Playing House - 1
1261 Words
Three days of captivity, polite captivity, but captivity nonetheless, and I was ready to claw through the walls.
Dr. Chen had cleared me for "light activity." Which apparently translated to: walk from the medical wing to the room they'd prepared for me. Don't run. Don't shift. Don't do anything that might pop your stitches or remind anyone that you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself.
The room was obscene.
Bigger than the entire apartment I'd grown up in. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the forest. A bathroom with a tub deep enough to drown in, I'd checked. King-sized bed with more pillows than any single person could possibly need.
And it was three doors down from Kade's.
I'd counted.
The universe had a sick sense of humor.
"You don't have to accept it." Kade stood in the doorway, misreading my silence. "If you want something else, something smaller"
"It's fine."
I cut him off before he could finish being considerate and understanding and everything he had no right to be.
He'd barely left my side since I woke up. Brought me food I didn't ask for. Sat with me during Dr. Chen's examinations like I might need moral support. Hovered at the edges of my vision like he was afraid I'd vanish if he looked away too long.
The bond was making him crazy.
I could feel it through the connection between us, this constant thrumming anxiety. This need to protect, to possess, to keep me close and safe and his.
That last one was definitely going to be a problem.
"Sera." He stepped into the room.
I forced myself not to back away. Held my ground even though my wolf was doing backflips, torn between wanting to bare her throat and wanting to go for his.
"We need to talk," he said.
Here it comes.
"About what?"
"About us. About what happens next." He ran a hand through his hair. I was learning that gesture, the tell that meant he was stressed. "I know this isn't ideal. We don't know each other, you've been through hell, and now you're stuck here because biology decided we're supposed to be together."
"That about sums it up."
A ghost of a smile. "You don't pull punches, do you?"
"Why bother?"
I sat on the edge of the massive bed. Tried to look casual instead of like every cell in my body was screaming contradictory orders. Run. Stay. Kill him. Kiss him. Burn it all down.
"You want to know if I'm going to accept the bond," I said. "If I'm going to stay. If I'm going to play happy mate for your pack."
"That's not…" He stopped. Jaw tight. "That's not what I was going to ask."
"Then what?"
"I was going to ask if you felt safe here."
The words hit me sideways.
Oh.
Damn him.
"Why wouldn't I?" I deflected. Automatic.
"Because you flinch every time someone opens a door." He said it quietly. Statement of fact, not accusation. "Because you sleep with your back to the wall and keep one hand under your pillow. Because you've been on the run for a while, and safe probably feels like a foreign language right now."
My throat went tight.
He'd been paying attention. Really paying attention. Not just watching, but seeing.
"I'm fine," I said.
"You're a terrible liar."
"I'm an excellent liar, actually." I gestured at the space between us, where the bond hummed like a plucked string. "You just have an unfair advantage."
He moved closer. Slow. Careful. Like I was something wild that might bolt.
He wasn't wrong.
When he stopped in front of me, I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. Close enough that I could feel the heat of him. Close enough that my wolf was making sounds that should have been embarrassing.
"I want you to know something," he said. Quiet. Intense. "I don't care about your past. Don't care where you came from or what you've done or why you were in that alley. All I care about is that you're here now. And you're mine to protect."
Mine.
The word sent a shiver down my spine that I absolutely did not want to analyze.
"I'm not yours," I said.
It came out weaker than I'd intended.
"Not yet." His hand came up, cupping my face. Thumb brushing across my cheekbone so gently it made my chest ache. "But you will be."
The confidence in his voice should have made me angry.
Instead, my wolf purred.
I jerked away. Stood up so fast I nearly knocked him over.
"I need air."
"Sera"
"Alone. I need air alone."
I left before he could argue. Before I could see his face fall. Before the bond could pull any tighter and make me forget why I was here, what I was supposed to be doing, who he really was underneath all that careful concern.
The garden was empty.
Thank god.
I made it to a stone bench before my legs gave out. Braced my hands on my knees. Tried to remember how to breathe around the tightness in my chest.
This was bad.
The plan had been simple: Get close. Gain his trust. Find proof that he'd led the attack on my pack. Make him pay.
Months of preparation. Months of pushing down every emotion except rage and grief. Months of honing myself into a weapon with one single purpose.
But nobody had warned me about this.
The bond was supposed to be a tool. A way in. A convenient explanation for why I'd appeared in his territory, why I'd need to stay close.
I'd known it existed. Known it might complicate things.
But I'd thought I could fight it. Thought I was strong enough to resist some biological imperative, some magical bullshit that said we were meant for each other.
I was wrong.
Every time he looked at me, really looked, with those storm-gray eyes that seemed to see straight through my carefully constructed lies, it got harder. Every time he touched me, gentle like I was something precious, the bond wrapped tighter. Made me want things I had no business wanting.
Made me forget why I was really here.
Made me forget what he'd done.
"You okay?"
I spun.
The man standing behind me was tall, lean, with shaggy brown hair and an easy smile that probably got him out of trouble on a regular basis. He had the same air of power that Kade had, pack magic, alpha bloodline, but was a loser. Less intense.
"I'm fine," I said.
Automatic response. Meaningless.
"Right." His smile widened. "That's why you're out here hyperventilating."
He held up his hands in a peaceful gesture before I could snap at him.
"I'm Marcus. Beta. Also, Kade's best friend and occasional voice of reason, though he rarely listens to that last part."
"Sera."
"I know." He leaned against a nearby tree, casual. "The whole pack knows. A mysterious, injured woman shows up, turns out to be the alpha's mate. It's been the hot topic for days."
Great.
"Must be disappointed," I said. "I'm sure you all had someone else in mind for him."
Something shifted in Marcus's expression. Something darker.
"Actually, our dear alpha has been avoiding the topic of mates and marriage for years. Drives his parents crazy." He studied me with eyes that were too knowing. "You showing up probably saved him from another lecture about pack alliances and duty."
Pack alliances.
Duty.
The words sent ice down my spine.
- Writer
