Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 152666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
My fingers wrapped around the strap before I could think it through, pulling it in to my chest. Tanix’s hand came out, offering to carry it. Him holding any items of note was standard procedure. He did it all the time. Yet this time, I couldn’t help a low growl in the back of my throat, gripping her pack a little tighter. He backed off. Her things would stay with me.
We continued on until we reached the spot burned into my brain from last night. I’d dreamed of her, of my hands running along her curves, of working my cock deep inside her pussy. I’d fantasized this morning about doing it again, losing myself in her hard suction, her tight grip.
It made no sense how true mates worked. I shouldn’t be this attracted to a perfect stranger. I shouldn’t feel this pull to go back to her and ensure her safety. It wasn’t natural. I didn’t even know her name! Her very presence had the ability to undo everything I’d worked so hard to build, and I had zero say in it.
The path split off toward the village and I stopped, going over the timing of this invasion. By now, the pack would have secured the workhouse. They’d been instructed to go there first while another group took Granny’s cottage. The garden should’ve been locked down by now, too, also a good distance away from the village. We’d scouted the locations ahead of time but hadn’t stationed anyone close by in case they caught our scent or noticed any tracks. I’d need to visit both, collecting evidence from one and writing out detailed notes and getting samples from the other. The pack might not be within the village yet, quelling any rebellion.
“Should we check out the workhouse first?” Tanix asked, clearly doing the math as well.
Curse me, but I wanted to see where the woman lived. I wanted to look through her things and stand within that entrancing smell, unlike anything I’d ever experienced. This would be the only opportunity I’d have for a glimpse into her personal life. I wanted to get to it as soon as I possibly could, wading through any angry villagers if I must.
But that was stupid. Reckless. I had to maintain some semblance of rationality here!
I gave Tanix a curt nod and started forward again, toward the workhouse.
The path widened the closer we got until a clearing opened up under the pale moonlight. As expected, my people were there, though only a few of them stood sentry around the building.
“What news?” I asked as I approached, finding the door standing open and Nova stationed beside it.
She had pulled her dark hair into a tight bun but, like the rest of them, hadn’t donned any clothing yet. We didn’t know if we’d need to quickly shift and continue to battle. Granny’s people hadn’t posed much of a threat for an alpha like me or my detail, despite its small size, but the old woman was cunning. There was no telling what surprises might await us before we left this place with the prize.
No, not the prize. The villain.
“It was empty when we got here. No guards, no booby traps, nothing. No one has come by.”
I furrowed my brow as she stepped farther away, giving me space. Why wouldn’t they have at least one guard protecting the heart of their operation? That was odd.
The door moved on well-oiled hinges. A mostly clean and orderly work area presented itself. Tubs lined the walls, some with water and some with dried plants, not unlike the queen’s workhouses. Instead of tables, though, they had three desks. One was close to the door and mostly bare, holding a few items that maybe didn’t have a home elsewhere. Another was pushed against the back wall, a mess of plants and dirt and gardening tools on its surface, their placements haphazard and the tools not well cared for. The person working at that station didn’t seem overly fond of the work. That, or they were a horrible slob. Maybe both.
The final desk, sitting in a far corner, held various canisters and jars. A tub sat next to that with vines soaking within. It looked as though everything was placed in a specific spot, as orderly as most of the workhouse itself.
She was the boss—I’d bet my life on it. The one who called the shots and mixed the product. The operation’s heart and soul.
“It’s tiny,” Tanix said, having walked in behind me. “For the amount of product they produce, I mean. I would’ve assumed their workhouse would be three times this size.”
“Check with Nova to make sure we didn’t miss any work areas. Maybe the garden has a space that we missed.”
I found myself sitting at the desk in the corner without remembering how I’d gotten there, her pack placed delicately on the floor beside my feet. I didn’t need her scent to tell me she worked here day in and day out. It had her feel about it, her essence. From just two meetings I knew it like I knew myself, the feeling etched into my soul.