Tabitha's POV
He grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled my head back.
"You still haven't answered my question..."
His eyes were golden and wild, a sign that he was losing control of the wolf inside him.
"What are you gonna do, Derek? Torture me until you get what you want?"
I shook my head, even though it stung to do so. He tightened his grip around my hair.
"I used to be confused, wondering why you changed all of a sudden. But when I saw that kid who looked just like you, I figured it out—I've been waiting for someone who would never come back. Derek, I'll let you go. Please let me go, too, OK?" I begged.
He jerked back as if I had burned him. I could see his arms flexing, his hands balling into fists, his knuckles turning white.
He was furious.
Then all of a sudden, the study door swung open, and in walked Daphne.
Noticing what we were doing, she stepped back, dumbfounded.
I struggled to break free from Derek's grip and mocked, "I don't get it. Why wouldn't you just reject me? Your lover can't wait to move in already."
He snapped his head over to Daphne, his golden eyes burning with anger. "I don't remember allowing you to come here."
"I had Alvin bring me. I..."
"Get out! You're not my Luna yet," Derek cut her off.
"But Kyrian has been crying all day. I guess he misses you," Daphne added hastily.
While Derek was talking to her, I wrenched myself out of his hold.
"I hope you're happy together," I croaked. Then I bolted, climbed the stairs to my room, and slammed the door behind me.
Derek's POV
"What the heck's all this mess?!" I growled.
Before Tabitha left, her beat-down look just broke my heart.
Her persistence seemed to have been the only thing that kept our relationship from failing. The second she decided to give up, I felt like I was losing something big time.
Getting back at Tabitha ain't bringing the joy as I thought it would.
"Derek, do you wanna go check on Kyrian?" Daphne's voice snapped me back.
"If you can't take care of him, I'll have Alvin bring him to my pack. It'll save you from coming all the way here again and again," I snarled.
"No, I can take care of him, I swear," Daphne replied nervously.
"Enough. Now get out!" I roared.
Frightened by my rage, she hurried away. Then I was all alone, a strange, cold feeling spreading through my body.
It kinda felt like the moment right before a battle, when the entire world stood still. The calm before the storm.
I stared up the stairwell Tabitha'd run. It was the first time I'd been rejected by a woman.
I rubbed my chest, trying to make that unsettling feeling go away. But it stayed.
I heard a door slam closed from somewhere in the house, where my little wife had gone to hide away.
I could still smell her lingering scent.
I could feel my canines sharpening, my claws extending all on their own. An Alpha wasn't supposed to be out of control like this. But I didn't fucking care.
"My silly little wife thought she could disrespect me? That she could run away from me?" howled Leo.
I climbed the stairs three at a time to her bedroom. She caught me off guard in the study and then got away. Yet she wouldn't get away so easily this time.
I busted through her door, breaking it off the hinges.
"You don't run from me," I growl softly. "I own you."
She jumped but then stood firm in the middle of the bedroom.
Her damned scent was everywhere.
"There's nowhere to run now, hon."
She straightened her back, squaring off with me.
This was far from our first fight. Stubborn fucking woman, sometimes I wondered if she did it on purpose, provoking me. Poking and prodding at the wolf until it bit. Part of me wondered if she liked the bite.
I grabbed her waist and lifted her off her feet, and she gasped. I inhaled deeply through my nose. I didn't smell another male on her. If I did, there was no telling what I'd do.
But then her eyes glistened, and I hesitated.
"If you're going to force me, Derek..." she said, "just do it already."
I searched her face. There was usually fire in her eyes during our intimate moments.
She usually fought and resisted, and then she would yield to me and give in to the pleasure I gave her.
But now, her eyes were cold. Her body was aroused, though, as I smelt the way she reacted between her thighs...
But there was no fire, and suddenly...
It didn't feel right to play the same game we always did. Right now, I wanted to do something different...
I lowered her to the floor gently and drew her close.
"What..." She blinked rapidly. "What're you doing?"
I pushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead, her eyes, and her cheeks, and then finally her soft, plush mouth that haunted my dreams. Slowly. Lovingly.
She could sense the change in my actions, softer and gentler than ever before, and she shuddered.
"Derek, wait..."
I caught her lips, my tongue softly caressed hers.
My arms were next to her head, holding me above her as I covered her with my body. I broke our lips apart for just a moment to quickly peel off my shirt and throw it across the room, and then I returned to her.
I'd probably fucked her on every surface of this room. But tonight, I wanted to have her in bed.
I captured her lips once more, then dragged my teeth and tongue all over her body.
I took my time at her most sensitive spots. First, the curve of her neck. I bit and bruised it, making sure to leave marks. Then I sucked and licked her taut, dusty-colored nipples, my fingers rubbing her over her damp panties.
Her back arched when I finally pulled her panties aside, and I gifted her sad, weeping pussy with my mouth, pushing my tongue deep inside and licking faster when I felt she was close, then pulling away right as she was about to fall over the edge.
For a second, all the bad blood between us just faded out.
Tabitha's delicate ankle seemed as fragile as a butterfly wing, and I could crush it no sweat.
But her panicky face reflected in my eyes, her resistance lit one last fire in me.
"Don't touch me with those filthy paws of yours that caressed someone else. Fuck off!" she screamed with horror and rage.
The next second, I shut her up with a kiss, blocking all her words.
Tabitha widened her eyes and shook her head hard, trying to wriggle free.
My hands went around her neck, steady on her noggin, forcing her chin up to take this punishing kiss.
Then all of a sudden, she shoved me off and started hurling by the bed.
Fury devoured me. She loathed my touch so much?! How could she?
Tabitha glared back and said word by word, "I've told you already. Don't touch me. You disgust me!"