His hand struck my face so hard my vision went white.
I gasped, my head whipping to the side as blood filled my mouth. The metallic tang coated my tongue, but I didn’t cry. I’d learned long ago, tears only made it worse.
“You disgusting little wretch!” my father snarled, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking my head back so hard my neck cracked. “Feeding the prisoners now? What are you, their little savior? Pathetic!”
“I—I was just trying to—”
His boot slammed into my ribs, stealing the breath from my lungs. I crumpled to the floor, gagging, my hands still bound behind my back. Pain bloomed in waves, sharp and hot, as I fought to catch air.“You what? Thought I wouldn’t find out?” he spat, towering over me. “I gave you shelter, blood, a name, and you repay me by feeding those caged low-lives?!”
I wanted to speak. To say it wasn’t betrayal, just mercy. But there was no point. Not with him.
My father wasn’t a man. He was a monster dressed in skin, and I was just the mistake he couldn’t kill fast enough.
He knelt beside me, shoving my face into the cold floor. “You are nothing. A shame to your bloodline! I should have ended you the day you were bor—”
“Alpha! We’re under atta—!”
The guard’s voice cut in, panicked. But it was too late.
His body slammed into the wall beside us, blood spraying across the stone. His neck had been snapped before the last word left his lips.
The storm wasn’t the only thing breaking in tonight.
I looked up, barely a second before lightning ripped the sky apart, lighting up the woods outside like a warzone. And there they were.
Wolves. Dozens. Charging in like death had finally come collecting.
My father let out a savage snarl and snatched a fistful of my hair, yanking me off the ground like I weighed nothing. Then, without a word, he hurled me straight at the door like I was bait.
His bones cracked mid-motion as he shifted, fur tearing through his skin in an explosion of rage. One breath later, he was gone, his massive wolf form smashing through the back door like a cowering.
I didn’t have time to think. Two bodies tackled me from opposite sides, arms like iron vices locking around me as I kicked and screamed.
The shock burned off fast and terror took its place.
“Restrain her,” a voice snapped, low, cold, absolutely in command.
The gruff voice snapped my attention. I looked up but the speaker was already gone, streaking after my father with a snarl that promised death.
I didn’t have time to think as I was yanked through the splintered door, my feet dragging through blood and mud as I kicked wildly.
“No! Let me g-go!” I thrashed like a mad thing. My shoulder split open as claws tore through my skin, one pressing to my throat, daring me to scream again.
Then a howl ripped the night apart.
We all froze.
In the clearing, wolves emerged from the darkness, circling two beasts locked in combat. My father and the black wolf.
This was it. My last glimpse of him alive.
The black wolf moved without precision but with a feral grace in every strike. The power rolling off him was suffocating. This was what my father had slaughtered entire families trying to steal.
And it wasn’t enough.
The final blow came fast. A sickening crack. Then silence.
My father collapsed in a broken heap.
Dead.
A roar split the sky.
The black wolf—an Alpha—threw his head back in victory. His pack joined in, the sound shaking the trees, rattling the bones in my body.
And for the first time in years, something inside me twitched.
My wolf.
No. No, no, no, not now.
I shoved her down, hard. She whimpered, but I didn’t have time to soothe her. I could feel eyes on me.
The alpha shifted and without a word, he grabbed my father’s corpse by the scruff and dragged it to my feet. I immediately averted my eyes, keeping them glued to the ground.
“I am Troy Ryker, Alpha of the Wolfspire Pack. Confirm that the dead wolf is Ragor Thane.”
I didn’t raise my head. “It is.”
There wasn’t a single note of sadness in my voice. I didn’t expect there to be. There was no joy either. Or relief. I hadn’t felt those emotions in years, and my father’s death was only a small victory. It wouldn’t erase the years of torture I had endured. This was barely a dent in what I’d survived.
“You’re not his mate.”
I said nothing, which only seemed to enrage him further. He growled, stepping closer.
“Who are you?”
“Kiana,” I whispered. “His…daughter.”
“Age?”
“Twenty.”
“Where are the captives?”
“There’s a small wooden container behind the hut. Fifteen feet back. Trap door under the rock. They're all inside.”
“Find them,” Troy roared, turning to his guards. “Now!”
He turned back to me, his fury hot.
“Look at me,” he snarled.
I didn't move. Couldn't.
"Look. At. Me." His voice was a growl, vicious and snapping. "Your father butchered packs. Stole lives like they were nothing. Tell me, were you his little accomplice? Did you help him?”
It took some effort, and I had to fight my wolf every second, but I lifted my gaze to his.
Lightning buzzed the sky again, and he took one step back in surprise as our eyes connected. Inside me, my wolf howled in joy as something seemed to snap in place.Damn. Me.Heat shot through my veins like wildfire, crawling under my skin, branding every nerve with his presence.He stood tall—too tall, like the universe made him to tower over anything that dared oppose him. Dark hair clung to his shoulders, wild and damp from the storm, and intense dark eyes stared at me in shock.I’d never given much thought to heroes. As a child, I’d daydream that someone would come save me, from all the pain, the torture. But those were just empty dreams.But here he was. My hero, and according to my wolf, my mate.Crap, the man holding me growled. And I realized that all the wolves had felt their alpha’s mating bond.
They were stepping back in horror.
“Answer the question,” Troy demanded hoarsely.
Reality slammed back in place. Inside me, my wolf wailed. She was innocent. Always had been. I gave everything to protect her. For the first time in years, tears pricked my eyes
“Yes,” I said, voice steady. “I’ve killed.”
The guard shoved me to my knees, but I didn’t look away. I needed to see Troy's eyes.
“Even the stench of death is cleaner than the stink of this bond,” he snarled. “I’d rather bite off my own tongue than speak the word ‘mate’ with you in mind.”
His eyes scorched through me, full of revulsion so sharp it stripped the air from my lungs. I swallowed hard, the shame clinging to my throat like thorns. There was nothing left to say. No strength. No pride. Just the cruel, echoing reminder that even fate thought I was unworthy.
“Tonight. I, Troy Ryker, Alpha of the Wolfspire Pack, reject you.”
Chapter 1
Kiana
~Three years later~
It was the third time in an hour that Danny’s hands accidentally brushed across my back.
There was no point in glaring at him or pushing his hand away. He’d just give me a sleazy grin and mouth ‘sorry’. It was just a show for the customers, or at least those customers who didn’t know who I was. When we were alone, he didn’t even bother with the fake apology.
He didn’t have to apologize to me. I didn’t deserve it.
So I ignored him as I pulled the wine out of the cooler beneath the bar and smiled at the customer in front of me. “Our chicken caprese sliders would go great with this wine,” I said as I pulled the cork. After pouring his glass, I nudge the menu in front of him.
“Caprese, huh,” he grunted as he eyed me, the gleam of his wolf front and center. I didn’t need my own wolf to tell me that he was more powerful than me. Everyone was more powerful than me, but he wouldn’t touch me. This wasn’t his territory, and he had no idea who I was.
Shifter politics aside, he was a customer, and I was his bartender. “This used to be a simple cheeseburger joint.”
“Yup. That was also when we just served beer.” I tapped one manicured red nail against the wine glass. “But here you are, enjoying our expanded menu. Our new cook can do some amazing things with chicken.” Although he was also a complete and utter jerk.. “If you’re worried that the meal is a little too fancy, we can always add a basket of our amazingly greasy fries.”
Snorting, he nodded. “Alright. Sounds good, sweetheart. I don’t think I’ve seen you here before. What’s your name?”
“Kiana.” I moved to the computer to ring in his order. “I’ve been here for three years.”
“Three years, huh? I guess it’s been a while since I’ve swung back by here. You one of Troy’s?”
My hand slipped, and I hit the wrong key. Cursing under my breath, I fixed it and took a deep breath. “I sure am.”
Troy Ryker.
Owner of The Razor's Edge bar.
Alpha of the Wolfspire Valley wolf shifters.
Alpha of…me.
Most wolves were loyal to their alphas. Submissive. Protective. Proud. Wolfspire was no different. They acted like Troy was a god. The males wanted to be his right-hand man.
The females were attracted to him.
Scratch that. If rumors were to be believed, most of the females had been with him. They wanted to be with him.
Too freaking bad for them. Troy Ryker already had a mate. Me. Much to both of our utter dismays.
“Hard to believe he’d hide a pretty little thing like you in this little corner of his world,” the customer continued. “I don’t smell a wolf on you.”
It was all I could do to not roll my eyes. He was just another fool who thought a female was only good for serving men. “I like my little corner of the world,” I lied and shifted to avoid Danny’s wandering hands.
Truth be told, the bar wasn’t so bad. It sure beat anywhere I’d been living most of my life. Problem was that the bar had been run by a decent man. When Parker Hewitt was manager, he’d done the least decent thing a male wolf could do around a girl like me.
He’d kept his hands off me and made sure everyone else had done the same.
Unfortunately, Parker was dead. Two weeks now. I hadn’t even had time to mourn him properly. I was too busy fighting off Danny and the other jerks in the restaurant.
Instead of letting me go, Danny moved with me toward the beer taps and snaked a hand around my waist to pull me up against him.
“She’s Ragor Thane’s daughter,” Danny said.
Cold slithered through me at the sound of my father’s name. The customer’s eyes widened, and he leaned forward, fascinated. “Is she now?”
Ah, even three years later, my father still held onto his reputation as the monster of Shadowed Moon Mountains. Kidnapping and murdering his way through his own pack. Failure after failure. Until he took three children.
And kidnapped the wrong female.
Everyone still hated him. Everyone still hated me.
Of course, most knew why he hadn’t killed me. I was his mate. The wolf his wolf had chosen to be faithful and loyal to.
Bull, if you ask me. Troy let me live because he liked having me as a prisoner.
He’d set me up here. At the time, it had been a dirty hole in the wall where even drunk people didn’t sit down without sliming sanitizer all over their hands. The night Troy had all but thrown me into the bar, Parker met him out front. He was an old and grizzled man even then.
Troy said a few words to Parker and walked away without a second glance back. I figured he was giving me to Parker. Like, literally. Instead, Parker set me up in the small apartment above the bar and left me alone.
After about six months of not knowing what the heck I was supposed to do, I figured I’d focus on the bar. A year later, I’d really turned the place around.
It became a hub for shifters passing through, whether they were Wolfspire wolves or not. We even started getting some of our own as regulars, although most came to enjoy the good food and harass me.
“I’d heard that Troy let her live. You working off your father’s crimes, little girl?”
My wolf threatened to surface, but I shoved her down. When he reached for me, I snagged the knife next to him and embedded it into the wood, right next to his pinky finger. With a gasp, He pulled his hand back. “First of all,” I said calmly.
“I’m no little girl. If that’s your fantasy, you let me know, and I’ll show you just how much of my father I have in me. Secondly, there is nothing that would make me spread my legs for you. Do you understand?”
“Kiana,” Danny growled and pulled me away. “Is that any way to treat the customers?”
His hand curved over my hip, and I turned and slammed the palm of his hand against his nose. Blood spurted out, and his growl turned feral. When he turned to me, his eyes glowed gold.
“On your knees!” he howled. “Now!”
I couldn’t control her anymore. I’d gone too far, and now my wolf, always prickling just below my skin, rushed forward. Her fear overwhelmed me, and I hit my knees and exposed my neck.
Luckily, I didn’t let her out. I never let her out. She was just as trapped as I was.
“Foolish girl! Beg for my mercy.”
I tried to will the wolf away, to ignore her submissive behavior, but tears pricked my eyes. “Forgive me. Please,” I whimpered.
He was my superior when it counted the most, and like everyone else, he could order my wolf. When she was this close, there was nothing that I could do to stop it.
Ragor had broken her to the point that she couldn’t stand up to anyone, and I was at her mercy.
The front door creaked open.
Danny straightened so fast it looked like his spine might snap. His voice caught in his throat, and his smirk vanished. I didn’t have to look to know who it was.
Not because the room went still.
Not because Danny dropped his eyes like a kicked dog.
Not even because of that scent—leather, pine, and something darker, like blood dried on steel.
No. I knew because my wolf shuddered. She whimpered like she'd just been reunited with the moon herself. My whole body clenched in betrayal, desperate to leap over the counter and sink itself into the one male I swore I’d never need.
The one male who loathed the very air I breathed.
The irony? Not lost on me. I can’t stand any man’s touch…except his. And he? He’d rather burn in hell than call me his.
From my place on the floor, I heard the scrape of a blade.
Troy was sitting at the bar now. I didn’t need to peek—I felt him there, every muscle in my body drawn like wire.
He dragged the knife from the wood and traced the groove it left, slow and deliberate, like he was savoring the damage.
“Hello, Kiana.” His voice curled around my name like smoke, low and mocking. “I see you’ve settled quite nicely.”
Chapter 2
Kiana
I sank as low as I could against the floor. Had I let my wolf out, she would have clawed through the floorboards, certain she wasn’t worthy of being on the same level as Troy.
At his low laugh, my skin flushed with humiliation while my mind raced. For three years, I hadn’t seen him, and it wasn’t like he’d stopped by when I wasn’t at work. I lived above the bar. I was always here.
I figured he’d just left me here to rot with the bar. Maybe part of me hoped that by making this bar profitable, I’d gain his attention. Prove to him and myself, that I could be a capable member of the pack.
Nothing. Not a peep. It was obvious he couldn’t care less about me. Was he finally here to do what he should have done three years ago?
What would happen if he’d decided to marry? It wasn’t common for wolves to marry someone else if they were mated, but it did happen. Would he need to kill me?
Or maybe he’d figured out how to remove our mating bond. There was a witch attached to the clan. Maybe it was possible.
“Get up,” he sighed.
He didn’t push any of his power in his voice. He didn’t need to. My wolf would have slit her own throat if he’d just casually mentioned it was something that would make him happy.
I slowly stood but kept my gaze to the floor. Silently, I waited.
“Look at me.”
Crap. He was here because of me or has decided to entertain himself while he was here.
Either way, I was not going to just be able to slink out of the bar unnoticed.
Still, I didn’t dare speak. It was all I could do not to cry as he looked me over with distaste. Behind him, two of the three guards smirked. The other looked on with curiosity. Him, I recognized. He’d been there when Troy eviscerated Ragor.
He’d held his claws against my neck while I watched. I never did learn his name.
“Stabbing customers is no way to get repeat business, is it?” Troy asked as he twirled the knife between his fingers.
“Considering that Razor's Edge is now turning a profit, maybe you shouldn’t question my techniques.”
I couldn’t stop the words from coming out of my mouth any more than I could stop my wolf’s reaction. Immediately, I was on my knees again, presenting my throat.
Is that smart mouth of yours going to be worth your death?
Parker’s voice in my head, laced with disappointment. If he could see me now, he’d be furious with me.
The bar was deadly silent. When Troy leaped over the counter, I closed my eyes and waited for the fatal blow to come.
Instead, I heard the ring of the cash register. Confused, I opened my eyes and watched as he pulled out the day’s receipts. He grunted as he sifted through them and closed the register.
After what seemed like forever, he turned to me.
“Why are you even kneeling, Kiana?”
Once again, I pulled myself to my feet. If I started adding a little hop at the end, I’d be doing burpees and getting some killer abs.
I could feel his gaze on me as he announced, “Bar’s closed for the day. I want everyone out.”
Danny shifted behind me, and I turned to leave. “Not you, Kiana. And Danny, you can wait for us in the office. I want a word with you before I leave.”
Oh, good. He wanted to kill me without an audience. At least it wouldn’t be public.
The bar was slow to empty. Apparently, everyone was hoping to see my humiliation. Finally, it was just the two of us with his one guard. “You remember, Jenson, I’m sure.”
I remembered him. I just never knew his name. Parker’s lessons on pack hierarchy came to mind. Jenson was Troy’s second-in-command. His power curled around me, not as seductive as Troy’s, but sharper.
A lot like those claws that were at my neck.
“Pour us some drinks, Kiana.”
Woodenly, I did as he asked; he settled back on the bar stool and studied me. “You know, when Parker told me that you wanted to tend bar, I figured you had a death wish. A month later, this was my most profitable business. Apparently displaying Ragor’s daughter is the fastest way to get rich.”
Bile rose in my throat, but I kept my mouth shut as I sat two beers in front of him. He’d known what I was doing?
Parker must have told him. It made sense that he was reporting to his alpha.
“Haydenwood Brewery?” Troy growled. “You realize that’s a Snake River Pack beer, don’t you?”
“No.” I finally dared to look at him. “I don’t know anything about any of the packs. I just know that it’s popular.”
“Parker didn’t educate you?”
“I think Parker’s only mission was to make sure nobody killed me. He did that fairly well up until he died.” I couldn’t help but let bitterness rise in my voice. “I don’t even think there was a funeral for him.”
“There was. You weren’t invited.”
Pain curled deep inside me. The old geezer had been a real bad manat times, but he’d also been far more kind than anyone else in my life. “Maybe it’s time you stop toying with me and just tell me what you’re doing here.”
Troy leaned back in his chair, the picture of lazy dominance. “Razor’s Edge is mine. I’ll walk in and out as I damn well please.” His smirk deepened. “Maybe I’ve decided to stop by more often. Keep an eye on my investment.”
Wonderful. I really needed to curb my tongue and become as boring as possible. “You are right, of course. Parker was a villain, but I’m sad that he’s gone. Are you replacing my babysitter?”
Troy grunted but didn’t say anything. As he sipped his beer, I took a deep breath. “Please. I don’t even know how he died.”
“Suicide.”
“Suicide? No way. You’re wrong. So wrong.”
With his beer halfway to his mouth, Troy narrowed his eyes and stared at me. “Shut up.”
“No, I’m sorry. I can’t do that. Parker wouldn’t commit suicide. He wouldn’t…he wouldn’t leave me.” Tears rose in my eyes, but I struggled to hold them back. I was weak in almost every single way that mattered, but I couldn’t be weak now. One person had shown me some decency in my life. He’d been drunk, abrasive, and incredibly offensive at times, but he’d respected me.
I would not let his death be written off as suicide. I just couldn’t.
“And here I was thinking that Parker killed himself because of you,” Troy said harshly.
“That I put him in charge of a woman I should have killed years ago, and in doing so, I stripped him of all his friends and family. He killed himself because he had nothing but you.”
If he was aiming to hurt me, his aim was dead-on, but I didn’t back down. “Parker told me that his son had been away for years before I came here, so you can’t pin that on me. And we both know that Parker didn’t have friends. What makes you think he killed himself?”
“Because he put a gun to his head and left a note.”
My hands started to shake, so I clasped them behind my back. “And what did the note say?”
“Wondering if he killed himself because of you, darling?” With a smirk, he drained his beer and stood. “I’m here to promote Danny. He’s your new manager, and as you call it, your new babysitter.”
Bile rose in my throat. Of course Danny was the new manager.
“I quit.”
Troy shook his head. “No.”
“You can’t keep me here against my will!”
He stood slowly, towering, predatory. “I can, Kiana. Did you really think this was a job?” He stepped closer, his voice lowering, deadly. “This is your prison, darling. You leave when I say you leave.”
His words hit harder than a slap. I stumbled back, heart in my throat. I wanted to bolt. To run. I didn’t know the intricacies of clan politics, but I knew how to survive. I knew the trees, the caves, the valleys. If I ran hard and fast enough, I could disappear. Become a rogue. Better to die free than rot under Danny’s thumb.
It wasn’t the first time I’d considered running and picking my life up as a rogue. I might not make it more than a few years before another wolf ended my life, but it would be a few years of freedom. That was all I wanted.
