My gaze slowly tracks upwards from his chest, where the barest hint of his tattoos peeks out of his top. Up, over his angular stubble-coated jaw, and finally landing on his eyes. The bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.
Damn it. I was wrong. There’s so much danger in looking into his gaze. Because there is nothing but sincerity there. Not even his wolf interrupts the man’s gaze on me.
A few moments later, we walk into training, where several of the warriors are already gathered. My cheeks heat when a few noses twitch, and I know they are taking in how mingled our scents are.
Fuck. I agreed to this, but now that eyes are on me and noses are putting two and two together, I can’t help the bite of shame that’s building in my chest. The warriors saw how Luca acted towards me in the past. They saw how little respect he had for me.
And now his scent mingles with mine.
I smell like poor decisions and no self-respect.
I stalk away from Luca towards my friends, Simon and Mike. Poor Simon is still a little scared to look at me right now after what happened with Luca a few days ago. That needs to end.
“Hey guys,” I chirp, forcing a cheery tone I don’t remotely feel into my voice. “We haven’t hung out in way too long. You fancy coming with me and Emily for drinks tomorrow night?”
They exchange glances with one another before looking past me. “Are you… uh… sure your mate is okay with us hanging out?” Mike asks. I look over my shoulder to see Luca glowering at our exchange.
“Well, I really don’t give a fuck what he thinks,” I grit out. “We’re spending time together, but even if I accept him—and it’s a big if—Luca will never have a say in who I hang out with. You guys are my friends.”
They still look sheepish when I add, “I promise I won’t let him disembowel anyone. And the first round is on me.”
My wolf purrs a moment before Luca’s scent surrounds me. Simon’s face goes ashen, and he instantly bares his neck in submission.
“Seriously, Simon?” I groan. He’s a strong warrior, so why is he acting like an omega facing off an alpha?
“He’s just being respectful,” Luca murmurs from behind me, wrapping an arm around my stomach and pulling me flush against him. “And we’ll have no problems as long as everyone stays that way. Simon knows we’re together now. He won’t overstep your friendship anymore. Right?”
Both warriors nod quickly. “Yes, Beta,” they stammer before retreating.
I glare up at Luca, who looks smug as hell. “Back off, Beta,” I snap.
Luca’s eyebrows scrunch up in confusion before he announces to the group to start warming up. “Come with me, mate,” he says before grabbing my hand and leading me to the small office at the back of the training hall.
“Are you trying to humiliate me? Trying to make me look like I have no self-respect?” I whisper-yell at him as soon as he closes the door behind us. I lean back against the desk and cross my arms in front of me. Emotion already clogging my throat and stinging my eyes.
Damn it. He gets under my skin in a way literally no one else ever has, and he has never noticed how upset he makes me.Because you never let him,my wolf interjects, but I push it away. It doesn’t matter if I didn’t tell him. Or show how it affected me. He should have known.
“What the hell are you talking about?” he asks, as if none of this makes any sense. Like I’m overreacting. Like it’s totally normal for him to act as though he has any say in who I hang out with. He’s unbelievable. “I thought we were supposed to be acting like we’retogether? That was me clearing the air with your friend. As best I can when you don’t have my damn mark on your neck.”
He wants to play dumb? He can hear exactly what I think.
“You put me down for years,” I snap, pushing him back when he attempts to crowd me against the desk. “You made me out to be this pampered pack princess who didn’t want to work or train. You made everyone see me that way. First because you babied me, and then because you acted like you hated the sight of me.”
My voice rises with every word, a tight thread pulled too far. “And now you’re going to pull that possessive bullshit? You have nothing to lose here, Luca. Everyone respects you! It’s different for me. I’ve had to fight for everything, and I’m not prepared to lose that now.”
My words hang between us, heavy and sharp.
His jaw flexes as my rant builds, and he drops his eye contact, looking at the floor instead. He doesn’t argue. Doesn’t spit back a retort the way he always does. His breathing comes in heavy pants, and his shoulders sag. The scent of him takes on a damp, earthy scent… almost like remorse? But no, he’s never got it before. Why would it be any different now?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Luca
Her words hit harder than any punch I’ve ever taken in training. She thinks I spent years tearing her down because I hated her? Because I wanted to humiliate her?
The truth—that I was drowning in my feelings for her, too fucked up to deal with them—sounds pathetic even in my own head.
“I’m sorry,” I say. My gaze remains fixed on the floor as shame eats me from the inside out. “I wanted to push you away from me because I didn’t know how to be around you. I never meant to make you look weak. I never wanted anyone to think you weren’t capable. It came from a desperate need to keep you safe. I’ve always felt that way about you. It only got worse when I started to want you too. It was never you I hated. It was me.”
