Page 7 of Cursed (Blood Moon Pack #1)
R yland stares at his new temporary Mate for a moment, his eyebrows knitting together. He shifts his gaze to his Beta. Both men are thoroughly bewildered by the laughter coming from the strange female in the cell.
He steps forward stiffly with a sneer on his face. “I know you feel the Mate Bond. Let’s go ahead and get this rejection over with.”
Nori’s laughter subsides just a bit as she tries to catch her breath. She tilts her head to the side. “Wh-what?”
Ryland snaps his head to his Beta again, now totally baffled. “Is she slow? Usually, it happens quicker than this. ”
Garek shrugs. “No, sir. At least I don’t think so. I haven’t spent very much time with her, but she seemed lucid when I last spoke with her. Maybe she’s delirious?”
This causes another round of giggles from Nori. The men take a small step back in shock, completely puzzled by her reaction.
Nori takes a few deep breaths to control her laughter. She ignores her fear of the two most powerful males in the Pack because really, what choice does she have? She needs their help. She needs them to grant her sanctuary.
Clearing her throat, she does her best to keep the tremor out of her voice. “Prince Drakemoor, Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack, I officially request sanctuary, and an audience with you...Your Highness.”
She accidentally breathes in through her nose and struggles to hold back a sigh from his delectable scent. “And, yes.” She blows out that breath. “I feel the Mate Bond. Are you saying that you are rejecting me?”
Ryland senses Bade’s delight when he says, “ Her voice is like a song in my head. ”
Not delighted at all, Ryland is totally disoriented. He feels like he has stepped into an alternate universe. He shouts at the strange female in the cell. “What? No! I am not rejecting you. It’s the she-wolves who reject me.”
His brows furrow back into the sneer, increasingly annoyed by this whole situation. Growling now, Ryland shouts, “I am tired, wet, and hungry! I don’t have all night, so let’s hear those magic words!”
Nori shrinks back from his deep, angry voice echoing off the walls of her cell, listening to her wolf’s nervous whisper. “ Should we reject him? He seems hostile and mean. ”
Clenching her fists, Nori attempts to control the tremors of fear rolling through her.
“ No way! We are in a whole lot of trouble here, Aylin. He is extremely powerful, with those strong, muscular arms. Shit! I mean, he’s powerful enough to protect us; maybe he will keep us safe. Let’s hold off on that rejection. ”
Aylin thinks about it for a minute and says, “ OK, but if he beats us, we hit him with the rejection! ”
“ Agreed. ”
Nori straightens her back and meets the Prince’s gaze, willing her voice to stay steady. “No. I will not be rejecting the Mate Bond...at this time.”
Garek and Ryland look at each other in stunned silence. This woman is a total enigma.
Ryland opens his mouth to say something, but closes it again. His mind is totally blank for the moment. He takes another step back and really looks at the woman in the cell this time.
Garek wasn’t exaggerating; she is truly filthy. Every inch of her is covered in mud and grime. Garek said she had nothing on her when she arrived—no clothes, money, or weapons. Her amber eyes are huge with fear, but behind the fear is strength. And she seriously reeks of…
“What is that horrible smell?” he asks, wrinkling his nose.
Bade whispers to Ryland worriedly, “ She’s also too thin. ”
Ryland frowns at that comment. “ Don’t. You know she will reject us like all the others did. Just because she didn’t do it immediately doesn’t mean anything. So, don’t sound so concerned, ” he growls at his wolf.
Bade practically hangs his head and says, “ Even so, we are Bonded to her, and she needs our help. ”
Tilting her head, Nori asks, “Oh, you mean me?”
She thinks about his question and decides to answer truthfully.
“We’ve been wandering in the forest for several weeks.
We learned early on that the Rogues don’t like strong or foul smells.
We think their noses are more sensitive than ours.
What you are smelling is the scent of a skunk, bear shit, and a dead coyote. We call it the anti-Rogue scent.”
Garek frowns. “You said ‘we’; who were you with? We found no scents other than your stench after your arrival.”
Shifting her gaze, Nori looks toward the Beta. “Me and my wolf, of course.”
Turning his head to Ryland, Garek says, “Never mind the rejection...for now. We should get her out of here before the Rogue wakes up and catches wind of her. ”
Nori’s eyebrows rise. “You mean crazy eyes down there? He’s awake. He glanced my way as they passed with his super crazy eyes, but he didn’t make a fuss.”
Puzzled, Garek looks down the hall. “Well, he’s probably still drugged. That’s why he isn’t going insane, being this close to a she-wolf.”
“Or maybe he didn’t notice me because of this stench,” she says with a smidge of confidence.
Still shocked this female didn’t instantly reject the Bond, Ryland shifts his gaze down the hall where he smells the Rogue. He’s mildly interested in the fact that the beast is not currently raging in his cell.
What worries him is his sudden concern for her.
He is stunned to hear that his Mate, rather this female, has been in danger for so long.
Even if she is going to reject him, the fact that she’s been avoiding Rogues for weeks does not sit well with him or Bade.
Ryland is increasingly pissed at having these temporary Mate emotions.
Bade growls at Ryland, “ She’s cold, and she needs to eat something. ”
He has had enough and yells at Bade. “ I told you! She is no different from all the others. You shouldn’t care so much! ”
Bade mentally rolls his eyes. “ Maybe if you are nice to her instead of being such a dick constantly —”
“ ENOUGH! ” Ryland screams at Bade.
“Open the cell!” He brusquely says to Garek .
He levels his piercing gaze on the she-wolf. “Come with me. We both need to get cleaned up and eat dinner, and then...” Ryland leans toward her, snarling now. “...you will tell me everything I want to know.”
With an exasperated growl, he turns on his heels and walks away toward the exit.
Nori sucks in a breath and stares wide-eyed after him.
“You better get moving,” Garek says to her.
“Right!” Nori jumps up, securing the blanket around her to keep from flashing everyone. Then she runs after the Cursed Prince.