As if he could read my thoughts, Troy leaned in, his mouth brushing near my ear, low and lethal.
“If you run, Kiana, I will hunt you down. And when I find you—and I will find you—where I put you next will make this place look like a darn castle.”
He turned his back like I was nothing. Walked toward the door, Jenson trailing behind him.
“You don’t understand!” I shouted. “You don’t know what Danny will do to me!”
He paused at the door. The air buzzed with his presence, like a storm waiting to strike.
He glanced over his shoulder, golden eyes glowing.
“Tell me something,” he said, voice like ice wrapped in velvet. “Do you really think Danny’s the worst thing you’ll face out here?”
Kiana
“You have to learn to trust me at some point.”
The whisper in my ear heated my skin, and I tried not to wiggle against the body pressed to mine. I didn’t understand what he wanted.
“You. I want you.”
And he could always read my thoughts. So irritating.
His low chuckle filled the darkness as his hand slid over my belly. I was exposed. I was always lightly clothed, floating in the nothingness, and he was always here.
This was just a dream, except I wasn’t asleep. Not always. Not this time.
“It’s hard to see you and not touch you. To see you and know that you won’t let me hold you.”
Let him? Nobody let Troy Ryker do anything. If he wanted to hold me, he would.
And that’s how I knew it wasn’t real. This was just the mate I wanted. The hero. The one who would listen and understand.
That was not the real Troy Ryker.
“Are you wet, baby? Please, let me see.”
I never stopped him. Never wanted to stop him. My body never reacted this way to anyone, and what was the harm? Instead, I turned toward him, pressing my thighs against his hip while our bodies were close together. He was always just as exposed as I was.
“Always so wet for me, darling” he growled. “Mine. You’re mine, Kiana. I won’t let anyone else have you.”
“You’re nothing more than a fantasy. A dream. You’re not real,” I told him with a small moan as his hands raked down my body and pressed between my legs. “You’re just a way to drive myself to madness.”
“You’re the one making me insane. You won’t talk to me. Won’t let me in. All you’ll ever let me do is this.”
Grabbing my hips, he twisted onto his back, taking me with him until I fell over his chest. In that moment, like every time, I thought of pushing him away. It wasn’t healthy to fantasize about him like this. It wasn’t real. It would never be real.
But I didn’t stop. Ever. Glutton for punishment. That’s me. And when I pressed closer to him, I gasped just a little as I tried to adjust. His grunt just made me more tense as I shifted.
“Damn, Kiana. You always gotta tease.”
“Not teasing. Just…uh…just figuring out what I like.” It wasn’t like I had a ton of experience. Or any experience. Mated three years and still a virgin. But I had this. This fantasy that wasn’t real.
“Do you like this? Do you like it when I tease you, Kiana?”
He knew that I did, so I just growled at him and shifted my position so I could take him in a little deeper. He let me play for a few minutes while pleasure coursed through me, but then he grabbed my hips and took control.
Helpless. I was always helpless in his hands, but I always felt safe.
Another way that I knew it wasn’t real.
Troy Ryker was not someone who was safe. Not for me. Especially not for me.
But that didn’t stop me from screaming out his name as I struggled into oblivion.
I was not in my bed.
Blinking, I stared down at the rag in my hand and realized I’d completely lost myself in one of those ridiculous dreams, and I wasn’t even in my bed.
Or in my apartment.
The bar was empty. We’d been shut down for two hours. Normally, by now, I was curled up in my bed with a book, but I hadn’t cracked open a book in three weeks. Not since Troy made Danny the manager. Now, like every night, I’d been given a ridiculous cleaning task that always took at least two hours. Tonight, I was oiling the baseboards.
All of them.
Never mind that we had buffer tools to handle this or even that the baseboards really needed a new coat of paint. No, Danny had decided that the place was far too filthy and needed a good shine.
And I was just the girl to do it.
I ached from my head to my toes. Danny hadn’t given me a single day off. The first time I refused to come down, he’d broken into my apartment and hauled me down to the bar himself.
I’d been wearing nothing but a T-shirt and a pair of panties, and that was how he made me work. And whenever there weren’t any customers in the bar, the employees would find ways to entertain themselves.
Even my bruises had bruises at this point.
They had two goals. One was to make me cry. I’d come so close when they’d taken the poker to the grill coals and scarred my legs.
The second was to see my wolf.
I hadn’t shifted once since my father was killed. Not when Troy demanded it so he could identify my wolf. Not when Parker pleaded that it would help me heal.
Now everyone wanted to see if pain would let her out.
I would die before I let any of these jerks get their hands on her.
The phone on the bar rang, and I jerked my head up. It was almost four o’clock in the morning. Who the heck would be calling Razor's Edge at this time?
Convinced it was a wrong number, I went back to my job. I was so close to finishing, and Danny had already told me that I needed to be back at eight in the morning for inventory.
The phone rang again. With a sigh, I dropped the rag and crossed the rough wooden floor. Wiping my hands on my pants, I looked down and swore. My pants were streaked with the messy oil. It would be a nightmare to try and wash out, assuming that I would ever have the time to do laundry.
This was my only pair of jeans. Leaving the bar to go shopping wasn’t exactly an option.
I did my best to stay tucked away in my own corner, and I didn’t exactly have a ton of money. I didn’t get a paycheck, but I did get tips from people who didn’t know who I was.
Or at least, I did until Danny had copied the key to my apartment. My squirreled-away money disappeared, and a dead rat was left in my bed.
Paranoia dug deep. I’d searched my apartment for cameras, and while I hadn’t found any, I still only dressed and undressed under a blanket.I pulled my dresser in front of my door every night although I knew very well it wouldn’t stop a werewolf who wanted to get in.
The phone rang again, and I picked it up. “Hello?”
“K–Kiana?”
As soon as I registered the familiar voice, I froze. How the heck did she know where I was? It had been almost five years since I’d seen her.
Magic.
“Kiana, you have to run. Right now. Don’t even bother taking anything. Just get to us now.” Static started to garble the phone. “There’s…danger…use you.”
“What? Repeat that?”
Suddenly, the line went dead.
“I don’t remember giving you permission to use the phone after hours!”
Whipping my head around, I stared at Danny. The phone cord dangled from his hand.
Ugh-, I thought he’d left hours ago.
“It was just a drunk dial,” I lied as I dropped my gaze. “I’m almost finished with the baseboards.”
“And look at you,” he slurred. “Such a mess.”
Shh, he was drunk. Risking his wrath, I glanced back up to his face, and my stomach tightened. Love was written all over his features.
