Chapter 8
***The next day***
It was around lunchtime when the doorbell rang and Katya knew it was the patrol group coming to pick her up, so she rai to the door.
“Hi,” Ezra said when he saw her. “Are you ready to go?”
Katya just looked at him and Mateo, who peered past him, so he could wave at her. She was dumbstruck by the sight in front of her because she was not expecting to be accompanied by the Alpha and Beta.
She thought she would be going with her father or a small patrol group of male warriors, but Katya never anticipated this.
“What’s going on?” Derrick asked, placing a protective hand on his daughter’s shoulder.
“We’re here to pick Katya up for her patrol run,” Mateo said enthusiastically.
“Why is she going with you? Can’t she go with my patrol?” Derrick asked. “We’re leaving in a few minutes.”
Katya knew it was him putting forth a polite protest, since he didn’t want her anywhere near Ezra, but she didn’t think it would work out.
From what she’d seen, Ezra seemed determined to spend time with her, and she knew it was because he was trying to
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“She’s going with us because we can supervise and protect her,” Ezra said in a stern tone as he gave Derrick a pointed look.
As Katya assumed, the Alpha left no room for arguments or objections. From the way Derrick tensed, she understood that her father picked up on it as well. With a heavy sigh, her father dropped his hand and took a step back.
His patrol party arrived then, which forced him to leave, but before Derrick left, he used their mind link to talk to Katya.
“Please remember what we discussed last night.”
She gave him a reassuring smile and kissed his cheek. “I will, Dad. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
With a solemn nod and slouched shoulders, Derrick left the house to join his patrol team. His reaction left Katya feeling nervous and unsure of the predicament she had gotten herself into. But just like her father, she couldn’t object.
“So… What are we waiting for?” Katya asked with a forced smile.
Ezra chuckled as he motioned toward the treeline to the east of the cottage. Katya took the lead, not wanting to spend more time with them than what was absolutely necessary.
“How did you find the aptitude test?” Ezra questioned as they strolled through the woods.
Katya shrugged, not wanting to get into a conversation with
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was too wrapped up in the gorgeous scenery that surrounded them, and she didn’t want to upset her father by saying something that would be best left unsaid.
“I’m sorry about what happened, but…” Ezra started, but she picked up her pace and disappeared between a couple of trees. “Katya!”
“You’re an idiot,” she heard Mateo whisper.
Katya followed her own path, even though she knew she’d get in trouble for it. She just didn’t want to hear how Ezra had to stand up for his ex by punishing her. The whole bullying thing was bad enough already! She didn’t need the extra drama!
“Hey, where are you going?” Mateo asked as he grabbed onto her shoulders.
“Don’t know,” she shrugged. “I thought I’d just… patrol over here.”
“He just wanted to apologize. There’s no reason to get upset about it,” Mateo assured. “Why don’t we go back to our track?”
“He doesn’t have to excuse his actions and I really don’t want him to either.” The two of them started walking back. “I just want to get this over with.”
When they approached Ezra, Katya could see that he was genuinely feeling bad. The sorrowful expression that was carved into his handsome face and the guilt in his eyes could‘ ve brought her to her knees. And she instantly felt herself softening toward him.
“So I heard you were fantastic in the aptitude test,” Mateo
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offered.
Katya laughed at his blatant attempts to act as a mediator, but it also helped her to relax a little.
“I tried my best, but in the end, the strongest came out on top,” she said, giving Ezra a pointed look. “If it weren’t for my plants going missing, I would’ve had a better standing.”
“Yeah, I heard about that,” Mateo said, shaking his head. “But the story that intrigued me was the one about the one–on–one combat. I heard you did it without shifting and that you did really well.”
“My dad taught me well.” Katya shrugged. “It’s good to know when your wolf is needed and when it isn’t.”
Katya looked over at Ezra, who had been quiet the entire time, and she wondered what she could do to cheer him up. She was feeling very bad about putting him in such a mood and she wanted to rectify the situation.
“Does your wolf have a name?” she asked tentatively.
His eyes lit up at her words. “Yeah, his name is Darcus. I know he’s quite mean looking, so I hope he didn’t scare you.”
“No.” Katya’s voice dropped to a barely audible whisper as she said, “He’s beautiful.”
Ezra picked up his pace until he was in front of her, then he started walking backward.
“Can I see your wolf?” he asked eagerly.
