Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
The truth of it hit hard. If he didn’t have Nadia, what was he going to do? The pack needed him. He could become Alpha and remain unmated. He could serve, protect, endure. Maybe in a hundred years someone else would take over. Maybe he’d walk away and farm, trade blood for soil. It was a thought. But could he stay away from her for that long, knowing how easily she filled empty space?
What did she need?
Protection.
The answer growled through him, instinctive and fierce. He stomped out to the middle of the frozen lake, bent, and smashed his fist down. The ice shattered in one brutal punch, and cracks spidered outward into the moonlit dark. The entire lake groaned beneath the sudden violence.
Sucking in frigid air, he pummeled the surface, striking again and again until the ice finally gave way. Water surged up around the opening, steam curling faintly where cold met colder. He kept hitting until a clean, round hole remained. It was big enough. More than big enough.
Taryn murmured and placed her hand on his shoulder.
He looked up at her. “I want you to stay here.” He let the Alpha edge settle fully into his voice, calm and immovable.
She dropped her hand, eyes wide. She had lovely eyes. Sharp and expressive. Still, they weren’t Nadia’s. Nobody had eyes like Nadia.
“I’d like to prove I can do this,” Taryn said.
“I already know you can,” he said. “That’s not the point. The point is you don’t need to. It’s freezing down there, and you’re staying up here.”
She blinked, then nodded. “All right.”
Good. The last thing he wanted was another female nearly frozen in his vicinity.
He gathered the four totems and dove, the shock of the water stealing his breath as it closed over him. Cold slammed into him instantly, brutal and unforgiving. God, he was tired of water and cold.
He reached the bottom quickly, his vision clear despite the darkness. Wolves saw well. Always had. He found the metal ties embedded in the lakebed and secured the totems one by one. As challenges went, this wasn’t terrible. It tested speed, strength, and tolerance for cold. It made sense. Still, he’d rather be anywhere else. Preferably with Nadia.
He needed to talk to her. Really talk. About what she wanted. About whether she was staying because she chose to or because she thought she should. He wasn’t going to let her sacrifice herself for anyone, not even him.
Something slammed into his side.
What the fuck?
He twisted as another object struck him, small and hard, propelled by something mechanical. Then another. And another.
What in the world?
He swatted one away, holding his breath as more came at him. They buzzed and collided, sharp impacts rattling his ribs and legs. Machines. Underwater drones. The audacity of it almost made him laugh, but there was no room for humor. He fought back, punching and kicking, sending pieces spinning into the dark.
Several struck his legs. One clipped his left ankle. Pain ignited beneath his skin. Was it broken?
Irritation roared through him and he kicked upward, driving himself hard toward the surface. The current shifted unexpectedly, dragging him sideways.
Ice loomed above him.
Damn it. Where was the hole?
Anger surged through his entire body as another drone slammed into his dick. He punched once. Twice. A third time. Cracks raced outward, spidering fast until the ice finally gave way.
Strong hands reached in. He grabbed Taryn’s arm and hauled himself out, flopping onto the ice and rolling clear.
“Oh my gosh,” she said. “You’re a bloody mess.” She moved toward him. “Are you okay?”
“There’re underwater drones or something down there,” he said. Leave it to Solomon to throw in modern weapons to mess with him. “I didn’t expect that.”
She helped him up. “You’re bleeding.”
“It’s fine.” Cold air washed over his skin as he forced his body to start knitting itself back together. He shivered despite himself. “Let’s get out of here.”
She leaned into him, fully naked, wrapping her arms around him. “Let me warm you.”
Before he could respond, lights blazed along the shoreline, bright and sudden, cutting through the darkness.
“Are you kidding me?” Nadia yelled.
Caidrik froze.
He turned toward the sound of her voice and saw her standing at the edge of the lake with Bussy and Margaret just behind her. Taryn was wrapped around him, both of them naked in the moonlight, steam rising faintly from their chilled skin.
Ah, crap.
Nadia stood framed by moonlight and twin headlights, her expression sharp and furious and hurt all at once. The sight of her out there hit him harder than any of the underwater projectiles had. Not because of jealousy. Because she was exposed. Because Bulwark was still out there.
“All right,” he said shortly. Enough. Just bloody, freaking enough.
He disengaged from Taryn immediately, grabbed her hand, and marched across the ice, careful of the spreading cracks beneath his feet. Blood slid down his side and dripped onto the snow. His feet felt like he’d been walking on nails, and each step sent a jolt of pain up his legs. He barely noticed. His focus remained locked on Nadia.