Page 16 of Claimed by the Wolf (Wild Fated Shifters #1)

brYNN

D ark circles form underneath my eyes, and I try desperately to cover them up with makeup. The lack of sleep makes me squirrely and paranoid, jumping at my shadows in the halls of Emeric’s huge ranch house.

The halls seem impossibly long during the day, but at night, alone in my room, it’s even scarier. Every night, I worry that Emeric will finally come to consummate our union.

I rarely see him during the day. Like my brother and Nox, he spends his mornings and afternoons at the packhouse, running pack business, none of which pertains to me.

When I do see him, he’s polite, but distant, asking if the accommodations are sufficient and if I’m being treated well. I don’t understand him at all, and I’m torn between approaching him and leaving him in peace as my bond with Nox tears me apart inside.

I guess he hasn’t found a way to end it yet.

I walk through the empty hallways toward the dining room, where I’ll sit down to yet another solitary meal.

I text my brother over breakfast, my head pounding from lack of sleep.

Me: What’s going on ?

I want someone to talk to, to tell them what I’m going through. That I’m staying up all night, waiting for the door to open, for Emeric to storm in and claim what’s his, but simultaneously, I can’t see him doing that.

The truth is, I have no idea what kind of male Emeric is, and it’s driving me crazy.

I’m so alone here on the ranch, so isolated, despite having numerous staff members ready to attend to my every need.

It’s admittedly nice to have such a glorious suite with my own bathroom and living room.

But it’s lonely.

Brax texts me back almost immediately.

Brax: Hi! How is everything? Excited about the ceremony this weekend?

I stare at the message in disbelief, pushing my plate of almost untouched food away. Is he serious right now?

“Are the eggs all right, Miss Brynn? Should I get you something else?” One of the female staff members is at my side, shattering my annoyance.

I glance at the overeager servant. “No. The eggs are fine. I’m just not very hungry. Is the Alpha gone for the day?”

“Yes. Is there something I can help you with?”

I stand from the table, dejected. “No. I think I might take a walk.”

“I can pack you some snacks if you’re going to be gone a while.”

This life won’t be so bad. I can learn to be happy here, if only this constant ache in my chest would subside.

“I don’t think I’ll be gone long,” I tell her. “But thanks.”

My phone vibrates again, and I frown, eying the latest message.

Brax: Can I call you before I head into the packhouse ?

Eagerly, I text him back “yes” and turn toward my suite to speak privately before heading outside into the springtime morning.

I answer on the first ring, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice.

“Hello?”

“It’s good to hear your voice,” Brax says, and unexpected tears fill my eyes.

“Yours, too,” I admit, swallowing the lump in my throat. Inside my sitting room, I collapse onto a wing chair and press the phone to my ear.

“We’re all coming to the ceremony this weekend,” he tells me.

I sit up straighter. “All of you?”

“Well…” Brax hesitates. “Nox has been working on a way to break the bond.”

I press my lips together. “Okay.”

“Is Emeric treating you well?” he asks, changing the subject.

“Yes, he’s… nice.”

“That’s good.” Brax is trying desperately to sound upbeat, but he’s failing miserably.

“Why won’t Nox return my messages?” I whimper. “Has he said anything about me?”

“Brynn, you know why.”

I press my lips together so tightly, I’m surprised they don’t bleed.

“It’s just a text,” I mumble, more to myself than Brax.

“Do you need me to bring you anything when I come this weekend?” Brax asks. “I think we sent all your stuff over already, but I’ll have a look and make sure there’s nothing else in the house.”

“No. I don’t need anything,” I whisper.

So that’s it. The last of my life is being erased there.

“I should probably get to the packhouse.”

I can’t find my voice as tears blur my vision again. It’s all too much.

“Brynn?”

“Go. I’ll see you this weekend.”

“You’re doing the right thing, for all of us.”

I hang up without saying goodbye and stand, ambling toward the window to look outside the vast property that Emeric owns.

It’s a show ranch, rather than functional, but a few hands are milling about, and two beautiful stallions trot through a closed corral. They’re summoning me outside, out of my head.

I don’t know how to ride, but I may as well learn while I’m here. There’s nothing else for me to do. Maybe one of the ranch hands can give me lessons.

Stuffing down my overwhelming sense of self-pity and sadness, I head back out of my room and into the hallway. A movement at the far end of the corridor catches my peripheral view, but it’s gone before I register what it is.

The female staff member from earlier joins me at the front door, a small bag in hand. “I packed snacks, anyway,” she chirps. “But I can carry them if you don’t want to.”

