Page 9

He nods once, miserable.

“Is the magic stopping you from saying it?”

Another nod. Shit. Of course it is.

“Does it weaken every time you shift?” I press.

“Nnnooo.” The sound is rough, broken.

I curse under my breath. There goes our plan. All that build-up, all that hope, and now—

His giant snout bops gently against my forehead.

I blink. “What are you doing?”

“Maaaatttteee,” he growl-hisses, then bops me again. Firmer this time.

I frown, completely lost. “What?”

“I think he wants to meet me,” Neris says, tail practically wagging through my spine. “Let me out, Kass. Please?”

“You want to meet Neris?” I ask Draxis.

He nods so fast it’s almost ridiculous, then starts sniffing my face like I’m a delicious buffet. His wings twitch, his whole giant body humming with anticipation.

I turn to Sin. “You can go now! We’re good here.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” he shouts, already running toward the palace.

I glance back just in time to see Draxis following Sin’s path with narrowed, bloodthirsty eyes.

I grab a fistful of fur and yank.

“Hey! Don’t look at him like that! Sin is off-limits. You’ll play nice, or no wolf for you.”

Draxis whips his head to me, panting like a dog who just heard the word ‘treat’. Tongue out. Tail… twitching.

Gods help me, he’s adorable. Deadly adorable.

“Okay, fine,” I say. “But if you want to meet Neris, you have to cover your eyes.”

He tilts his head like he can’t understand the words I’ve just said. I know he can!

“I mean it!” I cross my arms. “Now, Draxis. Cover. Your. Eyes. I’m not shifting with you watching. Not happening.”

He lets out a dramatic huff like I’m being unreasonable, but finally lifts one of his massive paws and slaps it over his eyes.

“Thank you,” I mutter, already pulling off my clothes. Once I’m bare, I release the shift.

Muscles burn. Skin stretches. My vision fractures — then realigns. And just like that, Neris is in control.

She yips once — joyful, excited — and bolts straight at him.

“Neris! What the hell are you doing?! Be cool!” I shout from inside.

“I’m going to sniff him everywhere!” she says gleefully. “He smells like fire and death and cuddles!”

Shit. This is going to be a disaster.

The moment Draxis drops his paw and sees Neris, it’s game over.

He lunges, catching her mid-run like she weighs nothing — which, compared to him, she absolutely does — and crashes to the ground, caging her beneath his massive body. His wings curl around them both like a fortress.

Neris looks microscopic under him. But of course, my reckless wolf doesn’t care. Her tail starts wagging like she’s found her new favorite chew toy. She’s nuzzling into his fur, sniffing him aggressively and I have zero control right now. Dammit.

“Maaatttteeee,” Draxis growls, shifting slightly to the side to get a better angle. He sniffs her a few times — slowly, big puffs of air — and the little idiot freezes, like she’s just remembered he’s the size of a cottage and definitely carnivorous.

Then, out of nowhere, his massive tongue swipes across her entire face in one sloppy, gleeful motion.

Draxis growls again, playful this time — a low, rumbling challenge.

Neris bolts.

Yipping. Darting between his legs.

And now they’re playing.

Playing.

The world is on fire, we’re dealing with a cursed leash and possibly a puppet master with god-tier magic, and my wolf is out here playing ‘catch me if you can ’ with an ancient monster.

Draxis doesn’t let her get far. The ground shakes beneath his paws as he lunges forward and scoops her up like a squeaky toy. She’s airborne for all of two seconds before he pulls her close to his chest, nuzzling his snout into the curve of her neck with a contented huff.

And of course, they’re adorable. Absolutely adorable.

I’m just starting to relax, thinking ‘okay, let them have a moment’, when I feel it. A shift. A flicker of heat.

A nip.

Right at the base of Neris’ neck.

And the traitor — the absolute traitor — tilts her head to the side, baring her throat like an offering.

NO. NO. NOOOO!

“ Neris! ” I yell from inside her mind. “ Absolutely not! You are not letting him mark you! ”

She’s not listening. She’s floating in a cloud of dumb, mate-drunk bliss.

I shove forward, clawing control, and slam into her body just in time to butt Draxis in the snout with my head. I start thrashing in his hold, contorting my limbs like an angry ferret.

“ Let. Me. Go! ” I snarl.

He growls low, stubborn and feral. “Maaaattttteee.”

Shut up, you overgrown lizard-wolf.

I snap my jaw around his forearm and bite. My teeth scream in protest.

Ow. Scales. I forgot about the damn scales.

He sighs. A long, suffering exhale like I’ve ruined his day. And then — finally — he sets me down.

The second my paws hit the ground, I shift back, human again and pissed off. I jab my finger at the center of his stupid snout.

“Bad lycan. Bad. Bring Draven back. Right. Now.”

He rolls his glowing silver eyes at me and growls softly, frustration steaming off him.

“Now, Draxis,” I snap. “Don’t test me. Let Draven back!”

He lets out another huff, full of drama, and sulks backward. Then the shift begins — fast, fluid, and the next blink reveals Draven, standing in the same spot, gloriously naked and not the least bit apologetic.

His gaze finds mine. He doesn’t blink. Doesn’t move.

I blink first. Then realize — I’m naked too.

“Turn around, idiot!” I screech, covering myself with my arms.

He smirks, infuriatingly slow, and turns with deliberate movements. Way too slow.

Muttering curses under my breath, I scramble to pull my clothes back on.

This was a terrible idea.

Everything’s messier now. More complicated.

I spot a pair of pants and a shirt draped over a branch — Sin must’ve left them — and I chuck them straight at Draven’s stupid, perfect ass.

“Get dressed, Your Majesty,” I grumble. “We’ve accomplished nothing. Your lycan is a stubborn jackass, he gave us more questions than answers, and now I need therapy.”