The Wolf in Sheep's Skin

Chapter 25

It was pitch black inside with jackets smacking me in the face. Fabric swished as we both stood and adjusted.

“What the h*ll are you doing?” He said.

“Stay quiet! Where’s the light switch?” I whispered back, fumbling around, feeling the wall.

“It’s a coat closet, there isn’t a light!” He stumbled, knocking me into a wall. He thudded next to me, brushing against my arm.

“Get off me!” I grabbed his arm and shoved him.

“There’s shoes on the ground! Why the f*ck are we in here?” He grumbled, and shoes scrapped across the floor. He stood, making coats and jackets swish, and he stopped leaning on me.

“It’s quiet; I didn’t want anyone to hear!” I hissed, keeping my voice low.

“So you dragged me into a closet?” He snapped.

“The coats add extra sound insulation.”

“So you are pretending to be submissive?” His voice darkened and wished I could see his face.

“No! That’s not it, I, uh, I only break rank with you!” I said, trying my best not to lie, so he wouldn’t catch me.

“Oh?” His voice turned smooth and sultry. I sucked in a breath and my gut dropped.

“No! No, no, that’s not what I meant! It’s not like that!” F*ck, I just suggested we’re mates! “It’s neither of those; there’s a third option, uh, I’m, uh, I got so caught up in the moment, I’d forgotten she’d given me a command! From… the way you talked to them! It must’ve gotten rid of it!” I let out a nervous laugh, panicking, wishing I could turn back time and slap sense into myself.

“We both know that’s not true.”

It was a horrible lie; anyone who knew about wolves would know it. We couldn’t break a direct order from someone who was above us, even if we wanted to. Unless that person was our mate.

“Fine, but there is a third option! It’s uh-“

“Gwen, there isn’t a third option. It’s either the first or second option. Which is it?”

“You have to promise not to tell anyone!”

“Let me get this straight. If it’s option two, we’re asking me not to tell anyone?” I could hear the frown in his voice.

“It’s not option two! That’s not it!” Panic built in my chest, and I wanted to pound my head into the wall. This is going all wrong!

“So you’re pretending to be submissive?” His voice was flat, tight, and I could hear his displeasure.

“No! I mean, yes, but you can’t tell anyone!” I whispered, pleading. He can’t tell anyone! It’ll ruin everything!

“You mean that the whole time she was yelling at you, you what? Choose to stand there and take it?”

“I told you, she would’ve left me alone if you hadn’t interrupted!”

“Why are you doing that to yourself?”

“That’s none of your business!” I spat at him, keeping my vow low.

“Fine! But I can’t say I’m not disappointed!” He growled, his words sharp, like he’d jabbed a knife in my gut.

“Why do you care if I hide it?” I snapped, and he snarled.

“That isn’t what I meant!” He said in a low voice. “I’m getting the f*ck out of this d*mn closet.” The door handle rattled, and he growled. “It’s locked!”

He took a step, then the closet turned to chaos. He crashed, stumbling, and coats fell as he slammed against a wall. “For f*ck’s sake!” He shouted, growling.

“What are you doing?” I hissed.

He stumbled again, and the wall next to me crunched, and he slammed into me.

“Get off me!” I tried pushing him away, but he rumbled with a growl.

“My arm’s stuck!” His arm was pressed against my side, and I was pinned between it and a corner. His arm moved around, and thudding sounds came from inside the wall.

“You punched the wall?”

“I didn’t punch it, I tripped, and my hand went through the drywall!”

“Well let me past you!” I tried shoving him again, but he didn’t budge. He was pressed against me, facing me, his breath on my ear, giving me goosebumps.

He moved again and groaned, brushing his stubbly cheek against mine. My heart fluttered and my cheeks warmed.

“There’s something stabbing me!” He wiggled again and loud knocks came from inside the wall behind me. “F*ck!” He winced and growled, his chest rumbling against mine.

His warmth radiated through me as he pinned me to the wall. One of his legs was between mine, hiking my dress up around my hips as he moved, trying to pull his arm free. His leg was pressed against there, warm and flexing as he moved. Shivers went up my spine with each of his movements.

I squirmed, trying to get past him. I tried pushing his free arm out of the way while scrambling to get my footing. But my heels slipped on the floor, making me slide down on his leg.

“Stop moving around like that!” He growled.

“You’re trapping me. Move so I can get past you!” I dug my fingers into his chest. He sucked in a breath and tugged his arm harder, making knocking sounds in the wall.

“You’re the one who locked us in here! And I’d prefer not to trip on shoes while my arm is stuck with something f*cking stabbing me!” His arm clashed around in the hole in the wall, making him shake and rub his chest against mine. My n*pples hardened, and each movement he made sent tiny shocks through me.

“What the f*ck am I stuck on?” The wall made a crunching sound. “Ow!” He jolted, thrusting me higher against the wall, making my feet dangle. “F*cking bullsh*t!”

