Stolen and Forgiven (Branded Packs #1)(40)

She kept her face averted, absently pulling out a shirt before she moved across the small bedroom to hang it in the closet.

“What makes you think he didn’t?”

“I, better than anyone, understand the burden of duty.” Jonah’s voice was rough. No surprise. As Alpha, Jonah was taking the forced move of his people as a personal insult. “There are times when we all have to put our Pack before our own desires.”

Cora’s cat pressed against her skin, agitated by talk of the male that had denied her attempt to form a permanent bond.

“It was a long time ago.”

There was an awkward hesitation as her father watched her unpack the last of her clothing into the closet that was far too small to contain even a quarter of her wardrobe. Not that Cora was about to complain. She was one of the few who actually had her own space. Now that they were squashed into the same area as the dogs, they barely had room to breathe.

“You know, his mate died,” Jonah abruptly broke the silence.

She stilled, her hands crushing the silk shirt in her hands. “Father, I’m not interested in Soren.”

“Then prove it,” he commanded. “Come with me.”

And have her first meeting with Soren in over seven years be in front of an audience? Not a chance in hell.

“I have nothing to prove.”

“If that were true, you wouldn’t be hiding in your room.”

Heaving an aggravated sigh, she turned to glare at her father.

“Don’t you have a welcoming ceremony to attend?”

“Welcoming ceremony?” There was a glimpse of Jonah’s tiger in his eyes as he battled back his surge of frustration. If they’d been in their previous home, the male would already be shifted and hunting down something to kill. “More like a clusterf*ck waiting to happen. Dogs and cats weren’t meant to live together. If I were a betting man, I’d lay odds we won’t make it through the first meal without bloodshed.”

Cora dropped her shirt and crossed the floor to lay a hand on her father’s arm. She, better than anyone, understood the stress he was under.

It’d been hell when they’d been penned in a fenced compound, not to mention collared and branded like they were rabid animals. But Jonah had lost his beloved mate, Caroline, the mother of his children, during the initial roundup.

Now they were once again being punished, and her father was being squeezed between a rock and a hard place.

“It’s up to you to make sure that you find some way to create peace with the wolves, Father,” she reminded him. “The humans want us at each other’s throats.” Her hand lifted from his arm to touch the collar around his neck. At the same time, the overhead light picked up the stylized cat tattoo on her forearm that partially hid the ugly brand. Reminders of the cost of failure. “The SAU know we could break free of this prison if we ever find a way to work together.”

“You see.” A wry smile touched Jonah’s lips, softening his grim expression. “You have the voice of reason. I need you at my side.”

With a shake of her head, she gave her father a gentle push. “Go. Do your thing. I need to finish unpacking.”

“Stubborn,” the older man muttered, reluctantly heading toward the door.

“I love you, too,” she called out behind him.

Waiting for her father to leave along with her three younger brothers, Cora finished stowing away their belongings then headed into the shower. There was a limited amount of hot water. Why not indulge while everyone else was occupied?

It was nearly an hour later when she pulled on a tiny tee and matching boxers. Then, ignoring the sharp chill of the late October air, she stepped out the back door and sucked in a deep breath.

Instantly, she was surrounded by the tangy scent of pines, and the sweet hint of aster that was planted beneath the kitchen window. And…something else.

Something she recognized instantly.

Wolf musk.

She stiffened, her heart pounding. But not with fear. Instead, it was pure excitement that made her pulse leap and her palms sweat.

“Show yourself,” she commanded.

There was a rustle in the undergrowth before a tall male wearing nothing more than a faded pair of jeans stepped from the shadows.

Soren Slater.

Cora released a low hiss. The sight of him was like a punch to the gut.

Against her will, her gaze hungrily drank in the sight of the male she hadn’t seen for what felt like an eternity.

His shoulders were broad, and his bare chest was smoothly muscled as it tapered down to a narrow waist. The jeans that hung low on his hips emphasized his long legs.

He had tousled curls that were as dark and glossy as polished ebony, while his eyes were the color of cognac. He had a thin nose and sharply chiseled cheekbones a woman would kill to possess.

Over the years, she’d tried to tell herself that his finely carved features couldn’t be as impossibly beautiful as she remembered. Now, she couldn’t deny the impact of his male perfection.

Cora clenched her hands, her gut twisting with apprehension.

It wasn’t the shattering pain exploding through her that troubled her. She’d always known that this reunion would be agonizing. Even after all these years. No. Her unease was a direct response to her cat’s piercing joy at the sight of Soren.

The animal didn’t care that this male had used her as just another meaningless body in his bed. Or that he’d chosen another female to share his life.