Star Cursed (Zodiac Wolves #2)(53)

“Stella,” Kaden said, but it wasn’t a true warning. He still made no move to widen the space between us, so I supposed it was fine that she knew.

She let out a laugh and went to punch her brother in the arm. “I knew it! Took you long enough.” Then she spotted the mark on my neck and her jaw dropped. "Oh shit. Is that what I think it is?"

I self-consciously adjusted my shirt as my cheeks grew warm. Even though the wound had healed days ago, a tiny mark would always be there, showing everyone that Kaden had claimed me. She punched her brother again, squealing.

Kaden shoved her off with a grumble, and Stella went back to her side of the counter, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Say it. I want to watch Kaden die with embarrassment on the inside.”

“We’re together,” I said, the words feeling strange on my lips.

Stella’s grin was wicked as she watched Kaden shake his head and run a hand through his hair. “You know you’ll have to tell me everything. I mean, not the gory details, because yuck, but I want to know what finally changed his mind.”

“That's enough,” Kaden said.

“You know, I was about to start placing bets on how long it would take you two to finally get together.” She cackled as Kaden glared at her, but she ignored all his protests. “So who made the first move?”

I shook my head and opened my mouth to humor her, but another sound came from outside. It sounded like someone was walking up to the door, and before I could look back over at Kaden and Stella to see their reactions, the person hammered on the door so hard that it groaned.

Someone shouted, and it sounded a little further away, and then there was the sound of someone else on the porch. “Shit,” Stella said. “I was hoping that this wouldn’t happen.”

Kaden stood up and put himself in front of me. I could see he was preparing himself for a fight, metaphorical hackles raised as he faced the door. I looked over at Stella, who looked grim. Kaden’s free hand was clenched into a fist as he opened the door.

Tanner stood outside, and I let my guard down a little until I saw his face. He was angry and looked as ready for a fight as Kaden did. I blanched. What was going on?

“Tanner,” Kaden said, cool as a cucumber. “I don’t suppose you’re here to welcome me home.”

Tanner was big and muscular, and I'd always thought he looked like a surfer, with long blond hair—but now he'd cut it short, almost military-style, and it gave him a much harder edge. He filled the doorway, blocking the outside light fading into dusk, and I watched him take in the room. His eyes settled on me, and the anger in them flared.

“She needs to leave,” Tanner said, raising a hand and pointing to me. "She doesn't belong here."

Shit, I thought. Not this again.





Chapter Twenty-Three





I stood up, my fight or flight systems engaged, and I wasn’t about to flee. This was my pack, and I wasn’t about to be kicked out of it. I’d spent my whole life being an outcast, and I was sick of it.

“What the fuck, Tanner?” I asked. "I thought we were friends."

"That was before you brought the Leos." Tanner’s lip curled, but he stepped back.

At first, I thought he was backing down, but as I looked over his shoulder, I realized he was letting us see the crowd gathering outside. Faces I’d grown to know and trust stared back at me. Some looked angry, others nervous, and a few looked confused.

“The pack doesn’t want her here," Tanner said. "She’s not one of us.”

Suddenly, the presence of the crowd made startlingly clear sense. They were here for a confrontation with their alpha. With me. Flashbacks of being in the Cancer pack ran down my spine, and my throat tightened. I thought I'd escaped the shame of being the unwanted member of the pack, yet here we were again.

A deep growl issued from Kaden’s throat. “She’s a member of the Ophiuchus pack, just like you and me. Pack mark and everything. I assume your memory is good enough to remember that she passed the tests and accepted the mark.” Tanner opened his mouth to speak, but Kaden raised his hand to stop him. “And beyond that, Ayla is my mate, and the pack’s new alpha female.”

A flurry of whispers went through the crowd as people looked amongst themselves as if trying to figure out what to do, or how to react to this news. I was just as shocked as everyone else hearing Kaden speak those words. I knew we were together and that he'd claimed me, but for him to announce it to the entire pack was beyond anything I'd ever expected. And calling me his alpha female? Oh shit. I was so not prepared for that.

"There's no mate bond between the two of you," another man said with a scowl. I recognized him as one of the men who rescued me. The one who'd thrown me in the back of the van. "She's still mated to the Leo alpha."

That brought up another flurry of whispers among the crowd. I spotted Harper and Jack out there, both of them looking worried, yet neither of them could do anything to stop this.

Kaden tilted his chin up as he addressed the crowd. “I’ve marked Ayla as my female, and anyone who has a problem with her has a problem with me."

This time the unrest was a bit louder, and I saw some of the expressions change to horror. A few people shook their heads. I’d never seen so much blatant disrespect shown toward Kaden.