“For what?”
“For driving a wedge between you and your pack.” I folded my arms, leaning further into the rough wall. “Aiden seemed like your friend and I—”
“This was a long time coming.” Grae crossed his arms in a mirror to my posture. “I wish I had stood up to my father sooner, but I was afraid of what he might do . . .” His hooded eyes regarded me, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to hold his stare. “But seeing as you’re determined to put yourself in danger anyway,” he said. “There’s nothing holding me back anymore.”
I considered those words. He was holding back for me and my safety. There was more there, but something told me I shouldn’t push it any further. Not just yet.
His eyes lingered on my face, heat filling them, and the memories of that moment in the pub pulsed through me—how just the feeling of his hand on my knee had made me melt like candle wax. Grae released his arms, balling his hands into fists as he broke our gaze.
I let out a frustrated sigh. The cloying scent of incense and lavender tugged on my desire, probably designed to do exactly that, making me overcome again that building need. The Goddess of Carnal Desires was taunting me.
“What?” Grae asked as I released yet another loud breath.
“Nothing,” I said, glancing back at his stunning, sharp features. “It just looked for a second there like you wanted to kiss me.”
His eyes were the color of distant fires in the dark night sky, the brown more like a hint of the deepest red. “I had more wicked things on my mind.”
“Oh?” I panted, feeling that sweet dizziness cloud my thoughts. “And what made you not act on them?”
“I was thinking.” His voice was a predatory growl. “I was wondering how much of me is a man and how much a beast.”
“Is that so?”
“Careful,” he warned, dimples disappearing as his lips parted. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“What if I want to?” I didn’t sound like myself anymore. A siren’s song laced my words, determined to beckon his lips to mine.
“Calla—”
“What if I want you to stop acting like a man and start acting like a beast?”
My words unleashed him. He prowled toward me, his hand wrapping under my jaw as he shoved me against the wall. Before I could gasp, his lips crashed into mine, his chest pinning me in place. My groaning yes was muffled against his lips as his tongue dipped into my mouth in a hot, feverish kiss. His mouth was craving and wild as he plundered my own, his body molding into mine from shoulders to knees so tightly I didn’t know where he ended and I began. The muscles in my core fluttered, desperate, as I ground into him, aching for more friction, for more of him.
I moaned at the sensations lighting up my body, and his fingertips squeezed my neck tighter. His other hand gripped my hip, clawing into me as he rocked his erection against the seam of my pants. The wanton action set every nerve ending on fire and my whole body pulsed with the promise of release.
Only one more moan and I knew he’d take me, claim me with his whole body the way his mouth claimed me now. I ground into him harder, wanting him to be as burning with desire as I was myself. A deep, guttural sound pulled from Grae’s throat, hungry and—in the best way—angry and in that moment it felt so right that our first time together would be in a Temple of Carnal Desires.
As if yanked backward by some invisible force, Grae pulled away. I sucked in a sharp breath as the four Wolves ran back out into the square, too lost in my pleasure to hear them coming.
Only four. Aiden was still missing. Heavy shadows cloaked them, the moonlight straining behind a passing cloud.
“Shit,” Soris growled. “Nero’s going to kill us.”
A low rumble echoed out of Grae’s chest and I clenched my hands together.
“The King will avenge Aiden,” Hemming said. “Grae killed his pack mate. He’s not a Silver Wolf anymore.”
My heart leapt into my throat. Aiden had died? It was hard to see where his dagger hit him through his many layers, but it must’ve been the perfect strike to kill him. Grae hadn’t delivered that killing blow. Part of me wanted to run out onto the street and scream that it wasn’t his fault. He was just defending himself from the attack, defending me. But they’d never believe that. And if they believed Grae killed his pack mate, they’d never forgive it.
Grae stood impossibly still, moments stretching on without taking a breath. The Wolves followed my swirling footprints to the narrow alleyway that they couldn’t fit through and cursed.
“The girl said something about the inn,” Hemming said. “We’ll check there before we head out. I’d wager they’ve shifted and are halfway out of town. Check for prints.”
The others nodded and they began jogging away. It would’ve been the smart thing to do, perhaps, to shift. Grae and I were fast in our human forms, but when we shifted, we were some of the fastest Wolves in Aotreas. But doing the smartest thing was predictable, and if they could predict our movements, they’d catch up to us, eventually.
We waited, watching with bated breath as they ran off into the darkness.
I stared at Grae, breathless, as he recoiled from me. My brow furrowed as he stared in horror at his hand. He panted, face bracketing with pain as that hand clenched into a fist and he shook his head. I watched as it dawned on him—he’d lost his pack. He’d lost everything.
I took a step forward and he inched away from me. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t.” His voice cracked.
Before I could say anything, he threw open the door and left. I listened to his footsteps marching away and watched as he rushed out into the flurry of snow. With each step, my heart plummeted further.
I couldn’t stop the tears that welled in my eyes, my mind turning over all the ways I could’ve messed this up. When the Wolves tell King Nero, Grae will lose his entire family. In their eyes, he had killed one of his own, the worst of any sin—worse than desertion, or disobedience, or skin chasing. I heard the howl of the Silver Wolves moving out of town and I hung my head. We were safe for another day, but I felt no relief, not as my mate walked away from me.
Twenty-Five
The mood was somber as I approached the group. With sleepy eyes and slow limbs, they loaded their instruments back into the wagon. I didn’t know how long I waited in that temple, giving Grae space and time to process what had just happened. Maybe he blamed me for it, or worse, hated me for it. If he hadn’t come after me . . . I clenched my fists, fighting off the gnawing pain in my gut. I needed to speak with him.
“What’s going on?” I asked, watching the flurry of movement as they repacked.
“We’re leaving tonight,” Hector said. He gave me a look that said he knew about the Silver Wolves. Grae must have told him.
“How was the performance?” I asked Ora, trying to push some mirth back into my voice.