Ryder grew silent, contemplating the offer.
Marcus, impatient, broke through the quiet. “So will you do it?”
“This isn’t a way of punishing me for challenging you?” Ryder asked suspiciously.
Marcus wished he’d killed Leonard years ago. “I swear.”
“Yeah, I guess I’ll stay.” Ryder grinned darkly. “Next time I challenge you, I want to win.”
They shook hands. Wondering if he’d made a mistake, Marcus followed Ryder back to his cabin.
Soft laughter greeted them as they got closer.
It stopped as soon as he walked through the door, everyone growing sober quickly.
“We’re staying,” Ryder announced.
Blair wasn’t able to hide her relief. Hanna smiled, her eyes filled with praise.
“Really?” Blair looked between the two men.
“I’m going to be an enforcer. Right, boss?”
Yep, this could be his worst mistake yet. But then Hanna sent him a look of approval and suddenly any trouble he’d get from Ryder seemed worth it to see that look in her eye.
“Well,” Hanna stood. “I better get back before Cade and Connor come searching for me.”
Blair grabbed her wrist. “Wait. If we’re staying, then we can organize those self-defense classes I was talking about. You’ll come, won’t you?”
“Who will take them?” Hanna asked.
Self-defense? She hated touching strangers. And yet, it hadn’t taken her long to get used to Cade and Connor, and she’d just let Blair touch her without flinching. It seemed she’d turned a corner and it annoyed Marcus that he didn’t know why or how.
“Rafe will be. I promise you’ll be safe with him.”
“Maybe. I’ll think about it.”
Suddenly Marcus realized she was leaving without him. With a nod to Blair and Ryder he stepped out. Sure enough, she was already more than thirty feet away.
“H-urgh, Anna, wait up.” He cursed himself for his near blunder.
She barely slowed. Grabbing her wrist, he pulled her to a stop, frowning down at her. “Don’t walk off by yourself like that, it’s not safe.”
She raised a brow. “Other women walk around on their own.”
“They live here. The pack knows them. You’re a stranger.”
“I think everyone knows who I am by now. And they seem friendly enough to me.”
“Just do as I say,” he barked.
A ripple of hurt flickered in her eyes before she blanked them. “Certainly. I’ll inform Cade and Connor that they are to escort me everywhere, or else I’ll wait in my room like a toddler who needs someone to hold their hand.”
“Hanna, that’s not what I meant.” He stepped in beside her as she started walking again. Leaves crunched beneath their feet as they followed the rough dirt trail. Moonlight shone brightly, lighting the way. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I worry about you.”
An owl hooted, a haunting sound. “I’m fine,” she told him. “You have more important things to worry about.”
Nothing more important than you.
He shook that thought out of his head. She was right. He had to concentrate on the job at hand.
“You’ve changed,” he told her.
“What?”
“You’re different. You’re more confident, less shy, unsure. Before you would never have been able to take self-defense classes or let people you barely know touch you.”
He tried to hold back the accusation in his voice, but her eyes flashed amber and he knew she’d picked up on it.
“Isn’t it a good thing that I’m growing more confident, that I can think about taking self-defense classes without running away scared, that I can let other people touch me, fall asleep at night without checking every window in that monster of a house?”
“Of course it is,” he told her, deeply ashamed of his reactions.
“I blame you, you know.”
“Me? Why?”
“Because you’re the one who helped me grow more confident, who showed me that I am worth something, that I am worthy of having a pack, friends. I have the strength to do all this because I knew you were behind me. Or at least I thought you were.”
Tears filled her eyes and he drew her close, hating the way she stayed stiff against him. “Hanna, I’m sorry.” He ran this hand over her back. “I will always be here for you. I hope you still know that. I’m a jerk and I wish I could take back everything I just said. I am so glad I’ve helped you, baby. I’m so proud of you, Hanna.”
Finally she sank against him, and he let out the deep breath he’d been holding.
