Untamed - Book 1

“Today has made it quite clear who our enemies are,” He looks at Cora before speaking again, “and has brought us an unlikely ally. Our pack is strong and by understanding the mistakes of our ancestors, we will become that much stronger.” After a few moments of quiet, the room begins to fill with people shouting their agreement and cheering for my father, all of them seeing Cora in a new light. As I walk her out of the great hall, many of the members stop her to apologize for their families roll in her mother’s death, praise her for her strength to come forward about it and thank her for her role in revealing the truth. When we finally reach the foyer, I lead her upstairs to the third floor, which serves as my own personal apartment. It has 3 bedrooms, my study, 3 bathrooms, a living room and a full kitchen. I take her to one of the guest rooms and watch as she slowly steps inside, curiously exploring every small detail, but her face gives away no sign of how she is feeling.

“Will this room be okay?” She turns to face me and gives me a hesitant nod.

“It will. Lady Laurent…” Realizing that is what she was worrying about, I quickly interrupt her.

“She is locked up. Her father is due to arrive tomorrow and when he does, he will join her.” She visibly relaxes and I can practically feel the tension leave the room with her deep exhale.

“What are you going to do about the council’s requirement for you to take a mate?” I try to fight back my smile, but quickly fail. With everything that has happened, she has shown concern for everyone but herself.

“I will deal with the council. The whole situation with Laurent might buy me more time, but if it doesn’t, I will figure something out.” She sighs and slowly walks over to the bed, setting her bag down near the bottom and I watch as her hand reaches up and grasps Luca’s amulet tightly.

“If my help is no longer needed, I should contact Darius in the morning and get the information from him. I feel like I am running out of time.” At the mention of her leaving, I want to argue with her and convince her to stay, though I know it would be selfish for me to try. Selfish or not, my mind is dredging up every possible reason to keep her here, to keep her safe.

“What if you stay and help with ensuring the rogues families are returned? Once we have Laurent in custody and the wolves are set free, I can help you get Luca back.” She stares at me in silence for what seems like an eternity.

“I will stay until their families are returned, but I can’t let you come with me, alpha. You had asked me why Luca wanted me to let him go. It is because this very well may be a suicide mission. I can’t let others die for my cause. I can’t let them risk everything for me, I won’t.” I close the distance between us and pull her into my arms, wrapping them tightly around her. The warmth and jolt from touching her has intensified, becoming an overwhelmingly addicting current. Her arms slowly snake around my waist, nuzzling her face into my chest as she takes a deep breath and slowly exhales. I can both hear and feel the rapid beat of her heart and it only makes me want to hold her tighter. She slowly pulls away from me, her brow furrowed as she stares awkwardly at her hands. I watch in fascination as she reaches out and takes my hand in hers, tilting her head as if studying a strange new thing that she can’t seem to wrap her head around.

“Can you feel that?” I smile as she gently trails her fingers over the palm of my hand, tracing the lines while sending waves of energy through me.

“Yeah, I can feel it.” Her eyes follow the trail her fingers are making.

“What is it? Why is it only when I touch you?” I smile as she asks aloud the question I have been silent asking myself since the day at the lake.

“I don’t know. I had a theory, but it was blown out of the water when our wolves met.” Her eyes meet mine, the confusion and excitement both clearly visible.

“And what was this theory?” I feel my cheeks flush slightly and my lips curl into a soft smile.