“Is that so?” I say. This is interesting news, indeed. I’m not surprised Kara didn’t tell me this little secret of hers.
Ayla focuses on her laptop and types away. “I think I’m going to buy a bottle and see what all the hype is about.” She looks up from her screen. “You had no clue?”
Shaking my head, I smile. “Kara would never reveal that kind of stuff to me. I’m her competition.” When I stand, I can see Ayla’s order for a bottle of Kara’s merlot. She hasn’t clicked the checkout button yet. “I think I’m a little curious now. Why don’t you order a case of it? I want to see what she’s done.”
Ayla grins like the Cheshire cat. “On it, boss.”
19
KARA
The plan is simple. Get through the next few hours until ten o’clock. Evangeline will put Chase under a sleeping spell, and then I can leave California and never look back. There has to be someone other than Laila who can take this bracelet off of me.
Taking a deep breath, I peer up at the pink-colored sky. The sun isn’t far from setting, giving the patio at the Timberwolf Winery the perfect ambiance. Chase had some things to handle inside, so I decided to stay instead of walking back to his house. Luckily, it worked out to my advantage; none of Chase’s wolves bothered me.
My fingers itch to pull out my phone and take pictures of Chase’s vineyard in the silhouette of the sunset, but I don’t want him to see me. There’s something serene about being enveloped in beauty with the sensual buzzing of nature all around you.
The patio door opens, and I hold my breath, wondering what Chase is going to say to me. But then, I get a whiff of a familiar perfume. Clenching my fists, I keep my eyes on the vineyard.
“What do you want?” I hiss.
Sierra storms up beside me. “You don’t deserve him.”
I glare over at her. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Her eyes glow like her wolf. “You know damn well what I mean. Chase is too good for you. You walk around like you’re better than everyone else, but you’re nothing. The royals don’t even want you. And for the life of me, I don’t know why Amelie didn’t want you dead after what you did to her. I would’ve ripped off your head without a second thought.”
“You wouldn’t have lasted one second with me.”
Sierra smiles, showing off her fangs. “True. But now I can. If you so much as harm Chase or anyone else in my pack, I’ll come for you.”
In all reality, she could easily kill me right now, but I refuse to back down.
I step closer to her. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Everything okay out here?” Chase asks, the patio door slamming behind him.
The glow in Sierra’s eyes dim, and she steps back. “Of course. We were just talking.”
She walks away, and Chase occupies the space she just left. “Ready to go?”
I can’t bring myself to look at him, so I march past him. “Yep.”
“Hey,” he calls out, right on my heels. “Do you want to tell me what that was all about?”
After storming down the patio stairs, I hook around the side of the building to the back where he’s parked. “Nope. I just want to leave.”
I get to his car before he can even open my door. Chase hops in, and I swear I feel like I’m going to lose my mind. I’m angry at Sierra, mad at myself, and mad at the whole damn world. Chase doesn’t understand what I’m going through; none of his people do.
The second we pull up at the house, I’m out of the car and running through the door.
“Kara!” Chase shouts as I race up the stairs to my room.
I slam the door and lean against it, praying to the Great Luna that Chase doesn’t try to force his way in. I can’t deal with him right now. It would be so much easier if I could forget everything that had happened. Maybe that’s what I need from Evangeline, a forgetting spell. The pain of my past is too much to bear.
Tears spring to my eyes, and I fall on the bed, curling my legs into my chest. The comforter dampens underneath my cheek, so I shut my eyes, wishing for the darkness to take over. And that’s precisely what it does.
When I open my eyes, I feel as if I’ve been out for hours. My heart lurches out of my chest, and I bolt off the bed. Have I missed my chance to escape? My cell phone bounces onto the floor, and I snatch it up. The screen glows in the darkness, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I see the time; it’s only half-past eight. I still have an hour and a half to get my things packed.
I change out of my suit into a pair of leggings and a pale-yellow, thin sweater. If I’m going to run away, I need to be able to move quickly. As quietly as I can, I tiptoe to my closet and grab my smallest bag. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to take everything. Not that it matters, I have plenty of money in my accounts to live off for the rest of my life. Once I’ve picked through my clothes and packed the essentials, I slowly stop at the door to listen. And, of course, I can’t hear anything downstairs. Before leaving the room, I hide my bag of clothes under the bed in case Chase happens to look inside. At ten o’clock, he’ll be passed out, and I won’t have anyone to stop me from leaving.
A part of me wants to stay hidden in the room, but the other wants to see Chase one last time before I go. It’s a bad idea, but I decide to do it anyway. I open the bedroom door and hold my breath the entire time I walk down the stairs. Chase isn’t in his study, and he’s not in the kitchen or living room. I don’t know where else he could be, so I head toward the back door, wondering if he’s outside.
I reach for the doorknob …
“Looking for me?”
Chase’s voice startles me, my heart throbbing in my throat as I jerk around. “Son of a bitch,” I growl, backing into the door and slapping a hand over my chest. “Why would I be looking for you?”
He ambles closer, his lips spread wide in a dashing smile. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you want to continue where we left off last night.”
Heat rises to my cheeks, and I scowl. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Chase closes the distance, resting both hands against the door, caging me in. His glowing, blue eyes fixate on my lips, and my body freezes. It’s as if I can’t feel any part of my body other than my heart beating out of control.
Chase’s voice deepens, all smooth and sexy. “I seem to remember someone telling me to stay with them last night. On a full moon, too. Surely, you didn’t forget.”
He brings his mouth closer, and I duck under his arms to avoid his touch. “Obviously, I did. There’s no way in hell I’d ever kiss you or do anything else with you, for that matter.” It was a mistake to want to see him. I march over to the staircase, but Chase grabs my wrist before I reach the second step.
“Why not?” he calls out, tugging me back down.
I refuse to look at him even though he has me in his clutches.
“Besides, the whole royals belong with royals bullshit, give me one good reason why. I’ve been nothing but nice and respectful to you over the years.”
It’s true, he has. He’s not like any other alpha I’ve come across. But, unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how I feel right now; I have to leave. I don’t belong here with him, even if there is a connection between us.