Rejected by Alpha, Collected by Dragon

Chapter 8. Wolves don't drink tea

Duncan

I wake up and instantly reach for her, but my bed is empty and cold. I rub my eyes, feeling a little disoriented. For starters, women do not sleep over in my bed. Even though she’s staying here, I should have made her go back to the couch where she’s been sleeping, but it felt so good to have her curl up beside me. She made these amazing little contented noises as she wiggled against me, and I couldn’t kick her out. If anyone were to ask me, I’d deny it vehemently, but it was the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had.

Sniffing the air, I can smell eggs and sausages. Mmm… s*x and breakfast. A man could get used to this.

I wander out to the kitchen and sit at the table so I can watch her work. She shifts her weight to one foot, thrusting her hip out slightly, and her head twitches almost imperceptibly. If I hadn’t been watching her so closely, I would have missed it. But it lets me know that even though I move almost silently, she knows I’m here. She knows I’m watching her, even though neither of us have said a word.

She’s back to wearing my clothes, I note. My t-shirt is large on her, almost like a nightgown. My fingers twitch, wanting to lift the hem and find out what she has on underneath, hoping to find her bare.

I’ve gotten so used to watching her over the past few days. She moves with the efficiency of an experienced waitress. No movements are wasted, she’s smooth and precise. It’s not exactly a dance, but it’s compelling to watch.

Which is why I’m a little confused watching her move around the kitchen now.

She keeps fiddling with the spatula in between flipping the food in the frying pan, and her hips sway with every step. It’s hypnotizing, and I’m finding it impossible to look away from her ass, but strange nonetheless.

Finally, she plates up the food, and I c*ck an eyebrow at the way she handles the plate, like she’s forgotten how to use her hands. I know I said I was going to f*ck her brains out, but I meant that figuratively.

She places the plate in front of me, and I look up into her eyes, suddenly understanding as I stare into deep amber irises.

“You must be Kitania,” I smile at her. Her grin is wide and flirty and although it’s still Chloe’s face, the features look different somehow. More predatory.

“Hello, handsome,” she purrs. “I thought it was about time we got a chance to get to know each other.”

She sits down at the table with a steaming mug of tea in front of her that smells like it had brewed for far too long. She sniffs, and moves it further away, but keeps smiling at me, propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands. I narrow my eyes at her, wondering what she’s up to. The human counterpart to werewolves can often move on after a rejection. They can even fall in love with someone who’s not their mate, but the wolf part is not as easily convinced. They sometimes pine for their lost mate for the rest of their lives, and take any opportunity they can to let their displeasure be known. I’m not really getting malicious vibes off the creature sitting in front of me, but I’m not about to trust her either.

My eggs are a little overcooked and the sausage is cold inside, but it’s edible. I manage to eat everything without complaint, since I don’t want to give Kit any reason to cause trouble. “Aren’t you going to eat?” I ask her when she just continues to smile at me.

“I already did,” she shrugs, batting her eyelashes.

Is she… is she trying to flirt? It’s like watching someone who learned flirtation by watching cartoons. I bite my tongue to stop myself from laughing and keep eating. She’s kind of adorable. When I try a sip of the tea she’d placed in front of me, though, I have to give up. It’s so bitter it tastes like someone who’s life peaked in high school. She frowns at me as I get up and grab her mug and mine, but I kiss her on the forehead before I dump the offending liquid in the sink and remake fresh cups for us. She watches me closely, her eyes intently following every movement. When I place the fresh cup of tea in front of her, she sniffs it suspiciously, before beaming a smile at me and lifting the cup to her mouth.

“Wait!” My warning comes too late. The table, me, and the front of her shirt are all covered in a spray of hot tea. “It’s hot,” I mutter, wiping the liquid off my chest.

“Ouch,” she whimpers and it’s so pitifully adorable, I have to bite the inside of my cheek so I don’t laugh.

“It’s ok,” I shake my head at her. “Just let it cool off a little before you try to drink it.”

She looks at the mug like she thinks it might try to attack her. “I don’t think I care for tea,” she says primly, lifting her chin and pushing the mug to the side. “Besides, I don’t need tea to talk to you about what I want.”

“Oh?” I lift an eyebrow and slowly sip my drink. She narrows her eyes at me, but being a dragon, the heat doesn’t bother me. I don’t say anything more as I wait for her to tell me what it is she wants. Wolves aren’t really known for their patience, so I know I won’t need to wait long.

“Tonight is a full moon,” she blurts out. See? Wolves are not good at patience. “I want to join the pack run.”

“Are you asking my permission?” I can’t help the amusement in my voice. Both Chloe and her wolf are utterly perfect. I’m not sure it’s going to take me very long to convince one or both of them to let me tie her up and spank that perky ass until it turns a deep shade of pink.

“No,” she squeaks, turning away from me. “But… can I?” she peers up at me shyly through her long eyelashes. The golden color of her eyes flashes, and I swallow. The tiny flecks of gold in Chloe’s blue eyes is enough to have my dragon side feel possessive towards her. The bright yellow of her wolf’s eyes is too much to resist. I feel like I’d agree to just about anything looking in those eyes.

“Have you ever been on a pack run before?” I ask carefully. I’ve seen enough of the aftermath of pack runs to know what happens. And no matter where in the city you are, you hear it. Wolves aren’t exactly quiet.

Kit’s eyes shift away from me. “Well, no,” she admits. “Chloe wanted to wait for our mate before we joined the run.”

