Chapter 29
We ran for miles through the trails, Grayson refusing to stop even for rest. I loathed how happy I was to be back with him. His hold on my wrist had become sore but I ignored the pain as we continued through the dark.
I couldnt see the path before me and ran blindly, all my trust in Grayson as he led us ahead.
The full moon was starting to peak through the trees above and my heart raced. When we finally slowed, it was at the base of a mountain. He let go of my wrist and I bent over, hands on my knees.
"Rest here for a bit, then we climb up." His tone was clipped yet his accent still sounded like music to my ears.
My voice was breathless as I asked, "where are we going?"
He didn’t answer as he took a seat against a large rock. The silvery light that drifted through branches and leaves left shadows across his scrunched features. Was he seriously mad at me right now?
"Well, go ahead. Say it." I could already feel what was on his mind but wanted to hear him tell me.
"There’s nothing to say."
So he hadn’t changed at all, still the annoyingly pouty Grayson from before I was essentially kidnapped.
"You didn’t leave me much choice," I told him, hoping that would explain my decisions.
"And when the blonde one was finger-fucking you? Who’s choice was that?"
I gasped, having forgotten how crass he could be.
"How did you know?"
He rolled his eyes and turned away. Did the bond give him some secret spy power to watch me in private situations? Could I do it to him?
I pushed the thought aside. Things had soured between us and the rising moon made me start to worry about his actions.
"Do you love him?" He asked in a muffled, quiet voice.
The question caught me off guard. Why would Grayson care? Was it his claim he was worried about? I had left their pack to be with him after all. He won.
I thought over the question. Did I love Julien? This afternoon my answer was yes, but now my feelings wavered in the presence of Grayson.
"I don’t know," was all I could muster, though I had much more than that on my mind.
"Well. You’re mine now." The anger biting into his words.
He stood, an indication the break was over. I didn’t argue and he gestured for me to walk in front.
The cliff was steep but still walkable. My calves and thighs burned and I struggled to move as fast as Grayson wanted.
The trees refused to grow on the rocky terrain and the moonlight was now on full display, illumating the path in front of me.
The higher we climbed, the steeper it became. Twice my footing slipped and Grayson’s hands wrapped around my waist to steady me.
I ignored the claws that had dug into me with his grasp and pretended not to see the fur that was starting to cover his body.
His breathing had become heavier and not from the treacherous climb. We only had about a quarter of the way to go before Grayson stopped to try and control his changing.
"What do I do after you change?" I asked.
"You stay put," he said through gritted teeth. Pain and concentration were set deep in the wrinkles around his eyes, and I decided not to push.
I tried concentrating as well, only on the worry over what the night would hold for me. The first night when I had seen Grayson turn, he stared me down but then left to hunt. Would tonight be the same, or would he stay to protect me from the others?
We continued up the cliffside. The last bit was a wall of rock and Grayson was at my back as we ascended towards the edge. He would show me where to put my hand and foot, I would pull myself up, then he would follow with his breath hot on my neck.
At the top, he pulled himself up over me before reaching down and lifting me with ease. My hands were shaking but I was surprisingly calm for accomplishing my first rock-climb.
Looking around, I was astonished by what I could see. Ocean water sparkled in every direction and the stars were so clear, constellations looked like clouds of glitter in the night sky.
I could see the entirety of the island from here. Trees, hills, and rocky cliffs swept throughout the land. The island was in an almost C-shape and I wondered what parts I had been staying in.
The moon was bright with an orange tint and I used it to search for the small village I had come to call home. Grayson was doing a search of his own, patrolling the area while struggling with the beast inside him.
The overlook we were on was large and decently flat. Grass and shrubs grew where the trees would not, giving the area a more open feeling.
The back end of the clifftop sloped down, making me wonder why we hadn’t taken that way up instead of the more difficult way. I found a raised but flat rocky spot to sit on and rest my aching legs.
