The She-Wolf Series Book 2

IVAR

Samantha’s words hit me hard. I wanted to dismiss her, to call her a liar, but the sincerity in her voice was undeniable. She was strong, resilient, ready to move on.

On the other hand, I was constantly wrestling with my inner wolf, struggling to maintain control every moment we were apart.

Every night, I dreamed of her. Every morning, I woke up to the harsh reality of her absence. Alcohol provided temporary relief, but eventually, I started avoiding sleep altogether.

That’s how Rankor gained control, and why I was too weak to stop him from running thousands of miles to Samantha’s doorstep.

I locked eyes with her, her emerald gaze unwavering. No other wolf I’d met could hold my gaze for more than a fleeting moment, but Samantha was different.

Of course she is, I thought to myself.

“I should’ve just commanded you to come to Canada with me,” I mumbled under my breath.

She thought for a moment before responding, “I don’t think that would work on me.”

I was the only werewolf in existence with the power to command others. It was a gift I used sparingly, not wanting to infringe on others’ free will, but sometimes it was necessary.

I pondered Samantha’s dismissal.

“Maybe not,” I admitted.

After all, she was unaffected by my gaze, and I suspected it had something to do with her being my destined mate.

Destiny can be such a bitch sometimes.

“Why did you leave?” she asked softly.

Her voice was so quiet I might not have heard it if it weren’t for my heightened hearing.

“I asked you to come with me,” I reminded her.

“We could have talked about it. You didn’t even give us a chance.”

Her words surprised me. I sat up, wincing at the pain from my injuries, and studied her.

She was as beautiful as I remembered, but there was a haunted look in her eyes that I hadn’t noticed before. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, her hands clenched tightly in her lap.

Despite her strong exterior, it was clear she was fighting her own battles.

“I told you I wouldn’t beg,” I reminded her. “You said you didn’t want me to.”

“No, I told you I wasn’t asking you to,” she corrected.

“Either way, you rejected me,” I retorted.

“How could you think that?” she asked, shocked. “I would have given anything for you to stay.”

She quickly covered her mouth, seemingly surprised by her own admission.

“What did you just say?” I demanded.

She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. Seeing her pain was too much, and the emotional walls I’d built came crashing down.

I pulled myself off the couch, ignoring the searing pain in my feet, and knelt before her.

She shook her head again as I reached out to touch her cheek. I brushed away her tears with my thumb, ignoring her protest.

“Please don’t do that,” she pleaded, closing her eyes. “I can’t.”

“Do what?” I asked, confused.

“Act like you want me,” she whispered.

“I do want you,” I assured her.

“Enough to stay?”

I froze.

When I didn’t respond, Samantha took a deep breath and pulled away. I fought the urge to pull her back.

“Then you need to go,” she said, her voice firm.

“Luke has his wolf now,” I argued. “He can be Alpha in your place.”

“He’s sixteen,” she retorted.

“Back in the day, he would’ve been considered a man,” I reasoned.

“Well we aren’t ‘back in the day’ and I’m not abandoning my son,” she snapped. “If I have to explain that to you, then there’s really nothing else to discuss.”

Samantha was infuriating. I stood to leave, pain shooting through my feet and up my legs.

I stumbled, gasping in pain.

“Shit,” Samantha exclaimed, rushing to my side.

I leaned against her and the arm of the chair, panting heavily.

“How long have you been unable to heal?” she asked after a moment.

“Six months,” I grunted. “I still heal. It just takes a while.”

Rankor had pushed us to our limits in his desperation to reach Samantha. He knew if he slept, I might regain control, so he kept going despite the damage.

The pain of my injuries was nothing compared to the pain of being away from Samantha.

After a moment, Samantha sighed. “Well I guess you won’t be running back any time soon. Who do I need to call for you?”

“Aidan,” I told her, reciting the number as I slumped to the floor, leaning against the chair.

I listened to her side of the conversation, not bothering to tune into Aidan’s responses.

“Hi Aidan. I don’t know if you remember me… Right… Yeah, he’s here… He’s hurt and can’t make the trip back. Can you come get him?… Uh, okay.”

She pressed a button on the screen.

“Okay, he can hear you,” she said.

“Hey dickhead,” Aidan’s voice filled the room and I grimaced. “I’m not coming to get you and you know why. Either work it out or make the trip once you’re healed. Trinity’s not coming either so don’t even try. Kick his ass if you need to, Alpha Paulson. Or even if you just want to. Ciao, mother fucker!”

Both Samantha and I tried to protest, but the line was already dead.

“Fuck!” I yelled.

I was going to kill Aidan when I got home. We’d been friends for almost four hundred years. He was the only one who could talk to me like that and live, but he’d crossed a line.

“Now what?” Samantha asked, clearly annoyed.

“Apparently I’m stuck here for a few days,” I muttered.

“A few days?!” Samantha exclaimed. “Nope. You are not staying here.”

“Where would you like me to go then, Alpha?” I retorted. “You heard him. No one is coming for me.”

She thought for a moment before suggesting, “You can stay at the pack house.”

“I’m not staying at the pack house,” I shot back. “If anyone sees me like this, the werewolf kingdom will be in danger. Another wolf might challenge the throne, or a non-allied species might attack.”

I could see she understood the gravity of the situation. I didn’t mention that I also couldn’t bear the thought of being away from her now that I’d seen her again.

Some things were better left unsaid. Especially since she clearly wanted me gone as soon as possible.

“All right,” she finally conceded. “You can use one of the guest rooms until you’re better. But, I’d really appreciate it if you could keep your distance.”

I gave her a hard look, and I could see her flinch a bit.

I dropped my voice to a low rumble. “Let’s clear something up, little wolf. You may be the alpha of your pack, but mate or not, I’m your king. I’ve been around for over a thousand years. Compared to me, you’re just a pup. You’re not in a position to be bossing me around. Do we understand each other?”

She gave a slow nod, her eyes wide.

“Say it,” I demanded.

“I understand,” she whispered.

“Good,” I grumbled, leaning my head back against the chair to stare at the ceiling.

Without a sound, I heard her leave the room quickly. As she did, her scent washed over me like a mist before fading away with her.

My heart twinged at her absence. Even though I knew she was just in the next room, I missed her intensely.

Rankor was hammering at my consciousness, urging me to follow her.

These next few days are going to be tough.