Page 10 of Tamed By the Alpha Wolf

“No pack,” he rasped, his voice still rough from disuse. “Not anymore.”

I set the scissors aside. “What happened to them?”

Silence stretched between us, broken only by the soft sound of our breaths and hearts. Just when I thought he wouldn’t answer, Nico spoke again.

“Dead. All of them.” His voice was flat, devoid of emotion. As if he were reporting on the weather instead of the slaughter of his family.

Fuck. No wonder he’d lost himself to the wolf. The pain of losing a packmate was excruciating. To lose them all...

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, meaning it.

The words were inadequate, but what else could I say? Nothing made the pain disappear after my father’s death, and he’d been an awful bastard. But the few moments he had a smile and kind word? They were gone. For good. Never to be heard or felt again.

Nico had lost even more.

He shrugged, the movement almost imperceptible. “Long time ago.”

But the shadows in his eyes told a different story. Whatever had happened, it still haunted him. Still drove him to the edge of madness.

I wanted to press for details. To demand answers about who had killed his pack, and why. But one look at his face told me that would be a mistake. He’d already given me more than I had any right to expect.

So instead, I finished snipping and trimming in silence. When I was done, I sat back on my heels to admire my handiwork.

Holy shit.

Without the beard and wild hair, Nico was even more stunning than I’d realized. Strong jaw, full lips, those silver eyes framed by impossibly long lashes. He looked younger, too. Barely older than me, if I had to guess.

Our gazes locked, and the air between us crackled with electricity. My breath caught in my throat as he leaned toward me, one hand coming up to cup my cheek.

I should have pulled away. Should have remembered all the reasons this was a terrible idea.

Instead, I met him halfway.

The kiss was softer than our time by the stream, tinged with something that felt dangerously close to tenderness. His lips moved against mine with aching gentleness, as if he was afraid I might shatter beneath his touch.

With a groan, I deepened the kiss. Nico’s arms wrapped around me, pulling me flush against his chest. I could feel the heat of his skin through my t-shirt, and it sent sparks of electricity dancing along my nerves.

My wolf howled her approval, urging me to take more, more, more.

And fuck me, I didn’t want to resist. Not when my entire being ached for his touch, craved his bite, needed him like I needed air and blood pumping in my veins.

Mate.

His hands slid under my shirt, caressing my skin as if I were precious. Cherished. I shivered as his calluses whispered across my stomach, tracing patterns of fire over my skin.

Just as I started to lose myself in the sensations, a noise broke through the fog.

My cell phone, vibrating insistently in my pocket.

Fucking perfect timing.

“Shit,” I groaned, fumbling for my phone. The alarm flashed accusingly: ‘Meeting with Rafe - 10 minutes’.

Time had gotten away from me.

Reluctantly, I pulled back, dragging in ragged breaths. My heart thundered in my chest, and it took everything in me not to drag Nico down for another searing kiss.

“I have to go,” I said, hating how rough my voice sounded. How shaky and wrecked. “Pack business.”

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