Nadia’s POV:
His words sent shivers running down my spine, and in a moment of defiance, I shoved Kane back as hard as I possibly could.
Of course, no matter how much force I put in my shove, it barely even moved him.
“Don’t touch me,” I snapped, my eyes narrowed as I glared at him.
His head tilted, and his arms loosened enough for me to step away. The moment I was free, I immediately put as much distance between us as the room allowed.
The arrogance of his last statement still burned deeply in my chest.
“I’m not going to stop fighting you and your weird ideas,” I said in the sharpest tone I could, “So if you’re expecting obedience, then, you picked the wrong girl.”
Kane watched me with that infuriatingly calm expression.
“And another thing,” I continued, my anger bubbling over, “your messy romantic affairs and the fact that you still think I am your mate are obviously getting me into trouble.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly, and I could swear I saw his lips curl up into a smirk,
“Messy romantic affairs?” he asked,
“Yes!” I gestured toward the shattered doorway where the wolf had been thrown through. “Your jealous ex, or whoever she freaking was, just tried to kill me!”
For a second he stared at me, then he laughed, “Her name is Lyra, and no, she is not my ex.”
As he said that, he leaned casually against the wall, clearly entertained.
That did it. My rage overcame my reason and I grabbed the nearest object from the table, a thick, bound book and threw it at his head.
He caught it midair with a frown on his face.
“Get out!” I shouted, grabbing a cup and throwing it too.
He side stepped that easily too.
“Nadia,” his lips parted, and he opened his arms,
“I said get out!” I shouted, just as I threw another object at him. This one was far off and only flew past his shoulder,
This time he sighed.
“You’re impossible.” He shook his head, then studied me for a second before turning around and walking out of the now broken doorway.
“Good.” I hissed as he walked out,
He stopped, looked at the pieces of wood on the floor and then frowned, “I’ll have my wolves set up another door,” he whispered, “Nadia, you are not a prisoner. You’re free to leave the room,” he said evenly. “I only said you’re not allowed to leave the pack. Locking you in here would only make you weak—and it would keep me from protecting you if that weakness gets you hurt.”
I frowned, a little dazed, wondering how long he had been standing outside my door to use a word like “weakness.”
“Sleep,” he said calmly. “You’ll need it.”
And just like that, he was gone.
Hours had long since passed, and sleep was still the farthest thing from my mind.
Something was terribly wrong with me. At first I thought it was a fever, but I had long since realized it could not possibly be a fever.
A deep ache pulsed from the mark Kane had left on my neck.
At first, the ache was as faint as it could possibly be. And then, slowly, it began to grow. It grew until it was stronger and heavier than anything I had ever felt, so heavy that it spread through my chest.
“What the…” I hissed under my breath,
I pressed my hand against the mark, the sensation wasn’t just pain though, it felt like it was also a guide, almost as though it was pulling me. Anytime I tried to ignore the ache, it just grew worse.
“Fine,” I muttered under my breath and slipped out of my bed, walked towards the now fixed door and opened it.
The hallway was quiet and dark. It was night, I had been given a meal when the sun began to set and since then, I had been left alone by the guards. The pull in my steps grew stronger with every single step I took as I walked down the corridor and out into the night.
Some guards stared blankly at me, but they all stayed put. I kept on walking deeper into the pack until I reached a large building and a very large door. One that surprisingly had no guards standing in front of it.
The pull led me straight through the stone door.
I hesitated, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.
It was a large training hall, and right in the middle of it was a wolf I had not expected to see, Kane.
He was on one knee, he was bare-chested, and his hands were braced against the stone floor as his entire body trembled.
I took a step forward in shock, moving to aid him. I could tell by the look of his expression that he was in pain, but then, I noticed something that was very strange.
The closer I was to him, the lighter the pain I could feel on my mark and in my chest became.
His head snapped up instantly, and I shuddered as his golden eyes locked onto me.
“You shouldn’t be here,” his voice was rough and tense.
I nodded, shocked at the fact that I had almost walked towards him. I moved to turn around, but then I stopped, mainly because my gaze caught something else.
Blood. There were thick dark stains along his shirt.
These were injuries, ones that I could tell he had sustained while protecting me. The cuts around his shoulder and ribs were light, but they were there, and they were evidence that he had actually bled for me.
“You’re hurt,” I said quietly as I took another step forward, shocked that I was just noticing it.
“I’m fine.” Kane hissed through gritted teeth, “Just stay where you are,” he continued as he held out his hand, trying to stop me.
I could see that he wasn’t fine, and I wasn’t about to pass by without at least helping. My conscience would not allow me to leave a man who had risked his life to save mine, no matter how much of a piece of shit he was.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked as I took a step forward,
“The full moon is coming soon,” he said shortly.
“And?” I asked, more confused than ever. Every wolf learns to deal with the force of the moon at childbirth. Why would something so soothing cause him so much pain?
“I know you were wondering exactly why I want you to be my mate. This is why,” Kane hissed, his voice rising an octave, “I believe I have been cursed, and without a mate, I am in pain.”