Star Cursed (Zodiac Wolves #2)(67)

Kaden noticed and searched my eyes with a frown. "You've been distant ever since we returned from visiting the Sagittarius pack. Is something wrong?"

"I'm just stressed about the solar eclipse," I said, looking down.

"Hmm, I think there's more to it than that." He tilted my chin up so I had to look at him. "Spit it out, or I'll pin you down and drag it out of you."

I cracked a wry grin. "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

"Ayla..." His voice held a warning in it. "Tell me."

"Fine, it was something Eileen said the other night."

Kaden tensed, his next words a growl. "She spoke to you? What did she say?"

"Nothing bad. Not in the way you're thinking, anyway." I packed my camera in its bag, mostly to avoid looking at Kaden as I got the next words out. "She made me wonder what would happen if you ever found your real mate. Like she did when you were together."

"I see." He took my hand in his and began leading me forward. "Come. Walk with me."

As the sky darkened, he guided me through the forest, until we reached a part of the lake I hadn't visited before, nestled between thick trees. He moved to stand on the edge of the water and turned toward me.

"Do you remember when we first met at the waterfall?" Kaden asked.

"Of course. Your wolf almost tore my throat out."

"That's probably how it seemed to you, but the truth was my wolf lunged at you because he wanted to claim you right there. I didn't know what it meant at the time." His mouth twisted in a sardonic grin. "I thought I'd just gone too long without getting laid and my wolf was punishing me for it. But then I went to the Convergence and felt drawn to you there too. Enough so, that I stayed invisible to watch what happened after we left. That's when I realized what I felt had to be the mate bond—it just couldn't be completed because you didn't have your wolf yet."

My heart stuttered in my chest, and suddenly it became hard to breathe. "You knew back then?"

He rested his hands on my shoulders. "Yes and no. There was no doubt in my mind, at least until the mating ritual, when you were bound to Jordan. When I saw that, I assumed I must have been wrong, because how could you be mated to someone else when you were mine?"

"But now we know the mate bond is fake," I whispered, staring up at Kaden with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Exactly. Once I learned that I became certain that what I'd felt back at the Convergence was real. I'm sure that after we remove the false bond with Jordan, our true mate bond will emerge."

"How can you be sure?" I wanted to believe Kaden was my true mate, but it was terrifying to put so much faith in something that might be setting me up for heartbreak.

"I've known it since the moment we first met. I tried to resist, tried to tell myself it couldn't be real, but eventually I had to face the truth. You are my mate." He took my hand and pressed it over his heart. "I think you know it too."

I nodded slowly, letting the certainty fill me. I'd felt something when we first met too, and every moment since, but for so long it had been a constant struggle between my feelings for Kaden and the mate bond's pull toward Jordan. I'd never been able to fully trust what I felt for Kaden because in the background Jordan was always there. Knowing he was my brother, and that the mate bond was all a lie, removed that barrier to some degree. I couldn't wait 'til I was completely free of the mate bond and could be with Kaden fully, without hesitation or fear of the future.

Kaden looked down at me, and in his eyes, I saw red hot possessive desire. I was helpless to resist as his hands slid up my waist. It had been days since he'd touched me like this, and I craved it like I craved food or water. As he lowered his head to claim my mouth, I softened against him instantly, melding my body to his. I’d never had something feel quite so right in my life. Mate, mate, mate, my soul hummed, growing louder than the mate bond for once, and I finally decided to listen to it.

Kaden’s hand found my hair and wove the strands through his fingers. I moaned at the slight pressure and reached up to press my hands against his naked chest. His skin was hot beneath my fingertips despite the cool night air around us, and I pressed myself closer against him. He was already hard, the hot line of his cock nudging against my hip, and I ground against him a little. Tiny shocks of pleasure went through my body at the promise of what was going to happen next.

Kaden broke away with a growl and took the hem of my shirt in his hands. I lifted my arms obediently, letting him strip me, and then shucked my own jeans off. Once I was naked, Kaden’s eyes skimmed over my body. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to the way he looked at me, like he couldn't get enough, and never would.

“Off,” I said, pushing at his jeans.

Kaden arched an eyebrow. “A little demanding tonight, aren’t we?”

“It's your fault for doing that sexy lumberjack routine."

Kaden chuckled low in his throat and dropped his jeans, springing his cock free. I watched, each inch of bared skin taking my breath away. He was so beautiful, each line of his body perfectly sculpted as if by the moon goddess herself. The starlight reflected off his skin, and I wanted to reach out and trace the areas where light faded into shadow and map out every inch of his body to my touch.