by Olivia Arran
“No!” I screamed, hiding the panic behind blind fury. I shoved him off me, sliding down the wall and landing with a knee-jarring thud on the floor.
“What—?” He looked shell-shocked. Then he tried to gather me in his arms.
Big mistake. I lashed out at him, survival instinct kicking in. I had to get away from him, had to warn him off, make sure he never tried to find me. “I have a mate. And a child,” I added, just in case being unfaithful wasn’t enough to make him despise me.
Hurt flashed in his eyes, striking a direct hit to my heart.
A chill settled over me as I closed myself off to the pain. To his pain. It was for the best. We’d just end up hating each other anyway. At least this way he could still find comfort in another’s arms.
I nearly threw up, bile pooling in my mouth at the thought of my true mate with another woman.
My wolf howled inside of me, her claws scraping my skin as she tried to get to her mate.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
And then I ran.
Chapter Five
Angel
This was the woman I was meant to protect? The room around us faded, everything disappearing as memories surged forward. Five years ago I had walked into a club, searching for answers at the bottom of a bottle. Within seconds of entering I had known she was my fate. I had watched her for a short while, headily drunk on the possibilities. Her flame-red hair had trailed down her back, stroking porcelain skin dusted with freckles. Her body had oozed with voluptuous curves that had my tongue watering.
That night was burned into my memory, every detail seared into my heart.
My wolf had howled, my soul singing as everything in the world had suddenly made sense. I had found her, my mate, my other half.
Or at least I’d thought I had.
My attention snapped back to the present, to where she was staring at me, her green eyes cloudy with unexplained emotion.
I took another step back, wanting to put as much distance between us as possible. This was my woman, my mate. I had marked her that night so very long ago. We hadn’t been able to keep our hands off each other, tearing each other’s clothes off in a frantic combustion of heat and passion. I still remembered thrusting inside her, the feeling of coming home, the feeling of completeness almost overwhelming. When my teeth had pierced her neck, the claiming words on the tip of my tongue, I knew it had all been worth waiting for. That my life was just beginning.
Pulling on the shreds of my willpower, I slammed the door shut on the past.
Her hair was shorter now, the long tangle of tresses lopped off to just below her shoulders. It suited her, not that I would ever admit it.
“Why did you do it?” I hated the fact that my voice came out hoarse, husky with need, but that’s what she did to me. I couldn’t even bear being this close to her, the urge to complete the mating riding me. Over the years I had clung to sanity by losing myself in different women, always one-night stands, and never a commitment. I’d give my body the release it needed, the release my mate would not give me. But in doing so, I was pretty sure I’d committed my soul to hell. Not that I cared. I was already there.
“Why did I do what?” She was dodging the question; she knew exactly what I was asking.
“Why did you let me fuck you when you had a mate and child at home?” My words were crude, but they fit how I felt.
She flinched imperceptibly, one hand reaching up to hug around her waist. “It was a mistake, one that won’t happen again. When will you be leaving?”
Even now she couldn’t look me in the eye, couldn’t tell me she didn’t want me. I’d marked her and the bond was alive, not complete, but I could feel her. I knew she wasn’t being truthful with me. I knew she wanted me. I could feel her need crawling over my skin, plucking at my nerves, and tugging at my cock. I fixed her with a pointed glare. “Don’t fucking lie to me, Chloe. You want me. You always have. Well, you’ve got your wish—I’m done with you.”
And right at that moment I’d have given anything for it to be true. Anything.
I turned on my heel and strode out of the bar.
Chapter Six
Chloe
How dare he just turn up here and expect everything to be okay? Expect me to be okay. My hands curled into fists, my nails digging crescents into my palms. What did he think was going to happen? How did he think I was going to react at seeing him?
He should have been fine. With his looks and arrogant charm and sense of self-importance he should have forgotten me, gotten over me no problem. Should have picked another woman who was happy to submit to him in a way I couldn’t.
But he hadn’t.
And he was so angry. Bitter. Hurt.
Before I knew it, I was racing after him, shoving the door open and rushing out into the warm summer evening. I glanced around, eventually spying him halfway across the courtyard. “Angel!”
He didn’t stop, but he did pause for a second, his shoulders stiffening and his hands clenching at his sides.
“Let it go, Chloe,” he called over his shoulder, his voice not full of anger anymore, but sounding miserably hollow.
I jogged to catch up with him, some masochistic part of me unable to just let him walk away. I needed him to understand… Understand what, though? I couldn’t tell him the truth, so what exactly was I expecting to achieve? I didn’t know, but I couldn’t leave it like this. Reaching out, I grabbed him by the shoulder.
His face snapped around, a snarl dancing on his lips. “You really don’t want to push me,” he growled.
“I... I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” There.
“You’re sorry?” His words were incredulous, his expression matching his tone. He advanced toward me, his hips rolling with agile grace, his chest swelling and biceps flexing as he towered over me. “You’re sorry?” This time there was no mistaking his emotion. He was pissed.
“I am,” I offered, already regretting having followed him out. I refused to take a step back, refused to back down from him. This was my pack, and no matter what I’d done, who the hell did he think he was turning up and throwing his weight around?
