The plan is simple. Get through the next few hours until ten o’clock. Evangeline will put Chase under a sleeping spell, and then I can leave California and never look back. There has to be someone other than Laila who can take this bracelet off of me.
Taking a deep breath, I peer up at the pink-colored sky. The sun isn’t far from setting, giving the patio at the Timberwolf Winery the perfect ambiance. Chase had some things to handle inside, so I decided to stay instead of walking back to his house. Luckily, it worked out to my advantage; none of Chase’s wolves bothered me.
My fingers itch to pull out my phone and take pictures of Chase’s vineyard in the silhouette of the sunset, but I don’t want him to see me. There’s something serene about being enveloped in beauty with the sensual buzzing of nature all around you.
The patio door opens, and I hold my breath, wondering what Chase is going to say to me. But then, I get a whiff of a familiar perfume. Clenching my fists, I keep my eyes on the vineyard.
“What do you want?” I hiss.
Sierra storms up beside me. “You don’t deserve him.”
I glare over at her. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Her eyes glow like her wolf. “You know damn well what I mean. Chase is too good for you. You walk around like you’re better than everyone else, but you’re nothing. The royals don’t even want you. And for the life of me, I don’t know why Amelie didn’t want you dead after what you did to her. I would’ve ripped off your head without a second thought.”
“You wouldn’t have lasted one second with me.”
Sierra smiles, showing off her fangs. “True. But now I can. If you so much as harm Chase or anyone else in my pack, I’ll come for you.”
In all reality, she could easily kill me right now, but I refuse to back down.
I step closer to her. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Everything okay out here?” Chase asks, the patio door slamming behind him.
The glow in Sierra’s eyes dim, and she steps back. “Of course. We were just talking.”
She walks away, and Chase occupies the space she just left. “Ready to go?”
I can’t bring myself to look at him, so I march past him. “Yep.”
“Hey,” he calls out, right on my heels. “Do you want to tell me what that was all about?”
After storming down the patio stairs, I hook around the side of the building to the back where he’s parked. “Nope. I just want to leave.”
I get to his car before he can even open my door. Chase hops in, and I swear I feel like I’m going to lose my mind. I’m angry at Sierra, mad at myself, and mad at the whole damn world. Chase doesn’t understand what I’m going through; none of his people do.
The second we pull up at the house, I’m out of the car and running through the door.
“Kara!” Chase shouts as I race up the stairs to my room.
I slam the door and lean against it, praying to the Great Luna that Chase doesn’t try to force his way in. I can’t deal with him right now. It would be so much easier if I could forget everything that had happened. Maybe that’s what I need from Evangeline, a forgetting spell. The pain of my past is too much to bear.
Tears spring to my eyes, and I fall on the bed, curling my legs into my chest. The comforter dampens underneath my cheek, so I shut my eyes, wishing for the darkness to take over. And that’s precisely what it does.
* * *
When I open my eyes, I feel as if I’ve been out for hours. My heart lurches out of my chest, and I bolt off the bed. Have I missed my chance to escape? My cell phone bounces onto the floor, and I snatch it up. The screen glows in the darkness, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I see the time; it’s only half-past eight. I still have an hour and a half to get my things packed.
I change out of my suit into a pair of leggings and a pale-yellow, thin sweater. If I’m going to run away, I need to be able to move quickly. As quietly as I can, I tiptoe to my closet and grab my smallest bag. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to take everything. Not that it matters, I have plenty of money in my accounts to live off for the rest of my life. Once I’ve picked through my clothes and packed the essentials, I slowly stop at the door to listen. And, of course, I can’t hear anything downstairs. Before leaving the room, I hide my bag of clothes under the bed in case Chase happens to look inside. At ten o’clock, he’ll be passed out, and I won’t have anyone to stop me from leaving.
A part of me wants to stay hidden in the room, but the other wants to see Chase one last time before I go. It’s a bad idea, but I decide to do it anyway. I open the bedroom door and hold my breath the entire time I walk down the stairs. Chase isn’t in his study, and he’s not in the kitchen or living room. I don’t know where else he could be, so I head toward the back door, wondering if he’s outside.
I reach for the doorknob …
“Looking for me?”
Chase’s voice startles me, my heart throbbing in my throat as I jerk around. “Son of a bitch,” I growl, backing into the door and slapping a hand over my chest. “Why would I be looking for you?”
He ambles closer, his lips spread wide in a dashing smile. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you want to continue where we left off last night.”
Heat rises to my cheeks, and I scowl. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Chase closes the distance, resting both hands against the door, caging me in. His glowing, blue eyes fixate on my lips, and my body freezes. It’s as if I can’t feel any part of my body other than my heart beating out of control.