“Uh huh,” I say, peering at her over the rim of my mug. “So, now you think I should let you go f*ck whoever you want?” I growl. The idea has my possessiveness boiling. She’s mine, and she needs to get used to the idea!

Her eyes snap back to me, the surprise evident on her face. “No! And that’s a little insulting,” she sniffs. I c*ck an eyebrow at her, waiting for an explanation. “Why would I want some scrawny random wolf when I have a dragon waiting for me?” she blinks. The sincerity in her tone is enough to calm the jealousy that had started to build. “Besides,” she sniffs again, “my mate… ex-mate… would be mate… whatever… is… was… is the Alpha. I have standards.”

I set my empty mug down on the table and study her. She fidgets with the hem of my t-shirt she’s wearing, and avoids my eyes, biting her lip nervously. “Ok, you can go,” I say slowly. She looks up with a happy smile, but I hold a hand up. “On one condition.”

“Ok, sure,” she nods happily.

“You don’t f*ck anyone.”

“I thought that was already established,” she rolls her eyes.

“Not even the alpha,” I growl.

She c*cks her head at me, confused. “I think you’re forgetting he rejected me. Why would he-“

“Not even the alpha,” I repeat.

“Fine!” she huffs. “Not even the alpha. Not that it’s even an option,” she mutters. I can hear the hurt in her voice, but for some reason, I trust her to keep her promise. Even if Dom’s wolf tries to pull some sh*t with her.

As the sun set, Chloe heads out, shifting outside the door and trotting off happily to take part in her first pack run. She’s been antsy and distracted all day, her excitement crackling like static electricity in the apartment. She’d spent most of the afternoon cleaning, dusting my collection of broken odds and ends, and I’d watched her out of the corner of my eye while I pretended to work.

I wait a few minutes after she leaves before following her, knowing that her wolf senses will be heightened and I don’t want her to think I’m spying on her. Even though, that’s exactly what I’m doing. I have to admit, though, I’m curious about her wolf. Kit was soft and awkwardly flirty this morning over breakfast, not like other she-wolves I’ve known. Most of them tend to be jealous and slightly petty with far too much ambition.

When I get close to the pack gathered together before the run, I hang back by a tree and scan the furry crowd. It’s not hard to spot Kit. She’s trotting around like she just won the grand prize in a contest where she was the only contestant. Males are giving her a little more attention than I’m comfortable with, but she ignores them, holding her head and tail high as she moves through the crowd.

She’s a cute little thing. Slightly smaller than the other wolves and I laugh thinking, “She really is dainty.” She’s a dark chocolatey brown, with a white stripe that runs from the tip of her nose, up her muzzle, and ends in a diamond shape on her forehead. Her ears are tipped with white, as is her tail, and one of her front paws. Her golden eyes are constantly on the move, taking in everything around her as she prances lightly on her feet.

I feel eyes watching me, and turn my head to see Victor, Dominick’s sandy-colored wolf, glaring at me. I smirk at him, and cross my arms over my chest while I lean against the tree. He might as well get used to the fact I’m not going anywhere.

There’s a yelp and fierce growling from the direction I’d last spotted Kit, and both Victor and I turn our heads sharply. Kit is standing over a young male, teeth bared and murder in her eyes while he cowers in front of her. A rush of pride fills me knowing that my girl isn’t about to put up with sh*t from anyone.

My eyes narrow, however, when Victor pushes through the crowd to stand by her side. She backs down, showing her neck in submission and bowing her head. I know how hard it is for her to resist him, and something in me clenches knowing she’s putting in this effort for me.

Especially when he rubs along her side and nuzzles her neck. Bastard.

He stiffens as he sniffs her, his head swinging back in my direction, and I grin at him. Yea, assh*le, I think ruefully, back off.

He’s staring at me too hard, though, and I’m afraid she’s going to follow his gaze and find me here. Luckily, she takes the opportunity to slink away into the crowd while he’s distracted by staring at me. Victor must realize she’s slipped away because he looks around, disappointed not to see her. I almost feel bad for him as he plods back to the rise where the pack leadership waits for him to give the signal to begin the run.

Almost.

There’s a blonde wolf that moves to stand next to him. Her light-colored eyes shift between him, me, and out into the crowd where I’m sure she’s searching for Kit. I don’t trust this she-wolf for a moment. There’s something about her that screams of ruthless ambition. I’m pretty sure I recognize her as Indira’s wolf, but I’m not sure what she’s doing standing at the front of the pack by the Alpha’s side where his Luna should be. She should be standing behind him with the rest of his little entourage of yes-men. What’s her game?

Victor howls, the signal that the pack run is starting. He leaps to the front, Indira’s wolf attempting to keep up, but steadily falling back. The look on her face tells me he was supposed to set a pace she was comfortable with, and she’s pissed he’s leaving her behind. I watch for a few minutes, the blur of the wolves streaking across the landscape is a beautiful sight, one I’ve never fully appreciated until now. My smile grows as I spot the small dark brown wolf with white-tipped ears easily keeping pace with the pack. She doesn’t even look like she’s putting in much effort, and I realize with a shock that, had she wanted to, Kit could have easily passed the other wolves she’s running among to be at the front of the group. She’d probably even give Victor a challenge if she put her mind to it. Logically, I know she had been destined to be Luna, to lead the pack by Dominick’s side, but in this moment, watching the wolves surrounding her glance over with obvious respect, I understand the magnitude of Dominick’s mistake when he rejected her.

Whatever. He can’t have her back.