“Yes,” he answered.
“But neither of us want to claim the other.”
“Correct again.”
She swallowed, and he could detect … pain. As a scenter, he was aware of subtleties most wolves could only dream of. For those with his skill, they could get information on the wind from miles around. Pasquale could double that, easily. The slightly metallic-tinged scent was similar to a physical wound, but less heated.
He may not be able to claim his mate, but he wouldn’t abide her being hurt.
Pasquale closed the distance between them and slid his fingers into the cool thickness of her hair. He gripped the strands, forcing her head back so she had to look at him. Her eyes widened, and fear danced in her gaze. And there it was—part of why he could never take her.
She feared control, capture, dominance.
“I want my mate. I’d love nothing more than to taste every part of you, make you mine. Make your knees weak with pleasure. Make sure your body will only want mine for the rest of your days.”
He pulled her closer, his mouth hovering just a hair’s breadth from hers. He wanted her hot, not afraid. Never of him. “Don’t think, for a moment, I deny you because you aren’t everything I could want in a mate. Don’t think I don’t fight my wolf at every step. I’ve been here long enough to see the sort of woman you are, Giuliana. But my wolf … wants things you can’t accept. Needs what would only send you running.”
It was more than that, but he couldn’t explain it. Couldn’t share what he knew in his heart. The Lombardi Pack didn’t know the dynamic of the Bianchi. Didn’t know he was Primo’s son. Didn’t know he’d been meant to be Alpha. The wildness of Kalinda’s rise to the Trinity Council, Zoey’s pregnancy, Silva living among them—a Fae Queen—and attacks on Encantado probably helped to keep his secret under wraps. To help, he never shifted around them, never let the power rise to the surface.
Claiming Giuliana would force him to.
There couldn’t be two Alphas in a pack for long, and Pasquale had a kingdom in shambles.
Let them believe he was only a scenter and Fabiana was the chosen one. It was safer that way. If he had to lose his mate to keep his pack with a home and safety, he’d do so.
They’d been hurt enough.
Giuliana needed freedom as much as he needed control. Their lives had ruined what they could have been.
“We aren’t saying no to each other because the other is lacking.”
It was a statement, but he heard the question in it. She was asking, more than anything, if he was saying no to her because he found her less than what he wanted. For a moment, just a moment, he would be her mate.
For a few heartbeats, he wouldn’t be so alone in the world.
He crashed his lips to hers.
Chapter Three
Pasquale’s mouth was burning silk and bite. Giuliana had never been kissed like this.
There was mastery in his touch, command, as he used her hair to turn her head and fit their mouths together. The way he guided her was wild. His tongue danced over hers, a broad stroke of fire blazing over her nerve endings. But it wasn’t just her mouth. Pasquale stayed a rock, hard and unforgiving, and raked her over him. He used his free arm to warp around her waist and push and pull her body against him from side to side. It caused a delicious friction across her nipples and rubbed her stomach against the hard plane of his abs.
Giuliana was swaying, wrapped up in his embrace and his absolute demand of her movements. He gifted her with his kiss and forced her to experience every nuance.
He broke their lips apart, and she lurched forward, following his deadly touch. His fist in her hair stopped her short, pain pricking her scalp and fanning the fire.
“Have you ever come from a kiss, bella?”
Beautiful. He called me beautiful.
She shook her head, and he smiled. The cocksure, half-twisted grin changed his features. It was playful and daring at the same time.
“I’ll ask you that again in a little bit.”
Mine!
Yes, for right now, so let’s enjoy this.
