Page 51 of Protected By Artemis

She threw her head back, exposing the soft skin of her neck. His heightened senses could hear the throbbing of her pulse as she rode toward her climax, and without a thought, he clamped his mouth around the flesh, teeth scraping at the skin.

What the?—

His own orgasm hit him hard and fast as she came, squeezing him tight. Lost in his pleasure, a cloud of lust fogged his brain, and all he could think of at that moment was her. His beautiful Artemis.

They clung to each other, panting and dizzy from the exertion. As his heart rate slowed down and the feeling returned in his limbs, so did a cold reality.

Not his Artemis. She wasn’t his to keep.

She could be,a small voice said.

“Cade? Do you mind…?”

“Uh…” He inhaled a deep, cleansing breath as he slowly withdrew from her. He took in one last whiff of her scent from her neck and lifted his head. As he glanced at the mirror over the sink, a wave of dizziness passed over him at what he saw in the reflection over the smooth, glassy surface.

His eyes were glowing.

No!

His stomach clenched, and he staggered back, but managed to brace himself against the wall.

“Did your legs fall asleep too?” she asked with a giggle. “I’m gonna be walking funny for the next week, thanks to you.” Hopping off the sink, she smirked at him. “Do you mind if I use the bathroom?”

“N-no.” He averted his gaze, hoping she hadn’t seen his eyes, then slipped out of the bathroom.

Trudging over to his walk-in closet, he took deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. As he passed by the full-length mirror, he looked at his reflection once more. His eyes were back to normal, so maybe he had imagined it.

In a flash, however, his eyes once more began to glow.

Shutting his lids, he sank down on the bench in the middle of the closet and buried his face in his hands.

It can’t be.

“You can’t choose her,” he whispered to his wolf, as if it would answer him back. “Not her. Anyone but her.”

It was Eleni all over again, but worse. Artemis couldn’t even choose to be immortal, she just was. And it wasn’t like he could give up his life here and his pack to be with her. He had responsibilities and duties. When he became Alpha, he made a vow to protect them and keep them safe until his death, and tofind a suitable heir that would continue their line and grow their pack. He could not turn his back on them, not when they relied on him so much.

“Choose someone else,” he said. “Anyone else.”

But it was too late. His wolf had chosen her, and if he were being honest with himself, he was halfway in love with her already.

Ice filled his stomach. How could he be so stupid, allowing his feelings to run wild, letting another immortal into his life only to let his heart get crushed once more?

“Cade, are you done?” Artemis called from outside the door. “Hephaestus texted me; he says it’s important and wants to meet.”

He shot to his feet and blew out a breath. “Yeah, let me finish dressing.” Yanking the first pair of jeans and a shirt he could reach, he put them on and strode out.

Artemis was already dressed and ready, obviously waiting for him, looking lovely as always in a pretty blue sundress that matched her eyes. “Cade, I—” Her nose wrinkled. “Are you alright?”

The urge to hold her and smell her and cover her in his scent so it would mingle with hers was strong, but he managed to tamp it down. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He slipped on the mask of Alpha, building a wall around himself so nothing could penetrate. “Tell Hephaestus to come anytime. I’m gonna call Xavier.”

Striding past her, he made his way downstairs. “Oh, fuck.” He had no way to contact his second in command as his phone must have been destroyed in the fire. That meant he’d have to run over to Xavier’s place.

That didn’t sound like a bad idea, though. He needed to get out of here, away from her.

Yeah, some fresh air would do me some good.

As soon as he opened the door, however, he found Xavier there, hand raised to knock. “Alpha, you’re awake. Are you fully healed?”

---