Page 38 of Shadowed Bond

We hit the earth and Ares staggers, then we’re rolling across hard ground beneath the open night sky. Ares twists again, and once again his body cocoons mine, taking the worst of the impact with a grunt, and I land half against him, breathless, dizzy, and covered in dirt.

For a few seconds, neither of us moves, and then I let out a startled, breathless laugh before I can stop it.

“Do you always have to be the protector?” I ask. “I didn’t think it was your thing.”

Ares turns his head towards me, lying on his back in the mud, hair damp and messy, face streaked with dirt, eyes glowing faintly. “I have no fucking idea what you’re on about. Did you hit your head, Arden?”

I smile. “Liar.”

His hand is still on my waist, and I relax, simply staring at him. We are lying far too close on the wet ground, my body half over his, his arm still locked around me as if I might need protecting again. His grip loosens, and I roll onto my back beside him, wincing as I lie there breathing hard, his arm still beneath my waist.

Above us, the sky is no longer grey; the clouds have cracked open, and the moonlight spills across the abandoned grounds, silver and bright, washing over the ruins of the Desert Storm Pack. My heart hammers as I stare at the moon that now appears clearly in the night sky.

Ares really did not tell me how long he had shielded me for…

Because shining down on us is the Blood Moon, illuminating the night with power and energy as if it had been waiting for us.

For one heartbeat, nothing happens, and I’m about to tell Ares how, thanks to him, I’ve missed the Blood Moon, but then the most intoxicating scent cuts through the damp earth. Sea salt, bergamot, a hint of driftwood & cypress; intoxicating, serene and masculine.

A scent I know – just heightened.

Ares goes utterly still beside me.

A pull snaps through my chest so sharply I gasp, my hand flying to my heart as if I can hold myself together through sheer will. It’s not painful, but it is too powerful to be anything gentle, a thread drawn tight between my soul and something outside of me. Intense and magical.

My heart thunders as I slowly turn my head towards Ares. His eyes drop from the moon to mine.

The world seems to fall away in pieces: the ruins, the rain, the crack still open somewhere below, the mission, the arguments, every insult, every touch, every moment that has been building between us without either of us daring to name it.

The bond pulls taut, and my breath hitches. Ares’ hand tightens on my waist as my wolf surges forward, my eyes glowing green, and I know from the look in his silver eyes that his has answered, too.

Neither of us speaks.

Neither of us moves.

We simply stare at one another beneath the Blood Moon, hearts pounding, lying side by side in the mud, while fate settles between us with all the subtlety of a blade to the throat.

Only one truth matters.

Ares Westwood is my mate.

Admission

Ares

No.

That is the first thought that goes through my head.

Not shock, not happiness, not some poetic shit about fate or the moon or the way Charlotte Arden is staring at me as if the entire world has just shifted beneath her feet.

Just, no.

The Blood Moon hangs above us, bright and fucking enormous against the dark sky, casting a glowing ray of light across the ruined pack grounds as the bond snaps into place. It’s not anything like the stories make it sound. It’s far more intense. It feels like something has reached into my chest, wrapped a fist around my soul, and yanked hard enough to drag every secret, thought and lie I’ve ever told myself straight to the surface and then bound it to someone without my permission.

Charlotte is still lying beside me, her hair loose around her face and dirt streaked along her cheek, her wide eyes glowing pale green. She has a stunned expression on her face, one that I’ve never seen on her before.

My wolf knows; he’s at the forefront of my mind, roaring with an urgency, wanting to claim her right here and now, and it’s taking my all to stop myself from pinning her down and marking her as mine.