Star Cursed (Zodiac Wolves #2)(13)

I lifted the sleeve of my shirt a bit higher so Mira could see the pack mark there. She reached out and touched it like she couldn't believe it was real.

"And their alpha?" Mira asked, raising her eyebrows. "I saw him at the Convergence. He seemed intense...and hot."

"Kaden,” I said, unable to keep the emotion out of my voice as I said his name. "He wants revenge on the Leos for killing his parents, and he trained me to fight. He..." My throat tightened. "He's the best alpha I've ever known."

She sat back, studying me. "You say his name like a benediction. What happened, did you fall in love with him?”

Damn, was it that obvious? "No, it's...complicated. I have feelings for him, but we can't be together because we aren’t mates.”

"Yeah, but Jordan rejected you at the Convergence," she pointed out. "Although now it seems like he's changed his mind."

I snorted. “Trust me, I’m just as confused about his change of heart as you are."

"How did you end up here?"

I looked down, staring at my hands as I relived the awful memory. "The Ophiuchus pack was attacked by the Leos and the Sun Witches. Kaden managed to defeat the Leo alpha, but the pack was still in danger. I agreed to come with Jordan to save them. He's been holding me prisoner ever since."

"And now he's brought me here to show you what a good guy he is," Mira said, rolling her eyes.

"Exactly. I don't want to be with him, but every day it gets harder to resist the mate bond."

Mira leaned forward, meeting my eyes. "I know this sounds crazy, but hear me out. Are you sure you should resist it? Even when everything was terrible, the mate bond was the only thing that made sense to me."

"I can't be with Jordan. I hate him." I frowned as I said the words. Did I still hate him? I couldn't trust my own feelings anymore. "And even if I didn't, something about our mate bond is wrong. I can't explain it, but you have to believe me." I sat up straighter and held my hands out to Mira, who took them, even though she looked a bit confused. “I just need to escape and get back to the Ophiuchus pack. Then I can figure this out.”

Mira squeezed my hands. “I’ll help you however I can.”

“No." As nice as it would be to have Mira backing me, I couldn’t risk it. “That will put you and Aiden in danger. I can’t ask you to do that.”

She let out a huff. “No matter what happens with Aiden, you’re my sister. We’ve known each other since birth and I’ve always been there for you. I’m not going to stop now, just because it’s getting a bit scary.”

A swell of gratitude went through me. Of course she wouldn’t let me do this alone. She never had before. “There might be a way. I recently learned I have Moon Witch magic from my mom. It’s the only thing that saved me at the Convergence. I can teleport in the moonlight, and I used it to get away from Jordan. Maybe I can use it to help us escape.”

Mira nodded, not doubting me at all. “I know you’ll figure something out. I’m right there with you, the moment you decide you want to go.”

I squeezed her hands tight again and sent a silent prayer up to the moon goddess Selene, or anyone who would listen. Please, let us escape from this place. Before it's too late.





Chapter Six





I spent the next hour searching the house for any cameras or microphones—I wanted to make sure Jordan couldn't listen in on our conversations or watch me in the shower like some creepy perv. I found nothing, which made me feel a little better, although every time I looked out the window I saw one of the ever-present guards on patrol, reminding me I was still in a prison, even if this one was a lot nicer.

That afternoon, a woman arrived with all sorts of clothes in my size, plus shoes, underwear, bras, nightgowns, and even a few hats. When I asked where they came from, she simply smiled and said they were a gift from Jordan. About fifteen minutes after that, another female shifter showed up and filled our fridge and pantry with every food I could possibly think of, ranging from frozen pizzas to watermelon to wine. She told us if we needed anything else to let one of the guards know, and she'd get it for us as soon as she could. Mira was delighted—she loved to bake and immediately began making a list of things she wanted.

That night we ate one of the frozen pizzas since we were both too tired to cook, and settled in with some popcorn to watch a movie. The big TV in the living room had Netflix, Disney+, and every other streaming service I knew of, all thanks to Jordan. I had to admit, the guy was winning some major points, especially after I'd had none of this with the Ophiuchus pack. Kaden had banned me from anything involving the internet during my time there like he'd expected me to send out our coordinates through Hulu or some shit.

I found a Marvel movie that had come out right after the Convergence and put it on. Mira and I watched and chomped popcorn, and it felt almost...normal. For a few minutes, I forgot where I was, and about everything else, and just enjoyed being with my friend and getting lost in someone else's story.

"Pause it," Mira said when we were about halfway through. "I need more wine."

I chuckled and hit pause, then got up myself. "Good idea. I like the idea of drinking all of Jordan's wine and making him buy more. I need to pee anyway." I started to head toward the bathroom, but Mira let out a little noise of surprise. I turned around and saw her face. "What is it?"