Forbidden Bond by Jessica Lee Page B

his human form.
    Eion flung the rear kitchen door open and fell forward onto all fours, slicing the screen door with his paws on the way down. With a nudge from his muzzle, the wood and screen barrier gave way and he bounded outside.
    A sliver of a moon sat trapped behind the evening’s clouds, allowing a blanket of darkness to cover the one hundred acres of his land. Eion could no longer hold back the howl that tore from his lungs. He welcomed the shroud of the night, dove into it at a full run. It was the only way to temporarily exorcise the obsessive thoughts shredding his control.
    He pumped his legs, air sawing from his lungs and exiting his muzzle in large huffs. Eion leaped over a fence rail, his presence stirring the horses he’d brought from home. The sound of their distress filled his ears. But he’d be long gone in seconds, and they’d soon calm. Thank God for the night, and the anonymity it brought when he could run free—claws, fur, and fangs revealed.
    Times like these, he missed his pack. Running with his brethren allowed him, if only for a night, to forget what he’d left behind here. The endorphins of the physical exertion, the adrenaline of the chase temporarily burned away his human memories. What remained was pure animal instinct. Hunt or be hunted. Act or react.
    But his brethren weren’t here.
    He had to learn to cope with his present situation alone. No one could know that their rising alpha had bonded to a human. Eion had to figure out how the hell to get her out of his head, or he’d end up tearing both their worlds apart.
    If he could erase the image of the less-than-overjoyed expression on Liv’s face when she had been given the ring, getting in his truck and never looking back would be so much easier.
    If only he could convince himself she was happy.
    That, unlike him, what had happened that day on the banks of Lake James hadn’t affected her, lingered inside her. She had been able to move on. That’s why he’d left. To give her the chance to do just that.
    Except when she’d looked up at her boyfriend right after he’d proposed, something in Eion’s gut said Liv wasn’t as into the doc as he was into her.
    A nagging suspicion itched inside his brain, begged him to scratch and bring it to the surface. But if he acknowledged it, found out it was true, what the hell was he supposed to do?
    Eion dug his claws into the hard packed earth and came to a sudden halt. The question bloomed inside his head, refusing to be shoved back down. Could it be that twelve years and a few hundred miles away from him hadn’t been enough for his human mate to escape the bond that had formed?
    A couple of hours later, Eion stepped from the shower, muscles past the point of exhaustion, brain numb.
    Exactly how he wanted it.
    With the heel of his hand, he swiped away a broad path of moisture from his bathroom mirror for a hazy view of his reflection. His gaze fell to the glaring coal-black Celtic circle inked deep into the tissues over his heart. He gripped the edge of the counter, staring at the out-of-focus image. Eion didn’t need to see the details to remember its every nuance. Within the Celtic knot was a wolf’s profile—its head tossed back, muzzle open, howling. The symbol along with the tribal bands wrapping his upper arms represented the blending of his Irish, Native American, and shifter heritage—the brand of a rising alpha. Eion’s lip curled and he shoved away from the tiled surface, exiting the bathroom.
    As if he needed a tattoo to remind him of his fate.
    Falling naked across his bed, Eion tossed a forearm over his eyes. He drifted into a fog to the hum of the ceiling fan overhead. Beads of water from his damp hair rolled down his temples and off his skin, soaking the sheets. But he didn’t care. The cool stream felt nice against his overheated flesh.
    Soft fingertips trailed over his abs, along his ribs, and brushed the hairs on his chest. Eion stirred, moaned, enjoying the