Adan
“Brenna, what is it you want?”
“Freedom and respect. Just like you.” She narrowed her eyes. “Now. Let. Me. Go.”
I backed her up against the wall and hit the STOP button on the elevator. “And do you want to know what I want?” I placed my arms on either side of her, looking down into her eyes.
She shrugged, trying to appear confident. “I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“I want a Queen and a Mate who knows how to behave in public. Someone who will respect me as her Alpha and Mate.”
The pheromones coming off her wafted toward me, telling me she was aroused, but she never let on.
“Then you had better start treating me as an equal.” She tilted her head to the side as a sly smile spread across her luscious lips. “If you want respect, you’ll have to earn it. Respect is not given freely to anyone. You can forget about using fear as a tactic because I’ll never be afraid of you.”
I chuckled, liking her tenacity. “Oh, honey. If you only knew what I’m capable of, you wouldn’t be saying that right now.”
She raised her chin and looked into my eyes. “And you have no idea of what I’m capable.” Her smile faded. “Now. Get out of my way....” She shrugged as a smile lit her lips. “Unless you’d like more of what you got outside the restaurant.”
“Never do that to me again.” My balls still hurt from where she kneed me.
She shrugged. “Then stop grabbing my hair and ordering me around.” She took a step closer, her lips mere inches from mine. “I’m smart and have ideas of my own. And if you were smart, you’d utilize them for the good of the Pack. Now. Get out of my way before I do more to you than racking you up.”
Without thinking, I grabbed her hair and pulled her head back as my lips descended upon hers. She pounded against my chest, but I held her close as my lips groped hers. My inner wolf growled, wanting me to take her. But as soon as she relaxed in my arms, giving in to pleasure, I let her go, smiling as I stepped back.
“That’s what you have to look forward to... once you submit.” I chuckled as I walked out of the elevator and headed toward my suite.
“You bastard!”
I quickly flipped around and marched back to her. “No one calls my mother a whore. Not even you.” Then I turned and walked back to my room. Guards were standing outside her room. “Don’t let her leave tonight.”
“Aye,” they both said in unison.
“You son of a bitch, bastard, prick,” she muttered as she stormed into her room and slammed the door behind her.
Inside my room, I slammed the door closed. Then I headed straight for the bar, poured myself a drink, and downed it. How could a woman be so infuriating and alluring at the same time? I wanted her more than life itself, craved her, but she angered me to no end. Despite my aching balls, I still wanted her.
My wolf wanted to barge through the adjoining door and take what was rightfully ours against her will, but I’d never rape a woman, especially not my Mate. She would have to live with that for the rest of her life, knowing I forced her to submit, and she’d hate me for it.
Instead, I downed another glass and headed toward the shower, stripping off my clothes the whole way.
Before the water was hot, I stepped into the shower, soaped up my palm, and ran it up and down my shaft. I closed my eyes, imagining I was taking her, pounding inside her until she was raw. A second later, my seed spilled over my hand and washed down the drain, but that wasn’t nearly enough.
I soaped up my hand again and went back to work. It took three times before I finally started to feel some relief. One thing was sure. I was going to have to win her over and soon... before I did something both of us would regret.
After my shower, I didn’t bother with clothes and headed straight to bed. As I tried to relax, my mind wandered to what Brenna had said about wanting to work with the young warriors. After all, it wasn’t like they would see any real battle, so neither would she.
But if I allowed it, I would make it a stipulation that she never engage in battle unless it was necessary to defend herself.
I rolled over, feeling much better than I had. I wasn’t caving in to her, I told myself, just reaching a compromise.Maybe that was what it was going to take. Maybe compromise was the answer. That way, we both got what we wanted. She was so much younger than me, and I was old school. It was going to take a lot for me to bend. But if I wanted her, that was precisely what I would have to do.
***
“What do you mean I can’t leave?”
I was immediately on alert when I heard Brenna’s voice bellowing from the hallway.
“I could just go if I wanted to, and you can’t stop me!”
Maybe they couldn’t, but I could. Without bothering with clothes, I stormed through my suite and threw the door open. “Brenna, get back inside. I want to talk.”
“Well, I don’t!” She shot me a look, staring daggers into my eyes. In the Pack, nudity was to be expected, although never in the castle. But this was an exception. “Tell these brutes to let me go.”
I ran my hands through my hair, studying her. Then I pushed her back into her room, slamming the door closed behind me.
“Now,” I began, my voice calm. “I’m only going to tell you this once. I’ll order us some breakfast and will get dressed, and then we’ll talk. But you’re not leaving this room until we do.”
Then I stormed through the adjoining door and slammed it closed, wondering how I was ever going to survive her.
After calming down and ordering a hearty breakfast—which I was going to need—I quickly showered again and dressed.
When I was ready, I headed toward the adjoining door but nearly ran into it face first when it didn’t open. “Oh, hell no!” I kicked the door open, and it slammed against the wall as I stared into her stunned face. “Never lock a door to me again.”