Chase’s voice deepens, all smooth and sexy. “I seem to remember someone telling me to stay with them last night. On a full moon, too. Surely, you didn’t forget.”
He brings his mouth closer, and I duck under his arms to avoid his touch. “Obviously, I did. There’s no way in hell I’d ever kiss you or do anything else with you, for that matter.” It was a mistake to want to see him. I march over to the staircase, but Chase grabs my wrist before I reach the second step.
“Why not?” he calls out, tugging me back down.
I refuse to look at him even though he has me in his clutches.
“Besides, the whole royals belong with royals bullshit, give me one good reason why. I’ve been nothing but nice and respectful to you over the years.”
It’s true, he has. He’s not like any other alpha I’ve come across. But, unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how I feel right now; I have to leave. I don’t belong here with him, even if there is a connection between us.
Hardening my gaze, I stare right into his eyes. “I just don’t want you. Simple as that.”
Pulling my arm, he drags me over against the wall, caging me in again. “Liar. Kiss me and prove it.”
His body presses against me, and I try to push him off, only halfheartedly if I’m being honest with myself. I don’t want him going anywhere. My heart thuds harder than it ever has before, and my insides clench with the need to feel him. The world spins around me, and it’s as if everything comes to life. My body tingles with desire, and underneath the surface, I can feel my wolf. She’s there, trying to get out. Trying to …
“No,” I whisper, gasping for air. “What’s happening?”
Chase cups my cheeks, the magic of his touch making everything explode within me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I shake my head, willing the words to come out of my mouth. But I can’t. When I open my eyes, the light is already dim outside, which seems off given that it’s only eight-thirty. Usually, it doesn’t get dark this early and I have to assume this has something to do with Chase’s house. But that darkness is almost foreboding given how Chase is hovering over me with dark eyes watching every twitch of muscle so that he can read me.
I press my back into the wall to put even the tiniest space between us. Anything to help me catch my breath and stop being so affected by this man.
He’s taller than me. More muscular. Scary to a lot of people but I didn’t care about my size. Chase doesn’t scare me physically. What terrifies me is the way my body reacts when he’s around.
“What did you say?” I whisper, my mind a jumbled mess. I must’ve heard him wrong.
He leans in close enough that I can feel his breath on my face when he says, “Kiss me and prove it. You claim to not want me. It should be easy for you to prove it.”
“I don’t have to prove anything to you.”
“Come on, princess. Tell me to stop.”
My eyes lock with his and I know that I won’t be able to tell him that. My body has wanted Chase for so long that the smallest touch awakens me. Yes, he’s an alpha, but he’s not royal. Not exactly a match made in Heaven. Or have I been seeing it all wrong?
“Tell me to stop, princess,” he whispers again.
I shake my head slightly and tell him, “I can’t.”
His mouth crashes into mine as if that admission was all he’d been waiting for. Chase’s mouth is hot and wet against mine as he licks along the seam of my lips, which automatically open. His tongue strokes mine, making demands that I’m more than willing to follow.
That’s the problem with Chase. He and I aren’t meant to be together given the fact that I’m royalty, but I can’t deny the pull that I have to him physically. My body desires him while my brain definitely does not.
Chase thrusts his hands into my hair and takes the kiss deeper. We’re standing in his living room, but he doesn’t seem to care when he pulls back to yank my shirt over my head. He trails his mouth down my neck as I fill with need. It’s not even desire anymore but need. I need this with him. Maybe once we’ve had sex, I can put an end to how preoccupied he makes me. The desire will be quenched. Yet, somehow, I don’t think this is how it will work.
He kisses down to the swells of my breasts and reaches around to my back to unhook my bra. Chase is everywhere, caressing me, making demands. I curl my fingers into his hair when he takes one of my nipples into his mouth, sucking first, then scraping his teeth over my sensitive nub. I drop my head back and moan.
This shouldn’t feel as good as it does.
Next, Chase slides my pants and underwear down my legs, and my breath catches as he steps back to look at me. I should feel exposed, yet with him, I don’t.
What sounds like a growl rumbles up from Chase’s chest, shooting waves of desire through me. Then he dives back in to claim my lips once again.
As Chase kisses down my body, I try not to think about what happens next. What this will change. I decide that nothing will. This is just a one-night thing to get him out of my system and then I won’t have to think about him anymore.
My entire body tingles when he hoists my leg up onto his shoulder and licks my most sensitive area. I don’t know why but I wasn’t expecting that right now. Most of the alphas I’ve come across only care about their own needs. That’s why I never wasted my time on them. But Chase, on the other hand, I always figured he would know what to do with a woman. Of course, he hasn’t disappointed. After all, he is an alpha, but for some reason, he keeps taking me by surprise.
