Traded To The Lycan King

"I know what you are thinking." Flora chimes from behind me.

It takes every ounce of me to only roll my eyes and not let out an annoyed groan. We are supposed to be moving in silence, but I suppose I did this to myself by taking someone I don't know. Then again, that's exactly why I dragged her along. I don't trust this Fae. "That you should shut your mouth?" I whisper and shoot her a scowl over my shoulder.

The ground rustles behind me and I close my eyes, my heading turning from side to side as I try to release the tension of being stuck with her. I did this to myself, not Hayes or Teiran. But me, okay, not entirely true.

I did this because Hayes was being a dick and trying to make me jealous. Which only makes him more of a dick, because who does that? Why would he want me to admit I am his mate so he can just reject me and die? How heartless does one have to be to force someone to feel something and then go and hope they die?

"Look, I am sorry." She whispers, her feet shuffling as she comes up close behind me. "It was a bitchy thing to do, trying to seduce him."

I bark out a laugh, trying to pretend it doesn't bother me. We both know I am using my bad attitude as a shield, but when you have no other armor, you grab the closest thing you can find, no matter how flimsy it is. "Seduce him all you want, Flora." I mutter. "It's not like I want to care about him."

She goes silent at my side and I glance over, watching as she frowns and then she opens her mouth to speak before snapping it shut.

"What?" I groan, dragging my hand over my face as exhaustion hits me.

"It's just that I thought-" She pauses, inhaling deeply before she presses her lips together as if weighing how to say what is on her mind.

"We should head back soon." She shakes her head. "That's all. We have been gone for forty-five minutes."

"Yes, forty-three glorious silent moments." I mutter, ignoring her suggestion. There is not a way in hell I am heading back without something. Either a hint or clue. Hell, even just the slightest sign that someone was nearby.

"Look, if we were going to find him, we would have seen something by now." She says, walking in front of me. Suddenly, her demeanor changes and her eyes grow cloudy. She goes vacant as if she is using her powers, yet I don't see anything out of the ordinary. Until a shiver runs down my spine and I realize she felt it first.

been chirping and squirrels scurrying up the trees, their nails scraping over the tough bark of the pines around us. A breeze stirs around us and I try to catch a glimpse of it in the tree, looking for swaying branches or

winter storm. My skin prickles and my lycan paces in my mind on high alert. We are being stalked and had Flora and I not stopped to argue, I may

This is why Tyler was also so much better than me. He could objectify, keep emotions out of his tracking, and yet I constantly find myself bogged down by

whispers, her hand grabbing my wrists as she steps a

it is the strongest to pinpoint exactly where this person is and if it could be

my nose and my stomach falters. It is him. There is no doubt in my mind or nose that Ezrah is not here using his ability to move incredibly fast to try

skills."

back away from her, extracting my wrist from her nervous hand before I take a step

say, trying to sound bored as I place my hands on my hips. "I am not

be." He says, his voice a soft echo making it damn near impossible to distinguish the direction from

just want to talk to you." I shrug, turning slowly in a circle, my eyes focusing on a blur as it comes to a

friend? Not your angry little beta?" he chuckles, his voice echoing around me regardless of the lack of things for it to echo

shake me up, but what he doesn't understand is that I have fought dragons and even threw myself back into a damn mudslide to save someone else. At this point, I am pretty sure my sense of danger meter is damn near ruined. "I brought Flora because she has a special skill set that I thought would

me?" He asks, his

a risk and stepping closer to the tree where I am sure he is.

to talk to?" I ask him and he finally steps into view, leaning on the side of a tree with his hands shoved in his

that, but it seems to me like his personality is about as

voice grows

yes, I heard you two were friends once." I say, my eyes settling on Flora, who meets

indiscernible what she wants from as I decipher what me. I glance over my shoulder, noting a movement between trees and I realize she can see him. Be it the two of them being the same species or her part of

trees are alive. Just as Ezrah goes to move once more, sprint to where he is going and hestops a hair away from me. His eyes grow wide in surprise, looking down at me as he takes a single step backward to