He thrashed harder, making his leg rub against me. I shivered and squeezed my legs around his muscular leg. My hands were pinned between his chest and mine, and with each of his movements, pressure built in my core.

My heart raced as I reached for the floor with my toes, but I couldn’t feel it. I tried leaning to one side, but even then, I didn’t reach.

I bit my lip, trying to muffle my sounds as he moved. But as he continued to struggle, rubbing against me, pressure turned to pleasure.

This can’t be happening! Move! My head grew hazy, and I squirmed. He was so close, his scent wrapped around me. Rich earth after fresh summer rain. His cheek bumped against mine, and I jolted, gasping.

No! Not like this! I dug my nails into his chest. I leaned to one side, hoping to at least get a toe on the ground. But there was nothing.

“Stop moving d*mn it!” He growled, in a low, threatening tone. I froze, and something hard pressed against my inner thigh.

“What are you doing! Is that-stop it!” I shouted, panic bubbling in my stomach.

“I said to stop moving, didn’t I?” He growled in my ear and pressed me tighter against the wall. I sucked in a breath, my face shoved into the crook of his neck. My head swirled with his scent clogging my mind, and I squeezed my legs around his so tight mine shook.

He pulled away, and the wall crumpled. Bits of drywall crashed to the ground, crunching. My feet touched the ground, and I wobbled, trying not to fall over. The doorknob rattled, Jay cursed at it, and the door crunched.

Light burned my eyes, and he stood in the doorway, holding the doorknob. The door was off the hinges, and he dropped it to the ground with a loud crash.

His copper eyes trailed over me, filled with l*st. No man had ever looked at me like that.

As if he’d rip off my clothes and f*ck me then and there. As if he needed it, needed me like he needed air.

My core tightened and between my legs became wet.

Lilith screamed with excitement, clawing to get out, desperate. I squeezed my hands tight, and my skin itched as she fought to take over.

Panic swirled in my stomach, and I shoved her down.

“F*ck him! Do it!” She cried out, and I balled up my fists, struggling to keep her in check.

Go away!

Thoughts raced through my head, of him shouting at Olivia, defending me against her.

I sucked in a breath and remembered why we were in the closet in the first place.

“You man handled me!” I spat out.

“You didn’t seem to mind.” His voice was gravely, animalistic.

I stammered and growled at him.

“You can’t tell anyone!” I tensed, and he growled and stepped closer.

“You think I’m so awful? So disgusting? How bad for Gwen; people might know we bumped around in a closet.” He leaned in, and I tensed. “Maybe if you didn’t want people suspecting anything, you shouldn’t have dragged us in there! You think I want people knowing I shredded my arm by getting it stuck inside a wall?” He shouted.

“That isn’t what I meant!”

“What else could you mean? If you don’t want people knowing, you ought to fix your dress and hair.” He snarled, his face turning red.

I glanced down at myself. My dress was around my hips still, with my p*nties peeking out. I pulled them down, and my face burned.

“You know, I thought maybe when you defended me to Olivia, you might actually like me as a person. I’m sorry for being wrong.” He spat, and I flinched, lowering my gaze to the floor.

“I was asking about before the closet.” I whispered.

“What?” He asked, and stood up, no longer standing over me. “What’re you-oh. You mean about you pretending.” His voice went soft, and he blinked at me, like he was surprised. He scratched the back of head and cleared his throat, looking away.

“The wall did that?” I pointed to his mangled arm.

His arm that had been stuck in the wall was mangled. The sleeve of his shirt was bloody and shredded past his elbow. Strips of bloody fabric dangled, and blood dripped onto the floor.

“I told you, something was stabbing me. Nails, it felt like. Kept getting caught on my watch.” He raised his arm, showing me his scratched, bloody watch.

“I thought you meant a little poke.”

“I wouldn’t have kept you pinned to the wall if it was a little poke. But it wouldn’t have taken so long to get free if you had listened and stopped moving. It was very distracting.” He scowled, but there was amusement in his eyes.

I scoffed and opened my mouth.

“Uh-uh.” He shook his head and lifted his good arm, waving a finger at me. “You don’t get to complain and get all shouty. You dragged me into a closet, filled with shoes that made me trip, and cost me a f*cked up arm.”

I crossed my arms and lifted my head away from him and snorted.

“I guess your arm is good enough punishment.”

He tilted his head and let out a low growl. His teeth clenched together, and he closed his eyes, sighed, and slowly opened them.

“I think I’m going to keep my thoughts to myself right now.”

“You should do that more often.”

“You talk big game for someone who gave up a secret.” He whispered.

My stomach dropped and icy tendrils climbed up my spine.

“Are you going to tell people?” I whispered back, knots forming in my stomach.

“Why don’t we go somewhere we can talk. Better than a closet.”