“I don’t think that self-defense classes are a good idea though.”
“You don’t think learning to defend myself from someone bent on harming me is a good idea?” she asked incredulously, pulling back from him and placing her hands on her hips. “You’d rather I just sat around and let them hurt me?”
“Of course not,” he snapped back. “I don’t want you in danger in the first place. And you could get hurt in a class. You’re so precious, so tiny. I don’t want you harmed.”
“Funny, cause the only person hurting me lately has been you.”
He was so stunned at the accusation he let her go. She took a half step back, her chest heaving with fury as she glared at him.
So he did the only thing he could think of, the only thing in that moment that he wanted to do.
He kissed her.
Marcus pressed his lips firmly against hers, almost punishing her in his grip. Then, as he realized she wasn’t putting up a fight and was relaxing into his embrace, he pulled back, gentling his touch. With his tongue, he caressed her lips, slipping between them. Instead of clasping her tight, he ran his hands up and down her arms.
Hanna raised her arms, winding them around his neck, rubbing her body against his.
“Hanna, I want you. More than I want to breathe, I want you.”
Her pupils dilated with arousal.
“I want you too.”
Those four words sent fireworks through his blood as it rushed to his cock. He lifted her up against him. Hanna wrapped her legs around his waist, nipping at his neck as he headed farther into the forest for cover.
“Christ, Hanna, I can’t hold myself back. Tell me now if you don’t want this. Tell me if you want me to stop.”
“I don’t, I can’t. I need you too,” she panted.
Marcus stopped, unable to go any farther. Hanna let her legs drop down, but he held her up, eagerly kissing her soft lips, gathering every noise she made. He ate at her, pleased by the way she met him, lick for lick, nip for nip.
“I’m sorry this can’t be slow and gentle.” He wanted to be that for her.
She pulled back to look straight into his eyes. “Marcus?” she purred.
“Yes?”
“Fuck me.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. Setting her down, he grabbed for her jeans. She slapped his hands away. The wave of disappointment nearly overwhelmed him at her rejection until she yanked off her pants. As soon as they were free of her legs, she grabbed at her sweater.
“Hurry up,” she urged as he stood there, gaping.
Finally realizing she hadn’t rejected him at all, Marcus dropped his pants and grabbed her, turning so she leaned against the large oak tree behind them. He covered her back with his front.
“Split your legs,” he ordered.
With a whimper she spread them wide. Marcus ran his hands down her back, over her buttocks, squeezing them.
“Marcus,” she cried, trying to turn.
“Keep your hands on the tree in front of you,” he ordered. “Don’t move.”
He slipped the head of his cock inside her, felt her sucking him in. He drew back quickly.
“Fuck, no condom,” he groaned.
Hanna’s breath came harshly as she trembled, shuddering. She glanced over her shoulder.
“Don’t you carry one around?”
“N
o,” he bit out.
“Can’t you just pull out?” she cried.
He shook his head, taking a step back. “I can’t risk it.”
Turning, she looked at him, blinking. Then she drew herself up, anger and hurt filling her eyes.
“No, I don’t suppose you can.” Grabbing her clothes, she quickly, frantically pulled them on.
“Hanna?” he queried, reaching out to grab her arm.
“Don’t touch me,” she spat. “I get it, all right? I’m good enough to fuck, but you don’t want to risk anything more. I get it. But that doesn’t mean you get to keep touching me. Just leave me alone.”
“Hanna, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Yes, you did. What can’t you risk, Marcus? What? That I might get pregnant? Or that I might just be your true mate? That’s it, isn’t it? Because you feel what I do, that we are meant to be together.”
Yeah, he felt it. This overwhelming attraction was the reason he was losing his mind. “We can’t do this, Hanna. Not here. Not now. You’re supposed to be with Cade and Connor.”
“Not ever, right? Because you can’t ever mate someone as weak and tainted as I am.”