“I’m almost finished, and then I’ll get cleaned up,” I said steadily. “Do you want to wait?”
“No.” The phone cord dropped from his hand. “He always said that you were off limits, but he’s not here, is he? I don’t want to wait anymore.”
He took a single step toward me, and I knew that my luck had run out. Of all the ways this pack had found to torment me, no one had tried to grab me by force. I knew that had been because of Parker.
But Danny was right. Parker wasn’t here anymore. No one was coming to save me. I had to save myself.
I had to run.
The step stool was still against the back wall so I could reach the top-shelf liquor bottles. Ignoring the aches and pains of my body, I spun and jumped. Landing on the step stool, I vaulted over the bar. His fingers brushed against my pant leg, but I was sober and faster.
As soon as I landed, I raced to the front door. It was locked to keep people from coming in but not from going out. The alarm blared loudly as soon as the door opened, but I ignored it.
The cool air rushed against my face, and I ran. We were right on the edge of the territory.
If I could cross that border, Danny wouldn’t follow. Pack members weren’t allowed to leave the territory without permission. If he stepped over, Troy would know.
I prayed that it would be enough to save me. Once I was over the line, I would do exactly what I’d been warned to do.
Run.
Lungs burning, I tried to ignore everything but freedom. If Danny shifted, this would all be over before it started. I couldn’t hesitate for even a moment.
It wasn’t like I’d exercised. In three years, I hadn’t stepped out further than the trash cans of the bar.
But I knew my escape route. I’d memorized a map. There was a river ahead, and it was the natural territory border. I could swim, some. More, I was hoping, than Danny.
“Get back here, you troublemaker!"
A human voice. That was good. I might just make it.
There was no moon, and I kept my eyes trained to the ground as I entered the woods.
Tripping over a root and falling would be an embarrassing way for this to end. Branches scraped at me and slapped me in the face. Gasping for breath, I pushed myself to keep going, to ignore the pain.
Ahead, I could hear the rushing water. I was so close. Almost there.
Overhead I heard the low warning rumble of a wolf.
No. Oh Goddess, please, no.
A dark gray wolf stepped out from behind a tree trunk, directly in my path. Narrowly, I managed to pivot at the last minute before running over them.
My ankle twisted, and white-hot pain shot up my leg.
With a cry, I went down. Instantly, a human was on top of me. Hands grabbed at my shirt, sliding it up while I shoved.
The wolf growled again, and it was enough to make Danny stop.
“She tried to run,” Danny slurred as he stood and hauled me up. Pain shot up my leg again, and I folded, but he didn’t ease up on his grip. “No need to bother the Alpha about it now. I’ll handle it and tell him in the morning.”
The wolf didn’t move, and Danny did a mock salute and began to drag me away. I had no idea who the wolf was, but I knew better than to beg for help.
No one would save me.
“You don’t want to do this,” I said through gritted teeth as I stumbled. It didn’t slow him down at all. He just dragged me. “I’m Ragor’s daughter, remember? Disgusting. You don’t want me. Not like this!”
The bar was in sight. The alarm still blared, a beacon of doom. I scrambled to get upright, to fight, but both my ankle and knee collapsed under me.
Danny didn’t say a word. Instead, he dragged me around to the wide entrance. As soon as the door closed behind him, he threw me on the wood floor and flipped on the light.
Frantically, I looked around for a weapon. Everything in the kitchen had been neatly tucked away for the night. Nothing was in reach.
“Time to teach you a lesson.”
Kiana
Bile rose in my throat, but before he could touch me, the glass shattered. He paused, and I scrambled under the nearest metal table and tucked my injured leg beneath me. I gripped the leg like my life depended on it.
The alarm stopped. “Fan out!” Troy growled. “Find out what happened.”
Great. More people to witness my humiliation.
“A-Alpha,” Danny called out. His voice trembled just a little, and I couldn’t help but scowl.
Surely, he wasn’t worried that he’d be in trouble. “We’re back here.”
Troy and two other wolves joined him. One was Jenson, and the other was a female that I didn’t recognize. She radiated power, so she was definitely high up in the pack. The alpha’s eyes darted to me and narrowed. “There was a report that she almost reached the river.”
“Yes, sir. She ran. I caught her just in time,” Danny said proudly.
“What were you doing here so late?”
“She’s let this place become a pigsty. I’ve been giving her extra cleaning duties. I came back to make sure that she was doing what she was supposed to, and I caught her trying to run.”
“Bridget, Jenson, take Danny out and get a full report. Then see that he gets home. I’ll deal with her.”
Bridget. Troy’s third-in-command. Did he really think he needed both to catch me?
“But alpha…” Danny protested. When Troy snapped his head around to stare at him, he ducked his head. “I only m-meant to say that an escort home is uncalled for. I can make it on my own.”
“Nonetheless, an escort you will get.” Pack magic trembled in his voice, and the two flanked Danny as they walked outside. Still under the table, I reviewed my options. There was no running. Not on this leg, and I sure as heck wasn’t going to complain to Troy about Danny.
That was, no doubt, the fastest way to worsen my situation.
“Come out, Kiana.”
No use hiding—he’d already seen my pain, and I wouldn’t let him see it again.Still, I had no choice. I dragged myself out from under the table, leg bent awkwardly beneath me. A cry tore from my throat as the pain stabbed deep.
Troy’s eyes narrowed, and in two strides, he was yanking me up like I weighed nothing. My back hit the table with a thud, and I gasped, glaring up at him.
“What is wrong with you?” he snarled. “Can’t even run right?”
“I was fine,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “Until one of your wolves blocked me, and your drunk pet chased me through the dense forest."
He ignored my words, fingers pressing into my knee with no warning. I bit back another scream.
“Be glad you didn’t reach the river,” he muttered, more to himself than to me. “If I have to get wet dragging your rear back, you won’t like what happens next.”
My lip curled . “Chivalrous.”
“It looks like you just twisted your knee and ankle, but I’ll send a healer to take a look at it.”
“No, thank you.” The last thing I needed was more wolves touching me. “I’m sure it’s fine. Get on with your punishment so I can try to get at least an hour of sleep before I start inventory and my shift later today.”
Troy grunted, like I was being difficult just to piss him off—which, maybe I was—and without another word, he threw me over his shoulder like a sack of grain.
“What are you doing?!” I thrashed as much as I could, fists pounding against his back. “Put me down, you overgrown—!”
“You can’t walk and as entertaining as that might be, I don’t have time to watch you hobble painfully around,” he snapped as he walked through the kitchen to the stairwell that led up to my apartment. “So shut up and stop squirming.”
