Cayden once more had to take a cold shower. The bitter cold had become a daily norm for his wolf because he yearned for Selena. Max had pleaded with him to finish some paperwork quickly, so Cayden read it, trying to convince himself that he could hold off ravishing her body for a few more days.
He was jolted out of his self-help nonsense—which never worked—by a gentle rap on the doorframe. With her head bowed and eyes looking up through her long, dark lashes, Selena stood tensely.
“How did you leave your room?” Cayden asked her as he turned to face her from across the room. While trying to straighten his tremendously engorged boner, he spoke sternly, yet that boner was distracting. Fuck.!
“I got her out,” As he followed Selena into his office Max’s voice boomed.
Cayden raised an eyebrow and gave them a sceptical look.
“She was pacing so restlessly in your room. Your carpet would likely require a replacement.” Max beamed.
“So?” Cayden was still clueless, and he was having a hard time controlling his wolf, who wanted to pin Selena against the wall right there.
“Put her to work so her wolf doesn’t get restless and difficult to tame,” Max explained.
Cayden answered directly, “No,” and tapped furiously on his laptop.
“I can’t possibly sit here all day waiting for you to fuck me. Since I am your hostage, I am aware of my position. I’m willing to work wherever you want, including the kitchen and the garden.” Selena said.
“You won’t be safe outside.” Said Cayden.
She smirked.
“Since when you have been concerned about my safety?”
Cayden sighed and leaned back.
“Since Always.”
“Hey! Her pack’s refugees have already assimilated and are well-liked by everyone. Allow her to spend time with Millie twice every week. We’ll observe her. It is certainly preferable to replace carpets and mattresses weekly.
“Then install stone flooring and keep her nailed to it,” Cayden answered.
“Come on, Cayden! Unless that’s your thing, you can’t convert your bedroom into a sex dungeon.” Max chuckled. “You can’t keep her locked up forever.”
“Fine! Get her to work in the kitchens or housekeeping. Just get her out of my sight." His gaze then shifted to Selena.
“I don’t know what you are planning, but whatever it is. You can’t escape me.”
She didn’t reply, just nodded.
She hadn’t changed, but Cayden was completely intoxicated by her smell. His mate. His wolf wanted to mate with her. To strip her completely bare, to make love to every inch, to have her screaming his name. He needed to get a grip.
***************
As they made their way outside, Selena muttered a “thank you” to Max.
“I’m going to have Millie show you around the house. The other day, she mentioned you with enthusiasm.”
Selena pulled her shoulders back as she straightened. “You expect me to leave my room without one of you hovering over my shoulder?”
“Sure,” He had a sincere smile.
“That sounds nice.” They parted ways at the top of the staircase without Selena saying anything further, and she felt a tightness develop in my chest. She needed to gain their confidence. She didn’t know what she was doing, but she couldn’t help but feel that she needed to learn more about this pack.
*************************
Millie motioned for Selena to follow her down a hallway to a section of the mansion she was unaware existed, saying, “This way.”
Selena enjoyed the home tour.
She said, hurrying to catch up with Milli, “I’m coming.”
Millie walked quickly, her blue hair bouncing around her jawline. She yanked at the apron’s cord to remove it, tucked her hands behind her back, and disappeared into a side room. Selena looked inside the area used for storage, which had many jackets and aprons hanging from hooks on the walls. Bedsheets, bath towels, and other types of upholstery were arranged on the shelves.
“ The uniforms are kept here.”
Selena cast a glance down at a simple, sky-blue dress with buttons down the front. The moment she put it on, Millie gushed.
“It looks wonderful on you. Selena, I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but you’re so beautiful. No wonder Alpha is smitten?”
When Selena realized Millie probably didn’t know much about Cayden and her relationship, her cheeks flushed. “That’s not how it is.”
They then carried on with their tour. At the end of the hallway, they arrived at another staircase. This one featured crimson carpeting running up the middle of the stairs leading to the upper two floors and black railings.
