My heart swells when I spot her through the lattice windowpanes, a breathtaking smile illuminating her face as she chats with two elder females. She brushes the loose strand of hair that’s escaped her braid aside, probably explaining something about the uses and benefits of ginger root or butterfly weed. Warmth rushes through me, building in my chest with a pulsing glow.
Avery looks out the window, our gazes colliding. The corners of her eyes crinkle as her smile grows wider.
I rub my chest, giving her a lopsided grin. Mine.
My wolf strains to get me moving, tail wagging and paws dancing in excited taps. He doesn’t have to pull hard. I vault up the steps, taking them two at a time, bursting through the door. Avery levels me with an exasperated, affectionate look.
“Alpha,” she greets. “Welcome in. Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”
“Very particular.”
She blushes, browsing the shelf Beatrix helped me build to display the ready-made items. “Is that so?”
“Yes. It’s the only cure for what ails me. Do you have it in?” I hold my hand at her height level. “Gorgeous. Amber eyes and golden brown hair. Smart mouth. A bit of a stubborn streak if you piss her off. Smells like the summer sunshine after a fresh rainstorm. I’m afraid I’ll need your entire stock. Nothing less will do.”
She covers her mouth to hide her smile. “Is that right? Sounds serious. Maybe I should examine you to see if there’s anything else to give you relief.”
I waggle my brows, catching her in my embrace when she comes near. “I can think of a few things. A kiss, for one.”
She obliges, lifting her chin, eyes sparkling. I seize her mouth in a deep kiss, my world realigning. She melts against me, lips parting with a faint sigh that embodies exactly how I feel, the bond resonating between us.
“That does make me feel a little better,” I rasp.
“Does it?” Avery teases.
The customers titter amongst themselves, not hiding that they’re watching.
“How charming. I’m glad to see the alpha so taken with his mate,” one observes.
Her friend nods with a fond smile. “Reminds me of when my Fergus and I were that young.” She drops her payment on the counter. “I must go find him. Right now, in fact. I’m off. See you next week, Avery.”
The elder female hustles out, leaving her companion behind stifling laughter. She waves to Avery with a sly look and makes her way out.
“Enjoy your afternoon,” she calls.
“Oh, I intend to,” I murmur to my mate. “Want to go for a run first?”
She hums, pretending to consider. “Tempting.”
“And after my wolf chases yours down, I’m going to lay claim to you.” My lips drag along her jaw, teeth scraping the edge of my mating bite.
A moan sticks in her throat. “Let me—” Her breath hitches as I draw her shirt aside for better access and dart my tongue out to trace the mark. “I’ll finish up quickly. Then we can go.”
I allow her to slip free, adjusting my erection without taking my eyes off her. She flits around her workspace, tapping ground powders into their pots and sweeping dried leaves from her bench. I tease her with a quick tug on the bond, grinning unapologetically when she almost drops a bundle of sage. She lifts a brow and gets me back, as she always does, using the bond to trace an invisible touch down my chest to tease my cock.
“Fuck,” I hiss. “You’re getting much better at that.”
She hums in amused satisfaction. “Have you seen Taryn?”
“No. Why?”
“She said she’d stop by. She’s thinking about joining me here as my apprentice.”
The corner of my mouth lifts. “Liam’s probably chasing after her tail for getting into mischief again.”
It makes me wonder if there’s something more there. Maybe the Fates are at work in the same way I was drawn to Avery before I knew she was my heart’s destiny.
“Okay.” Avery steals my attention back. “I’m ready for our run. And to kick your ass hunting.”
I smirk. “We’ll see about that. Your wolf’s improved, but she’s still not a seasoned hunter like mine. He likes taking down things for her.”
“And she likes showing off,” she sasses.
The curve of my mouth stretches into a grin. “He likes that, too.”
I offer my hand and she slides hers into it. Outside the cottage, I strip her, burning for every inch of skin I reveal. She helps me out of my clothes, pushing her hands beneath my t-shirt, palms gliding over my muscles as she takes it off.
We leave our things draped over the railing, gazing at each other without needing words for the love and need flowing within us. Our mate bond glows with it.
My knuckles graze her cheek. I dip my head, hovering my lips over hers.
“Run for me, little wolf. Run so I can always catch you and remind you that you’re mine, mate.”
Her lashes flutter. I trace the curve of her mouth with my thumb. She kisses it, then meets my gaze with a challenge flaring in her eyes. She dashes for the woods. I admire her, ignoring my wolf’s impatience to take her in with a hungry focus.
She is mine. And I’m going to get her.
Her shift is beautiful, her wolf bursting free from one step to the next, roan coat gleaming when the sun hits her.
Mate, my wolf howls in my head.
I give him control, bolting after her in hot pursuit, paws pounding the ground. She’s fast. I could push harder and close the distance swiftly. Instead, I draw it out, hunting her beautiful wolf all across our territory. She doesn’t make it easy on me, outsmarting me by doubling back on her scent trail and hiding in the spots she likes to forage.
We encounter other packmates out for a run in their fur, joining them for a while before our game is back on. By the time I catch her, we end up at our secret spring. Rays of warm sunlight cast our spot in an ethereal glow, sparkling off the cascading falls.
My wolf pounces on hers near the bank and she concedes with a warbling cry. She swats him with her paws when he rolls her to her back and straddles her in triumph.
Avery shifts back with laughter bubbling out of her, arms going around my neck as best as she can reach. My wolf wags his tail, flopping down on her with a happy rumble, licking her throat to enjoy more of her delectable scent.
I force him out, taking my skin back, his tongue becoming my lips, kissing and licking a path across her collar bone, moving lower, intent on spending a long time lapping between her thighs until she’s wrung out from coming before I bury myself inside her. She arches, sinking her fingers in my hair.
“Caden,” she whimpers.
“I’ve got you. Now and always.”
Thank you so much for reading ALPHA’S BURDEN! The Rejecting Fates series continues in Wolf’s Scorn.
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