Page 41

T he following morning, I decided to take a look around. I try calling Kade a couple of times before I decide to venture out and see what was nearby; I doubted it very much. Besides the road at the end of the long driveway, I saw nothing but trees.

I had just finished eating the last of the crackers which I had for breakfast; the cereal was stale and rock hard.

He told me someone stocked the place, but everything was already opened, and half gone.

Even the milk went bad overnight. But hunger pains are something I know I will get used to.

Hunger was the least of our problems in the orphanage, and we would have to scavenge for food, or sometimes the kids would sneak us stuff.

That didn't last long, though, not after one of them got caught and smacked.

We told them not to worry about us and that we would earn our keep.

So I knew I could last a while without eating, but since Kade has been ignoring me since I interrupted his meeting, I know I have to look around to see what I can find in case he doesn't return.

First, I investigate the back of the cabin, which is putting it nicely.

It look more like a cubby house some kids built.

I find an old barrel which I figure will come in handy to do some washing, so I spend a good chunk of the morning soaking the bed-lined and torn curtains before rewiring the clothes line as best I can.

It leans to one side and has barely enough line to hang the linen and curtains on.

Once I finish that, the sun is high in the sky, and the heat make me exhausted, but still, I power through the need to lay down and rest. I make my way through the forest at the back, wanting to shift, but instead wandering around searching for berries or anything remotely edible.

I find a few birds' nests but am too tired to even attempt to climb the trees to retrieve them.

I also find a small dam. It is shallow; the water looks slimy and murky.

With a sigh, I turn back around and head back toward the cabin.

Quickly checking the clothesline, I’m walking back to the front door when I notice the car parked along the road. I stare at it, wondering if it is Kade, yet as I stroll across the vast dead lawn along the dirt driveway, it screeches as its tires tear off down the road.

Wiping my forehead, I turn back to the cabin, thinking they must have had the wrong address.

Stepping inside the cabin, the tin roof has heated inside to the point that it is hotter inside than outside.

It’s like an oven, so hot that after twenty minutes, it is becoming difficult to breathe.

I must have passed out because the next thing I know, I’m waking up to Kade shaking my arm.

Startled, I lurch upright and glanced around. I had fallen asleep on the futon.

"Some of my patrols saw you in the forest. What were you doing?" he asked. I blinked at him.

"Pardon?" I ask, rubbing my eyes and peering at the windows. It was dark outside. Did I really sleep the rest of the day away? I shake my head, trying to regather my thoughts.

"I said my patrol saw you sneaking through the forest. Now, what were you doing out there?" he demanded. I furrow my brows in confusion. It was only a forest.

"I was just looking around. I was also trying to see if there were any berries," I tell him. Kade clicks his tongue, and I reach out for him, needing some contact to know he is really here and not just in my dazed thoughts.

"I can't have you running through the forest, Abbie. It is dangerous out there," he tells me, yet I saw nobody, not a single person or strange scent. He growls angrily.

"And to think I was going to reward you, but after such behavior, I don't know if I should!" he growls.

"I can come home with you?" I ask, excited.

"What? No! It's unsafe; I have told you this," he says, shaking his head at me. He gets up, moving toward the small kitchen.

"I see you cleaned up," he states, glancing around at the small area. Yet I scoot to the edge of the bed when I see he has some plastic bags on the small counter. My mouth waters when I catch a whiff of something hot to eat.

My stomach growls embarrassingly loudly at the smell of food. Kade smiles, digging through the bag before coming over to me. He sets a plastic container in my lap full of pasta and meatballs. "I had my housekeeper cook you some dinner," he says, passing me a fork.

I look up at him, waiting for him to sit with me. "You're not eating with me?" I ask.

"No, I already ate before heading over here.

" Instead, he watches me while I eat, which I have never ever been so self-conscious of before. His eyes mak my skin prickle with goosebumps as if he is judging the way I ate. Or maybe I’m reading too much into it.

When I finish, I wash the container and turned it upside down on the counter.

