Cursed Wolf

Blake looked at his mate, taking in her words.

“A thousand years,” he repeated.

She looked away, blinking tears from her eyes.

“When I woke, everyone I knew was dead. Even dragons don’t live that long.”

“She cursed me and all my brothers. At least we had each other.”

“How where you awakened?”

“We weren’t cursed to sleep. We were trapped in wolf form every day except on the full moon.

“It went on for seventy-five years until we traveled to Fate Island. My oldest brother found his mate there. She was a witch who brewed a potion that keeps us human. But the only way to break the curse is to claim our fated mates.”

“My curse was broken. I haven’t had any lingering effects.”

“That’s lucky.”

“Lucky?” A single tear slid down her cheek. “I’ve been so angry since I woke. All I can think about is revenge.”

“Then we have that in common.”

“Is that why you’re here?” she asked, her face brightening.

“I want revenge for my mother.”

“She killed your mother?” Wyn asked.

Blake explained what had led the brothers to attempt to steal the snow flower and all the horror that followed.

“I’ve been wondering, all this time, what would happen if she wasn’t able to eat the snow flower. If it’s the key to her eternal youth, would she die without it?”

“No. She would be slightly weakened until the next year. But she would not die.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve spent the last year researching everything I could about the witch. I’ve read every legend, every fairytale. The snow flower is the key to her long life but going without it for one year will not kill her.”

“Oh,” Blake said, his shoulders slumping.

“But I do know how she can be killed.”

He sat up straighter. “Tell me.”

Wyn took a sip of tea and set her cup on the coffee table. “When the snow flower blooms, she eats it to ingest its magical qualities. But to fully absorb and assimilate the magic, she goes into a kind of hibernation. During that hibernation, she is weakened. She can be approached and killed.”

Blake sat back in his chair, the information sinking in. He shook his head. “All this time, I could have sneaked into her palace and killed her.”

“I’m not sure you could have. She has many wards on her palace. You may have been killed by just walking through the front door.”

“Do you know how to get through the wards?”

“I do.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I can’t. But I’ve gathered half a dozen powerful witches and enlisted several of my descendants who are powerful warriors of the clan.”

“Where are they now?” Blake looked around.

“When the snow flower blooms, I will send the signal. They can be here within twelve hours. Once they get here, we will move in.”

“You’ve really planned this out. I feel foolish for my strategy.”

“What was your plan?” she asked, a smile curving on her l!ps as she took another sip of buttered tea.

“I was just going to watch and observe. When the snow flower bloomed, I intended to destroy it.”

“You would most likely have been killed,” she said flatly. “Or cursed again.”

“I’m glad you stopped me, then. Although, I can’t say I enjoyed that trip down the mountain in your talon.”

“Sorry about that. A thousand-year curse tends to put you in a bad mood.”

“Understandable. I’ve had the same experience with far less of a time loss.”

“I suppose we should discuss our mating,” she said, looking at the feed of the snow flower.

“What about it?”

She looked back at him. “I believed my mate was dead. I never expected to find him.

“I only signed up for the dating site because my nephew kept pestering me about it. He doesn’t want me to carry out my revenge. He wants me to let it go and go on with my life.”

“So do my brothers. They’ve all found their mates and moved on. They don’t even think about what the witch stole from them.”

“What makes you different?”

“I need to stand up for what I believe in. So I left Fate Island and came home.”

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“Or stupid. Depending on who you ask.”

She laughed. “What do you think now that we’ve been matched?”

“It changes things.”

He felt heat rise in his face. He didn’t want to say all the words in his heart. Blake didn’t believe he deserved this dragon princess as a mate.

She was an ancient royal dragon. He was just a back-country wolf. “What about you? How do you feel about being matched with me?”

“I…” She bit her l!p and looked away, her eyes going hazy.

She was so lovely in person. Her photograph clearly showed a woman who should be Queen. Sitting across from her in her well-appointed living room made that even clearer.

Her long black hair hung around her gently sloping shoulders. Her brown eyes flashed with her power and emotion. Blake wanted to get down on his knees and worship her.

“I wanted to meet you first. Remember? But then you rejected me.”

“I didn’t reject you.” His voice cracked unattractively, and embarrassment washed over him.

She laughed. The sound was full and bright. And it warmed his heart despite his embarrassment.

“I didn’t want you to get hurt,” Blake said.

“I wasn’t sure what to do. I thought my dragon might go mad. But I didn’t want to be distracted. I’m so close. The snow flower will bloom at any moment.”

“I understand,” Blake said, looking over at the screen.

“Can we start over?” she asked in a small voice that belied her regal personage.

“I hope so.” Hope blossomed in his chest.

She rose from her chair and crossed the room to stand in front of him.

“Hello. I’m Wyn Zahar. Nice to meet you.”

“Blake Winter. Nice to meet you too.”

“I’m your mate. And I’d like to k!ss you.”

Blake sucked in a breath. The feeling of her hand sent a jolt of energy through his ch3st. She sank into the couch beside him, their hands still grasped together. She looked into his eyes.

At that moment, she wasn’t a princess, and he wasn’t a simple wolf. Blake was a man and Wyn was his mate.

He cupped her neck, pulled her to him, and claimed her l!ps. She m****d against his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. He opened his l!ps and his tongue darted out to meet hers.

Wyn grasped him tighter, her tongue thrusting into his mouth. They tasted each other, k!ssing deep and long and wet. She pulled away and looked into his eyes, a questioning expression on her face.

“So that’s what I’ve waited so long to feel.”

“I need more,” he growled.

She made a m0aning sound as he pulled her closer and k!ssed her again. She tore at the zipper of his snowsuit, pulling it down to expose his ch3st.

Wyn ran her hands over his n*ked skin. She l!cked his ear and left a trail of k!sses over his neck and ch3st.

“You’re perfect.” Wyn care*ssed his body with her small hands.

“You’re beyond perfection.” The sensation of flesh on flesh was almost too much for Blake to bear.

She pulled back and zipped up his snowsuit. Fixing her hair and expression, she cleared her throat and stood.

“We can’t let ourselves get distracted by l**t. We have a mission here. I’m willing to allow you to join, but I cannot allow you to get in the way.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He subtly adjusted the evidence of his arousal.

“I want you to gather your things and come back here.”

“You want me to stay here. With you? Where will I sleep? In your bed?”

Wyn blushed and squared her shoulders. “Not until after the Snow Queen is dead. We need to keep our focus. If we are distracted by mating, we could be caught off guard.”

“Maybe it would be better if we claimed each other now. That might make it easier on our inner beasts.”

Blake imagined her beautiful, naked body under him. His hands running over her flawless tan skin. Her long black hair splayed over a pillow while he drove deep into her core. He bit his l!p, trying to push down his rekindled arousal.

“I’ll consider it. Now, go get your things. I’ll send a drone up the mountain to retrieve your coat.”

“I’ll be right back.” He stood, starting for the door.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned back to her. She threw herself into his arms and k!ssed him deep on the mouth.

Their bodies pressed hard against each other, and desire flooded his senses. He wanted to claim her right there. His inner wolf howled, and his teeth descended from his gums.

“Be careful out there,” she breathed. “Hurry back.”

“I’ll be back, Princess.”