I wanted to scream. I wanted to bite him. But I bit my tongue and stayed still, hating the way his hand pressed against the back of my thighs like he owned them.
“What are you doing here, anyway?”
“An alarm goes off in the territory, I’m alerted.”
I could buy that, but he had a security team and guards for this very reason. I highly doubted he personally checked out every alarm. Not to mention that we were pretty far out in the territory. He’d made it here in record time. Even for a shifter.
“I guess it was dumb of me not to disable the alarm before I tried to escape.”
“You’re many things Kiana, but I don’t believe for a single second that you’re dumb.”
When he reached the top, he started patting my back.
“I can get the key,” I said hastily. To my surprise, he removed his hand, and I reached in my pocket. It took a second because I always clipped the key to my belt loop to make sure I didn’t lose it. After some wiggling, I got it free and handed it to him.
When the door was opened, he stepped inside and flipped me onto the bed. Then, he stepped back and stared at me.
My mouth dried. Troy had never been into my small apartment. Even Parker had never come up here. Until Danny muscled his way in, this had always been my space. Small. Quiet.
Relatively safe.
Now, with Troy’s hulking form in the middle of my room, nothing felt safe.
The bed was a twin, which was fine. I often slept curled up and rarely moved in my sleep.
When I’d first been told that it was mine, I immediately rearranged. The bed had been pressed against the wall, and I’d moved it to make sure that I couldn’t be trapped on it. An armchair was now in the corner, catty-corner but right next to the window. There was also a crowbar under the chair in case I needed to smash the window and make a quick getaway.
On one side of the apartment was a small bathroom. It had no windows which allowed for privacy, but I couldn’t relax there. No luxurious baths or long hot showers knowing that there was only one entrance or exit.
On the other side was a kitchenette. It had a small fridge, a kitchen sink, a microwave, an air fryer, and a crock pot. No oven or stove, but there was a Bunsen burner in the cabinet, and Parker told me I could always use the kitchen downstairs if I needed it.
Sometimes, when he was alive and I was certain I was alone, I’d sneak down and make a big heavy meal. I hadn’t done that in a long time.
“It’s certainly cleaner than when Parker lived here,” he commented as he moved and began to inspect everything. “You’re neat.”
I was neat. Almost obsessively. There were few things that were in my control, and what was, I…well, I controlled. I didn’t have much, but I knew where everything was.
Most of it was in a small duffel bag under my bed. The dresser and closets were both empty. There were a few toiletries in the bathroom, but I had clothes, some bottles of water, and snack bars in a bag under my bed.
Just in case I found my chance to escape.
Troy’s gaze moved slowly around my space, and I gripped the comforter. When he looked at my dresser, I held my breath. Maybe he wouldn’t think it was strange that the dresser blocked the closet door.
With one hand, he reached out and moved it in front of the door. It might be empty, but it was heavy wood. It took effort on my part to move it.
Just like that, he’d trapped me in.
Leaping from my bed, I tried desperately to get to the window. As pain shot up my leg, I cried out and crumpled.
“And where the heck do you think you’re going?”
Kiana
In one swift move, he picked me up and tossed me back on the bed. Wincing at the pain, I dropped my gaze. There was no escape. Choosing a different tactic, I cleared my throat. “I apologize, Alpha. How can I be of service to you?”
With a growl, he settled in the chair on the other side. It was almost comical to watch him fit his large body in the small armchair. With a frown, he picked up the crowbar and studied it before letting it fall back to the floor.
“I am not here to take what’s mine, so relax,” he growled.
Take what was his. I tried not to wince. It was true that I was his mate. That gave him plenty of power over me, power he’d never wielded. If he wanted to bed me, he would have done it before now. That gave me a little bit of peace, so I readjusted myself on the bed so I was more comfortable and tried not to stare at the dresser that was blocking my path.
“For three years, I’ve left you alone. Given you a place to live. Let you do whatever you wanted so long as you didn’t try to escape or cause trouble.”
“Look, what happened tonight…”
“I know exactly what happened tonight,” he cut in sharply. “Don’t interrupt me again.”
Inside me, my wolf howled mournfully. I’d upset our mate. Closing my eyes, I tried to push her down. Try as I might, I still couldn’t talk her out of this foolish mate bond. I didn’t really know how wolves chose their mates, but she’d picked a terrible one. As far as I knew, there was no way to change the mating, but that didn’t stop me from trying. Obviously, my wolf had lost her mind.
He didn’t want an apology, so I didn’t give it. I just waited to see what the heck he wanted.
“I think it’s time we talk about what you owe this pack. What you owe me.”
My veins ran cold, and for the first time, I met his gaze head-on. My wolf dove deep inside of me until all I could feel was her fear, but I didn’t let her control me. Troy’s words echoed another’s.
My father's.
He nearly killed me. If Troy wanted something from me, he was going to discover that I wasn’t just going to roll over and give it to him. Not this time.
“My father’s crimes aren’t mine,” I bit out, voice hard.
Troy’s lips curled—more sneer than smile. “Did I not pull you out of his wreckage? You think I didn’t consider killing you that night? I had blood on my hands already. Yours would’ve been easy.”
My jaw locked.
“There are wolves who still think I made a mistake,” he went on, “that I should’ve gutted you on sight. Instead, I gave you a chance here.”
"I’ve earned my place,” I hissed. “Razor’s Edge is the most profitable thing you own, and I made it that way. I’ve never taken a paycheck. I don't owe you anything.”
He tilted his head, eyes narrowing. I saw the challenge spark in him—the temptation to punish me just for raising my voice.
But I wasn’t done.
“You don’t want me here? Fine. Let me go. You want something from me? Then stop circling like a coward and just say it.”
Troy’s stare darkened, and when he finally opened his mouth, the words knocked the air right out of me.
“Tell me about Wisteria Wood.”
The name hit like a thunderclap. My body stiffened, breath choking in my throat.
I couldn’t breathe.
‘Kiana, you have to run. Right now.’
Panic clawed at my insides. I looked away, heart slamming against my ribs. “I’ve heard the name before…”
“Don’t trick me,” he snarled, stepping closer, the floor groaning under his boots. “I swear to the moon, Kiana—lie to me again and I’ll show you just how merciful I’ve been.”
My breath hitched and I couldn't meet his gaze.
“I know you disappeared from your father for six months. He left a trail of bodies trying to get you back, some of them mine. Wolves I was supposed to protect. I also know that he retrieved you from Wisteria Wood. You will tell me what you know.”
Troy hadn’t shown up because of an alarm or because of reports that I was trying to escape. He’d already been on his way here. That was the only explanation on how he’d gotten here so fast.