“The mansion has two wings. Only a select few people are allowed in the main one, which is occupied by the Alpha. And this wing,” she said, showing the one in front of us, “is for visitors. But it’s rarely used,” she said, leaning in close to Selena.
Selena attempted to keep up as she hurried up the stairs. “I occasionally come up here to simply get away and when I need some alone time. These rooms are empty.”
A circular hallway encircled the stairs on the upper floor, and Selena peered down to glimpse it. There were more rooms.
The door of the one behind her opened by Millie, and she went inside a room that was bathed in intense sunlight. The view was of the woodland behind the mansion through the arched windows, and in the distance, the city skyline glistened in greys and golds. Selena was immediately enveloped in the sun’s warmth. A bed was positioned next to a lovely tapestry depicting two wolves engaged in combat, their enormous paws clashing.
“It’s very peaceful here,” Selena commented and moved her fingertips across the mahogany desk and red velvet chair. Crystals were dripping from the chandelier. The Cayden was loaded.
She joined Millie in her window-gazing.
“You like it here, right?” She queried.
“Oh yes, I love this pack. It’s my safe space until I discover my fated mate.” She took a brief pause, immersed in her thoughts, as though she had been through much more than she was letting on.
“I’ve heard that when a wolf loses their fated mate, they go crazy. I apologise for forgetting that you lost your mate. How did you endure?” Selena met with her curious gaze.
“He wasn’t my destined mate. I was his breeder.” Selena lowered her gaze and shrugged, not wanting to dwell on the past. She didn’t miss anything about it.
She was being hugged by Millie the next thing she knew. She strangled Selena with her arms around her middle. She was powerful despite her small size. “I’m so sorry your mate was such a jerk.”
She broke away, “Well, look at you. You are so gorgeous.”
Selena chuckled, since she had never heard such a compliment before.
“His loss is our gain,” Millie grinned. “Anyway, that’s enough. Come, we have to finish the tour.”
The tour moved quickly because at least half of the mansion’s rooms were locked or inaccessible. Selena was relieved that the basement was off-limits because she didn’t want to find herself there once more.
The sun warmed her face as they exited through the back door. After crossing a vegetable garden, they entered a modern kitchen, large enough to feed an army.
“Sara? Oscar? Lain? Jeremy? Thomas? Is anyone around?” Milli yelled out random names.
A middle-aged woman came over, sniffed, and turned to face Selena. Her eyes bore a sour glare in Selena’s direction. “Who’s this, Millie?”
“Selena from the Riverstone pack. Mom, she’ll work here.”
Her mother fixed a chilly glare on Selena as she inspected her. “Why are you hanging around with her?”
“Because Alpha asked me to take care of her and train her to help us with our duties?” Millie said as her mother rolled her eyes and pinched her lip in irritation.
“Seriously? Her?”
Millie defended herself by stating, “She is my friend, mum.”
“She’s the Alpha’s whore”, an unfamiliar voice chimed in.
Selena’s gaze turned to the newcomer as she exhibited a startled expression. She had previously seen him before. When they had taken her hostage, he was with Cayden.
“Bart! Mind your language,” said Millie.
“It’s the truth, and you know who she is?” He said, moving further in. “She is the hawk’s daughter.”
Millie and her mother both gasped.
“How could he let her stay with us?” Almost everyone had assembled around them now. Milli looked perplexed and almost tearful.
“ENOUGH!” It was Natasha’s voice.
Selena looked at her fearfully. What was she doing here?
“How dare you all defy Alpha’s decision? Get back to work!” The people moved away, leaving them alone.
Natasha quickly had Selena pinned to the ground, causing Selena to hiss in agony. Natasha glared menacingly; her eyes filled with even more resentment than when she had first met her. “Here’s a word of caution: don’t assume that you are safe just because Cayden is fucking you. He won’t want you for long, and then you’ll be mine.”
She let Selena stand up on her while slowly getting away from her.
“One more thing,” she added, issuing a strong warning to Selena, “Don’t growl at me ever again. The next time, I’ll just kill you.”