Brenna
I huffed. “And I have no say in the matter?”
“No,” he said matter-of-factly.
I pushed away from the table and pointed toward our adjoining door. “Then get out!”
He stared at me in disbelief as if I were the last crazy woman on Earth. “What? I am the Alpha of this Pack, and you will not order me—”
“I said, Get… Out!” I yelled, stomping my foot. “Get out!”
Quicker than I would have thought possible, he pushed me against the wall, his body against mine. “You, My Queen, will not give me orders. Ever.” He bit his lower lip and then released it. “You will do well to remember this. Although I’m resisting the urge to make you submit right this moment, doesn’t mean I won’t do it.”
I squared my shoulders, looking directly into his eyes. “I’m not afraid of you, Alpha.”
“Good, I don’t want you afraid... but you should be.” Then he released me roughly and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
I let out a deep breath as I slumped against the wall, regaining my composure. Then I hurried to the table and ate the rest of my soup in peace.
When I was finished, I looked over at the Crème Caramel and felt guilty. Adan had shown me kindness, and I threw him out. Sure, I was justified, but I still felt guilty. Perhaps it was my turn to extend an olive branch.
I opened the door to his room, and his head snapped toward me. He was still fully dressed, but his feet were bare, and he was sitting on the sofa with his foot propped on the coffee table, watching television.
“I... I’m sorry to bother you, but I thought you might like to have dessert with me.”
He nodded, turning off the television as he rose to his feet. It was wild that even his feet were sexy. It completely baffled me. “I’d love to... and I’ll try not to command you—”
“Look, if you don’t want to—”
“I was only joking.” He let out a deep breath as he ran his fingers through his shoulder-length, dark brown hair, and it fell right back into place. My breath caught, but he appeared not to notice. “Brenna, let’s strike a deal.”
“What?” Of everything I had expected him to say, that wasn’t it. “What kind of deal?”
One corner of his lips curled into a sexy smile. “I’ll try not to order you, and I’ll watch my temper, if you will not order me and will watch yours, too.”
I stared into his sexy eyes, not giving anything away. “I’ll try.”
“Then, so shall I.” He chuckled as he looked down at me. “Come on. I’ve been thinking about that Crème Caramel all night.” He placed his hand on the small of my back and led me to the table.
“Oh? Is that all you’ve been thinking about?” I arched an eyebrow.
He looked down at me, looking sexier than ever. “Do not tempt me, woman. Even though I promised I would wait, I am still a man—”
I sat in my chair as he held it. “Who should be able to control himself—”
“Brenna!” He turned my chair quickly around so that I was facing him. “Do not treat me as if I am some lovesick schoolboy. I am a man and your Alpha, and you would do well to remember it.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Or what?”
“I will claim you right here, right now, and you will have to submit.”
My eyes never wavered from his. “Then do it.”
“Do not tempt me.” He glared at me, then he let go of my chair abruptly and sat kitty-corner from me, where he had been sitting before. Adan served me first and then himself. We ate in silence for the next few minutes, and then he refilled our wine glasses. The Crème Caramel was delicious. Creamy and light. When we were finished, he stood and reached for my hand. “Come with me.”
I looked up at him. “Where?” I chuckled. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly dressed for—”
“Just come with me.” He motioned toward the table. “And bring your wine.” He let go of my hand, picked up his wine glass and the bottle, and then headed into his room but stopped in the doorway. “Are you coming?”
Well, that depends upon you, I thought to myself, unable to believe that my thoughts had just betrayed me like that. “Yes, of course.” I fixed my robe and followed him into his suite, bringing my wine glass with me.
After refilling his glass, he filled mine, too, and set the bottle on the table. “Have a seat.” He gestured toward the sofa.
I sat in the corner, unsure what he was up to, but I didn’t want to tempt him or myself. He sat at the other end and smiled, laying his arm across the back of the sofa. “You don’t have to sit so far away. I won’t bite... yet.”
My wolf purred... and I was ready to wring her neck. Instead, I shrugged. “I’m good.”
Adan nodded, chuckling to himself, probably thinking something obscene. Then his expression turned serious. “So, tell me what happened... everything… from the moment of the attack.”
“Why do you want to know?”
He shrugged. “I want to know what you’ve been through....” Then he leaned in conspiratorially. “And I need to know who to kill.”
I nodded, telling him everything that had happened, not leaving out any detail this time. He listened intently until I got to the part where they threw me naked into the trunk of the Alpha’s car.
“What color was the car?” he growled.
“White.”
He clenched his jaw, holding his glass so tightly he nearly shattered it. “Continue... please.”
“Then I punched out the back taillight and got the attention of a man in a pickup truck who called nine-one-one,” I continued. “When the police arrived, the man in the truck drove on. But when they opened the trunk and the officer saw me in there, they blew his brains out... all over me… making sure I saw it all.” I let out a deep breath. “Then they told me it was my fault.”
“What happened next?” he growled through gritted teeth.
“He delivered me to Fletcher, covered in blood and naked, and they made a deal.” I let out another breath, trying to keep calm and keep from crying.
Nudity was just part of our world, but the Alpha had kept me naked to humiliate me.
Adan’s head snapped up. “What was the deal?”
I looked into his eyes. “Fifty percent of whatever I brought.”
“Well, we’ll just have to see about that.” Adan nodded. “And you’re sure that he had white hair?”
“Positive.”