He licks and sucks as he holds my thighs apart until my body writhes against the wall. My fingers slide through his hair, but then my grip tightens the more he tastes me. Chase pushes me until I come undone, and my universe explodes into an array of stars and immense gratification. He swipes his tongue across my clit once more as my body relaxes. Although, I’m not entirely sure my legs will hold me. They feel as if they’ll give out any second.
After dropping a kiss on the lowest part of my stomach, Chase pushes to his feet, and I slump a little as I try to catch my breath.
“You taste so fucking amazing,” he murmurs, his voice raw and full of desire. By the gleam in his seductive, blue eyes, I know we’re nowhere near done.
I want to move, but my legs feel like Jell-O. Smiling, Chase sweeps me up into his arms as if I weigh nothing. When we get to his bedroom, he gently lays be on his bed. The room smells just like him and it turns me on even more. It’s as if he’s all around me. And now, I want him inside of me.
“Why do you still have your clothes on?” I ask, knowing I sound a little impatient. I want him now before reality sets in. I need this.
Chase chuckles low in his throat, then yanks his shirt over his head. “I was taking care of you first.”
I twirl my finger in the air, hoping it’ll spur him on to get naked faster. He gives me a cocky grin as he pops the button on his jeans, then pushes them down, exposing himself to me. And for a minute, I can’t not look at him. My mouth waters in anticipation.
Chase stalks toward me looking very much the predator with me as his prey. It’s sexy as hell. The moment he’s close enough to me, I wrap my hand around his cock and slowly stroke his length. Chase runs his hands up my body as if he wants to explore every inch of me. He traces his fingers over all my curves while I relish the feel of his smooth skin. Hovering over me, he settles between my thighs even though I’m still stroking his incredible erection.
“It’s my time to—” I start to say, but then he shakes his head.
“Not today, princess,” he says right before his mouth crashes into mine again.
I open up to him, moaning into his mouth. The taste of him is something I’ll never forget. What’s crazy is that he’s not even inside of me yet, but the way he moves against me has me aching for another release. Chase takes my hand from his cock and pulls both above my head, securing them with one of his. His eyes flare when he gazes down at me, and at the same time, pushes inside of me. He fills me so completely that I’m not sure I could take anything bigger, and as I try to move, he holds me in place. Our bodies connect in a way I’ve never felt with anyone else before.
He releases my hands so that he can run his up the back of my leg and hitch it higher on his hip to allow himself to go deeper. Every move he makes steals my breath more. I run my hands up the taut muscles on his back, loving how broad he is. How he can block the whole rest of the world out.
I shouldn’t be thinking these things. He’s a one-night fling that I plan to stay away from after this night. This is scratching an itch. Meeting a need. Getting him out of my system.
His muscles tighten as his orgasm takes over, and I follow right behind him, closing my eyes and screaming out his name. The orgasm seems to go on forever, and I ride it the entire time. But then something happens …
My body begins to tingle and tremble. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. It could be from the sex, but looking into Chase’s eyes, I know he feels it, too.
“Kara,” he whispers, his eyes changing to his wolf’s.
For the first time since I woke up from the spell, my wolf comes charging to the surface, desperately trying to get closer to him. To her …
Mate.
“Oh, no, no, no, no, no,” I say, pushing against his chest. “This can’t be happening.”
Chase’s eyes glow brighter, his cock springing back to life inside of me. Staring down at me, he cups my cheeks. “You’re my mate.”
Immediately, I push against him again and his face falls as he slides out of me. I jump away, taking the bed sheet with me so that I can cover myself. He may have just seen me naked, but he didn’t need to see anymore.
“You’re crazy,” I tell him. “That can’t be.”
Chase holds up his hands. “You’re my mate, Kara. I know you feel it, too.”
I won’t let myself meet his eyes, so I focus on the clock. There’s nothing I can say to refute his claims. He’s right. I feel it and there’s no denying what just transpired. He’s my mate and there’s nothing that will change it. The Great Luna has made her decision.
Before he says anything else, the clock ticks over to ten, and Chase falls back on the bed. Evangeline’s spell worked. I drop to my knees and try to bring in some air, only nothing helps.
There’s a battle raging inside of me. My wolf wants me to stay with him, to keep the connection alive. “No,” I hiss, forcing myself to my feet. I have to fight her back and get the hell out of here before he wakes up.
I hurry out of the room and down the stairs where my clothes are. After piling them in my arms, I rush back to my own room to dress as quickly as I can. Then I grab my bags and get out the front door without looking back.
Now is not the time for looking back.