She’d turned her back and started walking away, leaving Marcus alone with his regrets.
He told himself it was for the best. He needed to put some space between them. He couldn’t have her. Yet he couldn’t help but feel he was making the worst mistake of his life.
Because damn, he loved her.
*
After a meeting with his small group of enforcers, Marcus dismissed the men. Shit, he was tired. Cooper made this crap look easy. Marcus didn’t know how he did it. Not only did Marcus have to put protection in place for this pack who had almost lost all the werewolves who knew how to fight, he had to somehow bring them together, get them to trust him.
He knew it would take time. They’d lived under a shitty Alpha who’d cared about no one but himself. Anyone Leonard considered worthless he’d treated worse than dirt.
Marcus knew he wasn’t the friendliest or most congenial guy, but when young pups or females shrank away as they saw him coming he wanted to throw up.
“Cade, Connor, can you hold back a minute?” he called out. He rubbed his temple, willing the headache forming to disappear. Ryder seemed to take delight in questioning his every directive and Marcus knew he should take a stronger stand against him. Yet his mind wasn’t fully on the job. It kept slipping back to Hanna and her anger and torment when he’d refused to take her without protection.
He’d been right to make that decision. But being right didn’t do anything to make him feel less of an asshole.
“Yes?” Connor asked. Connor was definitely the approachable twin. Cade was a bit strange, to say the least.
“I want you to tell Hanna not to participate in those self-defense classes,” he said abruptly. It had been three days since their tryst in the forest and he’d avoided her as best he could since, even to the point of turning away when he saw her coming. And had felt like an absolute bastard when he’d scented her pain.
“Anna,” Connor replied, “makes her own decisions.”
“Why don’t you want her doing them?” Cade peered at him as if he were a bug under a microscope. “Don’t you want her to be strong? Don’t you want her to be capable of defending herself? Or would you rather she get hurt if someone attacks her?” Cade’s voice was filled with curiosity.
“Of course not,” Marcus growled, standing. He barely held himself back from launching at the other man. “But she shouldn’t have to defend herself at all. She’s too small, too fragile. She could get hurt in those classes.”
Cade continued to stare at him. “If I had a woman, I’d do everything I could to defend her. I’d always stand between her and danger.”
Marcus nodded, glad the other man saw his point.
“I’d also arm her to the teeth. Teach her everything I knew about defending herself. Because there may be times when neither Connor nor I could be with her and I would never want her to be defenseless. So unless I hired a bodyguard or locked her in a safe room, I’d want her to know how to fight.”
Marcus stared at him.
“Anna stays in the classes. They’ll be good for her.” Connor smirked. “Besides, what do you care?”
“I took care of her before you two came along,” Marcus whispered harshly. “You’re supposed to be protecting her.”
“We are. But you’re going to blow our cover if you keep looking at her like a hungry lion staring at a tasty treat,” Connor told him harshly. “You’re playing a dangerous game, my friend, and you’re hurting her. She cried herself to sleep last night. And you have the gall to tell us how to protect her? Back off.”
Both men turned and stalked out, leaving Marcus with his thoughts and a hell of a lot of regret.
*
Hanna wondered if it were possible to be in more pain than she was right now. Every muscle in her body ached. Lord bless him, but Rafe, for all his quiet ways, was a slave driver. He pushed the women taking his self-defense class until they were all swearing revenge and dreaming up some way of punishing him.
She could scarcely believe that she’d been here for just a few weeks. Already she felt more at home here than she ever had amongst her own pack. Almost everyone had been so friendly toward her. There were a few exceptions, of course. Olivia and her little group of bitches loved to bully and torment anyone they saw as beneath them. And for some reason they’d hated her on sight. But she supposed she couldn’t get on with everyone. And truthfully, she didn’t much care.
She’d made friends with Blair and Honey, two very different women. Blair was outgoing, smart and loyal. Honey was quieter, but sweet with a surprisingly wicked sense of humor. They’d taken her under their wing, and the three of them had grown so close that she hated lying to them about who she really was.
