Page 11 of Tamed By the Alpha Wolf

Nico nodded, his expression unreadable. He caught my wrist as I stood, his touch sending shivers up my arm. “Why are you helping me?”

The question hit me like a punch to the gut. Why was I helping him? Because he was my mate? Because I felt guilty for marking him without permission? Or was it something deeper—some primal need to protect and care for this broken wolf?

“I don’t know,” I admitted. It was the most honest answer I could give.

Nico’s eyes searched my face, looking for... what? Deception? Pity? Whatever he saw there must have satisfied him, because he released my wrist with a nod.

I hesitated at the bedroom door, torn between the urge to run and the desire to crawl back into his arms. “Try not to destroy any more furniture while I’m gone, okay?”

A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips. “I’ll do my best.”

With a final nod, I turned and fled.

What the fuck was I doing?

CHAPTER FOUR

ELISE

“You’re late.”

Rafe’s words greeted me before I’d even killed my engine. He leaned against his truck, arms folded across his chest, looking every inch the alpha he pretended to be.

“Traffic was a bitch,” I lied, climbing out of my car. The truth—that I’d lost track of time with my tongue down a feral wolf’s throat—probably wouldn’t go over well.

Rafe’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t call me on my bullshit. Small mercies. “Let’s go. We’re already behind schedule.”

I fell into step beside him as we headed into the woods. The scent of pine and damp earth filled my nose, almost—but not quite—masking the lingering traces of Nico on my skin. Fuck, I hoped Rafe couldn’t smell him on me.

“So, what’s this little powwow about?” I asked, ducking under a low-hanging branch. “Or are we just taking a romantic stroll through the woods?”

Rafe snorted. “You know Declan. Barely got a time out of the fucker before he ended the call. Said it was important, though.”

Great. Another crisis. Just what we needed.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, the only sound the crunch of leaves beneath our boots. I could feel Rafe’s eyes on me, searching for... something. It set my teeth on edge.

“You want to tell me the real reason you were late?” he asked finally.

I bristled. “I told you. Traffic.”

“Traffic? In Mill Creek?” He snorted. “Come on, Elise. Don’t lie to me.”

Guilt and annoyance collided in my chest, and I clamped down on the subsequent anger. “What, are you the hall monitor now? Is tracking our comings and goings part of your alpha duties?”

“When it impacts pack business? Yeah, it is.”

I whirled on him, fury burning through my veins. “You want to know why I was late? Fine. I’m getting fucked, Rafe. Is that what you want to hear? It’s dirty, face down, ass up, hardest I’ve come without a toy, best deep dicking of my life. Do you need more details, or am I, a grown woman, allowed a little fucking privacy?”

The words hung in the air between us, sharp and ugly. Rafe’s face went blank, his scent spiking with shock and... something else. Something that made my wolf bare her teeth.

“Fates, Elise,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t?—”

“Didn’t what? Think I had a life outside the pack? News flash, Rafe, I do. So, stay the fuck out of my business.”

I stormed ahead, leaving him to catch up. My cheeks burned with embarrassment and rage. What the hell was I doing? Harboring a strange wolf on pack lands was bad enough. But lying to my alpha about it? Covering my tracks with just enough offensive truth to stop the questions before they dug too deep?

The right thing—the smart thing—would have been to come clean. Tell him about finding Nico in the woods, admit to letting my wolf steal control. Explain.

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