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Cole blows out a steady breath, flipping the file in front of him closed and leaning back in his chair. “Who told you?” He’s the picture of composure; a stark contrast to the way I’m barely holding it together.
“That’s not the point,” I scoff bitterly, drawing back and folding my arms across my chest indignantly. “I thought I was finally free from my brother’s influence when I came here. Turns out he just has you doing his bidding.”
“It’s not like that,” Cole grumbles.
“Then what’s it like?” I narrow my eyes on him, scowling. “Are you really the kind of Alpha that takes orders from others? Don’t you have a mind of your own? Or are you just a robot like they say you are?”
His jaw twitches, confirming that my jab landed precisely how I intended it to.
Good.
Let him be as pissed off as he’s made me.
“Who says this had anything to do with Jax?” Cole counters, leaning forward and sliding his elbows onto the desk. He laces his fingers, pinning me under the intensity of his dark-eyed stare. “This was my call, no one else’s. Since you insist on parading yourself around here half-naked, I have to set some ground rules for my guys to follow. I can’t put the alliance at risk over-”
“Do you hear yourself right now?!” I cut in, eyes wide in disbelief at the audacity of this man. “Why should you have any say in what I wear or who I spend time with? What gives you the right to dictate what I do withmybody, and what the hell does that have to do with the alliance between our packs?!”
He furrows his brow, shaking his head. “Don’t put words in my mouth, Juliet. I didn’t impose any rules on you…”
“No? Then why would you give that order, if not to flex some sort of control over me?” I demand, rounding the desk to get right up in his space. Cole’s nostrils flare as he turns toward me and I step closer, his own scent invading my senses and throwing me off-kilter.Damn, why does he have to smell so good?We’re so close that I swear I can feel the heat coming off his body, the vibration of his energy feeding my own. I stutter a step, my brain short-circuiting for a moment before I regain my composure, remembering why exactly it is that I’m so pissed off at this impossibly handsome, ridiculously good-smelling man.
“Or maybe you just want me all to yourself, is that it?” I scoff sarcastically, rolling my eyes as I move even closer still, aiming to push every one of his buttons.
Except he doesn’t deny it.
A flare of gold ignites in his irises, the look in his eyes betraying the truth behind his silence.
Cole wants me?
If I wasn’t so riled up right now, that realization would be enough to throw me off- but I haven’t forgotten why I stormed into this office in the first place. Even though I know I’m testing my luck by challenging an alpha like this, I move to stand between Cole’s spread legs, planting my hands on his firm chest.
“That’s it, huh?” I taunt.
“Don’t,” Cole growls, his hands circling my wrists and lifting my hands from his body. I swear I feel the heat of sparks sizzling between our skin, his eyes conveying a silent warning as they flicker up to mine.
“What, does the no touching thing apply to you, too?” I snort.
He pushes me back a step and releases my wrists, gaze dropping down my body. He winces like it pains him to look at me as his eyes lift to meet my own again. “Especially me.”
My heart stutters a beat.
Okay, this is getting complicated. Confusing. Is he messing with me right now? I study his face, trying to spot the lie. The game. Any indication that I’m misconstruing the signals he’s putting off and the words coming out of his mouth.
I can’t get a good read on him, so I have to listen to my gut- and my gut’s saying that he’s messing with me. He has to be, right? I’ve been provoking him constantly for the past few days, and this is how he’s choosing to get back at me. He’s too calm. Too cool and composed. But if he thinks he can manipulate me, he’s got another thing coming. I’m a master of this game, and I’m here to play.
“But you’re Alpha, right? So can’t you do whatever you want?” I point out, moving toward him again. I bend at the waist, gripping the arms of Cole’s desk chair and leaning in until my lips are hovering beside his ear. Being this close to him is unnerving- my knees wobble a little, my breath catching in my throat. I drop my voice to a seductive octave, lips brushing the shell of his ear. “Fuck whoever you want?”
Cole jerks back, my hands slipping from the arms of his chair and nearly causing me to faceplant in his lap. Good thing I’ve got quick reflexes and manage to catch myself before that happens. “Knock it off,” he barks with a scowl, that careful composure beginning to unravel before my eyes.
I let the fake smile melt from my face, revealing my true emotions. The simmering frustration, the rage churning from deep within. “Why should I?” I ask sharply, rocking back a step and folding my arms over my chest. “Isn’t this what you want, to control me, stick me in a cage and force me to play a part? You’re no different from my father or my brother. Just another alpha who thinks they can dictate how I live my life.”
Cole’s lips part, but no immediate retort comes out. He just stares at me for a long moment, and I’m not sure whether he’s contemplating my accusation or plotting out how to punish me for my insubordination. Because that’s how this world works- no matter who’s right, he’s still Alpha, and I’m in his territory. He doesn’t have to listen to reason, and technically, he doesn’t owe me a thing.
I never had to contemplate pack rank when having arguments like this with my father or brother because they were my family. Their position as Alpha had no bearing on our familial relationships. Being in Denver is a whole new world, though, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s any better than the one I left.
“That’s not what I meant,” Cole finally grumbles, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I’m just trying to maintain order in my pack. That’s my job, and it isn’t an easy one. The calls I make aren’t always popular, but it’s my job to make them.” He shakes his head, frowning. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Well how about this, Cole,” I snap, cutting him off before he starts mansplaining why I couldn’t possibly comprehend his job responsibilities, despite having a similar upbringing. I probably understand them better than anyone, but he’s clearly a misogynistic asshole who hasn’t even considered that. “You’re not my father. You’re not my brother.” I narrow my eyes, pointing a finger at him defiantly. “And you’re sure as shit not my alpha. It’s obviously some big imposition for you to have me staying here, but it’s the only way my parents would agree to let me come take classes at the U, and I doubt you want to mess with your precious alliance by sending me packing. So, since we’re stuck with each other, how about from here on out I just stay out of your way and you stay out of mine?”
