My face paled.
I wasn’t some naive she-wolf.
Alpha Adrian’s words, sharp as a hunter’s call, and his predatory gaze—stalked, focusedmade it sickeningly clear what he intended.
Panic coiled in my gut. I shrank back. “Don’t you dare!”
Alpha Adrian’s hand shot out, fingers digging through the thick weave of my forest-green tunic to clamp down on my shoulder.
He hauled me closer, and I stumbled, my hip hitting the edge of the bench.
“How’s it wrong? Mates claiming their right—no pack elder’s gonna bat an eye.”
“I don’t want this! Force me, and the council will hear about it!” I shoved at his chest.
His strength dwarfed mine.
Pinned by his grip, my struggles fizzled out.
Alpha Adrian’s hand slid down, leaving a trail of heat through my tunic, before his arm looped around my waist.
He
