Moon Touched (Zodiac Wolves: The Lost Pack #1)(77)

Jordan held out his hand to me. "It's done. Now come with me."

I wanted to slap his hand away, to tell him to shove it up his ass, but I bit my tongue and took it instead. The instant we touched, the mate bond screamed yes, yes, yes, and I wanted to both cry and cheer as it swept through me. Jordan's presence filled my mind, becoming so big it blocked out every other sound and sight except for him. He was my world. My everything. My mate.

NO, my mind screamed. Kaden is the one, not him.

I clung tightly to that small shred of my sanity as Jordan helped me into the backseat of the van, never once letting go of me. He slid in beside me and offered me a blanket to cover myself with. I glared at him as I wrapped it around myself.

As we pulled away, I saw Kaden standing in the trees on a ridge above us, where he must have had a full view of me willingly getting in the car. Dark fury twisted his face, but there was something else there too. Something like heartbreak.

I knew exactly what he was thinking—that I couldn't resist the mate bond and decided to be with Jordan after all. Just like he'd said I would. I reached my hand back toward Kaden, placing it flat against the window, wanting to scream his name and tell him I had to do it to save the pack, but we were already gone. I lost sight of my alpha in the trees as the car drove off.

“It’s going to be a long journey back to Leo territory,” Jordan said, as he stroked my hand with his thumb in a way that made my body ache for more of his touch, even as I cursed his existence. “I need to make sure you don’t try to escape again. You’re surprisingly good at that."

"I won't escape," I said, lying between my teeth. As soon as night fell, I'd be out of here. I'd run back to Kaden so I could explain everything. As long as I could get Jordan to stop touching me.

"No, you won't." He opened a small box, pulling out a syringe. His hand moved to my arm, gripping tightly, as I realized what he was doing. "I'll make sure of it."

"No!" I pressed myself against the car door, trying to get as far away from the needle as possible, but Jordan boxed me in, looming over me. I tried to jerk away, but Jordan's hold was strong, and his touch made me weak.

Jordan’s cold, arrogant expression didn’t change as he lowered the syringe to my arm. I turned away from him, unable to bear looking into his face any longer, while the sharp pinch made my breath catch. I clawed at the door handle, trying to get it to open, but whatever Jordan had injected me with was fast-acting, and my limbs quickly stopped working. No, I tried to scream, but I blacked out before I could even get the word out.





Chapter Thirty-Two





I woke surrounded by iron bars. Fuck, this is becoming a bad habit, I thought.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe I was dreaming, and when I opened my eyes I’d be in my room, and none of this would have happened.

No such luck. When I opened my eyes again, I was still looking at the interior of a strange cell. Did all the packs have prisons or just the two I'd been captured by? The Cancer pack had never had one, which I was suddenly grateful for. Dad would have locked me up in one at least once out of spite.

I started to take in my surroundings when I felt a tug on the bond. Shit. I knew exactly who was coming.

Jordan strolled into the room, a smug smirk on his gorgeous face. “I’m glad to see you’re awake."

"I find that hard to believe." I crossed my arms. "Where am I?"

"You're in Leo territory. Welcome home."

"Home?" I glared at him. "Have you forgotten how you rejected me at the Convergence? How your pack killed my family? And how you seemed pretty intent on killing me too?"

“A lot has changed, Ayla.” Jordan spread his arms wide, and a ripple of desire went through me at the sight. “Thanks to you, I’m the alpha of the Leo pack now. With the help of the Sun Witches, I'll soon rule over all of the other packs—and you'll rule by my side, as my alpha queen."

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The idea was so ridiculous, it was comical. “I will never be with you. I’d rather be dead.”

Jordan's face changed, losing the charm and replacing it with something sinister. "The way you look at me says otherwise."

“Why didn’t you just have someone kill me?" I asked, focusing on my anger. It helped distract me from the need to throw myself at his feet. "Or why not ask the Sun Witches to remove the bond so you can be free of me?" I snorted. "Me, the half-human mutt. That's what you called me, after all, when you said you wanted me to suffer. Or have you realized that the best way to make me suffer is to force me to be with you?"

His eyes gleamed, and I thought he might lunge forward and strike me like he'd done back at the Convergence. "You're mine, Ayla. And like I said, things have changed. I have big, big plans for you.”

“Oh great,” I said. “Can’t wait to hear them.”

Jordan’s face went even darker, but he just turned away and left. No offer of food or water. The door slammed behind him without another word, and I was alone once again.

I sank down onto the cot, my anger dispersing, only to be replaced by hopelessness. I was being held captive by my worst enemies, and no one was going to rescue me. Kaden wouldn’t come after me. Not after what he’d seen. I was truly on my own.