Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 133191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
If he heard the bitterness or heartbreak in her voice, he didn’t show it.
“But if you don’t want me to be one of your pack, I get it.”
Conall had been mid-stride across the room, seemingly in pursuit of his T-shirt, when he halted and turned to look at her with such incredulous anger, she flinched. “You’re my mate,” he bit out. “You’re already a member of my fucking pack. It isnae about that. It’s about the fifty-fifty chance that my bite could kill you. So the answer is no.”
Outrage swamped Thea at his high-handed dominance. She threw back the covers. “It’s not up to you.” She crossed the room, avoiding him as she reached for her own clothes. Pulling on her underwear, she couldn’t even look at him. “It’s my goddamn body, Conall. My life. My decision.”
“You’re my mate.” The words sounded torn from him, drawing Thea’s regard. His expression was haggard. “Life-altering decisions are made together.” He moved to her, his eyes dragging down her half-naked body and back up again. “Your life is now my life. Your body is now my body.”
Thea inwardly shuddered against the magnetic pull of their bond. She wanted to launch herself into his arms so they could take out their frustration on each other but … she’d made her own decisions for years. No one, not even Conall, would take that independence away from her.
She turned away, pulling her shirt over her head. As she shrugged it down, her voice was ice. “Caveman bullshit.” She glared at him over her shoulder. “Ashforth took away my choices for six years. I’ve been fighting for the right to own myself for another six. Whatever this is between us, I don’t belong to you. I belong to myself.”
He looked like she’d gutted him, and pain flared across Thea’s chest at the thought of hurting him. Still she remained steadfast against the pull of their bond.
“I would never …” He cleared his throat, furious reproach blazing in his eyes. “Do not compare me to him. There is a difference between thinking someone is a possession and belonging to someone, Thea. Whether you like it or not, this mating bond means I do belong to you and you do belong to me. Because we’re a part of each other.” His gaze darkened. “At this very moment, I wish that wasnae true because I never imagined I’d end up with a mate that could even think about asking me to do something that might kill her. Aye, I could bite you and you could live a wolf’s life, with a shorter life span, and no eternity to worry over. Or I could bite you and you could die.” He took a measured step toward her. “And I would have to live with the fact I’d killed my mate for the rest of my miserable fucking life. You would ask that of me?”
Understanding dawned and remorse instantly wiped out Thea’s anger. “You know I didn’t mean...” He was right. She hadn’t thought about that. She’d only been thinking of herself.
Not knowing what to say, Thea slumped into a chair and buried her head in her hands.
The silence between them was unbearable.
Finally, Conall moved around the room. When Thea got up the nerve to look, she saw he’d packed their stuff. Without looking at her, he shoved his car keys into his pocket and shrugged his rucksack onto one shoulder. “We need to go.”
So they did.
They left the hotel without speaking a word and as Conall drove out of Oslo toward Brevik, the distance between them grew until it overwhelmed Thea with an entirely new kind of misery.
* * *
Upon reaching the ferry at Brevik, Thea and Conall were displeased to discover that the freight ferry only allowed commercial vehicles onto it. Conall had turned to her, expression pinched. “I need to get Callie back as soon as possible. You have to use your gift. I’m sorry.”
She heard the genuine apology in his voice, and she understood. The truth was that if anything happened to Callie, it would destroy Conall, which in turn would destroy Thea. And that was why, even though it made her sick to her stomach, she manipulated the port authority who were checking vehicles driving onto the ferry. She made them see the SUV as a small commercial van with required papers and all.
“We do what we must to survive,” she repeated softly as Conall drove them onto the ship.
Renewed silence descended upon them as they made their way to the main lounge where they’d have to sit for the long crossing. There were tradesmen and long-haul drivers already settling in, some heading directly to the cafeteria for lunch.
Thea couldn’t even think about eating.
She followed Conall toward the back where there was a group of empty seats in the corner, but just before they reached them, he abruptly turned. Thea staggered to a halt as he towered over her. His expression was etched with harsh intensity.