I was getting whiplash, yo-yoing between feeling sorry for him and feeling guilty for wanting to throttle the life out of him.
“So, are you sorry you fucked me? Or are you sorry you fucked me and told me you had a mate and child? Or are you sorry that I’m here? Which is it, Chloe?” Each word rang in my ears like a shot fired from a gun, slamming into me and tearing through my chest.
Okay, throttling it was. I snarled at him, wishing he wasn’t so damn tall so I could stare him down, eye to eye. “All of the above. Hell, you’ve got to understand that it’s best if you just go.”
“Best for you?” He sneered. He advanced forward another step, and despite myself I stumbled backward. “Who… do…you…think…you…are? Thinking you can tell me what to do? You gave up that right the second you lied to me and ran away. Like a coward. You’re nobody to me, you saw to that. And if I want to join this pack there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it.”
Now he was just pissing me off. Squaring up to him, I poked him in the chest. “I think you’re forgetting who my dad is—”
“Oh, don’t worry sweetheart, I’m not in any danger of forgetting exactly who your father is.”
Now what the hell did he mean by that?
He took another step forward, crowding me. Rough brick brushed against my back, then his arms came down around me, caging me.
He leaned in, his breath hot on my cheek, his eyes flashing with his wolf.
I couldn’t help myself, I sucked in deep greedy breaths, dragging him into my lungs. His scent was wicked, like liquid heroin coursing through my veins and jumpstarting my heart. And I was aching for a fix. I had been craving him for five long years.
“Like I said, sweetheart, you want me.” His head dipped, his breath tracing a path from my collarbone up and onto my jaw then trailing along my cheek. He groaned, the sound s
eeming to be wrenched from deep inside him, an honest sound. “Dammit!” He hissed, then leaned his forehead against my cheek. “This is fucking wrong. You belong to someone else.”
My hands had somehow found their way around his waist, and it took every bit of willpower I possessed not to tug him toward me, to feel his body hard and heavy against mine. I nearly cried out loud when he lurched back, his lips twisted in a grimace.
“I’ll see you around, sweetheart,” he muttered. “You can count on it.” And with a soft curse, he spun and sprinted off into the forest, his bright hair quickly swallowed by the shadows.
I sagged back against the wall, my heart threatening to drill its way out of my chest. I’d had a lucky escape. Because I was pretty sure if he had kissed me, I wouldn’t be able to run away again.
Chloe
I didn’t go back to the rec room, couldn’t face the questions and I definitely wasn’t in the mood for Mark’s challenge. Though it grated on me that he’d think I’d bailed because I was scared.
I shrugged it off. I didn’t care what he thought.
Okay, I did. But only because in my world male shifters were dominating assholes, and if you showed even the slightest hint of fear they’d eat you for breakfast. Or at least, never let you live it down.
At least thinking about Mark was keeping my mind off Gabriel. Or Angel as he was now called. I was halfway to my room and in a world of my own when I heard my name.
“Chloe?” From the volume and obvious concern, it didn’t sound like it was the first time I’d been called.
I swung around, not really in the mood for chitchat but ingrained manners forcing me to reply. “Esme! How are you? I didn’t see you at the rec room. Just not feeling it tonight?”
The shorter woman was dressed in tight jeans and a low-cut top that had her ample curves spilling out in all directions. With cropped dark hair and a pixie look to her face, she was the darling of the pack, and the one all the men fought over. From what I knew she hadn’t given any of them the time of day, but it didn’t stop them from trying.
“I was there, but from the looks of things you were a little preoccupied to notice.” Her cherry-red lips curved up in a grin as she wriggled her eyebrows at me. “You going to spill the deets? Who’s the new hottie?”
I leaned back against the wall, trying for a nonchalant look. “Oh, him? Just someone from the past.”
“Really?” She drawled the word, mischief sparking in her eyes. “Someone close?”
I fought the urge to tense up and shrugged. “Not really.”
“Because you sure looked close to me.” She fanned herself, her eyes rolling comically. “Well, if you’re not interested then you wouldn’t mind if I got to know him, would you?”
The snarl was nearly out of my mouth before I knew what I was doing. I clamped my lips shut and shoved my wolf back down. Esme was my friend, something I didn’t have a lot of around here. “Sure, why not?”
She peered at me and I widened my smile. “Are you sure, honey?”
I pushed away from the wall. My jaw was starting to hurt from smiling. All I wanted was to collapse into bed and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. Everything would look better in the morning. With any luck I might have scared him away. “I’m sure.”
“Okay, then.” She brushed past me, her tangy scent saturating the air. Pausing, she gripped my arm. “You look tired. Are you okay? Is anyone bothering you?”
I squeezed her hand, wishing I could blurt everything out. But I knew that if I had any chance of making it through this unscathed I had to keep quiet. Some secrets were too big to share. “Just Mark, but you know what he’s like.”
She laughed, a wry sound. “I know exactly what Mark’s like. How about I distract him tomorrow for you? But you’d owe me,” she added with an air of seriousness.
