Chapter Thirteen

Kiran seethed with anger and desperation as he watched Gwyneth disappear without warning. He wasted no time and sprinted after her, his wolf form enabling him to move swiftly. However, he struggled to trace her amidst the dense forest, relying on his heightened senses—sniffing the air and searching for any signs or clues.

Before long, the forest resounded with cacophonous cries and growls, drawing Kiran’s immediate response. He dashed toward the source of the commotion, where he found Gwyneth locked in a fierce battle with the three Dark Wolves that had eluded him earlier. She wielded her bow, using it as a makeshift weapon after expending all her arrows.

Kiran emitted a deep, menacing growl, and just as one of The Dark Wolves lunged at Gwyneth, he intervened, swiftly tearing the assailant apart. The remaining wolves shifted their attention to Kiran, but as he loomed over them, emanating a potent aura of aggression—an alpha ready to protect his mate—they quickly retreated.

Gwyneth breathed a sigh of enormous relief before leaning against a nearby tree. “Shit, that was close,” she muttered, offering a slight smile before turning to Kiran. “What’s wrong?”

He huffed and turned away from her, expecting her to follow, which she did.

“Kiran?” she called out.

Kiran maintained a suitable distance between them as he continued to track down his horse. Eventually, he gestured to her, indicating that she should mount it while he remained in his other form. However, Gwyneth opted to grab the reins instead, following behind him as they departed the forest and retraced their steps to the site of the confrontation.

In the distance, riders approached. They were Kiran’s men. Gwyneth concluded they must have been alerted, considering the short distance from here to the city.

“What happened?” Serian inquired, as he slowed his horse.

“Dark Wolves,” Gwyneth answered before a whimper caught their attention. One of The Dark Wolves she had shot was limping away toward the forest, dragging one leg behind him.

“I will take care of that.” Moran reached for his sword.

“Don’t kill him!” Gwyneth interjected, stepping in front of the injured wolf.

“Why not?” Moran questioned.

“Because we need answers.”

“They don’t speak.”

“Or perhaps we need to find alternative ways to make them speak.”

Moran exchanged puzzled glances with Gwyneth before turning his gaze to Kiran, who nodded in agreement. Moran shrugged and retrieved some rope instead. Gwyneth turned to Kiran and smiled, but he averted his gaze, still upset with her and not ready to engage in conversation. He watched as she rolled her eyes before mounting the horse, obviously annoyed with him as well.

As they prepared to make their way back to the castle, The Dark Wolf was tied up and secured over Moran’s horse. The others surrounded Gwyneth, which made Kiran feel better as they headed back to the castle. Upon returning, Moran and the other fighters took The Dark Wolf to the dungeon. Gwyneth was about to follow them, but Kiran blocked her path, preventing her from going down a lengthy hallway.

“What?” she asked.

Kiran had yet to revert to his human form and instead gestured with his head for her to follow. Gwyneth shrugged and complied with his request. They walked back to his room, where he finally transformed back into his human self. He stood before her, dirtied and completely naked. Gwyneth gasped and averted her eyes. However, he approached her and placed a hand around her jaw, ensuring she focused on him.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” he growled in a low, intense tone.

“What?” Gwyneth stammered.

“You don’t just recklessly run off like that. Do you hear me? You could have been killed if I hadn’t found you.”

“I’ve faced one of them before.”

“One! Not three,” he emphasized firmly. “Don’t ever put your life at risk like that.”

“I can take care of myself!” she retorted, pushing his hand away.

“I will not let my mate die because of her reckless behavior!”

“Says the person who went up alone against an entire group!”

“I’m different! I was made for this!” he shouted.

“I was made for protecting, too! I want answers, Kiran!” she exclaimed.

“But I will not allow you to get them if it means your death!”

“That is not up to you!” she shouted. “I want to go home!”

“Why?” he shouted back.

“I told you why!”

Kiran shook his head and rubbed his eyes in frustration. What did he have to do to make her understand that a life with him was a good one? But every time Gwyneth insisted on going home, it felt like a blow to his chest.

“Gwyn…”

“I know you feel attached to me, but I don’t belong here,” she reminded him.

“But that is where you are wrong,” he said gently. “You do belong here, or you wouldn’t be my mate.”

Kiran looked at Gwyneth for a moment longer, then left to clean up the blood and tend to his wounds in the other room.

Kiran returned to the bedroom shortly after, wearing only a towel and finding his mate on the bed, yet his anger still simmered inside him as he looked at her.

“I’m not from here,” she began.

“You said so,” he snapped, feeling irritated.

He poured himself a cup of wine from a nearby jug and took a sip. Gwyneth approached him, eyeing the scrapes and cuts on his skin healing before her eyes.

“That’s amazing,” she mumbled, reaching out to touch him.

He pulled away slightly, surprised by her gentle touch, and Gwyneth looked up at him.

“I’m not from here, so I do things differently. I can’t just be what you need me to be,” she told him.

“I want you to be you.”

“No, I don’t believe that is completely true.”

Kiran sighed, conceding that she might have a point. “Maybe not completely. Maybe there is a part of me that wishes my mate wasn’t a fighter, because then she wouldn’t seek danger.”

“I have been around danger all my life.”

“But this time you were reckless,” he scolded as he put his cup down.

“I can agree that I might have made the decision a bit too hastily. I hoped to get some answers.”

“That need for answers could end up getting you killed. I understand your desire to know more. I share it too,” he told her.

“But they are also a way for me to go home.”

“And that won’t change.”

“What?” she asked, feeling confused.

“It won’t change that they hold the key to your return, so why the rush? Why are you willing to risk yourself when that won’t change?”

“I…” Gwyneth hesitated for a moment, clearly unsure of what to say, as she acknowledged the validity of his point. “You’re right,” she finally conceded, taking Kiran by surprise. “I acted recklessly. I was desperate, and I didn’t think. I just saw an opportunity.”

Kiran was caught off guard by Gwyneth’s admission. She had a strong personality and didn’t easily back down, and he had expected more resistance from her. But instead, she acknowledged her impulsivity. The shift in energy diffused his anger, and he sighed, placing his hands on her neck, drew her closer, and pressed his forehead to hers.

“I know you’re a fighter. I know you’re used to doing things differently. But I know this world. Listen to me,” he urged.

“Okay. I will try,” she replied, making him smile. He couldn’t resist the magnetic pull between them any longer, and he kissed her. The thought of how close death had been to his mate today fueled his desire, and the kiss grew more intense. Gwyneth’s hands explored his chest, tracing a path down to remove the towel. Kiran growled with pleasure as her hands explored him.

He moved her hands away and lifted her, carried her back to the bed and lay her down. With a sense of urgency, he removed her clothes swiftly, eager to see all of her. Kiran leaned down, kissing a path along her neck and body, taking the time to worship her breasts before continuing his descent. He stopped between her legs, licking his sweet mate, reveling in the sharp taste of her on his tongue. He skillfully drove her to writhe and moan, her passionate cries calling out for him, further igniting his desire.

He continued to please her until her body reached a climax, her release washing over her, and he pushed her through the waves of ecstasy. Then he moved up her body, locked his lips with hers, positioned himself, and slowly entered her.

“Oh, fuck, Kiran,” she gasped softly.

As Kiran began to move, he was consumed by his hunger for her. In the world of werewolves, claiming a mate was swift, and now that Gwyneth had willingly come to him, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He thrust into her harder and harder, their passionate union growing louder and more desperate. The pleasure built rapidly, and Kiran reached down, stroking her until she climaxed again, her cries mingling with his own. After nearly losing her earlier that day, he needed to be with her more than once.