Page 25 of Alpha Reid

“You don’t know me,” Serena responds quickly, looking away.

I have no retort because she’s right, I don’t. I swallow hard.

Her eyes come back to mine and I just stare at her for a moment, trying to get a read on her. Trying to piece together what’s going on inside that beautiful head of hers.

“Let’s just go,” she says with a flippant wave of her hand, turning on a heel and strutting across the parking lot in the direction of the Mustang. I take another deep inhale of air and watch after her for a second, the clack of her heeled ankle boots echoing off the pavement.

What the fuck am I going to do about this girl? I can’t remember the last time I was pushed this close to the edge of losing my shit. I’m always in control. I scrub a hand over my face, blowing out a breath and starting after Serena, reaching into my pocket for the key fob and unlocking the car doors.

By the time I reach the Mustang, she’s already in the passenger seat. I take my spot behind the wheel, a heavy silence hanging between us as I turn the key in the ignition and rev the motor. I pull out of the lot and onto the road, and though the drive back to the packhouse is short, neither of us say a word in the five minutes it takes to get there. It isn’t until I’ve pulled into the driveway and cut the engine that I break the tense silence, turning to Serena with a heavy sigh.

“You’re right,” I say, reaching up to rub my temple in exasperation. “I don’t know you, Serena.” I turn to face her, furrowing my brow. “I’m fucking trying to, though.”

She narrows her eyes on me in challenge. “Why?”

It’s not a question I expect, and honestly, it’s a fucking ridiculous one. “Why do you think?” I scoff.

“You don’t want me as a mate,” she grumbles with a shake of her head.

I feel the flames of anger licking inside of my chest, threatening to consume me. Still, I manage to keep it together. “Don’t presume to know what I want, little girl,” I murmur, my voice steady. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Serena snaps.

“Who said I’m disappointed?” I fire back, raising my voice as I feel my blood start to boil.

“Please. It was written all over your face tonight.” She throws her car door open, climbing out and slamming it behind her.

I’m quick to hop out on my own side, flinging the door closed and walking around the front of the car to head her off. “Hey!” I call, but she doesn’t look at me, just attempts to charge past me. I step in her path, not letting her around me. “Hey!” I repeat, more firmly this time as I reach out to grasp her arms, holding her in place.

She begrudgingly looks up at me, fury and the silver of her wolf flickering in her blue-eyed gaze.

“You’re right, I don’t want you doing shit like you did tonight,” I grind out through clenched teeth. “That doesn’t mean I don’t wantyou, Serena. Because I do. But if you’re going to be Luna of this pack, you can’t be pulling that kind of crap in front of them.”

“I never asked to be Luna of any pack!” she shouts, wrenching her arms out of my grip and stomping a foot like an insolent child. “Besides, yourpackdidn’t seem to have a problem with what I did tonight.Youwere the only one who seemed to have a problem with it.” She points a finger into my chest, staring up at me with wild eyes.

“Yeah, I do have a problem with it,” I bark, raising my voice to match her volume. I’ve fully lost my cool now; this girl has pushed me over the edge and then some. “Why would I want some other dude slurping tequila off your stomach? You’re supposed to bemine, Serena…”

“Oh, sothat’swhat this is really about, huh?” she chuckles wryly, folding her arms across her chest. “Some possessive Alpha shit where you assert your claim over me?”

I scowl, shaking my head. “No, I just don’t want you doing shit like that, it reflects poorly on both of us.” I scrub a hand over my face, heaving a sigh. “Seriously, what were you thinking?”

“Honestly, Reid?” She throws up her hands. “I wasn’t! I was just letting loose, having fun. Have you ever fucking tried it?”

“Watch your tone,” I snap, my patience wearing razor thin.

“What are you gonna do, punish me?” she spits, rolling her eyes.

My own go dark. “Do you want me to punish you?”

I hear her breath catch in her throat as she stares up at me, eyes widening in surprise and…interest. It’s the last thing I expect- well, the second to last thing. The last thing is when she purses her lips, her cheeks flushing pink as she whispers “…yes.”

I take a step closer, my chest slamming against hers as I trap her body between mine and the Mustang. She gasps, her wide eyes searching my own as I trail my fingertips up her bare arms. She shivers under my touch. “Turn around and put your hands on the hood,” I command.

Serena draws another sharp breath and I see a tremble of excitement run through her as she complies, spinning around and bending over to place her hands on the hood of my sportscar. She arches her back and sticks that perfect leather-clad ass out toward me, her skirt so short that her ass cheeks are peeking out under the hem when she bends. “Like this?” she pants, tossing her hair back and looking at me over her shoulder.

Fuck. Me.

Is this really happening right now?Shouldthis happen? I’ve done this with other women, but they were submissive by nature, and none of them had a past like Serena’s. Or the past I assume she has. I realize that I’ve been operating completely on assumptions when it comes to her, building a picture of a girl from a stack of papers in a file that clearly doesn’t match the person in front of me right now.

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