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Chapter 1
Delilah
Delilahstaredoutofher apartment window, her gaze stretching over the typical Midwest rooftops and across the shimmering waters of the lake beyond. It wouldn’t be long before the sun dipped below the horizon, and after a quiet night at home and some sleep, she would be back at the bistro for an early shift tomorrow.
“So, we gonna talk about this?” the man behind her grumbled. She’d come home to find Clark—her mate—at her apartment.
And as usual, he wasn’t there to welcome her home.
“Not now.” She remained calm as she always did when he was in this type of mood, which seemed to be always. She kept her eyes on the town below her. This was Deacon Claw pack territory, the only place she’d ever known, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t thought about what else was out there.
In here, there was just her and Clark, and the usual round of nightly fights that weighed her down and made her want to tear her hair out.
“It’s not right, Delilah!” Clark had a growl in his voice as he chastised her for what must be the twentieth time since she’d gotten home only an hour ago.
“I’ve been on my feet all day. Please can we drop it? I just want to get into the tub and then we can talk about it later.” In truth she had no intention of discussinganyof this with her mate, and that in itself told her something was deeply wrong.
She and Clark had been dating on and off since discovering they were mates, but it had never been smooth sailing. He was strong, handsome, and came from a family of alphas—everything wolf shifter females like her were supposed to crave when it came to bagging a mate.
In reality, Clark was in her business far too much, to the point of being controlling. While she wasn’t exactly the model of female feistiness, she did know her own mind. This seemed to bother him, the same as the rest of the men from his family.
She kicked off her shoes and padded toward the bathroom, her only thoughts being of soaking in some hot, welcoming water laced with salts and lavender oil. It really had been a busy day, and another argument wasn’t exactly what she had in mind when she got home.
“Jesus, you’re a waitress, not a fucking defense lawyer!” he yelled after her. “Handing people their burgers and fries surely isn’t exactly that taxing!”
Bile rose from her stomach and caught at the back of her throat, but she wouldn’t let him win again. He was always testing her in this way, trying to make her feel as though she wasn’t good enough for him, the mighty Clark Deacon, great-nephew of the alpha…
And an asshole!
She slammed the bathroom door shut behind her and then turned on the faucet to fill the tub. She pulled down the lid of the toilet and sat there as the hot water misted the room, her arms wrapped around herself as she wondered how she had gotten herself into this situation.
“Fine, I’ll wait until you’re finished, and then we’ll go over it!” Clark shouted from the other side of the door. “Because no mate of mine is going to go running around out of town making a fool of me!”
A stray tear made its way down her cheek, and she swiped it away, glad he wasn’t there to see it. “Whatever, Clark,” she answered, her voice flat.
If she was being honest with herself, she knew this relationship was no longer right for her—mates or not.
Once the tub was filled, she sprinkled in a more than generous amount of salts and added some of her favorite lavender oil. She doubted it would help her relax at this point, but it was worth a shot.
Sinking into the hot water after she’d undressed proved to be more helpful than she’d expected. There, in the scented water, as the salts worked on the aching muscles of her calves and ankles, she began to see clearly. As if the water itself had washed away all of the doubts she carried about the next moves she was to make.
Okay, she wasn’t some high-flying professional—as Clark had just reminded her—and she never intended to become one. She liked the idea of being in a partnership and having her needs taken care of as well as taking care of her mate’s, but a part of her always craved alittleindependence.
Apparently, that was too much for Clark. Sure, she knew they would have some issues along the way. All males from alpha families could be a little controlling regarding their mates. She’d simply hoped that maybe it wouldn’t be too much of a thing with Clark.
All she wanted was to keep a small job that she loved and have the ability to be financially independent. She’d always been that way, which was how she’d managed to build a nice little nest egg for herself, one she might need someday.
Maybe today was that day.
As she sat with her thoughts, she knew this was never going to work out. Even the smallest amount of independence was going to be a problem for him, and if that was the case, she was better getting out now.
The fact that this wasn’t upsetting to her was another obvious sign she was on the wrong path with Clark. She’d grown tired of the constant arguing and his attempts at trying to control her. Delilah wasn’t hedonistic or fiercely independent, but a part of her was free-spirited. She knew being cut off from that would never go well for her.
If she continued her relationship with Clark, she couldn’t imagine what her life would look like in a few years’ time. Or maybe she could, and that was the problem. He was already following in his uncle’s footsteps with his views on mates, and if anything, it was only going to get worse.
Delilah wasn’t sure how long she’d been soaking, but it was long enough. She hadn’t heard the apartment door slam and could still smell him on the other side of the door, the scent of anger seeping under the crack like poisonous fumes.
She rose and toweled herself dry before reaching for her gown. Then she opened the door and prepared to face her mate, another argument already hanging in the air like a specter waiting to reveal itself.
