This trip was detrimental to my health.

I was sure the Moon Goddess was laughing at my pain every time I was forced to put some distance between me and the woman beside me. It might be the mate bond, but I found it difficult to keep my hands away from her. Every encounter we had just made her more irresistible.

I loved riling her up so she would snap back with a quick-witted remark that would make my blood boil with desire. No matter how physically attractive she was, it was her intelligence that drove me over the edge.

I didn't need a woman that could only walk the walk and be perfect arm candy. I needed one that could talk the talk too, and Jaslynn was exactly that and more. She was the perfect leader to have by my side– classy, confident, and quick on her feet.

"Are you going to stare at me or are you going to help me push this boat?"

I blinked and realized that she was still struggling to push the boat onto the sand while I stood there in my own world like a lovesick fool.

"Step away," I grumbled, gently shoving her to the side. She huffed and watched me push the boat onto the sand with ease in seconds. I brushed my hands off and raised an eyebrow at her exasperated face, "What? If you wanted to do it yourself, you should have used your wand like that fairy godmother from Cinderella."

"The fairy godmother from Cinderella? Do I look like an old lady that can fly to you?" She asked, her hickory colored eyes narrowing on my face and daring me to answer.

I grunted, "You get offended when I call you a fairy, but you can call me a dog. The double standards in this relationship are atrocious."

"But I like dogs," she exclaimed, clearly exasperated, "They're cute and cuddly."

My wolf did not appreciate her comments and neither did I. He was offended that she thought he was cute– that was something someone would say about a pup.

And I was an Alpha wolf.

"I. Am. Not. Cute," I growled out, pausing between each word for emphasis, "Or cuddly."

She tried to hide the mirth on her face but failed miserably, "Did I hit a soft spot?"

I snarled and bent over, wrapping my arms around her legs and hoisting her over my shoulder. She let out a loud squeal, and I tightened my arms around her, placing a hand on her ass to steady her as she squirmed.

"Alrik!"

I picked up our bags with my free hand, put them on my other shoulder, and started walking towards the mass of trees.

"This is–"

Before I realized what I was doing, I raised the hand on her ass and spanked her, surprising both her and myself.

She really did bring out another side of me.

I put her down and was even more shocked to see her blushing furiously, refusing to look me in the eye.

"Did I hit a soft spot?" I asked with an amused smirk, using her silence as an opportunity to get her back.

She glared at me, "You–you–ARGH!"

I chuckled under my breath as she grabbed her bag from me and walked away.

***

"Do you know where we are?" I asked, climbing over another fallen tree.

It seemed like all we were doing was climbing over fallen trees in the middle of a huge forest. There seemed to be no civilization on this island whatsoever.

"Well, according to the map, we're actually on the other side of the island from where my mentor's mother supposedly lives. At this rate, we'll get to her in the morning. The stupid trees are slowing us down."

"So," I started, helping her over one of the larger tree trunks, "How do we know your mentor's mother still lives there or is even alive? Your mentor is dead after all."

Jaslynn paused and turned to frown at me, "Uncle Amos didn't die of old age. He was killed. By Malcolm."

"Uncle Amos?"

She sighed as we began to move again, "Uncle Amos was not just my mentor, he was my guardian. My parents died when I was two, and I was left with my grandmother, who took care of me for as long as she could before she decided that I was better off with Uncle Amos."

"She just abandoned you?" I deadpanned.

"I wouldn't say abandon. Like I said before, my grandmother is a rogue, and because of that, she is constantly in danger of being attacked by other packs. I don't know what changed her mind, but I guess she thought that it wasn't a safe environment for me anymore and left me in safe hands. I'm actually grateful she did because I wouldn't have gotten to meet Uncle Amos or have the training I do now."

"And how does Malcolm fit into all of this? Why did he kill your Uncle?"

Jaslynn shook her head, her eyes were glazed as if she was reminiscing, "Malcolm always seemed to have a screw loose, and I think Uncle Amos knew that. So when he passed the coven down to me, Malcolm was furious because he thought he deserved it. But all that aside, he just wanted the Book of Demonic Magic, and he thought Uncle Amos knew where it was since he was around when the book was banished."

I frowned, "The book was banished?"

