Page 13 of Cursed (Blood Moon Pack #1)

W alking into the sitting area, Ryland stops short and watches Nori shoveling food into her mouth at record speed. She’s already eaten nearly half of what the staff brought up. “When was the last time you’ve eaten a real meal?” He asks her.

Nori freezes mid-chew, startled by his deep, velvety voice. She glances up at the Prince, then looks around the table and lets out a quiet laugh, swallowing her mouthful of food. “It’s been a while.”

Ryland takes a seat across from her. “How long is a while?”

Aylin starts to freak out. “ Don’t show fear; don’t show pity; try not to stare at the awful scar. Remember the new rule: Look the Alpha in the eyes.” Then she sighs, “He has nice chocolatey brown eyes. ”

“ And would you look at those jeans on him? Shit. Never mind. ”

Nori closes her eyes to calm her erratic heartbeat and glances at the Prince. Rule #2 flashes through her mind, but is he truly angry?

She shrugs slightly and says, “Hunting became difficult after a heavy snowfall a few days ago.” She continues eating, much slower this time.

Ryland fills his plate and begins eating in earnest. He’s about half finished when he glances up to see Nori staring at him with a smirk on her face. “What?” he says around a mouth full of food.

What she does next takes his breath away. Her lovely face lights up with a genuine smile. “You have gravy on your chin.” She looks back down at her food. “When was the last time you’ve eaten a real meal?” Smiling at her joke, she continues eating.

Wiping the gravy from his chin, Ryland thinks to Bade, “ When exactly was the last time a woman smiled at me? ”

His wolf is too shocked to reply.

He should be questioning her about who she is, where she’s from, why she’s here, and who put those gods damned marks on her. But Ryland also wants her to relax and continue talking to him. So, he answers her question.

“We received an urgent notice of Rogue attacks from a town east of the castle. It took us a few days to locate and eliminate the threat. We stayed an extra day to help the pack members clear out the bodies and bury their dead. The last real meal I had was before we left.”

Nori leans forward, interested in the attack. She had never heard of an attack in her lands, but she had heard of Rogues attacking other Packlands. “How many Rogues were there? Did they kill anyone? I’ve heard their bite is deadly; was anyone bitten?”

“We took out a horde of about thirty Rogues. Several wolves in the town had been killed. And yes, some were bitten.” He frowns at the loss of those pack members to the horrible beasts.

Nori makes a breathy, whistling sound. “So many? I’m pretty sure we would not have survived thirty Rogues at once. And why do you have one in the dungeons?”

Ryland finishes his plate and sets his napkin down. “We plan to interrogate him. We don’t know enough about them, and we are experiencing more frequent attacks. Where do they come from? How are they made? Do they have a leader? Any information will be useful.”

Nori cocks her head, raising her eyebrows. “So, they speak? I didn’t think they could speak. ”

“Yes, they speak, sort of,” the Prince says simply. His turn to question her. “You must be an excellent fighter to have killed two Rogues by yourself.”

Nori bursts out laughing, then quickly regains her composure.

Bade interrupts his thoughts. “ Her laugh is fucking beautiful. ”

Ryland rolls his eyes.

Nori leans forward with her arms crossed on the table, looking at everything but the Prince, and says, “No. Not at all.”

Ryland is suddenly annoyed that she ignores him when all he can do is stare at every part of her.

He leans forward, clenches his fists, and growls.

He watches her lean back, crossing her arms over her chest at the same time.

“Please explain how it is that you took down two Rogues with no fighting experience at all.”

She glances at him and frowns, considering her response.

“It’s difficult to explain.” Nori looks in his eyes briefly, then at his right shoulder, then at his clenched fist. “When you moved forward just now, the muscle in your shoulder tightened first, then the muscle in your forearm, and lastly, you clenched your fist.”

She slowly lowers her arms and places her hands on the table.

Blowing out a breath, she continues to stare at his clenched fist. “That movement happened in the blink of an eye. My special skill...” She huffs out a laugh, knowing this skill is a direct result of years of studying when one of her Pack Leaders is about to hit her.

“...is being able to see those muscle movements and anticipate where my...” She pauses, reaching for the right word because she can’t say, asshole, who’s about to hit her. “...opponent is going to strike.”

Ryland immediately releases his fist and leans back in his chair in a more relaxed pose. Nori releases the breath she was holding.

Bade whispers, “ Is she saying what I think she’s saying? ”

Ryland ignores him, and his voice softens. “You want to tell me about the scars on your back?”

Nori sucks in a breath, her eyes still downcast. “Not really,” she whispers.

“OK,” he says, his voice taking on a more formal tone. “You have officially requested asylum here, correct?” He doesn’t wait for a response. “Let’s begin with easy questions. What is your name, and where are you from?”