The Wolf's Surrender - By Kendra Leigh Castle Page 0,29
already been through hadn’t been enough. There was more.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Mia asked, keeping her voice even, though she wanted to shout. She looked at each man in turn. “What do I have to do to get him out of my head?”
Bane cleared his throat. She hadn’t thought he was capable of looking embarrassed until now.
“Linking in, making a bond to another wolf or wolves permanent, isn’t just symbolic. It’s...ah...physical. The bite is just part of it.”
It was hard to miss the gist, especially when Bane dropped his eyes. Mia’s stomach did a slow roll, and she felt all the blood drain from her face. Still, she kept focused on Bane. She couldn’t look at the other two without suffering mortification so intense that she worried it would cause her to simply melt through the floor. “Are you saying,” she asked, her voice sounding hoarse and strange to her own ears, “that by the full moon I’m going to have to...to have to...”
Oh, God, she couldn’t even say it. It was the smallest of blessings that Bane didn’t make her. All he did was nod.
“I’m sorry, Mia. I know you didn’t ask for this. But that doesn’t change things. There’s no other way. It’s not—it doesn’t have to mean anything. It’s not marriage.”
“No, it’s just a mandatory one-night stand,” Mia replied, knowing her face was glowing some shade of volcanic red right now and barely caring. It was so ridiculous, in an awful sort of way. Having her pick of hot werewolves for one night sounded great in fantasyland. In reality, this was more than a little gross.
“Don’t think of it that way,” Bane replied. “Please. No one will force himself on you, Mia. Someone must initiate you by the full moon...but that choice is yours. Before that, though, we’d like to try and use your connection to Gaines to find him. We know that his connection to you will draw him here eventually, but it would be better for everyone if we could find him first.”
Mia nodded slowly, wearily. The thought of Jeff coming here, of him finding her and dragging her off, was nothing short of terrifying. It was the only thing that made the thought of having to sleep with a relative stranger manageable.
Jenner’s gruff rumble of a voice drew her attention away from her troubled thoughts, and she immediately flushed when their eyes met. If she had to choose, right this second, there would be no contest...
“I don’t like that you heard other voices. Ferals usually run alone. Smacks of throwing together a pack, which is forbidden.” His eyes darkened. “You can’t think of any reason why he’s hunting you in particular, Mia? He’s going to an awful lot of trouble just to catch and kill you.”
Mia simply shook her head, feeling miserable. What was she supposed to say? She doubted these wolves even knew about the shadows drawn to blood like hers. She didn’t even know if they were real. All she had to go on were a bunch of old warnings and stories...and the fact that one crazy feral werewolf had decided it was all true.
Trusting strangers went against everything she knew. Hiding her secret was too deeply ingrained. As was the belief, impossible to shake, that if these men knew the truth, they’d throw her out so quickly her head would spin.
Tainted, her grandmother’s voice whispered.
Jenner’s expression was full of doubt, but he was silent as he watched her. She could feel his gaze on her, warm as the sun, could smell the wonderful earthy scent he carried with him. They centered her in a way that nothing else ever had. It was wonderful...and worrying. Her intense awareness of Jenner was beginning to make her realize just how alone she’d been...and how little she wanted to return to being that way. But letting her guard down, letting herself crave his company, would leave her with nothing good. He’d pushed her away once already.
Jenner didn’t need her, Mia thought. And it was just as well.
“He was one of yours. Why did you cut him loose?” Jenner snapped out the question at Kenyon, who frowned and looked away.
“He was going by Jeff Markham then.” Kenyon sighed and ran a hand absently through his hair. “He made a play for Alpha. Fought dirty, too, but Tomas shut him down.”
Bane looked sharply at Kenyon. “The penalty to challenge and lose is death.”
Kenyon hissed out a sigh, and Mia couldn’t tell where his exasperation was directed.