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Taking away his advantages might give me a chance to actually get away from him. He'll be on guard on the way in, but if I play my role well enough with the Luna, I have no doubt he'll let down his guard afterward.
I only need to get him to let his guard down just enough for me to get the chance to shift. Once I've shifted, I just need to run. And I know Dominic can't outrun me, because if he could, he wouldn't have needed to send his wolves to box me in.
It's not a perfect plan, but it is the best one I've got.
"If I take you…" he trails off and shakes his head, his mind clearly already made up. Just as I expected, he has no intention of taking me with him.
"Dominic, if you take me, and I cause any problems with the Luna Sovereign, I give you full permission to mark me." It's one hell of an offer, one that I'm banking on him not ignoring. Sure enough, he narrows his eyes at me, seemingly studying my sincerity. I keep my expression blank. Let him think this is about getting an outing and not getting away.
"I don't trust you," he tells me with a frown.
"I'm not asking you to trust me; I'm asking you to accept a trade-off. One where we both get what we want. Do you have any idea what kind of honor it would be to meet the Luna Sovereign?" My voice comes out dreamy and a little breathless.
I'm not exaggerating on this one. It really would be an honor to meet the woman. She's a legend among wolves, and an ordinary wolf like me would have no hope of ever meeting her under normal circumstances.
At most, if I had accepted Callum as my mate, she might have graced us with a visit to our human wedding. She does that on occasion for Alpha weddings, though I'm not sure if the East Green Terrace Pack would rank high enough on her radar. No doubt the Anchorage Lake Pack does.
"You really want me to bet my whole pack on you?" Dominic asks, sounding incredulous.
"I think you did that yourself the moment you chose not to let me run. You took the risk by bringing me here, now I'm offering to help you out of the mess you created for yourself. Not that you deserve it, but I get the feeling this pack wouldn't be the same without you, Alpha."
He shoots me a warning look. “Okay, you don’t have to lay it on quite so thick.”
I can’t help but smirk. The two of us really are oil and water together.
I watch as he turns to grab two plates from the cabinet and then moves to the stove to slide two finished grilled cheeses onto them. It’s weird watching him be domestic. He walks around to my side of the island, setting a plate down in front of the seat beside me, and then leaning in close to put the second plate in front of me.
His body heat warms me, making me feel flushed. He lingers for a long moment, and because my hair is pulled to one side, I can feel his breath caress the side of my neck.
Dominic whispers a quiet warning, “Don’t try to play me for a fool, Tess. Punishing you would be all too delicious.”
As he moves away and into the seat beside me, I try to calm my erratic heartbeat. For one, because I fully intend to make a fool of him. And two, because I’m not sure what the hell kind of punishment he has in mind. In fact, I’m sure I don’t want to know.
There’s no room for error tomorrow.
Chapter Seventeen
Tess
I fully expect Dominic to leave me alone again after he walks me back to his room, but he lingers. I clutch his shirt in my hand, waiting for him to go so I can slip into his bathroom and maybe put the giant tub to use.
"Did you need something?" I ask when it becomes abundantly clear he's in no rush to leave. We're just standing here staring at each other, neither of us moving.
"This is my room."
"I know but…" He hasn't spent any time in here since dumping me here. I'm not thrilled about all the time spent locked in here, but it has become sort of a safe space since he doesn't stick around. I feel like I can't let my guard down with him in the room.
"But nothing. I'm staying tonight. So do what you need to do and then come to bed." With that, he turns his back on me and pulls his shirt over his head, discarding it neatly into a laundry basket in the corner.
I step into the bathroom and close the door harder than necessary, leaning against it with my eyes closed for a minute to get my bearings. I don't want to get into bed with him. I have no idea what he's expecting, but I have no interest in fooling around with the asshole.
From looking at him, I have no doubt he gets plenty of action without forcing himself on anyone, but a woman can never be too sure.
I carefully turn the lock on the bathroom door, testing twice to make sure it's really locked. Then I start the water for the giant bathtub because I'll be damned if I don't get to use this thing once before I leave here for good. I can already imagine how good soaking my leg—the muscles still tight—is going to feel.
I pad around the bathroom looking for something to make some bubbles. Maybe if I create the perfect bath, I can just stay in it all night and never face what's waiting for me in Dominic's bed.
There's no actual bubble bath, but I eye Dominic's body wash in the shower. It looks expensive, but it's his fault I'm here in the first place, I reason. I grab the bottle and squeeze a liberal amount into the running water. It smells like him, a pleasant spicy scent that quickly fills the bathroom.
