She’s the reason my wolves are sick. Don’t stand there and tell me she’s the salvation.”

“She isn’t the reason.” I drop my voice to a whisper. “She’s your anchor being. Without her, it only spreads faster.”

He steps toward me with his fists clenched. We’re nose to nose now, both of us radiating unused power. His wolf snarls in his mind, and in rings loudly in mine. I snarl back, but unlike the others, Ronan is not afraid of me.

Then, suddenly, the room tilts. The air in the room heats and cracks like thunder. My own magic spikes so violently that I struggle to remain on my feet. I stagger back a half step, clutching the wall as if it is a lifeline.

Ronan is also struggling to stay on his feet. His head snaps toward the south, as if he can sense the direction of what just happened. “What the hell?”

I have felt this before, so many times over the years. A bond has been created. Charlotte. Someone has marked her. Power ripples across the invisible line that ties me to her soul.

Ronan’s nostrils flare. “It’s Jake.” He almost sounds relieved. “Jake marked her.”

I school my face, keeping my expression neutral even as the disappointment threatens to drown me. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. This isn’t how it has gone in the past. The first mark shouldn’t feel this strong. Tala is growing too powerful, and for a moment, I consider that her death might be the answer.

Ronan exhales like a man unburdened, but the deep wrinkles on his forehead tell a different story. “Then it’s done. The sickness will stop.

“Maybe,” I say. The word tastes like ash in my mouth, probably because it is a lie.

He narrows his eyes.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify