Leaving Mistwood
Dorian stood behind his desk, black hair catching the late afternoon sunlight, while Kaius lounged in the visitor’s chair as if he owned the place. Their eyes snapped to me as I entered, but it was Kaius who spoke first.
“I believe you are ready and packed, Elowen,”
I forced myself to stand taller, fighting the instinct to cower. “Yes, Alpha.”
“Call me Kaius.” It wasn’t a suggestion.
I swallowed hard. “Yes… Kaius.”
He rose with fluid grace, crossing the room to stand before me. Up close, his presence was even more intimidating, his scent wrapping around me like a physical thing.
Just as I had promised you, your mother is free, and she will come with us,” he said.
I stared at him in shock, then at Dorian, who looked like he’d swallowed something bitter. My mother’s freedom? Just like that? She still had ten years left on her contract–a binding agreement under werewolf law that even an Alpha couldn’t simply dismiss.
Yet somehow, in the span of minutes, Kaius had accomplished what I’d thought impossible.
“I would be waiting in the car,” Kaius continued, his eyes never leaving mine. “Pick up your things and join me. Your mother would be transported to my pack tomorrow, and not to worry, she is already a free woman.”
“May I leave?” I asked softly, suddenly desperate to escape the charged atmosphere.
Kaius nodded once, dismissing me. As I turned to go, I caught Dorian’s eye. For a split second, something like concern flashed across his face–not for me, but for what awaited me. It sent a chill down my spine..
I closed the door quickly behind me, my heart pounding in my chest. What kind of man could free a slave with ten years left on her contract in a matter of minutes? What kind of power did Kaius truly wield?
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Leaving Mistwood
And what had I gotten myself into?
I didn’t mention the cost of her freedom. That was my burden to bear.
“I will see you soon, mother,” I said, pulling her into a tight embrace.
Her arms wrapped around me fiercely, as if she might never let go. I breathed in her familiar scent–herbs and soap and home–and tried to memorize it.
Despite Kaius’s assurances, there was no guarantee I would see her again.
I had no one else in this pack. No friends, no siblings. Just her. My mother, the one constant in my tumultuous life. And now I was leaving her behind, stepping into ant unknown future with a man known for violence and cruelty.
When we finally parted, her eyes were bright with unshed tears. She didn’t voice her fears -she didn’t need to. I could read them clearly in the tight lines around her mouth, in the way her hands trembled slightly as she straightened my collar.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, answering her unspoken worry. “And you’ll be free.”
Two stone–faced guards waited in the entrance hall of the pack house. As I approached, one silently took my bag from my hand, while the other gestured for me to follow him
outside.
A sleek black limousine waited in the circular drive, its engine purring softly. Pack members gathered at windows and doorways, watching with undisguised curiosity as the guard opened the rear door for me.
I slid onto the leather seat, instinctively positioning myself as far from Kaius as possible.
He sat against the opposite door, one arm stretched along the back of the seat, his long legs casually crossed at the ankle. His eyes tracked my every movement with unnerving
focus.
The door closed with a soft thud, sealing us in together. The privacy barrier between us and the driver was raised, leaving us completely alone as the car pulled smoothly away from the pack house.
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Leaving Mistwood
I stared resolutely out the window, watching the only home I’d ever known grow smaller in the distance. When it finally disappeared around a bend, I felt a strange mixture of relief and panic.
Kaius’s gaze continued to burn into me, the weight of his stare making my skin prickle with awareness. Minutes stretched into uncomfortable silence, broken only by the soft purr of the engine.
“Do you have a habit of staring at people like a freak would, or is this meant for only me?” I finally blurted out, unable to bear the scrutiny any longer.
A slow smile spread across his face, transforming his severe features into something
almost handsome. Almost.
“It’s just you,” he replied, his voice a low rumble. “I like seeing you unsettled, and I seem
to scare
You a lot.”
I lifted my chin defiantly. “You scare everyone, and no, I am not afraid of you.”
The lie was so transparent I might as well have announced my fear with a bullhorn.
“Come closer,” he commanded suddenly.
I pressed myself harder against the door. “I am fine here.”
“We are mates,” he said, his tone matter–of–fact. “We have to act the part.”
When I didn’t move, he let out an exasperated sigh and reached across the space between us. His hand closed around my wrist, his grip firm but not painful, and with one effortless tug, he pulled me across the seat toward him.
I landed against his side, my thigh pressed against his, his arm coming around my shoulders to hold me in place. The heat of him seeped through my thin dress, his smoky, primal scent overwhelming this close. My pulse raced, caught between fear and something else I refused to acknowledge..
“I wonder how you would look naked,” he murmured, his breath hot against my ear.
I jerked away–or tried to. His arm tightened, keeping me firmly at his side.
“I love the dress too,” he added, his free hand sliding possessively up my thigh. His palm
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Leaving Mistwood
didn’t stop at my knee; it pressed hard against the fabric right between my legs. The heat was immediate, searing, focused entirely on my core. He deliberately shifted, grinding the rough heat of his palm against the dress, right over my most sensitive flesh. The friction sent a sharp, forbidden pulse straight through me.
Before I could stop it, a small moan escaped my lips.
“What are you doing, Alpha Kaius? I gasped, breathless, as his hand didn’t relent. His fingers began to knead and rub insistently against the now–dampening fabric, applying targeted pressure right where I felt it most, stealing the air from my lungs.
His eyes, dark with something I didn’t want to name, held mine captive. “What does it
look like?”
I squirmed against his hold, but that only pressed me more firmly against his solid chest. “Kaius… please.”
“What?” he asked, his voice deceptively innocent while his hand continued its upward
journey.
“Not here; someone can come in,” I whispered desperately, scrambling for any excuse.
The low laugh that rumbled through his chest sent vibrations through my body. “So what? I would fuck you, Elowen, anywhere I see fit, and I do not give a damn if the whole pack is watching.
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