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I’d already lost someone special in my life and I couldn’t allow that to happen again. The woman I’d allowed myself to care about had found out who and what I was. Her departure in the middle of the night had been devastating but a clear indication I couldn’t let my guard down. I’d been lucky she hadn’t raced to the cops. While Kathleen was my mate, my true destiny, I couldn’t force her to stay. I wouldn’t force her. I wasn’t that kind of man. Huffing, I realized in truth I had no idea who the hell I was any longer. I’d once thought I was a good man, one with honor.
And now?
“Fuck.”
I fisted my hand as I leaned against the mantel, staring into the brightness of the fire. The warmth of the flame did little to stop the chills skating down my spine.
We were in serious danger.
While the information Kathleen had provided was disturbing, I couldn’t shake the fact that there was a wolf behind the murders. There wasn’t any doubt and I needed to find out the council’s decision. The hunt should still go on. If there was any truth behind the idea that a group of humans had garnered an alliance with a member of either pack, utilizing their ‘special’ skills to line their pocketbooks, I wasn’t certain I could hold back a number of beasts.
In my eyes, the bastards would deserve to have their throats ripped out. Still, we needed to proceed with caution, developing a foolproof plan. Had bringing her here been a mistake? Hell, I wasn’t entirely certain of anything at this point but the fact there were clear indications that she was being watched couldn’t be ignored. She’d been right that I’d sensed something outside of her house, although if I had to venture a guess, the intruder was entirely human. She was also getting too damn close to uncovering details about my past that would eventually lead her to a conclusion of her own.
What I had been able to gather was that there had been at least two separate visits from the same entity to her house. And there’d been the same almost metallic stench as the forest, but I would swear it as from a different wolf. Nothing made any damn sense. There were no overt signs of destruction or a camera of any kind, but whoever it had been had cased the entire exterior. The fact she’d seen a figure in the darkness while we were leaving would only add fuel to her ignited fire. She’d never stop until she found the truth.
Hissing, I concentrated on the flames, my heart racing. I wanted to share with her every aspect of my life, including information about the pack. Hell, I craved everything about sharing some kind of a life with her, but the timing wasn’t right. My father was correct. Unfortunately, she would continue to dig into my past until she found some kind of answers.
There were far too many unanswered questions regarding the murders. Who would go to such intense lengths to point the finger at Roselake and why? Perhaps the real question was why did I believe my father had more knowledge of the possible reason than I knew he’d admit to? Another volley of anger rushed into every muscle and cell. I was no different from Kathleen. I needed to know the truth.
I was a fucking hypocrite. I refused to let her in on any aspect of my life even while I was fucking her.
Mating with her.
Grimacing, I couldn’t believe I’d shifted enough to allow the knot to form. I closed my eyes, savoring the way she’d felt in my arms, the longer coupling more intense than ever. My cock ached once again, the hunger almost maddening. I was angry with myself. Shit, I was furious with the world.
I held the glass into the limited light, studying the crystal facets as they shimmered. Seeing the blood on her hand had almost put me over the edge. Knowing some asshole was out to get her had brought out the predator in me.
And nothing and no one was going to change that.
Visions of racing through the woods in my bestial form filtered into my mind swirling with the humanity that I’d clung to my entire life. My instinct was on high alert. The Wolfen had a powerful enemy and it had nothing to do with the Nightwalkers. I’d bet my life on it. As the images continued of the wretched slaughtered deer, I heard the cracking sound as the glass succumbed to my strength.
The rage became all consuming, threatening to strip me of my control. I snarled, my entire system rumbling as the beast clawed to the surface. I couldn’t allow that to happen, at least for now. In a fit of anger, I tossed the glass into the fireplace, biting back a primal roar as it shattered into hundreds of pieces.
“Come to me, Max. I need you. I hunger for you.”
I closed my eyes, her lilting voice swimming in my head. How I longed to hear her say the words. While her body had succumbed, her heart remained on edge. She was afraid of me even though her desires were almost as uncontrollable as my own. I wanted nothing more than for her to surrender to me in every manner.
I sneered given the ugly realization. I was a true barbarian. As I closed my eyes, the sweet vision of her standing in front of me, dressed in nothing more than a white gown, was so damn real. I reached out with my shaking hand, the image allowing me to brush my fingers across her lips.
“You are my lover, my husband, and my mate.”
The guttural sound that erupted from my throat was pure beast. I gripped the mantel to keep from falling, my chest rising and sinking, my throat constricting. “Yes, and you belong to me.”
How many times had I issued the statement?
“Yes, my love.”She tipped her head, a look of utter adoration on her face as she slid the silky material down from one shoulder then the other. As the billowy shift flowed to the floor, I was left breathless and in awe of her extreme beauty.
“This isn’t real,” I whispered, taking gulping breaths. Dear God, I could still see her; the way her flaming red hair cascaded down to her rosy nipples, her slender waist moving to exquisitely rounded hips and her long legs that seemed to go on forever. “Fuck. Fuck.”
I wiped away beads of perspiration from my forehead, struggling to push the fantasy away.
“I am all yours, my love. Command me. Take me. Use me.”As she dropped to the floor, lowering her head, I could take no more.
The urge to have her, to take her was too strong to ignore. I shot a look at the staircase, trying desperately to control my breathing. That just wasn’t going to happen. I took long strides, taking the stairs two at a time and the moment I’d reached her closed door, I’d shucked my clothes. Using every ounce of restraint I had left, I opened the door slowly, but with every passing second, the longing shifted into a compulsion.
I wouldn’t be able to hold back for long.
“Kathleen…” I whispered, my voice raspy from desire.
