Mated in Mist (Talon Pack #3)(46)

The Talon land called to her, much like Ryder did.

She only hoped that both wouldn’t scar her for life.

The man would push her away while the land might reject her. Everything else had in the past, and she wouldn’t put it past the moon goddess to reject her claim, or rather, her need, of the Talon land.

Leah dipped one foot into the lake and sighed. While the rest of the lake either had ice over it or had a slushy look to it, her magic had created an almost hot spring where it had pulsed. She moaned deeply as she submerged herself into the water up to her neck. The lake called to her magic and she let it soak into her skin. Normally, she wouldn’t waste her magic on making her own hot tub within a natural lake, but the water would replenish her quickly. And frankly, she needed time to think. Time to heal.

Her magic tingled along her skin, the water soothing her soul yet not her anger.

When she sensed rather than saw Ryder approach, she kept her eyes closed and her back to him. The sound of clothes rustling reached her ears and she dunked her head under the water, needing the moment to clear her thoughts.

As she stood, breathing in fresh air and sliding her hands through her hair, Ryder’s arms went around her waist. She didn’t stiffen, but neither did she lean into his hold like she wanted to.

The anger beneath the surface didn’t burst through, but it was there. Waiting.

“You look beautiful in the moonlight,” Ryder said softly, his breath warm on her neck. “That sounds like a line. I’m sorry. What I mean is, you look like a goddess in your own right. Add the magic you used to create your own winter oasis…you stun me. You are so powerful, Leah. Brilliance beneath a soft surface. I…you take my breath away.”

She pressed her lips together then turned in his arms. When she opened her eyes, she let out a breath. He stared down at her, his eyes intense. It wasn’t his wolf there with her, but the man. The man wanted her, and the man had said the words that, at any other moment, would make her fall for him once more.

She wanted to tell him that she loved him, wanted to ask him if he was okay from the attack before. She had so much she wanted to tell him, but instead of any of that, she let the anger come through…the anger and the hurt.

“Why don’t you trust me?”

It came out like a growl, but it was a plea, not a whisper.

Ryder’s eyes widened ever so slightly, and she saw the shame slide through them. “I trust you, Leah. I trust you more than anyone else in my life.”

“That’s a f*cking lie.” He stiffened at her curse. Probably because she didn’t use those words as much as him, or at least she hadn’t yet. He was in for a new version of her. “You don’t trust me enough to tell me why you won’t mate with me. You’re denying me a future with you. You’re denying me children, you’re denying me love and a mating bond. And you keep telling me it’s for a reason, but you won’t tell me that reason. That’s not trust.”

“I’ll tell you, Leah. I’ll tell you everything.”

That should have warmed her, but it might be too late.

“Why now? Because you’re in a corner? Because that still doesn’t speak trust.”

He cupped her face with one hand and slid the other through her wet hair. “I’ll tell you everything, Leah. I promise. I didn’t tell you before because I was ashamed.” He closed his eyes. “I’m broken, Leah. So f*cking broken that I’ll break you, too.”

She let out a little sob, tears filling her eyes. “I’m already broken, Ryder. Mates are supposed to put each other back together.” Anger filtered through her again, but sorrow slid in right behind it, taking over.

Her heart broke once more, knowing that while Ryder might tell her everything, it didn’t mean he’d create the bond. He’d said he was protecting her, but when would he get it in his head that she could protect herself?

Instead of saying anything else, she rested her cheek on his chest and let his heartbeat calm her. Steam drifted off the ice blocks as the water around them remained heated from her magic. They stood naked and embracing within the frozen lake, the picture a symbol of where she was—frozen within who she was meant to be and who Ryder thought she could be.





PATIENCE


Charles McMaster replayed the stream on the screen in front of him. He’d seen wolves change before, of course. He had his subjects in the lab that he’d seen change from human to wolf and back again countless times. There was something so…cathartic about seeing a man break in half and become a beast.

The world had also seen shifters change before during the Unveiling. There was nothing new about this, except for the fact that they’d been with humans when they did it. They’d protected the witch tied to the burning pyre. And now, it seemed that part of the human population was slowly moving to the wolf side of the debate.

Save one damsel in distress, and suddenly, women swooned for the blue-eyed wolf.

McMaster wasn’t interested in the wolf on the screen for that, however. Something told him this particular wolf was important. And he’d learned long ago to trust those gut instincts. He wanted this wolf for his own. He had a few wolves in his possession, but it wasn’t enough.

This wolf needed to be his.

According to his notes, this wolf was the Heir of the Talon Pack. The Heir apparently held some worth. McMaster wanted that for himself. He’d already set forth plans to ensure this Heir would be his. The wolves wouldn’t know what hit them.