Chapter 36: Chapter THIRTY SIX — THE STRANGER
Candace
I lay in bed staring at the high ceiling, the sheets twisted around my legs.
Sleep refused to come. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Ragnor’s steel-grey gaze burning into me in that shower, his fingers buried deep inside me, the way his breath had hitched when I moaned his old nickname.
Then the wave of nausea hit me and I bolted upright in bed. A brutal surge of pleasure slammed through the mate bond and for some reason I just knew that it was Ragnor’s.
The pleasure was thick, dark, and vicious. It flooded my veins like molten lava, making my body clench painfully as nausea rolled through my stomach. Star howled inside my head, a raw, agonized sound that tore through my chest.
I curled into a ball, digging my claws into the comforter until the fabric ripped. Another pulse hit harder this time. I could feel him thrusting, brutal and relentless.
He was fucking Deidre.
After touching me.
Fresh tears burned my eyes but I blinked them away rapidly. Disgust twisted in my gut and I almost vomited. He had stormed out of my bathroom after he dared accused me of seducing him and his brothers while he went off to fuck my cousin.
I had been feeling the pain since dinner, but now it was even more intense. Now I knew why he hadn’t shown up for dinner.
Star’s howl turned into a broken whimper. Mate... our mate...
"No," I whispered hoarsely, pressing my face into the pillow. "He’s not ours. He never was."
But the bond didn’t matter. Another wave of his pleasure crashed into me, mixing with my pain. Heat pooled between my thighs against my will. My nipples tightened. I hated my body.
I hated my body. I hated the bond. I hated him. I hated that no matter how deeply he buried himself in someone else, my body still responded like it belonged to him
I stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face again and again until my hands went numb. It did nothing.
The fire in my veins only burned hotter, pain rolling through me in waves. I gripped the edge of the sink, teeth gritted so hard I thought my teeth were going to grind down to dust.
I needed to get away from this, it wasn’t like I could sleep anyway, so I might as well go for a run–anything to clear my mind. Anything to wear myself out so I could finally sleep, tomorrow was the coronation.
I packed up a little bag with a change of clothes, strapped it over my back and slipped out of the packhouse.
The night air felt cool against my piping hot skin. Guards were patrolling the grounds around but no one really cared that I was leaving the packhouse.
Once I got to the edge of the forest on pack grounds, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and reached for Star.
With a howl, my bones cracked and reformed, fur rippled over my skin and Star surged forward with a joyful, desperate cry as my wolf form took over completely, swallowing my pain whole — at least for now.
For three years they had kept my wolf collared and broken but tonight, she was finally free.
I shook out my fur in the air and bolted forward through the forest letting the wind push through my fur.
Goddess I had missed this so much. My paws barely made a sound as I tore through the shrubs, my muscles flexing. The night came alive around me.
My vision sharpened in the darkness taking note of every leaves, every branch under the moon.
There was an owl nearby hooting, wind rustled the trees, scents flooded my nose. There was the smell of pine, damp earth, berries and the faint musk of a deer.
I ran faster and deeper into the forest, pushing myself until my lungs burned and my heart thundered loudly in my ears. I just wanted more distance. Heck if I could, I wanted to outrun the bond, away from the pain surging through my chest.
Why does it still hurt this much?
Star didn’t answer.
I didn’t know how long I ran or how deep into the pack forest I had gone. The trees were getting thicker, the moonlight could hardly filter through the thick canopy of trees but I felt truly alive for the first time in three years.
"H...Help,"
My paws slammed into the ground as I skidded to a stop.
What was that?
My ears pricked, moving around as I tried to listen for that sound. My heart hammered hard against my chest.
What if they were rogues?! Ah crap, just how far away from the packhouse was I? I glanced over my fur to peer through the trees. Had I imagined that sound or was it real?
"H...help,"
There it was again!
My ears twitched in the direction that I had heard it. It sounded several meters away and it was a pained sound, like a groan that was barely audible over the sounds of the forest. My nose twitched as the metallic tang of blood hit my senses.
Someone was hurt.
I hesitated for a second before racing toward the sound, my paws hitting the forest floor silently. The scent of blood grew stronger, mixed with sweat and fear. I burst through a thicket and skidded to a stop with a deep growl.
There was a man on the floor in a small clearing, surrounded by a dark pool of his own blood.
His clothes were torn to shreds, his face battered and bruised beyond recognition. He looked barely conscious, one hand pressed weakly against a deep gash in his side, his breathing shallow and labored.
His eyes fluttered open as I approached. Fear flashed across his face at the sight of my wolf before his eyes glazed over in pain. How did he get here?
"Help... me..." he rasped, his voice barely above a whisper. "Please..."
