Devoted : Enemies and Heirs (A Completed Supernatural Romance)

Part 6

As soon as I walk over to the fire pit, Dakota pulls me into his lap, causing me to squeak in surprise before giggling.

He grins and my heart flutters. He cradles my face, stroking my cheek with his thumb. I turn into his hand, relishing in his touch.

He pulls me into a gentle kiss, my stomach doing flips. I feel his tongue tentatively ask permission to enter my mouth at the same time I feel his hand caressing my upper thigh.

Dakota's hand gets closer to the apex of my thighs, sending chills down my spine as I open my mouth to him, letting him push the kiss deeper.

I moan softly into the kiss, his lips moving to my neck allowing me to breathe once more. I close my eyes, enjoying his lips on my neck right where he would mark me.

My eyes spring open as I realize he can't mark me yet. "Dakota, wait..."

He pulls back, confusion and lust battling in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

I look at him sadly, he was sure to hate me as soon as I tell him. "You can't mark me yet."

"What do you mean? Why not?"

I look down at my hands, "When I was a little girl, our alpha killed the former alpha and his family. He also killed my father and brother. In an attempt to keep me from the same fate, my mother promised me to the new alpha. She said that once I came of age, I would marry him and produce an heir."

I feel his grip on me tightening as tears slip down my cheeks.

"So you married him?"

I look up quickly, "No! I refused. I managed to learn some manipulation of my own to delay it."

Dakota sighs, "I sense a 'but' coming."

"He informed me yesterday that he is tired of waiting. He's planning our wedding to be two weeks from now when I turn 21. I was hopeless, until I met you. My mate. You can save me from him. We can run away and he'll never find us."

He touches my cheek, pulling me into a soft kiss before pulling away. "I can't leave. I have something I need to do here."

I stand up, "You would make me stay with him?"

I can feel my panic rising, my own mate would leave me with him?

He stands, "I can protect you from him."

"How can you protect me from him? You're out here while I'm at the pack house. The only true way to protect me is to take me away from here." I step away from him, my heart shattering.

"Aiyana, please, trust me. I can and will protect you. You're my mate. The woman I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. Who will eventually bear my pups."

A tear slides down my cheek, "That's a nice dream and a lovely sentiment, but my world is a lot darker than that. I won't survive him, Dakota. Leaving me with him will kill me."

I turn and pull his clothes off, shifting quickly before running into the forest.

I don't pay attention to where I'm running, I just know I need to run. I find myself at my favourite watering hole so I dive into the water, shifting under the surface so I can swim and just enjoy the cool water.

I come to the surface, closing my eyes and attempting to close my mind to what just happened.

I hear a twig snap, my head snapping in the direction of the sound. I close my eyes and sniff at the air to see if I can smell what's out there.

Not even an animal. I smell nothing. So why did the twig snap?

A gunshot rings out as my chest seers in pain. I cry out, looking down at my wound. Which direction did that come from?

I look around frantically, my hand gripping the bullet wound in a pale attempt to keep it from bleeding. It just needs time to heal and I'll be fine.

I swim to the edge, running in the opposite direction of the gunshot. I run until I can't anymore, hiding behind a tree.

I try to shift but for some reason can't. I need to shift in order to heal faster. It will heal quickly in my human form but it will be quickest in my wolf form.

I try again but all I manage to do is tire myself out. I look down at the wound and gasp. There's black marks around it like it was poisoned. But how...

A Hunter.

How could I have missed a Hunter? I should have been smarter, more aware.

Tears slide down my cheeks as I realize I'm going to die out here. Only slightly ironic that it's not actually at Damien's hands like I had just told Dakota.

I sink to the ground, suddenly overcome with fatigue.

I feel like I'm in a tunnel, my vision blurred.

I hear foot steps come closer.

I try to see what they look like but my vision is almost black at this point.

I feel myself being lifted just as my world goes black.