A Cold Wind Blows (Forgotten series, #3)

Chapter 5

The vehicle we were in was utilitarian. It was bare of any unnecessary extras but it did it's purpose. It was sturdy and large, perfect for driving up mountain roads. I honestly didn't care but it was a welcome change from Bruce's unnecessary and flashy SUVs.

Excessive use of money was not something I liked. It reminded me of when Damascus would shower me in clothing and extravagant jewelry. I quickly realized after the Sol Warriors had me that it had all been falseness wrapped in excessive extravagance. Something to keep me naively believing in his love for me. And me, as a foolish little girl, had eaten it all up as if he could do no wrong. As if him tying a set of pearls around my neck made him more loving.

I could feel him looking at me again. He had been doing that over the past few hours. He would glance at me every so often. His gaze would linger on the side of my face before he would turn to look at the road.

It was irritating.

Everything about him was irritating me. The way he kept looking at me, the way his muscles flexed as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel and how fascinating his scent was.

He smelled like the wild, like of trees, earth and stone. I hadn't met anyone who had ever had that scent before and it was irritating because it was ruined by the slight scent of male that it was carried in on. The longer we had been in the vehicle the more prominent the musky scent became. It was disturbing how much I affected him, he should have had more control

"Do you mind if we stop somewhere before we head to the territory?" It was the first time he had spoken since we had left several hours before and I stared at the passing scenery, ignoring him. The silence was getting uncomfortable for him, I could tell by how he was starting to shift more in his seat. "Lace?" I slowly turned my head to look at him. He was simply someone the moon said was a good pairing for offspring, it didn't mean I had to pay attention to him.

"Do you mind if we make a stop somewhere before we make our way to the territory?" He glanced at me and I blinked lazily at him before turning back to the window.

"It is your vehicle. You do as you wish." I didn't care what he wanted to do. I was simply using him as a means of transportation. I hadn't wanted to be stuck with Carla while watching a future grow in her stomach. I refused to put myself through that. My wolf whined her agreement, we had enough of torture to last us a life time.

"So you are okay with the detour?" The question was redundant and I ignored it as I closed my eyes, leaning my head against the glass. He was making the silence uncomfortable for himself. I could careless. The silence was nice. Silence had been my only reprieve from the tortures of the operating room the Warriors had. If it was silent, there was no pain, I could relax for a brief moment. We could finally breathe when the silence came. "Bruce told me-"

"Bruce told you that I was given to the Sol Warriors and they had me for eight years." I knew Bruce would tell. He believed I needed to be protected, even from myself. I grabbed my arm, squeezing the wounds hidden underneath my sleeve. The pain was biting but it brought everything into focus. "He also more than likely let it slip that Damascus was my mate when he did so. I don't care what Bruce told you." I didn't. The man didn't know how to keep his mouth shut but I didn't care. I hadn't told him it in confidence. I didn't trust anyone enough for that.

"I wanted to apologize for it." He said it softly, his tone lowered as if speaking to a skittish animal. I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at him. I needed to make something perfectly clear.

"I have no need for your apologies." Apologies were simply meaningless words. Something that had no value or substance. He gave a heaving huff of air that spelled his irritation. He was fascinating to watch. I could almost sense the bond's influence on him, how it sunk deeper into his skin, whispering at him to claim what was his. It spoke of lies and urged him to trust on the basis of nothing but the waning interest of the moon. Mene was a difficult mother, my wolf bared her teeth in agreement to the statement.