Katya was surprised by the yearning in his eyes, but she was also fearful A line had been crossed She’d said too much and
Chapter 8
put herself in a very dangerous position because of it.
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She started panicking because there was no way she couldn’t disobey him if he pushed the matter, and Katya didn’t know how she was going to get herself out of this.
Ezra could tell that Katya was trying her best to conceal the way her eyes were darting from side to side as if she’d picked up on the presence of a predator. And the way she swallowed that lump in her throat didn’t escape him either.
She was obviously uncomfortable with his question, which made him feel like a total jackass. He shouldn’t have let his enthusiasm get the best of him, but he did, and that might just cause her to go quiet again.
“You guys have some very unique plants in this area,” Katya said, letting him know she was desperately trying to change the subject.
“Yeah, but…” Mateo started, but Ezra quickly shut him up by raising his hand.
Ezra found her reaction fascinating, and he didn’t want Mateo to destroy that air of mystery that he had come to adore. She would show him her wolf when she was ready. He would patiently wait until that day came.
Ezra wanted to be the one who peeled away the layers of her secrets. He wouldn’t let anyone destroy that for him.
“Can I ask you something personal?” Ezra probed.
“It depends on how personal you want to get,” Katya said
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nonchalantly..
“Why is your father so overprotective?” Ezra queried.
Katya visibly relaxed before giving him a loving smile. At that moment, he understood that her parents meant the world to her. He knew exactly how that felt. He felt the same way
once…
“At our previous pack, I was ranked an Omega so everyone treated me like I was completely useless,” she said, and the pain in her eyes was enough to infuriate him. “My dad couldn‘ t do much back then. I think he’s trying to make up for it now.”
Ezra bit his tongue to keep his rage from escaping. He wanted to speak up and promise her that it would never happen again. He wanted to destroy everyone who ever said a bad
word to her.
But Ezra knew that the best thing he could do right now was remain silent and act from the shadows. That way, he could make these things up to her in his own way, winning her love in the process.
“I must say that this isn’t really much of a punishment,” Katya said with a giggle. “It’s nice to explore the packlands. I never had the chance to do so in Bloodclaw, so I didn’t see much of their territory.”
“I can show you the best sites we have,” Ezra said as his joy returned with full force. “But only if you want me to.”
Katya gave him a dazzling smile. “That would be great.”
Ezra was thrilled. Katya had just given him the perfect opportunity to get closer to her while exploring the
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mesmerizing sights of their packlands. She allowed him to help make up for her terrible past. That was more than he ever could’ve asked for.
“Come with me,” Ezra said as he grabbed her hand.
Filled with enthusiasm, Ezra dragged Katya through the forest and, to his delight, Mateo didn’t follow. He led her all the way to the center of the packlands, where his favorite spot was hidden.
“What is this place?” Katya whispered as they entered the clearing.
“This is Moonfalls,” he breathed as he took in the breathtaking sight. “I love this place. It’s where I come when I want to hide from the world.”
The falls always looked their best when the sun was starting to set, as it did now. It gave the impression that the waterfall was suppressing it… Like it was eaten by the water below.
“I can understand why you would do that,” Katya said as she took a step closer to the edge of the cliff. “It’s so peaceful here.”
Ezra realized that Katya was so astounded by the majestic view that she wasn’t paying attention to where she was stepping, and his protective instincts kicked in. He approached her and it seemed like he did it right on time because, as he got to her, she slipped.
Moving faster than the speed of light, he reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist. Ezra reeled her in, pulling her against his chest.
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Chapter 8
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“Are you okay?” he asked as his heart pounded in his chest.
Breathing was nearly impossible, but when he looked down into her molten eyes, he lost his breath completely. In this light, she looked like an angel. The setting sun casting its bright orange light behind her made it look like she was wearing a halo.
The darkness that was falling down around them highlighted her features, making her pale skin look like it was a shining beacon that was meant to lead him home. Her rosy lips made his own pulse with the need to feel them. And her eyes…
Those beautiful hazel eyes were looking up at him with such admiration that it crushed his soul. Ezra wiped her hair aside, and to his great surprise, she leaned into his touch.
“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed.
Katya reached up, and as she rested her soft palm on his cheek, he captured it. It felt so good to have her in his arms, to have her acting on what she felt, that he couldn’t resist her.
He could feel their bond tugging at him, begging him to get closer to her, and without realizing what he was doing, he leaned in.
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