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Draven stoodin the middle of his basement, unsure why his father had him bring her there. Flora wasn’t a prisoner, not yet at least, but she definitely didn’t deserve the luxuries afforded to guests of the pack.
She’d barged into their lands, which broke an unspoken supernatural law, and Callum damn well knew that. He sent her on a wild goose chase, making sure she had something of enough value to ensure they didn’t kill her. Not so long as she wore that stone. As wolves they couldn’t touch it which left them at her mercy.
He let out an exasperated sigh and his eyes drifted to the hallway where he’d left her, a pile of limbs on the floor. She’d join him soon, and he had to decide how the hell he was going to handle her.
Because that’s what it needed to be. Him handling her. He couldn’t think about the way her blood still coated the back of his throat or how her reactions to his touch left him wanting to explore every inch of her. It had taken every ounce of restraint he possessed not to sample the arousal that flooded her core and had his cock standing straight against his jeans the moment he sank his fangs into her neck.
He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the root as if it would help him get a grip on his thoughts. He’d never reacted to a woman in such a way. Her touch set him on fire and that beautiful fucking mouth of hers was something to behold.
Not that he’d ever tell her any of that. Flora was an unknown and although she was a human, she’d proven she wasn’t to be underestimated. She might have been the pampered princess of his cousin’s culling, but she was the furthest thing from spoiled.
Flora was diplomatic, with a hint of disaster. She tried to wield words to her advantage, then threw it out the window and played by the rules of dictators, which said there are no rules, only laws made by them. She sought to control a situation even when she hadn’t had a damn leg to stand on. And all because she wanted to help a friend. Which spoke volumes in his book. Mateo and Kade would do the same for him, and he valued them above all else.
Flora was dangerous, but at most she was a threat to his ego and at the very least a challenge his cock was more than happy to entertain. However, she wasn’t the biggest danger to him at that moment. That title was awarded to his pack. The elders. Because there was a good chance that come morning, he’d no longer have a pack. His father might be able to command their wolves to accept him, but he couldn’t demand loyalty. Draven would always have to look over his shoulder if the pack didn’t welcome him, and that was no way to lead.
Soft footsteps sounded from the hallway, and Draven hardened his features as Flora entered the basement of his home. He bit back the smile that threatened his lips when her eyes widened, taking in the personal touches of his inner sanctum. He should hate that she was there, but the moment she stepped foot onto the soft rug and gasped at the seventy-inch television, his annoyance turned to pleasure.
Flora walked over to the oversized sectional and ran a hand along the plush leather. “You brought me to your mancave?”
“What did you expect? We didn’t all grow up in castles.” He gestured to the couch. “Sit down, we still have a lot to discuss.”
“Discuss?” Flora scoffed. She crossed her arms and rested her ass on the edge of the couch, narrowing her eyes in his direction. “I’m not discussing anything with you until you explain what you just did to me.”
His wolf let out a low growl within him, but Draven bit it back, not wanting to intimidate her just yet.
He loved feisty women. It was a trait found in most wolves, but their women would always submit to an Alpha. Flora didn’t. Draven gave her his back and walked to the drink cart in the corner. “I’m not here to appease you. You came to us, not the other way around. And as far as I’m concerned, you don’t have any information that’s worth a damn.”
He picked up a bottle of whiskey from his favorite local distillery and poured himself a finger’s worth. Looking over his shoulder he tipped his head toward Flora, offering her a glass.
Her mouth dropped open like she couldn’t fathom his hospitality. Shocked was a damn good look on her, but she recovered quickly and rolled her eyes at him with a shake of her head. “I don’t want your whiskey, I want to know what the hell just happened. What was your intent, Draven?”
His hand tightened around the glass. “Lesson one. Don’t roll your eyes at me.” He brought the glass to his lips and downed the honey-colored liquid, savoring the bite as it washed away her essence in his throat. Draven turned around and locked his hardened gaze on her.
She didn’t react, the fire in her eyes telling him she wasn’t about to back down.
We’ll see about that.
Draven was in front of her in less time than it took to blink. He situated himself so she was wedged between his thighs, locked between him and the arm of the sofa. The soft hitch in her breath was music to his ears and paired with the lust that flickered in her eyes, he almost let the words on the tip of his tongue fall into the wind in favor of feeling her lips against his.
Almost.
He leaned in and whispered against her ear. “Lesson two. I don’t take orders from you.”
Flora balled her fists at her sides, and Draven braced himself for a wayward throw of hands. “And I don’t take them from you, that is unless you’ve taken that right from me through your venom. Which is a cowardly approach, if I do say so myself. I would have given you that information freely, but that’s not what I was asking you about. What I want to know is… what is it you did that healed my wound but left me throbbing in…” Her voice trailed off and even though she averted her gaze, he could just make out the soft pink that tinged her cheeks. “...Other places?”
Flora raised her brow and gave him a look of pure innocence. She was the cutest damn thing he’d ever seen. Draven pressed his lips together to hide the smile that threatened to reach his eyes. “While your scent is no doubt arousing, you’d know if my intent was to leave your pussy a sopping mess.”
“Must you be so crass?”
He cocked a brow. “Must you be so proper? What happened to the bold girl in The Howler?”
The tick in her jaw told him he was in for a tongue lashing, and not in the way he preferred. Flora inhaled a deep breath. “Listen here you…you…”
“Cat got your tongue?”
“More like a blood-sucking fleabag.”
He loved that his impertinence reduced her to childish name calling. Draven brought his hand to his heart and stumbled backwards. “You wound me.”
