Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87502 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87502 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“What? What is it?” I asked, trying to keep the apprehension out of my voice.
He took a deep breath.
“I have what some people call a ‘cursed wolf’ inside me.”
“A cursed wolf?” I had heard of such things, but I was still slightly horrified to learn that Kor was one of “the Cursed Ones.”
“Yes, but it’s not really cursed—it’s just an in-between form,” he told me quickly. “I call it my ‘Beast.’ It’s not a full wolf, or a full man—it’s sort of in between. Kind of like a wolfman, like they had in those old movies.”
I tried to picture what he was talking about and suddenly my dream came back to me. I hadn’t been having it since Kor had been helping me and making me come before bed every night, but I well remembered the huge creature rising before me in the moonlight in the last dream I’d had.
“I…think I know what you’re talking about,” I said faintly. I could see why the terrifying thing from my dream would be more than a match for any normal Were’s wolf during a challenge.
“Good. So my Beast is twice as strong as any other Were’s wolf,” Kor told me. “That’s why I’m not worried about the Alpha Challenge, and you shouldn’t be either. And I’ll tell you something else…” He leaned forward, smiling a little. “Once I’m declared the Pack Leader, I can take you as my mate and there’s nothing they can do about it. The Pack Leader is the only male allowed to breed a Moon Widow, so that will take care of your Heat Cycle too.”
I shook my head regretfully.
“I wish I could believe things are going to work out so neatly, but I don’t think the Pack Elders will let you take me for a mate—even if you do win the Alpha Challenge,” I told him.
“What?” He frowned. “Why not?”
“Because I was married to your uncle,” I reminded him. “And even though there isn’t any blood connection between us, I’m almost sure the Elders will say that you mating me would be breaking one of the other Unbreakable laws—the one that states that family members can’t breed together.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he growled. “You and I don’t have any blood relation at all. And Carter was really only my half uncle, since he and my father had different mothers.”
I shook my head again.
“Doesn’t matter. I know how they think—they won’t accept you as Pack Leader, even if you win the challenge—if you insist on taking me as your mate.”
“Then why are we bothering with this at all?” Kor demanded.
“This?” I asked.
“This…all of this. The Pack, the Alpha Challenge—why should we stay here? Why should we care what they think or strive for their ideals when they’ll just try to keep us away from each other?” he asked.
I stared at him blankly for a moment.
“Well…because I’m a Moon Widow,” I said slowly. “I’m tied to the town—to Wolverton Manor. I’m supposed to live the rest of my life upholding Carter’s legacy and name.”
“And what exactly do you get out of that except a lonely existence rattling around a big old house by yourself?” Kor asked, frowning.
“Nothing, I suppose,” I admitted. It would be different if I wanted to be alone, but since I’d met him, I didn’t want that anymore. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him—though I wasn’t quite brave enough to say so.
“So why should we stay?” he asked, reasonably. “Look, I have my own business back in Colorado and I do quite well for myself. I can support us both—let’s just book some plane tickets and get the hell out of here.”
I couldn’t believe what he was saying…and yet, I loved the idea. It had never occurred to me that I could just leave. Even with all of Carter’s money in my private account, I hadn’t thought about leaving Wolverton Manor and Blackridge and going to start a new life somewhere.
“I…I don’t know why I didn’t think of that earlier,” I said at last.
“You’ve been conditioned to think you belong here—but you don’t, Vivienne.” Kor looked at me earnestly. “This place—this town and this Pack—have stolen enough of your life. Let’s get out of here—let’s travel the world and spend time together and love each other without anyone looking over our shoulders, judging us all the time.”
I began to catch his vision, and I felt my heart leap with hope.
“Can we go to France? And Italy? And Spain?” I asked eagerly.
He laughed.
“Anywhere you want, baby. We’ll go all over the place.”
“I just want to go anyplace at all that’s not Blackridge,” I said, honestly. “I want to see places I’ve never seen before—I want to hear people speaking different languages and taste exotic foods and walk on the beach at sunset.”
“Yes, all of that—we can do all of that,” Kor agreed, nodding. He got up from the table so fast he nearly knocked his chair over. “Look, I’ll go get us some plane tickets for tomorrow—what do you say? While everyone else is getting ready for the Alpha Challenge, we’ll be hundreds of miles away, starting our new lives together.”