Page 12 of Her Wolf's Demands
I glanced over my shoulder and shook my head, smiling gently. “Trust me,” I said. “He can’t hurt me.”
Malone managed to blink, despite my strong spell. The memory of him walking straight through my barrier spell reminded me that the connection we shared made him impervious to my magic. Hopefully it would hold him, just for a moment. Like I had told him, this was my fight. Kieran was here for me, no one else.
Leaving the alpha, I went to the man who had pretended to be my friend. Everyone else disappeared into the background as I honed in on him, staring into his eyes in an attempt to read his intentions. Not that I needed to do that, I knew full well why he had come to take me away.
“How’s Drake?” he pushed through his teeth.
And just like that, he punched me straight in the heart with his words. My insides imploded, making me trip and almost stumble at his feet.
“Ignore him!” Malone shouted.
Kieran snorted. “You know, deep down, that we had a connection. As small as it was compared to him, you can’t harm me.”
My resolve weakened and my arms dropped to my sides. He was right. Malone had abandoned me after one of the most stressful events of my life, and Kieran had been there, all dog in shining armour.
“You need to leave and never return,” I said, twisting my finger in a circle.
His frame turned away from me without his permission. His fellow wolves dropped from their poses, all spinning and trotting to join their leader.
Malone growled behind me, clearly miffed that he hadn’t had the chance to take down his enemy. I looked over my shoulder at him, frowning in apology. His snarl was fierce, aimed directly at me. He was right, what was I doing?
Releasing all spells, I swallowed, waiting for the clash. Instead, Kieran and his friends charged away, the Brighton pack on their heels.
Staring in my direction, Malone ran past me, his head forming into a wolf as he dropped to all fours and morphed completely. He disappeared into the dark, taking his pack with him as they ran the Crawley Pack off, barking and howling to scare them away.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I jumped when a footstep sounded nearby. I lifted my hand, ready to defend myself.
“Malone won’t appreciate you letting them go,” a sweet voice said.
A pregnant woman appeared from the shadows, rubbing her blossoming stomach. I clenched my hand, dropping it before looking out into the dark fields.
“I know,” I muttered in reply.
“However,” she said, coming to stand beside me. “The pack have seen your power. They’ll respect you now, even if they don’t want to. How can they deny that you’d be an asset with magic like that?”
My stomach flipped as I took a deep breath. As hard as it was to get enthusiastic about Malone’s plan for me, a tiny part of my heart wanted to belong in the pack. I’d felt a spark of that belonging during the BBQ. A quiet acceptance, maybe. However, I couldn’t leave my brother behind. Not only that, I’d always be the outsider, the weapon.
No, I couldn’t settle for Malone’s poor proposal, I’d find my own way.
Chapter Four
“That was amazing,” one young lad crowed, passing me so speedily, wind whipped my hair.
I couldn’t tell if he was speaking about me or the chase. Either way, they’d managed to get rid of the pack, and I’d tightened my barrier spell, making the whole camp invisible to the outside world.
We couldn’t chance them finding us again.
The party had continued on into the night, but I’d kept my distance, preferring to sit by myself and contemplate what had happened.
“Thank you for helping us,” Manual approached, clapping my back.
Malone had disappeared, going back to his cabin, according to his men. He hadn’t returned to the party at all, no doubt pissed at me for letting Kieran go.
“You’re welcome. Apparently, I’m the pack’s new weapon.”
Manuel’s eyebrows raised as I got to my feet. I’d been sitting on a log and my butt cheeks were sore. It was time I went to bed, even if it was just to toss and turn all night.
“You’re more than that to him,” he said. “You know that, right?”