Wolf Kissed

5

“Where are we?” I asked.

“Southeast of Dallas. Away from people.”

The land was a rich green and clearly well cared for. Mature trees lined the paved driveway that had smaller dirt roads off of it. Another two minutes passed before a large structure came into view. It wasn’t a mansion, but it was bigger than any house I’d ever been to.

The two-story home was light grey in color with white trim and a full wraparound porch that held a bench swing and a half-dozen chairs. While it looked well taken care of, something told me the house was like decades old, maybe even closer to a century.

On each side of the house were twin towers. Or, were they turrets? It wasn’t a castle, so I was going with towers. Double red doors with massive frosted-glass windows opened as we came to a full stop.

“Welcome to our home,” Vaughn said as he appeared at my door and I stepped out.

Before I could question him, Embry tackled me against the car. “I can’t believe you’re here!”

As mad as I was at her for her crap communication, I hugged her back just as fiercely. Tears fought to fall from my eyes as she rocked us back and forth. I hadn’t known how emotional this moment would be. Seeing her on video was one thing, but feeling her tight embrace affected me like nothing before.

Over her shoulder, an older couple came out of the house. The woman had short blonde hair and wore a large, welcoming smile, but the man paid no attention to me as he looked beyond the car.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I turned as well. Another vehicle was coming up the drive, much faster than we’d been. The brakes protested as they were slammed, and the driver’s door swung open.

Angry cobalt eyes stared me down. “What. Is. She. Doing. Here?”

Embry winced and stood in front of me as the older gentleman went to the guy that I’d seen less than twenty-four hours ago on an Australian beach. They looked a lot alike and I briefly wondered if they were related.

“Roman, come inside,” the man said sternly. “But she’s a—”

“I said, come inside.” The older man was nearly as upset as the guy from the beach, and I was back to freaking the hell out.

“Embry, what have you dragged me into?” I hissed, and Roman’s gaze snapped back at me.

Heat consumed my body, and I stumbled against the car. Embry grabbed my hand, but I jerked it away as my wrist was consumed in agony.

Embry’s worried blue eyes landed on my mark. “Come on. I’ll tell you more as soon as we get to my place.”

She had better tell me everything, not just more.

3

R O M A N

N

ormally, I prided myself on being a calm alpha, but every man had his breaking point and I’d found mine. All I’d wanted to do was take some time for myself. I’d arranged plans, involved people I didn’t like, all for the sake of privacy. Yet, every time I turned around, the complete oppositewas what I got.

I thought the best option was a secluded fae island where I could be in wolf form without worrying about being disturbed. Except those plans had been waylaid by the local fae. I’d recognized Lucinda as soon as I saw her and left the area right after she and her friends disappeared. If she was there, I knew not to be. From what the packs in Southern California said, Lucinda was nothing other than trouble.

Then, I tried for the next best thing. A human island. Something about the ocean and its waves always calmed my human half, but this time, I’d been stopped in my tracks.

My wolf had awoken and howled inside my head after sensing our mate was nearby. Finding another shifter in a populated place like Sydney had seemed impossible. Even more so when I found the woman my inner being claimed. She was either a witch, a human infected with witch magic, or something close to it.

At first, I thought she was a shifter, but then I caught her scent. There was nothing animalistic about it. She smelled of intoxicating flowers that should have been overwhelming to my wolf but, instead, had him humming with need right alongside me. Layered beneath the floral aromas were traces of citrus and mint.

I knew I needed the time away—I always did this time of year—but after the interaction, I had to get home. Someone was trying to mess with me, and I needed to make sure it wasn’t an attempt to overtake my pack.

The day continued to get worse when I’d been stuck in economy seating and could still smell the female even though she was nowhere near me. I hadn’t slept in nearly two days, and all I’d wanted to do when I got home was make sure my pack was okay and then disappear to my cabin.

Except that wasn’t what happened. No, I arrived to find her there. On my pack lands. Fury like I’d never known exploded within me. At least that was the emotion I grasped on to when my eyes landed on her.

My father had sensed the rage first and urged me inside, but I couldn’t move. When I’d tried to argue that the woman standing in our driveaway had to be some sort of witch, my father had spoken

through our mental connection, reminding me I was the alpha. That I needed to remain calm and walk away before I did something that wouldn’t fare well for the pack. He was right, and it would be smart of me to trust his judgement. I’d been letting my emotions guide my actions since seeing the woman. That needed to end.

I followed him inside as the woman disappeared with Embry, a pack member I was going to be having words with as soon as I spoke with my parents.

The unknown woman had been truly frightened by my outburst, and I couldn’t deny that piqued my curiosity about her. The heat radiating from her scorched my skin as I’d glared at her, and nervousness poured from her in waves. Whoever had picked this woman to mess with me had chosen wrong.

Going through the double doors of the house, I followed my parents down the hallway and to the stairs leading to my office. Every step up the wooden stairs was precisely taken as I took control of my thoughts, preparing to figure out what the hell had been happening. Once the three of us were within the confines of my office, I closed the door with more force than I’d intended.

“Roman, I need you to listen,” Dad begun, and Mom cut him off.

“The two of you are too much alike. Let me, dear.” Mom smiled sweetly at Dad, but the two of us knew better. Mom was a control freak. If she wanted to lead the conversation, it was safest to let her do just that.

Dad waved his hand out and took a step back as Mom leaned over my desk, hands curling around the wooden edge and her gaze leveling on me. “Son.”

“Mother.”

“Embry came to us with suspicions about Cait. We’ve been trying to reach you. Before you go on a tangent, how about you tell us what happened? Calmly.”

So that was her name. Cait. My wolf rumbled. He liked it.

I took a few deep breaths and dropped into my desk chair. Once I did that, my parents both sat as well. I explained what happened on the fae island and then in Australia while leaving the part out about my wolf calling Cait “mate”.

“By the time I’d made it to the airplane, my phone was dead. I didn’t have time to grab a new charger after accidentally leaving mine in my checked bag. What did Embry have to say?” I asked.

They shared a look I didn’t like, and it was Dad who spoke next. “What do you remember about the Moon Goddess?”

“Seriously?” I deadpanned. “Yes, Son. Seriously.”

“She’s our creator, born from the magic of the moon. Her first child was the first wolf shifter, bound to his wolf form during every new moon until he gained control over the beast within. Which was the only rule the goddess had in regard to the gift she passed along to her children.”

My mother nodded. “Correct. What about her chosen children? The ones not directly descended from her?”

“The Marked? Not much. Why?” I asked. It was never a big focus in our learnings growing up. “Our history books tell of a being called the Luna Marked. A child of the Moon Goddess who is

neither wolf nor human, but is bound to the pack life,” Dad answered.

They had to be shitting me. “Are you trying to say that this woman is Luna Marked?”

“We are. She showed Embry the mark, and you know Embry’s memory. She recognized it right away. She didn’t know that you were the wolf Cait had a run-in with, and she’d ordered Cait here straight away,” Mom said.

“Why?” I managed the singular word through my rising anger, hoping they understood what I

wanted to know.