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“Because leaving it open like this…” He grabs me by the arm, stopping me before I can head upstairs to get in the shower. “A fated mate bond can break it apart. Even if I… did what I did.” He looks around like he’s expecting someone to jump out from around a corner or behind a door.
“You’re sure about that?”
“I heard Mom and Dad talking about it earlier. They didn’t know I was listening. Mom was worried that maybe there’s a fated bond Lili doesn’t know about, what with her being so new and inexperienced.”
Shit. Just when I think this can’t get worse. It’s not enough for me to claim her. She has to do the same in return—or else this is all for nothing, and I’ve condemned my pack to a war I was trying to avoid in the first place.
I have to make her claim me if there’s any hope of making this look legitimate.
27
LILI
I’ve never felt so good in my whole life. I’ve never been this comfortable, this content. Now I know what it feels like to be a cat napping in the sun. I’m pretty sure a bomb could go off, and I wouldn’t move.
I stretch, groaning softly as my muscles loosen up after being in the same position for… I have no idea how long, for as long as I’ve been asleep.
I pry one eye open, looking toward the window across from where I’m curled up under the blankets. The light out there is soft, but I can’t tell if it’s dawn or twilight. If Wilde is going to keep me down here, he’s going to have to give me some way of telling the time. Even a cheap alarm clock.
The thought of him makes me hold my breath, sniffing the air. His scent is here as always, but it’s not fresh. He’s not with me. I finally dare to look over my shoulder—sure enough, the bed is empty except for me. When I run my hand over the sheet, I find it cold. He’s been gone for a while.
My heart skips a beat when I look beyond the bed, toward the door.
The door that is now open.
Am I dreaming? If I am, it’s the most vivid dream I’ve ever had. I feel the satin sheets under me, their cool smoothness, as my hands slide over them. There’s still a pleasant ache between my thighs, reminding me of what happened. What finally happened.
This is real. He really left the door open.
It has to be a test. That’s it. He’s testing to see if I’ll try to run. Now that we’ve fucked, he needs another challenge. Another goal, another game. The chess match is still going on.
Right? Isn’t that what this is?
I sit up and pull my legs to my chest, wrapping my arms around them, staring out into the dimly lit, nondescript hallway. There’s no sound out there, but I guess that makes sense. I already figured out nobody could hear me from upstairs, so it only makes sense I wouldn’t hear them down here. I get the feeling this isn’t a part of the house the family visits frequently.
What do I do? Should I try, at least? How stupid would I feel if he runs in here, flushed and breathless and flustered when he realizes his mistake? How many times will I have to kick myself to make up for that stupidity?
But how stupid would it be to walk into his trap? He’s been careful until now. Leaving the door open strikes me as an unthinkable mistake. He’s done some baffling things, but that would be too much even for him. It must’ve been deliberate.
So how do I respond?
Was it all about the sex? Is that all he brought me here for? To prove that he could fuck me whenever and however he feels like it? I wouldn’t put that past him, but doesn’t this seem like a lot of trouble to go to for something as trivial as that?
Not that it was trivial. Not even close. I thought I was dying. My wolf felt like she was finally free. It was joy, bliss, and pain, all of it rolled into one.
The welts and cuts on my wrists have healed. My throat is no longer on fire—I touch it, and there’s no pain. I’m whole again, but the marks from what went on between us won’t fade or heal over time. I know that. I feel it in my soul.
But that doesn’t mean I have to stay in this bed, accepting my captivity. I’m not his property. Am I supposed to feel that way? He’s going to be seriously disappointed if that’s what he thinks. It’s almost enough to get me out of bed and dressed, if only to defy him.
What am I supposed to do? It feels like every second I don’t make a move is another missed opportunity. But if he ends up catching me and keeps me chained to the wall as punishment, I’ll only wish I had stayed here in bed.