A day without Mark needling and mocking me? “Esme, you’d be a lifesaver!”
She squeezed my arm in sympathy. “Consider it done. What’s his name, by the way?”
Her question threw me for a loop. “Who?”
“Your mystery guy.”
“He’s not my—” I gave up. What was the point. “Angel.”
She gave a dreamy sigh. “Oh yes, he definitely is,” she murmured, then strolled away.
I was inside my room and collapsed on my bed in seconds. I didn’t even bother to undress. I squeezed my eyes shut and tugged a blanket over myself, willing sleep to come.
But it didn’t. Angel wouldn’t let it.
Chapter Seven
Angel
“You say they escaped by helicopter?”
The alpha didn’t pause his stride, but his eyes flicked to me. “Yes. We nearly had them, and would’ve had them if the bastards hadn’t had a chopper.”
We were on our way up to the ravine. I had asked to see the site where the developer had trespassed. If I was being completely truthful, I actually just wanted an excuse to get away from the packhouse. I’d shot off into the forest last night without a backward glance at Chloe, and I’d run for miles, for hours, until I had collapsed in a heap and spent the night camped out on the forest floor. It wasn’t a hardship; I’d slept in worse conditions on assignments. But never with a raging hard-on.
Okay, I wasn’t being honest. I had looked back. I’d seen her sag against the wall, her eyes closed, an expression of exquisite torture on her face. I’d watched, hidden in the depths of the forest, as her hand had trailed the same path my lips had taken, her fingers caressing the skin I had tasted, her chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. I had watched until she had left. And then I’d run.
“Angel?”
I had to fucking get it together. I was good at my job, proud of it, but with Chloe around I wasn’t keeping my head in the game. If I wasn’t careful I’d end up making some rookie mistakes, and in my business that could mean deadly consequences. “You were saying?”
“About Chloe.”
I didn’t stumble, although it was close. But my eyebrows shot up. I couldn’t help it. And then I remembered he’d employed me to protect her. His daughter. And that was why he was mentioning her, not because he knew anything about what had happened between me and Chloe. For fuck’s sake, pull it together!
“Yeah, what about her?” That was good. Nice and casual.
David frowned at me for a split second, but then he shrugged it off. “She’s asked me to send you away.”
No big surprise. “And? Are you going to?”
“Should I?” He wasn’t the alpha for nothing. He could clearly tell something wasn’t right.
But I wasn’t some low-powered pack member, either. I could hold my own. “It’s up to you. Depends if you want the job done or not.” Easy… I didn’t want to come across as too eager, or too bothered. Then he’d definitely know something was up.
It didn’t matter that my heart was hammering in my chest. It didn’t matter that she was mated. Now that I had found her again I didn’t want to walk away, though I knew I should. I needed this time to figure out how the hell I was meant to go on living this life without her, because I couldn’t go on the way I had been. Shit, I couldn’t remember the names of the last dozen women I’d slept with, their faces all blurring into one. I hated myself for it.
The alpha remained silent, waiting me out.
“She’ll come around,” I eventually said, adding, “I’ve yet to meet a woman I can’t win over.” I grinned at him, and to my relief he grinned back. “Of course, it’d be easier if we were working together.” I threw that out there, just to see what he said. I’d spent a lot of time thinking last night, and had come to the conclusion that I needed to get deeper into the pack. I just had to hope and pray that when I eventually found out which of the guys was Chloe’s mate, I wouldn’t rip his head off.
Which brought me back to my other train of thought from last night. That I was an absolute fucking fool. And a sucker for punishment. If I was in my right mind and had any sanity left, I would have called Jason or Macey u
p and asked to be taken off the assignment. They could’ve assigned one of the other guys down here. I wasn’t irreplaceable. But just the thought of one of my teammates—the guys I trusted most above everybody else in the whole world—near Chloe had my fingers twitching and my skin crawling with the urge to shift and destroy something.
In fact… “Why did you ask me down here to protect her? Why not just ask her mate?”
I very nearly missed the shocked expression on David’s face, my attention focused on climbing a particularly rough section of terrain.
“Mate?” He sounded confused.
Alarm bells started ringing in my head, a voice shouting at me to stop, to not press for answers.
But I was an insane motherfucking fool.
“Yes. Her mate. You know, the man who claimed her?” Before I’d had chance to. I spoke each word slowly and carefully, so there was no chance of misinterpretation.
“Who told you that? She doesn’t have a mate, never has.”
My first reaction was confusion. Then why did she —? Then clarity hit me, a slap square between the eyes. She’d lied—about everything. There had been no real reason for her to reject me, no reason for her to have run away. I pulled the memories of the night back out, viewing them through a different set of eyes, eyes not colored by jealousy or betrayal. Something never had sat right, the feeling that she wasn’t the type of woman to cheat on her mate. That had been one of the hardest things to accept, that my mate had no honor. I’d reconciled myself with the fact that she must’ve felt the mating urge, just like I did, and that had been why she’d done it. But it always left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Now I had another bitter pill to swallow. She just didn’t want me. Simple.
She…just…didn’t…want…me.
