Soul Bonded

chapter ELEVEN



Lying in bed after washing up, Katie mused that the worst part about being mad at Rafe was how hard it was to stay mad. Once again warm beneath his comforter, surrounded by his masculine scent and protected by his faithful dog, she struggled not to succumb to the urge to go to him. The seductive pull of his comforting presence only a room away kept her from tumbling into much-needed sleep. Her body hummed with desire, a buzzing awareness that true peace and satisfaction was hers for the taking. All she had to do to find it was seek out her bond-mate and let him fill up all the emptiness inside her. Here, she was scared and lonely. With Rafe, she would be whole.

“Damn him,” Katie whispered. She didn’t want to need him. It wasn’t fair that she did. Based on his dark good looks alone, she would date Rafe in a heartbeat. But love him? A werewolf? One who lived in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by other, murderous werewolves? He wasn’t exactly her dream guy.

And yet she had to will herself not to crawl into bed with him. She was exhausted but every time she closed her eyes she saw those wolves—those naked men—and felt their teeth and hands all over her body. Unable to sleep, she had nothing to do except stare at the moon’s glow creeping in beneath the curtain, and worry. How many more were out there? Did the rest of the pack know about the one Rafe had killed? Were they coming to exact revenge at this very moment?

She really would feel better with Rafe next to her.

No. Katie closed her eyes, determined to stay in her own bed. She was mad at Rafe, after all. He’d married their souls, for lack of a better term, while she was unconscious. He’d probably ruined her for any other man. That meant he’d also ruined her chance for a normal life, with kids and family vacations and 401k retirement plans. What was she supposed to do now? Move to the middle of nowhere? Or perhaps they could they find a little apartment in the city. One with enough room to build a giant cage to contain Rafe during his “time of the month”. Katie smiled despite herself. How would she manage a relationship with a werewolf?

“Stop it.” Katie kept her voice too low for anyone but Shilah to hear. “You won’t. You can’t.” She took a deep, measured breath, then exhaled. “Besides, I hate him.” She knew that was a lie—a huge lie, actually—but it helped fan the flames of her dwindling anger to say the words. “I hate him.”

Beside her, Shilah sighed. She was pretty sure he didn’t believe it, either.





A low growl pulled Katie out of fitful sleep. Her eyes snapped open and she battled momentary disorientation before she remembered where she was. She sat up, then froze at the sight of Shilah crouched at the foot of the bed. His fur was raised in a line down his back, his tail held rigidly at attention. Holding her breath, she followed Shilah’s gaze to the curtained window. It was still dark outside. She was beginning to feel like this night would never end.

Katie’s heart pounded when Shilah growled again. The last thing she wanted to do was search for some sign of movement outside, but she couldn’t look away. The curtain swayed lightly, caught in a subtle draft, revealing bare glimpses of moonlit sky and snow-covered trees. She could barely stand to watch, afraid that a shadow would pass across the window and literally frighten her to death. Just as the thought occurred to her, a muted howl arose from somewhere in the distance. Her breathing hitched as adrenaline surged through her body.

She needed to go to Rafe. Now.

Slipping out of bed, Katie nearly made it to the door before she stopped, conflicted. A howl outside didn’t mean they were in danger. Of course there were more wolves in the woods—some of them were even Rafe’s friends. If she went running to him now, it was as good as forgiving him. And she wasn’t ready to do that. Not yet. Not unless she absolutely had to.

She turned and studied Shilah’s body language. He was still on high alert, attention fixed on the window. Katie took a deep breath, then crossed the room to stand at his side. She put her hand on his head and stared at the window with him. As quietly as she could, she murmured, “What do you hear, boy?”

He uttered a soft half-bark and growled once more. Then he took a few cautious steps forward, planting himself squarely in front of the window. Before she could stop him, Shilah poked his nose beneath the curtain and peered outside. Time stood still as she waited for chaos to erupt. But nothing stirred, and at length she released a shaky breath. A lazy tail wag from Shilah relaxed her further, though she wasn’t about to let her guard down. There was no way she was getting back to sleep now. All the exhaustion she’d felt earlier was gone. Her entire body crackled with nervous energy. Like any good prey animal, her fight or flight instincts were on high alert.

Rafe wouldn’t be upset if she woke him. She knew that. He wanted to protect her and if she allowed him to do so, he would give his life for hers. She was certain of that not because of what he’d told her about their bond, but because she could feel it deep in her soul. He would die for her. All she had to do was ask.

“No.” Katie straightened and took a tentative step closer to the window. She had some self-respect, didn’t she? Even after what those wolves had done to her, she wasn’t without dignity. She wasn’t going to let the craziness of the past few days turn her into a weak little girl who needed a big, strong—gorgeous, her mind supplied—man to help her make it through the night. “Woman up, Katie. Go look out the stupid window.”

Shilah turned his head at the sound of her voice. His soft, brown eyes gave her the courage she needed to close the distance between them. She knelt at his side and very carefully pushed the bottom corner of the curtain away from the glass, creating an opening just large enough for her to peer through.

Outside there was snow. And trees—lots of trees. Trees and snow surrounded them, stretching as far as Katie could see from her vantage point. Rafe’s truck was on the other side of the cabin, as was the path she’d taken into the woods. The nearly full moon cast an eerie glow over the forest, illuminating the immediate area while creating impossibly dark, sinister shadows in which evil undoubtedly lurked. When one such shadow shifted, melting into the shape of a man, Katie’s palms went damp. A second shadow moved close by—another man, standing beside the first.

Katie fell backward and landed hard on her ass. Then she scrambled to her feet, a single thought racing through her mind on endless loop.

Rafe. She needed Rafe.