Page 17 of Owning His Mate

I don’t move as he continues to rub circles with his whole hand on the back of my neck. “I’m not yours to order around,” I whisper around a moan.

He chuckles, and I don’t blame him because right now I am like a pliant cat. “I know you’re scared. Even if I couldn’t feel it through the bond, I can see it on your face every time I get close to you. I’m not going to ask you to talk about what has you this way, but if you choose to tell me, I’ll listen.”

Oh, boy. I didn’t expect him to be understanding or even nice to me. My throat clogs with emotion. “You say these things now,but I’ve heard it a hundred times from others. In the end, I’m always the one who suffers.”

His eyes flash before they narrow. “Someone hurt you.”

I don’t know if my memories flash through our bond or if he’s just really good at reading me.

“Of course they did. I’ve been hunted and tormented from the moment my pack discovered I was a hybrid.”

His teeth grind together. “If you tell me who, I will make them die a hundred deaths.” His fingers tighten for a moment before he continues stroking.

“I don’t need you to fight my battles.”

“No,” he agrees, “you don’t. You think I don’t know how strong and capable you are? Even now, you’re fighting against something that can’t be denied. I see you, Apryle. You could take on a whole army and defeat it on your own, but you have to understand that from this moment on I’ll be behind you, ready to stand with you if you need it.”

Every inch of my body feels suddenly alert and awake in a way it never has.What do I say to that?

I was always terrified of being alone when I was younger. I dreamed of having a mate at my side who would take care of me, who would love me even though everyone else around me thought that I was an abomination. Kye is standing in front of me offering this, and yet I am frozen with fear of taking that step.

“I need to see to my wrist,” I whisper, my throat suddenly strangled.

“We have a healer who can help.”

I shake my head. “I’ll ask Halle. She’s part of my coven. I… I trust her.”

The intensity of his gaze makes me squirm. Those eyes of his are so easy to get lost in, and if I allow myself to, I’ll drown in their depths. Still, I can’t look away. I am the starving animal, drawn in by the temptation of food, only to discover the cage thatslams around me when I eat it. Kye is tantalizing, but this is also a trap.

“Please, Kye…” I’m not sure if he knows what I’m pleading for, but he releases his hold on my neck, allowing me to step backward and create space between us.

“I don’t like this game we’re playing,” he says. I don’t either, but I don’t know what else to do. I’m not ready to open up to him yet. “Are you rejecting me?”

Those words spear my heart. The thought of him suffering if I do doesn’t sit well. He didn’t get a choice in this, though he doesn’t seem unhappy about it. “I just need some time,” I answer.

“I want to give you that, but I’m afraid if I do, you’re just going to pull further away from me.”

He’s right to fear that. “I’m sorry.”

Kye’s eyes drift to my neck, to the place where mates mark each other. My uninjured hand clamps over it, as if I can hide it from him.

“Please, don’t follow me.”

I back up several steps, putting distance between us before I dare to turn. It is a stupid illusion of safety because Kye is a vargr, and if he chose to, he could take me down in an instant. He doesn’t move, but I feel his gaze spearing me as I walk away.

I don’t run home, but I don’t idle either. By the time I reach the building, the sun is just peeking over the horizon, bathing the landscape in a delicate soft yellow hue.

As soon as I step inside, I lock the door behind me and sag against it. My chest feels tight as I try to control my breathing. How am I going to survive with him in my space all the time? Even going for a jog puts him in my path.

Why do we need to avoid him?

My traitorous wolf chooses this moment to appear, urging me to go back to him.I ignore her.It’s just the mating bondmaking me feel that way. My biology is fighting against my head, and I won’t allow it to. I don’t want a mate. Kye will turn on me, like everyone else.

But his awareness in my mind has my skin heating and my pussy throbbing.

How am I going to fight my wolf and my body?

“Apryle?”

---