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“No, they aren’t. No one here speaks my native language. I’m Italian, for god’s sake.”
“Your English is excellent.”
“Thank you, but that’s not really the point. I thought I could do this, but I can’t. I’m used to being a disappointment to my family, but I don’t think I can take being a disappointment to you.”
Her breathing was now shallow and thready. Simone was beginning to hyperventilate. Mischa realized she was having a panic attack. As her knees began to buckle, Mischa rushed forward and caught her before she could hit the ground. He lifted her up and placed her on the bed, using the house phone to summon assistance.
Mischa smiled down at her. It seemed his mate had more backbone than anyone had given her credit for. She had made herself heard, stormed out of the dining room in front of the pack, and had been prepared to leave him.
That wasn’t going to happen, but the fire he’d seen in her eyes and the way she’d coolly stood up to him here in her room had turned him on even more than her shy, subtle ways. He grinned down at her. Poor little wolf was going to find all she’d done was seal her fate. She was his fated mate, and she would remain at Tangled Vines.
CHAPTER10
SIMONE
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Those were the first thoughts that entered her mind. She’d gotten so upset that she’d begun to hyperventilate. The last thing she remembered was her knees buckling as she started to slide to the floor.
“She’s coming around, Alpha, she just got too upset. I think she’ll be fine, poor little lamb.”
She recognized Mrs. Perkins’ voice and batted her hand away. She was not someone’s poor little lamb. She’d been coddled and pitied all her life, and she was done with it. And she wasn’t through telling off Mischa.
“I’m fine,” she snarled.
“You passed out, dearie. Here, have a sip of water.”
She wanted to scream at her and throw the water in her face, but that wasn’t fair. She wasn’t angry at Mrs. Perkins.
Simone sat up. “I’m fine, really. Sometimes when I get overwrought, I faint. It’s really no big deal. Would you mind terribly giving Mischa and me the room?” she said as politely as she could.
Mrs. Perkins looked at Mischa, who nodded.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked.
“I am. I meant what I said. I’m no second-rate bride. Remember, you chose me, not the other way around. I thought maybe things would be different here, but they’re not, so I’m going home.”
She stood up and walked to the closet, getting her bag out and throwing in her clothes. Mischa walked in behind her, taking things back out and hanging them up.
“Stop that,” she growled. “I’m going home.”
“You are home, little wolf.”
“You don’t get to call me little pet names, and have you taken a look at me? I’m not little.”
“You’re little compared to me,” he said, the ghost of a smile dogging the corners of his mouth.
“You’re not in the least bit funny.”
“I’m not trying to be,” he said, running his fingers through her hair.
Simone batted his hand away. “Stop it and get away from me. I’m not afraid of you. I’m not afraid of any of you, but your beta is a jerk, which stands to reason because you’re a jackass.”
She was really on a roll. Something inside her had snapped and she just wasn’t going to listen to people’s bullshit anymore. She might not be able to shift, but she had something to offer to a mate, especially one who had a vineyard. If that wasn’t good enough for Mikhail Palmer, then he would be the loser. She was done.
Mischa continued to smile at her, only the emotion rolling down the link was not one of anger or disappointment, but rather full-on lust. Why the hell wasn’t he angry? Could he not see she was on a tirade, and a righteous one at that? He should be angry; she wanted him to be angry. Because if he was angry then she could be even angrier.
“You are my mate,” he rumbled at her. “You are my little wolf.”
“I’m not your little wolf, your mate, or anything else. I don’t want to be here and I sure as hell don’t want to be with you,” she said, feeling herself drawn to him as if he were a magnet and she was steel. No, that wasn’t it. More like the spider and the fly, and there was no doubt in her mind as to who was predator and who was prey.
