Chapter 4

Silence stretched between them and she realized that he was leaning closer to her, his intention of kissing her evident. Her conscience pricked and she knew she should step away. Bryan wasn’t her mate.

Kane was.

Before she could act, a twig snapped behind her and Bryan jumped away, pulling his hand from hers. They both turned to see Kane standing nearby, his eyes narrowing into a glare as he took in the two of them.

“Elise, I’m glad you found a way to keep yourself occupied while I was finishing off pack business.” There was an angry edge to his voice which made her skin prickle with anxiety.

“I... I was talking to Bryan,” she stammered. His expression frightened her and she stepped back.

“So I see.” Kane shot her a brief glance, and then focused his attention on Bryan, a look of disdain on his face. “This is the...friend...you spoke of this morning?”

“Yes, this is Bryan. We’ve been friends since we were young.”

Kane gave Bryan an almost imp