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“Were you seeking pleasure or…release?” he asked. He knelt down. Even though I sat upon a chair and he was merely on his knees, he was at equal height with me, holding my gaze with his own the way a drunkard clutched a wine goblet.
“I…” What could I even say to that?
“You know that place is dangerous,” he continued. “What if you had been spotted? What of your precious reputation?”
I scowled and stood forcefully, wanting to move again.
My reputation?
What a joke.
“I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation,baela.”
My eyes widened. I hadn’t heard that term of endearment in so long, I had forgotten he used to address me as such. He used to address me with such disdain, but now…
Now, it sounded like the way he might say it to a lover.
“Please, explain it to me.” I whirled around, placing my hands on my hips. I had no idea where this vitriol was coming from nor did I understand why I was directing it at him of all people. “Go ahead.” I flicked my wrist — the one without the injury. “Since Chamberly thinks I’m inept about the pressures my station puts on me and decided to lecture me about just how important it is for me to learn how to fight so I can be taken seriously as the only female Alpha any pack has ever had, I’m definitely looking forward to even more men explaining to me my position even though everyone also keeps reminding me that this has never happened before.”
Without warning, his hand touched my throat and his fingers crooked around my skin. I froze, expecting pain, but… Judging by the light pressure in his fingers, I knew he had no intention of hurting me. If anything, he wanted to surprise me enough to stop me from speaking.
“You dare speak to me in such a manner,baela?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
“You dare speak to me like you think I’m stupid?” I asked.
He brought his mouth closer to my face. There was irritation sparking in his pale blue eyes, but there was something else too.
Something akin to hunger.
His thumb extended out and pressed against my chin, my bottom lip. Immediately, I froze. There was an intimacy here I couldn’t quite put into words. Things were heady between us, perhaps tense because I wasn’t sure how to predict Matthyw’s behavior, but there was also something deeper here, something more possessive. He might have been touching my lip, but it was as though he had placed a finger on my heart, on my very soul. And he could control me with one glance, one look, one touch.
I was rendered weak because of him, which completely contradicted my determination to be a worthy leader. How could I do anything worthy if Matthyw paralyzed me with a press of his thumb on my lip?
“You look beautiful in my necklace,” he said, bringing his face even closer to mine. His warm breath trailed over my face, causing a shudder to slide down my back. I tried to suppress it, tried to keep him from knowing, but I couldn’t.
My mouth went dry. I wanted to thank him, but I didn’t want to move. I didn’t want him to drop my face or step away from me.
“Why do you say such things?” I asked. “You’ve always been cruel…”
“I had to, to keep you away.” Before I could respond, he quickly went on. “I came here to discuss something with you.” There was conflict in his eyes, and the fact that I could so easily decipher it surprised me. He was good at keeping his emotions in check. “Your future marriage.”
I blinked, tilting my chin down. He pulled away from me reluctantly, and I regretted the action immediately.
“You too,kepus?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. “Everyone seems to want to marry me off —“
“That’s not what I mean,” he said, his tone annoyed and tired.
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean?”
He cocked his head to the side, lips curving up. “Just yesterday, you were demure and shy,” he said. “And now, the she-wolf comes out, the fire I see in your eyes. It will consume us.”
I swallowed. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“What I’m saying,baela, is you don’t have to be completely helpless,” he said. “You can choose who you want to marry. But it would mean ruining yourself to achieve the freedom of choice. Is that something you can cope with?”
I opened my mouth to respond, then shut it. The truth was, I didn’t know. What did Matthyw mean by ruining myself? And what did it matter who I married? My father told me he would let me choose my mate, as long as he was a wolf.
Unless this had to do with the Marriage Law…
