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“Captain America,” he stated, wrinkling his nose. “I think we’re gonna have to call it even on the originality, Princess.” His arms snaked through the bars, hanging on either side of me like some sort of twisted embrace. He shrugged, “I mean, if you want to tell me your name….”

“No,” I snapped, dropping my hands as I prepared to step away before I did something truly stupid, like tell him. He stirred up feelings, emotions I’d never felt before, and knew better than to act on. His eyes were bright in the dark cell, glinting happily even though he was locked in a cage. I could almost swear he was content to remain here. “I should go,” I muttered, backing away when one of his long arms snagged my baggy shirt, stopping me. “What are you doing?” I asked snappishly, almost sighing at the attempt to delay me. The thought of being afraid didn’t even enter my mind since I knew I could easily get away.

“Making the best mistake of my life,” he answered cryptically, his mouth stopping the automatic question about to escape me. My parted lips gave him an advantage as he caught my lower lip between his teeth, sucking lightly. Stunned disbelief held me frozen as I experienced my first kiss at the hands of this intruder, a prisoner whose life would be forfeit if my grandmother knew what he was doing.

A sharp sting had me jerking my head back as blood welled on my lip. “What the hell? What have you done?” I hissed, as I gingerly prodded the swollen bite mark. Red smeared the tip of my finger as something slammed into my mind, unstoppable and irrevocable. “What have you done?” I choked, staring at the blood on my hand. I looked up at him then and saw the apology on his face.

I’m sorry. I didn’t just see his sincerity, I could feel it as I stumbled away from him, shaking my head.

You shouldn’t have done that, I thought, unable to speak past the fear threatening to choke me. My heart raced frantically, each beat telling me to run.

I’m sorry. It was the only thing I could think of to make you give me a chance.

My eyes flashed to his at that and the way his head jerked back, I knew my single blue eye glowed white. “You should have thought harder,” I managed to grit out, the words barely audible but I knew he heard them as his Adam’s apple bobbed. I stumbled up the stairs before falling on all fours and crawling the final steps. His regret was a balloon filling my head until I couldn’t hear my own thoughts and out of desperation, I shifted.

Bones cracked and tendons shredded as my body twisted in on itself, but the excruciating pain pushed him from my mind as my body knitted itself back together in the form of a slender golden wolf, one blue eye and one amber eye shining in the dark night.

Smells bombarded me instantly, his scent overwhelming, and my legs moved before my mind could form a thought, powerful strides taking me down a familiar path as they carried me far away from my mate.

Chapter Six

Caleb

Regret swelled as she disappeared from view, her thoughts an anguished knot that threatened to do me in. A sharp pain distracted me, growing into a burning agony that finally broke the connection my bite had formed between us and I collapsed on the hard ground, panting as it felt like every bone in my body was trying to heal itself from imaginary breaks.

I rolled onto my back as my chest heaved, jerky breaths escaping me. The night sky shined above me between the iron bars of my cage and I stared at them until the pain eased, leaving only a glowing ember in my mind, and I could feel it getting further away as her wolf ran.

I stared at the sky above, guilt flooding me as I contemplated what I’d done. Dom’s voice filled my head, the memory of one of his many lessons reprimanding me, “A good leader doesn’t force his will on those under his protection. He guides them and gives them the choice.” Remorse threatened to choke me as I remembered her face, the horror as she stared at the blood on her finger, and asked me what I’d done.

I rubbed my chest, the weight of a thousand anvils pressing down, as I admitted to myself that I’d forced my will on her. I didn’t need to try and imagine Dom’s disappointment because it couldn’t compare to my own. The memory of her face tormented me and I rolled myself up, yanking off the shorts in one smooth motion before I started the shift. The air shimmered and a sandy colored wolf appeared, bright blue eyes still cloudy from human thoughts.