He’d been on his way here, at four o’clock in the morning, to wake me up and grill me on Wisteria Wood. That meant whatever Troy wanted from Wisteria Wood, it was very important.
“Wisteria Wood is home to the most powerful coven in the region, the Darkwyn coven.
There are no roads big enough for vehicles. Rogue shifters call Wisteria Woods home, at least those powerful enough to survive the magic seeped into the trees and ground. The witches let them live because they make it impossible for anyone foolish enough to try to get there. My father was a killer and a liar. If he said he found me in Wisteria Wood, it was to serve his own needs.”
“He’s not my only source of information.”
Great. So either Troy had been working for a while on getting as much information as he could about Wisteria Wood, or the few who knew I’d been there blabbed their mouths.
Neither of those options was good for me. The last thing I needed was every wolf to know I could get them to Wisteria Wood.
Most packs housed one solitary witch. Any more than that, and the pack became a turf war. There wasn’t a huge need for witches. At least, not anymore since most of the packs were at peace. Because of that, shifters didn’t bother traversing through Wisteria Wood.
Only witches wanted to get to Darkwyn coven.
The world was full of magic. Most suspected that magic to be the source of shifters themselves, but witches closely guarded magic. Some of the solitary ones were attached to packs and clans. Symbiotic protection. Some tried to disappear into the human world, but the most powerful witches were isolated in impossible-to-reach compounds.
Darkwyn coven was the only witch compound on this side of Shadowed Moon. They were reportedly incredibly powerful.
“Being alpha to the biggest pack in the region isn’t good enough for you?” I asked softly, just loud enough to sting. “Greed is an excellent path to death. Just ask my father.”
Troy was on his feet before I blinked—towering, tense, furious—and then he was on top of me, caging me in with his body, the mattress sinking beneath his weight.
My back hit the sheets, but I didn’t flinch.
He needed me—and it was killing him.
“Snapping my neck isn’t going to get you the information you want, you know” I mused.
“True,” he whispered, lips near my ear. “But pain… has a way of unraveling even the most stubborn tongues. Ever wondered what your limit is, Kiana?”
“A lifetime of torture…” I replied coldly, refusing to break eye contact, “...and no one’s found it yet.”
His golden gaze burned into mine, not just with fury—but with something darker. Hungrier. My breath caught. There was heat between us. Heavy. Wrong. Electric.
His thigh pressed against mine. There was no space. No fear. Just the unwanted awareness of every inch of him.
“You want to get to Wisteria Wood,” I said. “You need me. But I’m not giving you a single thing unless I get something out of it.”
He arched a brow. “And what is it that you want, Kiana?”
His voice dipped low, curling around my name like silk and sin. My pulse betrayed me. Was it just my imagination, or was his voice wrapping around me like that of a lover's?
“You take me with you, but once you’re there, I’m gone. You let me go with no strings attached.”
“You expect me to trust you?” he growled, voice dripping with disdain. “You, daughter of a butcher, slithering your way through blood and lies?”
“I think if you’re foolish enough to go, you want it enough to do anything. You could torture me for the information, but I guarantee it’s nothing I haven’t already experienced. Hard to torture a broken wolf. You can’t threaten to kill me because I’ve been waiting for death for years. The only thing you can offer me is freedom, and we both know you aren’t going to let me go until you have what you want. If you can fight off the rogue wolves, I can handle the magic of Wisteria Wood. I can get you to the compound, and then we’re done. I go somewhere no one has ever heard of me. I change my name. And we’re both free.”
Free of this foolish bond that was clawing into me even now.
“Just like your father,” he snapped, eyes narrowing. “No loyalty. No soul. Always angling for survival.”
The words cut deeper than they should’ve, but I didn’t let it show. Not to him.
He pushed off me like I’d burned him, every muscle taut with something between rage and restraint.
"If you won’t see a healer, then shift and fix your injured leg. We leave Friday. Pack light.”
He turned toward the door, but I wasn’t done.
“There’s one more thing.”
He growled. “What now?”
“We travel as humans. My wolf won’t surface around your guards.”
Or around you. But I bit my tongue.
His snarl cracked through the room, and he slammed the dresser so hard it splintered. Fury and something far more dangerous boiled behind those golden eyes.
“One more,” I added, not backing down.
“Goddess,” he muttered, pacing.
“Danny’s not to touch me before we leave. Or any of them. He’s got a key. Maybe they all do.”
“Razor’s Edge is closed till Friday,” he bit out. “But the place will be watched. If you so much as try to run, they’ll bring you down, Kiana. I don’t care how pretty your neck looks, they’ll snap it without hesitation.”
Kiana
For two days, I tried frantically to call her back. I needed to know what she knew. I needed to know why she’d wanted me to run.
I needed her to know what Troy wanted me to do.
My call never went through.
It made sense. There were no phones deep in the mountains and definitely no phone service. However she’d made the call, it was clearly one way only.
I couldn’t warn her.
Other than that, I worried. My knee and ankle were still swollen and bruised, but I was able to put more weight on it. As long as I moved carefully and wore pants, Troy wouldn’t realize that I hadn’t fully healed.
Danny never returned. None of the employees did. It occurred to me that this was the last time I’d be here. For three years, Razor's Edge had been my home. If everything went to plan, this would all just be a distant dream.
It hadn’t all been bad. When Parker gave me space, I’d actually been able to relax some.
Listen to music, dance. When he didn’t give me space, he was pushing me. He wanted me to improve. So much so that he was a complete jerk about it.
When I packed, I put the one photo I had in a plastic bag and tucked it in one of the compartments of my backpack. His son had sent him a new smartphone, and I helped him set it up. He’d taken one picture of us.
The day before he killed himself, I found the picture on my bed. I still couldn’t believe he committed suicide, but maybe I should have known something was wrong. He wasn’t one to be sentimental. Certainly not sentimental enough to print out a photo and give it to me.
It wasn’t hard for me to pack light. I didn’t exactly have much to my name. I’d planned on taking the duffel bag, but the backpack was left at the bar yesterday with a note to use it.
It was one of those backpacks specially made for wolf shifters. The unique elastic could expand or shrink during a shift so it could still be worn as a wolf. It was great for long travels.
Except that I wasn’t going to shift. Did Troy think I was kidding?
Friday morning came with gray skies and early drizzle. Fall was lingering, but soon, those drizzles would turn to snow and the mountains would freeze over. Wolves loved to frolic in the snow, but the humans struggled. Distribution was made a little harder, so the pack would ration. Fun day trips down the mountains were stopped.
And instead of prepping for that, Troy was leaving his pack and going deeper in the mountains.
There were no instructions to meet them anywhere, so at first light, I geared up and slowly stepped out of the bar.