"See what being good gets you?" Kade says, and I peer up at him. "Good?" I ask him.

"Yes, of course. You behave, and I reward you.

Today I let you off easily with you wandering around.

You understand why I can't have that, right?

" he asks. I swallow because I don't see an issue with what I did, yet the look on his face when I don't immediately reply tells me I have done something terrible.

"I was only looking for berries. I was hungry," I tell him.

"I told you I would bring you back food," he says, rustling the bag at me.

"How do you expect to be my Luna when you can't follow simple conditions?"

"But you never said I couldn't look around,"

"Well, now you know. Don't forget your place, Abbie! You are my Luna. I am your Alpha. What I say goes. What would happen if I presented a disobedient Luna to my pack? I would be the laughing stock. You need to think hard about your actions," he scolds.

"Now, put these away before I change my mind. I will think of something suitable for punishment for your actions," he says, sauntering off to sit on the couch. I stare after him before looking at the bag of groceries.

"That should last you a couple of days," he says, and I nod. Pulling the stuff out, I find a fresh loaf of bread, coffee, and three liters of milk. Packing half the bag away, I turn to glance at Kade, who is texting on his phone.

"Did you get sugar for the coffee?" I asked, chewing my lip. I knew that brand of coffee. It was nasty and cheap. Extremely bitter tasting, Mrs. Daley called it visitors coffee when she bought it, and it was the only coffee we were allowed.

"I will drop you some sugar cubes tomorrow. Try not to use too many. You always chatter too much when you're hyped on sugar," he says, not even bothering to look up from his phone.

I swallow, a strange hollow feeling that sinks into my stomach. Shaking the feeling off, I retrieve the rest of the groceries, finding some dried meats and a bag of carrots. Not wanting to sound ungrateful, I put it away quickly. With the limited supplies, I don't want him taking any away.

"Come here, my love," he says, waving me forward.

I hesitantly move toward him. I stop just out of reach, and he looks up at me.

When he reaches for me, I step back, wondering why he is being like this.

Didn't he miss me as I did him? My bond cries out for him, but all he has done is scold me since being here. Is the bond not the same for men?

"Why are you being like this? Have I hurt you? No! I haven't, have I?" He answers his own question. "I would never hurt you, Abbie! So why are you so fearful?" he snaps.

"I was going to punish you, but I changed my mind. I would rather give you something else. Something I know you will love," he says, motioning me toward him. I shuffle my feet, but he grows impatient, reaching over and pulling me down between his legs.

He sweeps my hair over one shoulder, and I peer up at him over my shoulder.

"Let me make you my official Luna," he purrs at me.

My bond flares excitedly. He was officially claiming me.

That meant he wanted me, that he loved me.

I nod, and he kisses my cheek before gripping my chin and tilting my head back further and kissing me deeply.

His tongue tastes every part of my mouth before he pulls away, leaving me breathless.

He brushes my cheek gently with the back of his hand, then turns my face away before sinking his teeth into my neck.

Pain slices through me, but only briefly when I feel the bond come alive with full force.

Sparks rush over my entire body as I feel the bond snap into place.

Kade pulls me onto his lap, cradling me against his chest. He kisses my nose and I feel my canines slip out.

My soul is screaming out for his, and I lean forward, eager to mark him in return.

Yet, at the last second, he pulls away from me. "I said I was being lenient, Abbie. I didn't say you could mark me! Not after you disobeyed me earlier!" he snaps at me. It is as if he punched me in the stomach.

"But…" he places a finger to my lips.

"When you prove you can be trusted and do as you're told, I will allow it. Maybe once you go into heat," he tells me. My face heats at his rejection, and I turn in his lap, tears pricking my eyes, but I hold them back.

"Now, now, don't be upset. I can still mindlink you, so at least I can keep you company when I am not here. You just can't talk to me back. But you can hear me," he tells me.

"Now get some rest. I will be back tomorrow," he tells me, getting up while I touch my fingers to my neck. Pulling my hand back, my fingertips are covered in blood. I stare at the door after he leaves, trying to figure out what it means.