Chapter 3 In His Bed

Rowan’s blade was an inch away from my throat.

Around us, dozens of Blood Fang warriors stepped into the courtyard, their eyes fixed on me with pure hatred.

"She wears their clothes!

She carries their scent!" Rowan growled, his jaw locked tight.

"You bring a Silver Moon healer into Fangrock while our border are being attacked?

This is treason, Kane!"

"Lower the sword, Rowan," Kane said softly, but the weight in his voice made the surrounding wolves flinch.

"I won't say it again."

Rowan stared at his Alpha for three tense seconds, Slowly, he lowered his weapon.

"The pack elders won't accept this," Rowan muttered, stepping back to let us pass.

"They want her head on a spike."

"Let them ask for it," Kane replied coldly.

He carried me straight past the glaring crowd and through the doors.

He walked up a staircase and down a quiet corridor, stopping in front of a door at the very end.

He pushed it open with his boot and carried me inside.

It was a dimly lit bedroom dominated by a stone fireplace and a bed in thick fur blankets.

He set me down gently on the edge of the mattress, but as he pulled back, I shivered from the sudden loss of his heat.

"Stay here," he ordered, his golden eyes sweeping over my trembling frame.

"Kane..." My voice was weak, barely a whisper.

"Your pack... they want to kill me."

"They have to go through me first," Kane said, leaning down until his face was inches from mine.

Up close, his dark eyelashes cast long shadows over his high cheekbones, and his breath brushed hot against my lips.

"And no one in this mountain is stupid enough to try that."

He turned and walked toward a small washstand in the corner, pouring warm water into a basin.

He returned with a clean cloth, kneeling on the floor right between my knees.

My breath caught in my throat. My cheeks flared hot, a deep blush spreading rapidly down my neck.

"What are you doing?" I stammered, pulling back slightly.

"Hold still," he murmured, his voice dropping into a low, smooth purr that vibrated straight down my spine.

He took my injured right wrist into his warm hand.

His fingers were long holding me with a delicate precision that seemed impossible for a man his size.

He dipped the cloth in warm water and gently wiped away the dried blood from where my mate mark had crumbled.

The soft touch of his thumb against my skin sent a sudden, electric spark straight through my body.

My core tightened instantly, a hot ache blooming deep inside me.

I gasped, trying to pull my hand back, but his grip remained firm.

Kane paused, his heavy golden eyes lifting to lock onto mine.

He felt my pulse jump under his thumb. A dark, wicked smirk slowly curled the corner of his lips.

"Sensative, aren't we?" he murmured softly, his thumb tracing a tiny circle over my burning skin.

"I... I'm just in pain," I lied, my heart beating frantically against my ribs.

"From the rejection."

"That's not pain making your pulse race like a trapped rabbit, little healer," Kane purred, leaning closer until his lips almost touched the sensitive skin beneath my ear.

His deep tone sent another sharp wave of heat straight down between my thighs, making my breath hitch.

"You like the way I touch you."

"You shouldn't say things like that," I whispered, my voice trembling as my blush deepened.

"I am your prisoner."

"You're my guest," Kane corrected softly.

"My protected guest. And as long as you're in my room, in my bed... you answer only to me."

"In your bed?" I echoed, my eyes widening.

"Where are you going to sleep?"

Kane chuckled, a dark, low sound that rumbled against my chest as he stood up, tossing the bloodied cloth into the basin.

"Right beside you," he said smoothly, unbuckling his belt and tossing it onto a chair.

Next came his dark coat, exposing his shoulders and the thick muscles of his arm.

"Unless you think you can handle the cold out here on your own?"

My face was burning so hot I was sure he could feel the heat coming off me.

I scrambled backward on the bed, pulling the fur blanket up to my chin.

"I can sleep on the floor," I blurted out.

"Not happening," Kane said, stepping toward the bed.

"You're weak, I mean you're shock frozen don't get me wrong and your body is trying to heal from a broken bond. You need heat. My heat."

Before I could object again, footsteps sounded outside in the hallway, followed by a hurried knock on the door.

Kane paused, his eyes narrowing as he turned toward the entrance.

"What?" he called out, his voice instantly hardening back into that of a commanding Alpha.

The door swung open, and Rowan stepped into the frame, his face pale and tight with tension.

"Alpha, we have a problem," Rowan said quickly, glancing at me with cold suspicion before looking back at Kane.

"A Silver Moon just hit our southern border outpost."

Kane's jaw tightened. "Declan?"

"No," Rowan replied, shaking his head.

"It was a raid squad led by Beta Marcus. They're demanding we hand over Elara Vance immediately.

They say if we don't return her by sunrise, Silver Moon will march their entire army into the Hollow and burn Black Ridge to the ground."

The air in the room instantly turned icy cold.

I sat up straight, the blanket slipping from my shoulders as panic surged through my blood.

Marcus was coming for me.

He wanted to make sure I was dead so his secret stayed safe.

Kane turned his head slowly, his bright golden eyes locking onto mine with an unreadable expression.

"They think they can demand things from me in my own home," Kane said quietly, his voice dangerously calm.

He walked over to the chair, picked up his coat, and pulled it back over his shoulders.

"Kane, please," I pleaded, stepping off the bed with shaky legs.

"If you hand me over, they'll kill me. Marcus framed me!"

Kane walked up to me, stopping so close I had to tilt my head back to look into his glowing eyes.

He reached out, his long fingers cupping the back of my neck once more, pulling me just an inch closer to his hard frame.

"I don't give away what's mine, Elara," he whispered, his deep voice sending that same hot shiver making my knees feel weak.

"And Marcus Hale is about to learn what happens when he touches my things."

He let go of my neck, turned on his heel, and strode toward the door with Rowan right at his side.

"Wait!" I called out, taking a step forward.

"What are you going to do?"

Kane stopped at the door, looking back over his shoulder with a dark smile that made my heart leap into my throat.

"I'm going to give Declan's Beta a message," Kane said smoothly.

"With his own blood."

He stepped out into the hallway, and the door slammed shut behind him, the iron lock clicking into place from the outside, trapping me in the dark room alone.