"Years ago. The older wizards thought it was for the best and delegated one person to hide it. Unfortunately, the one person who knew the exact location is dead so we can't ask them."

"How do you know that?"

"Uncle Amos left me a letter and a map before he died. His mother is the only person who would have even the slightest idea of where it is."

"But first we have to find her and even that seems like a needle in the haystack," I muttered as we climbed over the next line of tree trunks, "Or should I say tree stack."

"Well, I never said this search was going to be easy," Jaslynn grumbled, "As long as Malcolm doesn't find the book, we'll be fine. But considering he's walking around in broad daylight after being banned from the wizarding community, I'm afraid he's got a lead somehow."

"He doesn't know about the mother, does he?"

"I honestly don't think so. Uncle Amos never talked about his mother. But he could have some help from other banned wizards. They could be sorting through old court records or trying to track down anything the delegated wizard left behind for clues."

"All of this for a book. What's so important about opening a portal and letting a bunch of satanic creatures come to the Middle World?"

"Gee, I don't know, world dominance?" Jaslynn snorted, "It would be ironic if one of those demons ended up killing Malcolm instead."

"Malcolm will die no matter what. I guarantee it. If we don't kill him or if the demons don't kill him, Reece will kill him. She'll want revenge for her mate's death."

My Commander was more like me in that aspect. We wanted an eye for an eye in almost every situation. If someone hurt a pack member or someone we loved, they were done for. There were rarely second chances in our world.

"I still don't understand. How was she mated to that boy? He looked like a teenager."

"It's what the Moon Goddess willed for. It's a weird twist but everything she does has a reason. Besides, age gaps aren't rare, although Reece and the boy would have had a larger age gap than what's considered normal."

Jaslynn exhaled loudly, "Well, thank the Moon Goddess, we don't have such a big age gap. That would be uncomfortable."

"Yeah, we should thank her," I muttered under my breath, "But not because of the age gap."

"What did you say?"

I cleared my throat, "Just that we should be thankful."

***

Night fell before we knew it, and based on Jaslynn's pedometer, we were three-fourths of the way to our destination.

"We should stop here," she said as we entered a small clearing, exhaustion clear in her voice, "I don't think there are any more open areas if we go any further."

I nodded in agreement, noticing how she rubbed her eyes. I was not tired, but it did not seem right to wear her out. She was not as fit as most she-wolves, and we could work on that once she came to my pack.

"Do you want another sandwich?" I asked, pulling one of the many sandwiches we had made from my bag.

She sat down and yawned silently, "Two sandwiches were enough for me."

I sat against a tree trunk and started eating quietly as Jaslynn laid down with her head on her backpack. Even though it was dark, I could see her face clearly because of my night vision and the little orb of light on the tip of her wand.

Her caramel brown hair always seemed to be tied up in a bun that was held together by her wand. When she used her wand, the locks of hair would fall down her back in a mass of curls that were silky to the touch.

I learned very quickly that running my hands through her hair was my favorite thing to do when I was kissing her, apart from touching her soft skin.

Her eyes were a warm hickory brown color that reminded me of a burning fire at night and were framed by an equally dark pair of long lashes. She had a cute upturned nose, but her lips were what threw me off from the very beginning.

A sharp tongue was hidden between a pair of sweet, luscious lips, and it was intoxicating. I could not imagine how any man she had a relationship with before was able to stay away so long.

The taste of her lips was like a drug that was impossible to overdose on.

My gaze fell to the ground when I realized I was staring at her for longer than necessary. I crumpled up the Ziploc and stuffed it back in my backpack before laying down a good distance from her.

I glanced at her to make sure she was asleep, but from the way she was shivering furiously, I knew she wasn't.

"Jaslynn," I called gruffly.

She opened her eyes and frowned, "Yes?"

"Come here. You're freezing."

Her eyes widened, but she didn't protest as she crawled over and fixed her makeshift pillow next to mine. When she laid back down, I placed my arm around her waist and tugged her body up against mine.

The heat that erupted all over my body almost made me want to push her away, but I pursed my lips and positioned her between my arms so I was practically hugging her to me. Her face was buried in the crook of my neck, and her breath was tickling my skin lightly.

As I let my body heat warm her up, I felt her shake a little as if she was laughing to herself.

"Not cuddly, my ass."

"Shut up."