Moon Touched (Zodiac Wolves: The Lost Pack #1)(29)
I certainly knew how that felt. Hope began to rise within me. I couldn’t help it. Was this the answer to my silent plea to the moon goddess? I looked away as we continued walking closer to the house until we stood right next to the porch steps. Could this lost pack provide me with the home I’d been searching for my whole life? A place where I would feel accepted, not shunned for being different? "How do I join?"
“If you want to be a part of this pack, you’ll have to follow my orders and prove yourself to me. Loyalty is earned, not given.” He crossed his arms. “Your training starts tomorrow, and every day you will prove your usefulness to the pack by cleaning a building I assign to you.” He smirked as if it brought him joy. “From now on, you’ll be the pack janitor.”
And just like that, I was back to being the outcast, the lowest of the low, a position all too familiar to me. They were no different from the other packs, and fuck, I was so tired of being treated like trash.
I glared up at him. “So it’s not enough that you want me to risk my life for you as bait? Now I have to do your dirty work too?”
Anger flared in his eyes as he moved toward me with a clear threat. I stumbled back until I hit the wall behind me, my breath leaving me in a rush. He pressed his hands on either side of the wall beside my head, effectively trapping me so I couldn’t slip out from under his arms, and leaned in close. Very close.
His body was hot and hard and only inches away from mine. Now I couldn’t catch my breath for an entirely different reason. Despite his awful personality, I couldn’t help the rush of desire that ran through me, especially when I breathed in his scent. It drove my inner wolf wild, and though I was terrified of him, I wanted him too. Even with the guilt tearing me up inside, reminding me he wasn't my mate, that I belonged to someone else—even if that someone else wanted nothing to do with me.
“Let me make one thing crystal clear,” Kaden said in my ear, lips so close I could feel the warm air as he spoke. “I’m the alpha. This is my pack. My family.”
I shivered at the possessiveness in his voice. What would it be like to have an alpha who cared about me that much? Or a mate, for that matter?
“I’m giving you a chance,” he continued. “If you prove your loyalty, you will never be mistreated or abused, only welcomed as family. But if you do anything—anything—to betray or hurt my pack in any way…” He trailed off and inhaled deeply. Probably smelling my fear and my desire, mixed together. “You won’t live long enough to regret it.”
"More threats," I said, unable to help myself. Being so close to him made me feel reckless. "But would you really go through with them? Or is your bark worse than your bite?"
He took my chin in his hand, forcing me to meet his eyes. "If you keep challenging me, you'll find out soon enough."
As we stared at each other, the heat between us became undeniable. My chest rose and fell as I looked into those hard blue eyes, and then my gaze fell to his mouth. Was it bad I secretly wanted to know what his bite was like? I licked my lips, a knee-jerk reaction, and his fingers tightened on my chin in response. For a second I thought he’d lean in, either to nip at my lips or kiss me hard, and it surprised me how much I wanted that. I held my breath, staying completely still as I waited for him to make his move. I must have made some small noise because his eyes left my lips, and when he met my gaze again, his face turned hard once more. He let me go and stepped back, crossing his arms as he waited for my answer.
I stood up straighter and tried to regulate my breathing. "Fine, I'll be your janitor. Anything else?"
"Just get inside," he growled. Then he turned away and stalked into the forest without another word.
Chapter Twelve
I watched as the trees swallowed Kaden up, and then I was alone with my two bodyguards, who were conveniently looking everywhere but me.
“Is he always like that?” I asked, trying to diffuse the strange tension that still lingered in the air. I thought they’d both ignore me, but the smaller one cracked a grin.
“Pretty much,” he said.
“Shut up, Jack,” the bigger one growled, lightly shoving the smaller male’s shoulder.
“He's always so dramatic,” a female voice said, and I turned back to the house, startled by the sound. Only another shifter could have moved so quietly. A young woman with shoulder-length dark hair stood on the porch, an easy grin on her face. “Don’t let him scare you too much,” she said. “Once you get to know him, Kaden’s a big softie.”
"Somehow I find that hard to believe," I muttered.
She grinned wider at that. “I’m Stella."
“Ayla,” I replied. “How do you know Kaden?”
“Oh, he’s my brother.”
Brother? The thought of Kaden having a sister who could smile and joke seemed impossible. It stood to reason that with an attitude that bad, he’d inherited it. Looking over her once more, I could see the resemblance. If Kaden smiled more, he’d probably look strikingly similar to her.
Stella jerked her head toward the house. “Come inside.”
She opened the door and motioned me through. I stopped in the entrance, taking in the dark wood and vaulted ceiling, along with the huge windows that let an exceptional amount of natural light in. The house was huge but somehow still felt cozy, and looked like a fancy ski lodge from one of the photography books Wesley had gotten me. The forest was visible on all sides, making it feel as if the house was part of nature, instead of a shelter from it.