Every time they called her Anna she died a little inside.
But that was nothing compared to the pain that assailed her whenever she thought of Marcus. She hadn’t spoken to him since the night he’d rejected her. Every time he saw her coming, he ran off. He couldn’t even stand to be close to her, let alone talk to her.
She walked through the forest, needing some time to herself to think. She sniffled, determined to hold back her tears, but they filled her eyes, blurring her vision. Suddenly, the ground beneath her right foot disappeared and she stumbled forward, wrenching her ankle sharply as she fell.
She cried out, using her hands to break her fall as she landed hard on her knees. “Ouch, ouch, ouch.” Tears ran down her cheeks as she rolled onto her bottom and clasped her sore ankle between her hands.
Taking a deep breath, she wiped her eyes and glared at the uneven ground she’d tripped up on.
“Crap, get yourself together,” she scolded herself. Taking in one deep, shuddering breath, then another, she gradually gathered herself under control. Rolling once more, wincing as her bruised knees came into contact with the ground, she pulled herself up to her feet.
Taking a step forward, she yelped in agony as pain shot up her leg. Floundering backward, she found herself falling once more when hands suddenly caught her around the waist, easing her onto the ground gently.
Gasping, Hanna turned to see who had come to her aid. A large man with dark-red hair closely cut to his head and green, piercing eyes towered behind her. There was something hard about him. She swallowed heavily.
“Wh-who are you?”
*
“Hey, Marcus, do you know where Anna is?”
Marcus paused on the second step of the stairs and turned to look at a small group of teenage boys.
“No. Why?” he asked more sharply than he’d intended.
“Don’t ask him,” one of them muttered. “He doesn’t even like Anna.”
“He doesn’t like anyone,” another said, not even trying to stifle his voice.
What the hell am I doing?
He truly was the worst person for t
his job. Even Dusty, with her short temper and sarcastic mouth, would’ve done better than this. Everyone hated him. Hanna hated him. He hated himself. With a sigh, he turned and came down the steps.
“Is she not in the kitchen?” he asked the boys.
They shook their heads.
“Why do you think we’re looking for her, man?” another drawled, leaning back against a wall. “We’re after some of her sweets,” he jeered. “And her baking ain’t bad either.”
Marcus’ temper snapped. Reaching out, he grabbed the young wolf around the neck, pushing him back against the wall. The kid’s feet dangled inches from the floor.
“Now you may not like me, but you will show Anna some respect, understand me? I will not tolerate you disrespecting any woman, got it?”
“He’s got it, umm, sir,” another, with longer hair, said nervously.
There were five of them, too old to be considered pups, but too young to be an adult.
Christ, he remembered that age. It was hell. Hormones wreaked havoc with your ability to keep control of the wolf. Most of the time all you thought about was hunting or fucking.
He let the kid drop. The boy leaned over, panting.
Marcus crossed his arms over his chest. “I know you don’t know me well,” he began.
“Because you never talk to us,” one muttered bravely.
Marcus zeroed in on him and he swallowed heavily.
“You’re right. You don’t know me and I don’t know you. But disrespecting women will not be tolerated. The next time I hear anything like that coming from your mouth you’ll be on kitchen duty for a year.”
They all nodded.
“Sorry, I was just mucking around. I didn’t really mean it,” the kid with the smart mouth said. “I like Anna. She talks to us. Every night she bakes and she lets us sample it first. I didn’t mean it like I said, I was showing off.” He looked at the ground, clearly intimidated by Marcus.
“She bakes every night?” Marcus had known she stayed up some nights in the kitchen cooking up a storm, but damn it, the woman needed to sleep as well.
They all nodded. “We told her she didn’t have to do it every night, but she says she enjoys baking, it helps her sleep.”
“But she’s not there tonight, sir. And she promised us brownies. Anna never breaks her promises.”
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