Grunts erupted from every exhale Grayson made as he paced the area. It wouldn’t be much longer now. His eyes turned to me, the yellow glow sending shivers down my spine.
I wrapped my arms around my chest, wishing I had something to cover with in the wind that glided over the mountain peak.
Grayson approached me and I stiffened. He unexpectedly kneeled before me. I stared astonished at him, not just for where he was but how glorious he looked bathed in moonlight.
Muscles were rippling in waves under his skin as the transformation was starting to take place. He placed a hand on my knee, breathing through his pain. His eyes were lowered but his words were clear.
"It’s going to be ok, you’re safe now."
I had no idea what to say, he hadn’t been reassuring to me before and I didn’t know how to react.
"I will protect you, no matter what it costs. You belong to me, Rebel Sterling."
It sounded like a vow. I reached my hand down and placed it on top of his. His gaze moved to mine and the purple glow of my eyes mixed with the yellow in his in a stunning array.
"Well, isn’t that cute," came a voice from behind me.
Grayson jumped back, the surprise faltering his control and his werewolf side taking over. His teeth snapped as he stood in his full form. His back arched, his fur raised, and a growl rumbled deep inside of him.
I turned in my seat to see Dominic, still in his human form, readying himself for battle.
I didn’t wait as I pulled myself to the ground, using the rock seat as my shield as Grayson lept over me to begin his attack. I pulled my hands over my head and covered my ears, the sounds of their fight threatening to tear me up inside.
I rocked on my heels, fear gripping me at the thought of who might win and who might lose. Grayson’s words echoed in my mind, ’I will protect you, no matter what it costs.’ But would that cost be his debt to pay, or mine?
Grayson’s giant, pitch black form thudded beside me and I let out a scream. My presence was disregarded as Dominic stood on the rock beside me, their eyes glued to each other.
Dominic jumped down in front of me as Grayson backed towards the cliffs edge in a crouch. I stayed coiled in my spot, their fight now in plain sight.
Grayson lept at Dominic, an attempt to rip out his throat. Dominic dodged, his own claws starting to grow. The next lunge Grayson made, Dominic was able to swipe the razor sharp talons across his chest. They circled each other. Grayson teeth were bared and dripping with blood while Dominic sneered.
What happened next, happened too fast for my mind to comprehend. It happened in a flash, one second they were testing each other. The next, Grayson sprang out and Dominic gave a swift kick that sent Grayson over the edge.
I screamed out a soul-wrenching cry.
I crawled to the edge with sobs escaping me. Peering over the edge, I only saw darkness. Dominic grabbed me by the shoulder, hauling me to my feet.
His eyes had shifted to the familiar golden glow and his chest was heaving.
"Rebel listen," he began in a deep, animalistic voice.
"You have to bind yourself to me, before its too late and I can’t protect you."
The white fur was sprouting along the arms that held my shoulders. I shuddered in shock. Grayson was gone, Dominic was changing.
I looked up to the sky,. The moon so full and so close, I felt as though I could reach out and touch it.
"Rebel! There’s no time, you have to do this."
Tears fell from my face but I nodded. I had no choice.
"Kneel," he told me and I obeyed.
"Now, give me your hand."
I looked at my hands, tears falling harder at the raised brand on my left wrist. The shattered crescent moon from Graysons rejection. I raised my right.
He took it and bit into my flesh, causing me to cry out from the sharp pain. Looking up at him, he bit into his own palm and linked our hands together.
A silver mountain ridge etched across my wrist before fading to a scarred white. Dominic pulled me from my knees and into his arms.
"Say these words after me. By blood and law, I bind myself to you."
"By blood and law, I bind myself to you." I repeated in a voice I didn’t recognize.
"By blood and law, I claim you as mine." He said and placed a kiss upon my lips.
I could feel the magic passing between us, an electric current that burned us together. I returned the kiss, passionate as I felt the bond tighten around me. The want for my new mate overshadowing all else.