What a Wolf Desires (Lux Catena Book 1)

10

Lizette jerked her chin out of his hand. “I’m not your wife.”

Max lowered his voice, and she felt its rumble in her belly. “Ah, petite, that’s where you’re wrong.”

Her cheeks heated, and she stumbled backwards until she felt the edge of the chair bump her legs. She shuffled sideways until she stood between the leather chairs, a clear path to the door at her back. “Don’t call me that.”

“Which one? Wife or petite?”

“We’re not mated.”

“Yet you bear my mark.”

“Not by choice.” She took a step back.

Faster than she could track, he snagged the back of her neck, circling it before she even realized what he’d done. He drew her against his body with firm but gentle pressure.

“D-don’t do that.”

The pads of his fingers grazed the skin under her hairline, tracing the sensitive skin of her nape—finding the ridges of an old wound.

She jerked away, dislodging him. “I said don’t.”

He folded his arms, his indulgent smile letting her know he’d allowed her to break his hold. It was infuriating.

“Did you pack all your things?” His light Québécois accent made things sound more like tings. In another man she might find it charming.

She crossed her arms, mirroring him. “You know I didn’t. I’m sure you already had Dom search my bag.”

He narrowed his gaze. “This insubordination is acceptable in our private meetings, but I warn you I won’t tolerate it in front of the others.”

Oh, so now they were back in Alpha-subject mode. How convenient. “That’s okay. I don’t plan on us having any other private meetings.” She blinked and he was standing behind his desk, the movement so fast she hadn’t been able to track it. It was his Gift. He also had better-than-average hearing—something that had made sneaking out of the Lodge as a teenager almost impossible.

Because one Gift wasn’t enough for the almighty Alpha.

He slid a notepad and pen across the desk and gestured to it. “Write down what you need. I’ll have Remy drive into town in the morning and pick it up.”

“For what?”

“It’ll take a couple of weeks to close up the apartment. I imagine you’ll need a few essentials until then, hein?”

“What are you saying?” But she already knew. She’d known since she scented Dominic and Remy in her apartment this morning.

His gaze was steady. “You’re staying at the Lodge—permanently. And you’ll be staying in my rooms.”

Panic tried to claw a path out of her chest. She was in the Lodge now, in the heart of his territory. There was nothing to stop him from locking her away. “Absolutely not. You can’t ask it of me.”

“I’m not asking you. I’m telling you.”

Tears burned her throat, which made her angry. She never cried. She hadn’t cried when her father walked into the living room, shut off her cartoons, and told her mommy was dead. She hadn’t cried when the police knocked on the door and told her he was dead, too. She hadn’t cried when Max turned her world upside down at fifteen by telling her she was a different species. She hadn’t cried when she Turned for the first time, the pain so intense she wished for death. She hadn’t cried when she made her first kill, the eyes of the deer she felled pleading with her to spare it, a cadre of wolves circling her, watching intently to determine if she had enough control over her wolf to resist the urge to give into bloodlust—and ready to execute her if she didn’t.

But she had cried the night Max betrayed her.

“You promised me,” she whispered now.

He circled the desk again, this time at normal speed. She didn’t resist when he pulled her against him. Why bother? He’d already proved he would do what he wanted regardless of her wishes. He wound one arm around her waist and used his free hand to cup the side of her head.

“I promised you five years,” he said, staring down at her without a shred of compassion. “You’ve had them.”

“I have a job and a career. I have a life—”

“Your life is here.”

“That wasn’t my decision.”

His gaze hardened. He slid his fingers through her hair, brushing past her ear to trace a heavy coil that had fallen onto her shoulder. He twirled the thick bundle of strands around his finger, his arm grazing her breast. His arm around her waist tightened.

She stood still, her breaths shallow. The predator in her recognized the bigger, more powerful predator in him. Her wolf waited, wondering what his would do—knowing they had no choice, no matter what he decided. None at all.

“Your place is here,” he said finally.

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming. “That wasn’t part of the bargain.” Deep inside, her wolf stirred. Her teeth throbbed in sync with her heartbeat—the first stage of the Turn. “You lied to me.”

Without warning, the Alpha was back. His wolf slammed into his eyes, turning the human shade an icy blue. His lips parted, revealing a glimpse of elongated canines. She started to look away, but he seized her gaze with his own and held it through sheer force of will. “This particular bargain was always going to end this way,” he said. “If you thought differently, you’ve been lying to yourself.”

“You don’t have the right—”

“Careful.” His eyes flashed. Needle-sharp fangs showed beneath his full lips. “I have every right. As your Alpha.” His gaze dipped to her mouth. “As your mate.”

“I am not your mate.” Her voice trembled. “I took no vow. And we never…” The words caught in her throat, as if her brain refused to speak them aloud and dredge up things best left unsaid.

“Technicalities,” he said. He slid his fingers through her hair again, brushed past her ear, and traced a slow path to her neck. He gripped her nape. The skin tingled under his touch. “You bear my mark. And your body knows its master.”

Heat surged in her face…and between her legs. She stifled a groan.

They stayed that way for several long moments, their breaths harsh in the quiet room, mouths almost touching. His anger was like a blast furnace, searing her face and chest while her pulse throbbed in her neck.

Her own rage licked over him like flame, crackling against his displeasure. Her heart thudded in her chest, and her breasts felt heavy—her n*****s tightened to hard points. She dragged in a breath, and her n*****s scraped his chest.

A gasp caught in her throat. What was happening to her? It should have hurt to stare into his eyes with his wolf ascendant, but she felt no pain…just a dragging sensation in her limbs. Her head felt heavy on her neck. A lick of heat curled low in her belly.

Deep in her mind, her wolf hesitated. An amorphous thought—more of a feeling, really—formed in her brain. Confused. She wanted to attack, didn’t she? So why did her body feel…pleasure? The mixed signals perplexed the wolf. Her fangs receded.

Her wolf might have abandoned her, but she still had her brain—and she could not let this happen. She dragged in a breath. “You promised me.”

“We’ve gone over this. You’ve had five years—”

“No.” She ignored the lassitude that urged her to melt against him. It was easier to latch onto the heat and use it to fuel her anger. “In the car, when you came to LA, I asked you if you would ever hurt me, and you said never. You promised me.” She gripped the front of his shirt in her fists and tugged him close.

He groaned, almost as if he was as affected by her touch as she was by his.