I’m not sure if I should be irritated or grateful. “You don’t need to follow me,” I tell her, accepting the bag with a thankful nod. “That’s really kind of you.” I search the recesses of my mind for her name. “Kayla.”

She beams but shuffles back. “Do you need anything else?”

I stare at her hopefully. “Do you know how to ride horses?”

She laughs dubiously. “Me? No. I’m just a—no.”

I get it. She’s a servant. Horseback riding lessons wouldn’t have been in her family’s budget. I offer her a meek smile. “Maybe we can ride together sometime.”

Her shy grin falters, and she takes a step back. “Oh, no, Miss Brynn,” she mumbles, paling at the suggestion. “I… You’re… Thank you.”

I frown. “Why not? Emeric won’t mind. Will he?”

I genuinely have no idea.

“I couldn’t, Miss Brynn,” she mumbles. “You’re going to be the Luna.”

She’s so nervous, she's shaking, and I realize I’ve put her in an awful position, having to explain it to me. Embarrassed, I flash her a quick smile again.

“Of course.” I’m quick to answer. I don’t know what I was thinking. “Thanks for the snacks, Kayla.”

I hurry outside, my heart sinking low again, and I wonder if the deep, devastating disappointments will ever stop. I can’t even find a friend in the staff here.

I make my way across the property and lean over the fence to peer at the stallions in the pen. The black one rushes toward me, snorting and huffing.

“Oh, he likes you,” one of the ranch hands calls out as I extend my free hand toward him. I realize that he wants what’s in my snack bag, and I back up.

“I think he likes food,” I chuckle.

“That he does.” He tips his cowboy hat back and looks at me, “Can I help you with something this morning, Miss Brynn?”

“Can you give me some riding lessons?” I ask as the horse grunts, nudging toward me for the bag.

He shrugs. “Sure. But not today. There’s still a bunch of work to be done before the mating ceremony this weekend.” He grins broadly at me. “But I don’t need to tell you about that.”

I can’t escape the truth, no matter where I go. It was a stupid idea to think coming out here would clear my head. I’m better off holing up in my suite. At least up there, I can watch television or read. Do something mindless to pass the days and try to ignore the horrible pull in my soul.

“Okay. Thanks.”

I turn away from the fence.

“Cheer up, Luna. You’ll have plenty of time to ride soon.”

My head whips around, and my eyes become slits. “I’m not the Luna yet,” I tell him coldly.

His amiable disposition evaporates when he catches the look on my face. “I know. I was just being… Sorry.”

I shiver slightly, but it’s too late. He’s already returning to his work, and I’m on my own again. Now he thinks I’m rude. I really shouldn’t be bothering anyone. I need to just keep to myself. There won’t be any friends for me in Willow Grove territory.

No one meets me back at the house, and I’m thankful for that, at least. I don’t have another word left inside me to speak to anyone.

But when I open the door to my suite, I find an unmarked envelope sitting on the floor. Startled, I eye it and look back down the dimly lit hallway. Again, I catch a movement through my sidelong view, but it’s gone so fast that I miss it. The hairs on the back of my neck rise, and I call out.

“Hello?”

Kayla appears around the opposite corner, far from where I’d seen the motion. “Is something wrong? Can I help you?”

Gulping, I look back in the other direction. “Was someone just here?” I ask.

Her brows furrow in confusion. “I don’t think so.”

“Never mind,” I mumble, scooping the letter off the floor. “Thanks.”

I close the door and hurry into the sitting room to perch at the writing desk near the bedroom entrance. There’s nothing identifiable about the plain white envelope, but it has to be for me, doesn’t it?

There’s only one way to find out.

I tear it open and read the simple note inside.

Meet me tonight. 11 p.m. Rose Garden.

A flurry of excited chills rushes through my body as I hope against hope.

Nox? Is he coming for me?

But he wouldn’t do it like this, covertly with letters and sneaking around. And the handwriting is even and feminine-looking. It appears to be female, although Brax has quite beautiful penmanship. Our mother had insisted on it.

I slump against the wooden chair and reread the note over and over, wondering what it means and why anyone would send it. I keep circling back to the one and only time Nox and I had sex. A hot flush creeps up my neck as I lose myself in the memories of our closeness, the heat of our passion.

And after that, everything fell apart.

Whoever it was took a big risk sneaking onto the Alpha’s property like this to deliver this note undetected. How did they manage?

I jump up, unable to sit still, and I throw open the door again. “Kayla?”

The servant appears in the hallway, never far from earshot. “Yes, Miss Brynn?”

“Who else was working this hallway today?”

Her blank expression doesn’t help me. “I don’t understand.”