“What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked, tucking a piece of greasy hair behind my ear. I had to look positively revolting after being in a prison cell for so long, and I doubted I smelled any better, yet Jordan didn't seem to notice. Or if he did, he didn't care.
He looked up at the sky, his face contemplative. “My father used to rule the Leo pack with fear. He would physically abuse pack members to keep them in line, and none of us were exempt. Not even me, his firstborn son.”
I sat up a little straighter, no longer having to feign my interest. Dad had ruled with fear and brute force too, and I’d known that better than anyone. “My father was the same."
Jordan glanced over at me, his lips drawn tight in a grim line. "Maybe it's good they're both gone."
My eyebrows jumped up at his words. "Why is that?"
"Because it allows us to do things differently. My father wanted to wipe out or take control of all the other packs, effectively making everyone a member of the Leo pack with him as its king. I don't want that. I never have. I plan to let the packs keep their individuality, as long as they defer to me as their true alpha. With our pack leading the Zodiac Wolves, we can charge forward into a brighter future for all of us."
With the Sun Witches controlling all of us, I mentally added. It was hard not to say it out loud, but instead, I nodded slowly, as though I was agreeing with everything he said. "It might be tough to convince the other packs to accept you as their leader. Even with the Sun Witches behind you."
"That's why I need your help." He reached over and took my hand, making my blood race. "If the other Zodiac Wolves see that we're together, putting our packs' past rivalries behind us, they'll realize this is for the best. There's been fighting and scheming between the Zodiac Wolves for too long—it's time we were united in peace."
His words sounded too good to be true, and I had to remind myself this was all just a ploy to convince me to join him. He wanted to use me, just like everyone else. Especially now that he knew I had Moon Witch magic. "Do you really think that will work?"
"With you by my side, we'll be unstoppable." He turned toward me, his knee brushing against mine, sending a wave of burning need through me. “We’re meant to be, Ayla. The stars decreed it. Can’t you feel it?”
“Yes," I whispered. The lie came easily, and I wondered if it was a lie at all. With Jordan this close it was hard for me to think of anything but how much I wanted him. The mating bond drew us closer, impossible to resist, and I yearned to lean forward, to be the one to bridge the distance between us. But Jordan moved first.
His mouth crashed down on mine, and I let out a soft gasp at the sudden burst of lust inside me. Then his hands were on my chin, in my hair, pulling me closer as he kissed me. I kissed him back with the same intensity, unable to stop myself, touching his chest, his shoulders, his jaw. The knot that had been in my stomach since we'd first become mates relaxed, all the tension leaving my body as I finally gave in to the inevitable. Jordan was mine, and I was his.
No, something deep inside of me screamed. Thoughts of Kaden’s lips on mine crowded into my head, overtaking the physical sensation of kissing my mate for the first time. But there was something else too, and as the kiss went on longer, the feeling grew stronger. Something was wrong, out of place, like I’d walked into my home and found it completely rearranged. The wrongness of it all grew stronger with each second Jordan kissed me, filling me with confusion…and horror.
I shoved Jordan away with a gasp, finally propelled into motion. Jordan's eyes were clouded with lust as he looked at me in confusion, and I scrambled to get my thoughts together. Damn quick tongue, where are you now?
“I—I need time,” I said, stuttering over the words. From the way that Jordan’s fingers tightened around my shoulders, I worried he wouldn’t listen, the words I'd take great pleasure in pinning you to the ground swimming around in my head. If he kissed me again, I wasn't sure I could resist him—I'd barely managed to end it this time. Everything was so jumbled up in my head, a whirlwind of lust, need, disgust, hatred, and longing. All I knew was that I wanted Jordan away from me.
"Time?" he asked, though thankfully he let me go.
I looked at him with pleading eyes, letting down my guard for once, showing him my vulnerability. “Please try to understand how hard this is for me. You rejected me at the Convergence and my pack was killed. Then I woke up with the Ophiuchus pack without any time to adjust or grieve, and just when I felt like I was settling in there, you brought me here, locked me up, and told me everything they said was a lie. And now I’ve just learned that I’m part witch too?" I let out a strained laugh. "It’s a lot to process."