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42. Confusion
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Slave to the Wolf King 43. Sunlight – Part 1
~ JESSE ~With a soft growl, Rake turned and trotted back to the door, closing and locking it before he faced me again and started back, slower this time.“Jesse… talk to me,” he said quietly, soothingly. Like I was a scared little animal.“About what?” I laughed humorlessly.“What happened last night? I mean, I know what happened, but… how did it happen?”I blinked, frowning. “What do you mean, you know what happened?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.Rake turned his chin slightly away from me, but his eyes never left mine. “Cazz claimed you… didn’t he?”Relief rocked through me, and I nodded quickly to cover. “Yes. Yes, you’re right. He did. I just… I don’t understand exactly… exactly what happened. Or what it means.”“He didn’t tell you?”I was perilously close to tears, which I hated. This wasn’t how I lived! But something about Cazz had turned me into brittle glass. I felt like the wrong blow—even a soft one—would shatter me into too many pieces to ever hope to heal.I h
Slave to the Wolf King 44. Sunlight – Part 2
~ JESSE ~I huffed, pissed at myself because the threat of tears was back, just like that. Trying to take a grip on myself, I swallowed the pinch in my throat and shook my head. “It doesn’t matter.”“Of course it matters. You said you’re confused. That you think he’s left you—that seems unlikely to me. But… what happened? Perhaps it’s a difference between wolves and humans? Maybe I can shed some light?”“You already do, Rake,” I sighed and looked down at my lap, picking at the seam in the leather pants Cazz had sent for me.That should make me feel better, I realized. He’d been thinking about me needing clothes because I was in his room. That was a good sign, right?I turned my thoughts inward, towards that knot at the center of my chest. The piece of me that had been so open last night. So full of him until the end. I reached for it, stroking it’s surface, but recoiled.It was still cold.Dead.An emotionless wall.“I just… I don’t know what I did,” I breathed, cursing myself for the
Slave to the Wolf King 45. Sunlight – Part 3
~ JESSE ~ Cazz pounding into me. His teeth in my flesh. His words growled, his hands grasping. I flinched away from the memories that were so confusing. Rake was watching me intently, so I kept my face as blank as I could. “It wouldn’t have been bad—it wasn’t bad. But there was… it was just confusing. He… he told me that he had no choice but to claim me. That they’d tear me—or him—apart if he didn’t. But he was angry. Blaming me.” “Because you enticed the males.” “I didn’t know that I was doing that!” I snapped. “I was thinking about him. I didn’t know how the packmind worked—he never explained it. And he didn’t even warn me that he was going to connect me to it. When it happened it made him happy—he encouraged me! I just… I was flying blind!” Rake sighed. “I know. It’s okay, Jesse. I’m not blaming you. I just… he definitely marked you, right? Declared his claim on you?” “Yes,” I said emphatically. “And somehow… somehow the wounds from it are already healed.” Rake didn’t seem
Slave to the Wolf King 46. Marred
~ JESSE ~Rake and I were both quiet for a time after that. I thought I understood what he meant, but I was still trying to wrap my head around Cazz somehow being afraid. I’d never seen that in him, and I wondered if Rake was trying to soothe me.It came back to me then, the way I’d seen it right at the beginning—that every person here was a wolf, and belonged to Cazz. That there was truly no one I could trust to be loyal to me over him.But at least Rake wasn’t compelled by him. I could trust that… couldn’t I?I didn’t know.At some point I got up from that rock and walked out to stand looking down the meadow at the trees and the sky, just to breathe the fresh air and stand in the light and… bask. Because I knew pretty soon we’d be back in the darkness of the tunnels, and my stomach quavered at the idea.Eventually, Rake walked slowly up behind me.“Jesse, we need to get back—” He put a hand on my shoulder, to turn me, intending to be gentle. But his fingers closed right over the pla
Slave to the Wolf King 47. Accountability
~ CASIMIR ~I sat on the throne, fuming, as two of the ancient alphas from the regions beyond the city argued in front of me about a territorial dispute.Both males were aggressive, bristling at each other, stifling growls, but unwilling to do more than bare teeth in front of me.They were still fit though they were both old enough for their hair to be mostly gray.Bringing the issue to me for judgment was better than tearing each other’s packs apart. But today of all days? Neither had been in the Palace last night. They were clueless as to what had happened, though they’d heard that I’d claimed my mate. And they approved.So generous of them…“…Sire, the river is an appropriate border—it makes things very clear so no wolves can claim they were unaware—”“And grows your reach without battle for it,” Aleric, the second alpha snarled. “Sire, you must see that we cannot simply allow a wolf to take what he has not earned. In my day—”“In your day I could take your throat for speaking out
Slave to the Wolf King 48. Uncertain Days
~ CASIMIR ~By the time I backed him into the wall, he had both hands up in surrender, but his eyes hadn’t left mine, and he snarled through his teeth as well. I shoved him once, making his head clunk back against the cave wall.His body tensed, but he didn’t touch me, left both hands up at his shoulders. And never dropped his eyes.It was a challenge—one another King probably would have taken as a threat.“Submit,” I growled, letting my teeth snap on the t.“I haven’t fought you, Cazz.” His tone didn’t soften, however. And he still didn’t drop his eyes. “It’s my job to challenge you. And to advise. It’s what you instructed me to do. So here I am.”“Then give your challenge and your advice, and leave.” I shoved him back against the wall again and he grunted, but he didn’t fight.His eyes flashed with righteous anger that pissed me off even more.“You never touch her in anger again. Ever. You vowed you wouldn’t be your father—told me to press you to recognize when you were showing colo
Slave to the Wolf King 49. Agenda
~ JESSE ~I don’t know what I expected from Cazz when he next showed up, but it wasn’t that he would storm into my room in a rage.“What the fuck are you doing baring yourself to the fucking cleric!?”He’d surprised me, throwing the door open and stalking in. I jumped and whirled, hand to my chest. It took a moment to realize there was no threat, he was just standing in front of me, snarling.I took a deep breath. “It’s great to see you too, Cazz.”He growled and pursed his lips, but he folded his arms and lifted his chin.I swallowed hard. “Thank you. You don’t need to loom to get me to answer a question, you know. We’re mates. And claimed. Apparently that’s… that’s important,” I said carefully, because that yawning chasm in my chest now inhabited every inch where he used to be. And I wasn’t sure if he’d actually removed that bond, or was just so shut down that I couldn’t feel it.His eyes narrowed. “What happens between us is between us. Even I don’t speak of it. Why would you share
Slave to the Wolf King 50. Claim This
~ JESSE ~“You cornered me. You forced my hand. We would not be here today, except for you and your… agenda,” he snarled.“Agenda? Cazz, I didn’t even know what the claiming was!”“So you say…”“Seriously? That’s what you’re telling yourself? That I’ve got some kind of master plan?”“There are countless females who would give their lives to be claimed by me,” he snarled.“Good for you.”“I’m not going to indulge you if you’re just going to be sarcastic.”“Indulge? Cazz, you haven’t indulged me for a second since we met.”His jaw flexed. “I made no claims on you, I made no promises beyond our agreement. Yet you weep your way through the Palace this morning, crying on the shoulder of my cleric and revealing intimate details—”“Your cleric is the only person who gave enough of a shit to come for me because he was worried—which is more than you did!”“I sent you clothing and food, which is exactly what you needed!”“Are you fucking kidding me?” I gasped, pushing to my feet. Because he was
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