Bite Marks & Bad Decisions
457 Words
(Lira's POV)
I was going to murder Ryn first.
The thought burned through my mind as I sprinted through the underbrush, Kael's infuriating scent clinging to me like a second skin. My wolf was pissed—not just because we were running from my own damn patrol, but because my body still hummed from where his hands had gripped my hips.
Focus, Lira.
A heavy footfall sounded behind me. I whirled, claws out—
Only for Kael to yank me behind a massive oak, his calloused hand clamping over my mouth. "Breathe through your nose," he murmured against my ear, his voice rough velvet.
I nearly bit him.
Then I smelled it—the patrol circling back. Three wolves, downwind. Too close.
Kael's chest pressed against my back, his heartbeat steady where mine rabbited. The warmth of him was unfairly comforting. I elbowed him in the ribs.
He grunted but didn't let go. "Really, princess?"
"Don't call me that," I hissed.
His chuckle vibrated through me. "What? You'd prefer mate?"
I stomped on his foot.
(Kael's POV)
Worth it.
The pained noise she made when I said the M-word was delicious. So was the way her silver eyes flashed in the moonlight, all fury and something else—something that made my wolf pace hungrily beneath my skin.
Ryn materialized beside us, looking thoroughly done. "You two realize we could be halfway to the Frostfang border by now if you'd stop trying to kill each other?"
Lira bared her teeth. "I am trying to kill him."
"Liar," I sing-songed.
Her claws pricked my throat.
(Jarek's POV - Watching the Disaster Unfold)
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "We're all going to die."
Ryn patted my shoulder. "Probably. But hey—at least they're pretty."
A howl cut through the night—too close.
(Lira's POV)
The patrol had our scent.
I saw the moment Kael realized it too—his muscles coiling, that cocky smirk fading into something darker. More Alpha.
"Run," he ordered.
But I was already moving—not away, but toward the patrol. If they saw Kael, it was over.
A strong arm hooked around my waist, yanking me back against a hard chest. "The hell you think you're doing?" Kael growled in my ear.
"Saving your stupid life!"
His grip tightened. "Not like this."
Then the world tilted as he threw me over his shoulder and took off running.
(Ryn's POV - Sprinting Behind Them)
I should have left them to die.
Really.
But as Kael ran with a furious, kicking Lira slung over his shoulder like some barbarian romance novel cover, and Jarek looked ready to faint from secondhand embarrassment, I couldn't help but laugh.
This was going to be glorious.
- Writer
