Star Cursed (Zodiac Wolves #2)(10)

His mouth crashed down on mine, and I let out a soft gasp at the sudden burst of lust inside me. Then his hands were on my chin, in my hair, pulling me closer as he kissed me. I kissed him back with the same intensity, unable to stop myself, touching his chest, his shoulders, his jaw. The knot that had been in my stomach since we'd first become mates relaxed, all the tension leaving my body as I finally gave in to the inevitable. Jordan was mine, and I was his.

No, something deep inside of me screamed. Thoughts of Kaden’s lips on mine crowded into my head, overtaking the physical sensation of kissing my mate for the first time. But there was something else too, and as the kiss went on longer, the feeling grew stronger. Something was wrong, out of place, like I’d walked into my home and found it completely rearranged. The wrongness of it all grew stronger with each second Jordan kissed me, filling me with confusion...and horror.

I shoved Jordan away with a gasp, finally propelled into motion. Jordan's eyes were clouded with lust as he looked at me in confusion, and I scrambled to get my thoughts together. Damn quick tongue, where are you now?

“I—I need time,” I said, stuttering over the words. From the way that Jordan’s fingers tightened around my shoulders, I worried he wouldn’t listen, the words I'd take great pleasure in pinning you to the ground swimming around in my head. If he kissed me again, I wasn't sure I could resist him—I'd barely managed to end it this time. Everything was so jumbled up in my head, a whirlwind of lust, need, disgust, hatred, and longing. All I knew was that I wanted Jordan away from me.

"Time?" he asked, though thankfully he let me go.

I looked at him with pleading eyes, letting down my guard for once, showing him my vulnerability. “Please try to understand how hard this is for me. You rejected me at the Convergence and my pack was killed. Then I woke up with the Ophiuchus pack without any time to adjust or grieve, and just when I felt like I was settling in there, you brought me here, locked me up, and told me everything they said was a lie. And now I’ve just learned that I’m part witch too?" I let out a strained laugh. "It’s a lot to process."

Jordan's brow furrowed, but he nodded slowly. "I understand."

It was absolutely the last thing I expected from him. Everything I knew of him said that he was a selfish asshole who didn't care about the feelings of others, but for some reason, he was listening to me. Technically, nothing I'd said was a lie, but now I had to really sell it. "I want to be your mate, I do. But I’d appreciate it if you gave me a little time to get used to everything first.”

"Of course." A grin appeared on his handsome face, nearly blinding me with his good looks. "I have an idea of something that will help you."

“An idea?” I asked, suddenly uneasy.

“More like a gift, actually,” Jordan said, which didn't make me feel any better. This new Jordan was way too level-headed and kind, and I didn't trust him one bit. I wished he'd go back to the guy who'd tried to kill me—that guy I understood, at least.

“What is it?” I asked, trying to keep the suspicion out of my voice.

Still grinning, Jordan stood up and held his hand out for me to take. “You’ll see.”





Chapter Five





We left the garden and headed into the village, which looked like a typical suburb full of big SUVs, perfectly mowed lawns, and basketball hoops in driveways. There was nothing that showed the place was full of shifters, no hint that there was anything out of the ordinary until you caught a glimpse of a wolf loping past or a woman in a burnt orange robe glaring at you. I shuddered and hurried after Jordan.

We stopped in front of a two-story sand-colored house that looked like all the others, except this one was surrounded by guards. All of my alarm bells started ringing and I cast Jordan a wary glance. Where was he taking me now?

He just gave me an enigmatic smile and opened the front door. "Come on. Your surprise is inside."

As he motioned me inside, my nose caught the scent of someone familiar. I stopped dead in my tracks, not believing my own senses, but then rushed forward. I had to see for sure. I blinked as my gaze adjusted once again from the glaring sun to the cool interior of the house, and a familiar figure with long, dark hair turned around.

“Mira?” I asked, my heart leaping into my throat.

“Ayla!” She launched herself at me, and I found myself running forward to meet her halfway. I hadn’t seen her since the Convergence when Mira had left with the Pisces pack. She'd been practically dragged away by her new mate after the Pisces alpha had refused to help me for fear of retribution from the Leo pack. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since we'd seen each other.

I wrapped Mira up in a tight hug, nearly sobbing with relief at seeing her unharmed and in front of me, especially after what I'd been through the last few days. I'd been surrounded by the enemy for so long, unable to trust anyone, and it was exhausting. Even in the Ophiuchus pack, I'd felt some of that, though they hadn't been as hostile. They’d all been together for years, or since birth, and I’d been an interloper. Even after joining the pack, I would have had to build years of trust with the pack members before being truly accepted. But with Mira, it wasn't like that. She'd been my one true friend for my entire life, and I’d known her for so long that I couldn’t remember a time when I hadn’t trusted her.