Marked By The Vengeful Lycan

ChapterSeven

He scrambled away from her, his chest heaving as he stared at her as if she were a monster.

But his wolf was whimpering and was desperately begging him to crawl back to her.

“Shut up,” Caden hissed at his wolf, his voice cracking. “Shut up, you coward!”

He forced himself to stand, but as he did, a wave of heat rolled over him.

There was now an ache in his chest at the distance between him and his mate. He looked down at her, staring at the “ugliness” of her features.

Her skin was sallow, her hair was dull and her face was a pale shade. But beneath it all, Caden had always thought of Rhea as beautiful.

Even when he hated her, he would stand and watch as people called her the uglier sister, and he would wonder what they were talking about.

His eyes darkened because he couldn't believe he was having such thoughts about her. He wanted to kill her, but he also wanted to pin her to the damp earth and claim every inch of her until she screamed his name.

And now, f**k him, but he couldn't leave her.

With a snarl of frustration, Caden reached down and hauled her limp body up.

In his arms, Rhea weighed almost nothing. Her head lolled against his shoulder, and he drew in a sharp breath. There was a sudden awareness of her that Caden hated.

With every breath he took, the scent of her skin hit him, dancing dangerously through his senses. It was a mix of rain-washed pine and an undertone of wild honeysuckle that made his chest tighten.

Caden moved through dense forest with the awareness of her in his arms. It was not a good thing that he was this close to his mate.

He was aroused like he'd never been in his entire life. All he could think of was how soft her skin was, how perfectly she fit into his arms, and all he wanted to do was ravage her. His desires were clouding his mind, and he knew he needed to get her somewhere safe immediately so he could go down to the river and wash off.

Only a bath could save him from the extent of his lust. He wanted… no. He needed his mate.

He needed to be inside her with an intensity that he didn't know he was capable of feeling.

He moved through the trees with Lycan speed, but every bounce of her body against him was not helping. He could feel the softness of her thighs against his shoulder, the tenderness of her breasts pressed tightly against him.

By the time he reached the cave, Caden was feral.

He bust through the vines at the entrance, his eyes glowing.

“Caden?”

Fenri stood up, his hand on his sword.

“Finally! I was starting to get worried,” Sylvie said, her voice filled with joy as she stepped forward. “We heard about the commotion. We thought you’d finished it. Did the attackers… ?”

Her voice died in her throat as Caden stepped into the light and she saw him properly.

Sylvie’s gaze dropped to the limp, bloodied form in Caden’s arms. Her expression shifted from triumph to a cold, flickering rage in a heartbeat.

“What is that?” she demanded, pointing a trembling finger at Rhea. “Why is she here? Why isn't she dead or on her way to Eugene?”

Caden didn't answer. He walked past them and dropped Rhea onto a bed gently.

He watched her as she shifted, getting comfortable, and his stomach tightened at the pits.

He wanted to bite her. To mark her. To sink his teeth into the soft flesh of her neck and shoulder until she cried out, pinning her down until she understood that she was no longer her father’s daughter—she was his.

Sylvie’s face twisted with jealousy as she watched Caden gently place the enemy’s daughter on the bed. She had been the one in his bed for months, but he had never looked at her with this kind of tenderness. She was Caden’s lover, so who was this ugly woman to him? And why was he looking at her with so much passion?

Caden turned around to face Sylvie and Fenri. They were his friends and also one of those who suffered loss at Garrick’s hands when he'd killed their parents.

The man was a monster and had gathered enemies in several places that Caden was now working with.

“The plan changed,” Caden said, his voice quiet.

“Changed?” Fenri stepped forward, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Caden, that’s Garrick’s daughter. If she’s not at Iron Ridge, Eugene will think we betrayed him. And if Garrick finds out we have her and…”

“Someone from Garrick’s pack tried to kill us,” Caden interrupted, his grey eyes flashing with rage. He pulled the dagger with the Elite seal from his belt and threw it at Fenri’s feet. “His own guards ambushed us. Whether it was him or not, someone wanted us dead!”

“Is she a hostage to us then?” Fenri asked, his voice cautious. “Because if she is, we need to mark her as one.”

Sylvie reached for a jagged knife at her belt. “I’ll do it. A nice slit across that ugly face to tell her father his precious trade has been ruined.”

Before Sylvie could take a single step, Caden lunged at her. With his Lycan speed, he had Sylvie by the throat almost immediately.

He slammed her back against the wall. The impact knocked the wind out of her, causing her to kneel to the floor.

Caden’s face was inches from hers; he bared his fangs at her dangerously.

“If you touch a single hair on her head, Sylvie,” he hissed, the sound vibrating with deadly aggression, “I will tear your throat out with my teeth. And I will stand and watch you bleed until you take your last breath.”