Werewolf Academy Year Three - Jayme Morse Page 0,47

was what they had told me.

But there was no way that could have been possible if Kane was staring here in front of me.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” I whispered.

“Well, luckily for both of us, I’m not.”

“If you survived the virus, then how come none of the other Darken knew it before now?” I asked him.

“Easy. I made sure they didn’t know about it.” His eyes met mine. “I faked my own death.”

“Why would you do that?” I questioned.

“There were things I needed to attend to.”

“For like five-hundred years?” I just stared at him. “How could you fake your death for such a long time? They were worried about you, I’m sure.”

“They couldn’t have been worried about me when they thought I was dead. It was the kindest thing I could have done for anyone involved. They didn’t have to worry about me, and I didn’t have to deal with them for five-hundred years. It was a win-win for everyone.” He shrugged. “I guess they’ll be pleasantly surprised when they find out I was never dead at all.”

“Or really fucking pissed at you.”

“My, my, you do have the mouth of a sailor.” He cupped my chin with his hand, continuing to stare into my eyes. “There’s something you should know, Fallyn.”

“I told you that I go by Raven now,” I murmured. I wanted to break our gaze, to move away from him. Every bone in my body knew that I was way closer to him than I should have been. Kane couldn’t be trusted. That much I knew, for sure—and I had a feeling it had to do with more than just the fact that he wasn’t even supposed to be alive. No, something must have happened between us back during the ancient times, something that I couldn’t remember but that my instincts were picking up on.

But I couldn’t move away from him. For reasons I couldn’t even begin to understand, my body was drawn to him like a moth to a flame, and I absolutely hated it.

We were just inches away from one another, and his hands were on my face. Yet, somehow, my body was completely craving his touch.

It was sickening.

“Raven, there’s something you really need to know.” Kane’s eyes continued to hold mine, not unlocking me from the spell he seemed to have me under. “I loved you when I first met you as Fallyn. It was love at first sight, and I know you felt it, too.”

I wasn’t sure if love at first sight was what it had been, but I would have been lying if I said I didn’t feel something out of the ordinary for him. It sort of reminded me of the first time I had met my mates.

“Even though we have been apart for many years now,” Kane continued, “the love that I feel for you has never died. I’ve been quietly watching you for years now, from a distance. I watched you back in the human world, and I’ve watched you at Werewolf Academy.”

I knew that I should have been creeped out by that confession, but I wasn’t. If anything, it only made me feel more intrigued by him.

“After all of these years of watching you, I can honestly tell you that I fall more and more in love with you each day. I’ve watched you with all of them—with all of the Darken. And it kills me to watch you love them the way you do, knowing the truth. And the truth is that I love you more than any of them ever could love you and more than any of them ever will. I am hopelessly devoted to you.”

My heart pounded against my chest. I was speechless.

Kane began to lower his head, and I knew then that he was about to kiss me.

I knew that I shouldn’t let him kiss me. I knew that nothing good could actually come from it. My head was screaming at me to run far, far away from him.

But for some reason, my feet just remained frozen in place. It was as if I couldn’t have moved even if I wanted to. It sort of reminded me of when Javier had compelled me to kiss him to be his blood mate. Except, I didn’t think Kane was compelling me.

No, I was pretty sure that some small, completely irrational part of me actually wanted to kiss him.

And so, when his lips came crashing down on mine, I didn’t even try to fight it.

Almost as soon