Free Cursed (The Order of the Wolf) by Angela Addams

didn’t scare you,” he said, his tone hesitant. “With my wolf, I mean.”
    Darcy shrugged as she traced circles around his stomach. “You did at first, are you kidding? A three-hundred plus pound wolf jumps on your bed and you run.”
    “You…petted me.” He was confused, feeling the guilt of defying his alpha but at the same time, ready to challenge any male who would keep him away from Darcy. Was that the spell at work or something else? His wolf was persistent, desperate to have him bite her, mark her. Mine. He wished he knew what was real.
    Darcy giggled. “Yeah, I guess I did.” She shrugged again. “It felt right.”
    He pushed her up, sat up himself and turned her to face him. “What is this, Darcy? Seriously, I feel…” He shook his head. “I don’t know, like there’s something between us. Not a spell.”
    Darcy sucked in a deep breath, raised her hand and ran her fingers down his face, just as she’d done to his wolf. “I know. I feel the same thing.”
    “Is it your curse?”
    She shook her head, dropped her hand to her lap. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out when the curse is removed.”
    Raven gulped the lump in his throat, and forced himself to speak against his alpha’s orders. “It’s a trap,” he blurted. “That witch wants you in exchange for the counter-spell. Your servitude.”
     
    Darcy frowned. “What?”
    Kat had told her as much. Play along , she’d said. It was part of the plan to get Raven away from the pack and less of a threat. Annie would never set her up with someone who would harm her.
    “She told Mayhem that she wants you to teach you a lesson for meddling with magic. I was ordered not to say anything.”
    Here Raven was, confiding in her and once again she was lying. She lowered her gaze to her hands. “I’m okay with it. I know the plan.” What she felt for Raven was intense—a byproduct of the spell, Kat had told her, nothing more—and yet it felt like more.
    Raven hitched a finger under her chin and raised her face until she was looking at him again. “You’re okay with becoming some witch’s slave?”
    Darcy shrugged, tears welling in her eyes. “Maybe I’ll learn something from her. It might make me a better witch in the end. A better person at least. I hurt people, Raven. I hurt you. I want the curse removed.” She knew there was no indentured servitude awaiting her—she wasn’t in any danger of becoming a witch’s slave, and yet she was almost weeping. Why?
    “And if the feelings don’t go away?”
    A stream of tears rolled down her cheek. Why? Because the idea of being separated from Raven made her heart clench horribly. “Then I guess we’ll know for sure. Maybe she’ll let me go on dates.” She forced a smile and Raven growled.
    “If this is real, I’m never gonna let you go, sweetheart.”
    Darcy locked eyes with him, ran her hands over his Mohawk, down the sides of his head and wrapped them around his neck. “I lied to you today.”
    He cocked an eyebrow, pursed his lips.
    “I told you that if you marked me I would hate you.” She gulped. “I lied about that.”
    His eyes grew wide. Fangs filled his mouth, elongating past his lips.
    She tilted her head to the side and ran two fingers along her neck. “I wouldn’t loathe you for marking me.”
    “It’s irreversible.” His words were guttural, his black pupils flashing with streaks of gold, as if his wolf were clawing its way to the surface.
    “I know.” She pressed herself closer, her neck just beneath his chin. “It feels like the right choice.”
    Raven’s body shook like he was reining himself in. He raised his hand to her head, fingers entwined in her short hair. “My wolf wants. It wants. ” He lowered his mouth to her throat, fangs pressing against her skin. It wouldn’t take much.
    “Take it then.” Darcy whispered.

Chapter Fourteen
    Someone pounded on the door, jolting Raven back and making Darcy gasp.
    “Ignore it,” Darcy said, breathless,