Six wolves were waiting for me.
Freezing in my tracks, I swallowed hard. I knew it wouldn’t just be Troy, although that alone was a terrifying notion. Still, six wolves seemed overkill.
Closing the door behind me, I walked toward them, keeping my eyes down.
“She’s limping,” Jenson growled. “We already have to travel on two legs because of her, and she’s limping.”
So much for keeping that a secret.
“Believe me when I tell you that stealth is more important than speed,” I said as I still didn’t look up. “As is observation. You’ll need to shift occasionally to fight off rogue wolves, but it won’t help you navigate the magical traps.”
I could feel Troy’s displeasure. “She’s fine,” he growled.
Jenson took a step forward. “If even one of us gets hurt because of your actions, I will kill you.”
This time, I did look up. “You’re welcome to try it without me. There are trees in Wisteria Wood that will ensnare you and slowly leach life from your body. Do you think you could identify them in time?”
When Jenson growled, Troy stepped forward. “Enough. She comes. Her freedom is contingent only on our success.”
“Why so many wolves? The smaller our number, the better.”
“Not for what we need.” Troy grunted. “Saul is our healer. You know Jenson is my second. Bridget is my third. Maverick and Cassius are my highest-ranking guards.”
Darn. He was traveling with his second and third? Who the heck had he left in charge of the pack?
“Let’s go. I want to get to Wisteria Wood by nightfall.”
“You won’t get far in Wisteria Wood with this many. The amount of power alone will attract too much attention.”
“Power,” he purred, “is a good thing. I’m not about to take advice from you.”
I tried not to bare my teeth. He was here because I’d been through the woods, but he wasn’t going to listen to me?
We all had to die someday. I thought it would be from his hand and not from his stupidity.
“Fine. It’s best to enter just before dawn. The outer perimeter has the least magic but the most wolves. Those first few hours of daylight are best to navigate in. When you start to feel the prickle of magic, we should make camp until then.” I cleared my throat. “I’m not sure how far away that is from here.”
Troy jerked his head. “Let’s get going.”
It didn’t surprise me when the group immediately surrounded me. Troy in front, Jenson and Bridget just a step behind him on either side. I’d heard her name before, but I’d never met her. Troy’s third was a tall and willow woman, with the kind of face and figure that belonged on a model. Auburn tresses framed delicate features and fell just below her shoulders. I couldn’t imagine there was a wolf alive who didn’t feel the power wafting over her. Her position below Jenson was obviously well-established, and she was comfortable with it.
The two guards, Maverick and Cassius, had familiar faces. They were there the night Troy killed my father. Maverick walked next to me and Cassius behind me. I could feel his stare boring a hole in the back of my head. The healer walked to my left. I didn’t for a single second underestimate him simply because he wasn’t a guard.
Six wolves who could kill me with their eyes closed, and there wasn’t a single one who trusted me in the group.
Fun.
We hiked through the woods, taking the same route I’d attempted to escape Danny. When the same wolf stepped out, I gasped and stumbled.
“Amelia,” Troy greeted. “Everything in order?”
She lowered her head and then looked up to stare at me. Swallowing hard, I glanced away.
“Excellent. We should return in two weeks' time.”
We started moving again, and I glanced over at her, but she was gone.
Following the sounds of the river, we met it and walked north until we reached the bridge. As always, it was heavily patrolled. I didn’t recognize any of their faces, but I could tell from their openly hostile expression that they recognized mine.
With any luck, I’d never see them again. We crossed the bridge, and I didn’t feel any sorrow as I left the Wolfspire Valley behind.
Kiana
Three hours in, I knew we weren’t all going to make it.
Despite bringing me along to lead them safely through the woods, Troy and his wolves continuously charged ahead of me and tried to make their own path. With every step I took, my knee grew worse and I slowed. Patience was not their strong suit. Alphas tended to rely on the power and loyalty that was always at their side, but we were traveling through a territory that didn’t care about any of that.
Immediately, I could see the path he was trying to take. The most direct one. Four times, I cleared my throat delicately and purposefully turned to force us to wind a little wider around the mountain. On the fifth time, he roared.
“We need a break,” I said, sitting down firmly. “You need to cool off.”
“How dare you talk to me like that,” he snarled. “I am your Alpha!”
“You are, but right now you're acting like a spoiled brat and you’re going to lead us to our deaths. If you want me to guide us through Wisteria Woods, you’ll have to listen.”
I continued, “We are not at Wisteria Woods yet, and at the rate we’re going, we won’t get there until tomorrow.”
“Wisteria Woods is the entire ring of forest around the peak of the mountain, where the Darkwyn coven make their home. There are two well-traveled paths to the woods, which is where you keep trying to take us. Those are also the most heavily settled areas with rogue wolves. If we take two extra days and move to the dark side of the mountain, we’ll have an easier track to the coven.”
Troy stared at me for a moment, his nostrils flaring. “No,” he said finally. “It’ll take too long. We can handle some rogue werewolves. You have an hour to rest your damn knee, and then we move.”
He shot me a look, daring me to argue, but I just averted my eyes. Everyone immediately began to move away from the small clearing, either eager to explore or just wanting to get away from me. For most of this trip, they all acted like I didn’t exist.
That was just fine with me.
Saul came and sat next to me. Immediately, I stiffened. “Troy has asked me to look at your injuries. I will not touch you without permission,” he said kindly.
Knowing that Troy was watching, I stretched out my leg and rolled up the leg of my green cargo pants. “It has gotten better.”
“May I?”
I nodded, and he gently pressed two fingers to my ankle and then to my knee. “It’s still holding heat. Have you been taking any anti-inflammatories for it?”
“The Razor's Edge is a bar, not a pharmacy.”
“I have some with me now. Will you take it?”
Shaking my head, I gently pulled my leg away. “Better save it for later. We have a hard journey in front of us.”
“Very well. I have an inflatable pillow. If you elevate the leg when we stop, it should hurt less.” He dug around in his bag until he found what he was looking for. After blowing it up, he handed it to me. Leaning back against the tree, I propped my leg up.
“What is that?”
Too late I realized that when I adjusted, the hem of my shirt had risen up. Hastily, I reached for it. “Nothing.”
“That is not nothing. I’m to treat all your injuries, Kiana. Not just your leg. We are relying on you to keep us alive. Let me see it.”
At his hard voice, I sat back up and lifted my shirt. “I don’t know that there’s anything you can do. Most of it has healed.”
What he’d seen was the burn Danny inflicted less than a week ago. There were a few more matching, but older and healed. He probed at it gently. “This had a blister?”
“Yeah. It popped the other night.” When I’d tried to escape, ...
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