Page 45 of An Unexpected Claim

I pointed to the kitchen table and commanded, “Sit.”

“Sit. Stay,” she muttered in a mocking tone. “When are you going to get it through your thick skull that I’m not a fucking dog, Nathan? I’m a panther. A jaguar. A damn cat!” She yelled the last part, but I didn’t take the bait because while she’d complained, she’d done as she was told.

“We’re going to talk about this,” I told her as I filled a plate with chicken, spiced rice, and roasted vegetables. “But you need to eat first.”

She looked as though she might argue, but when I put the food in front of her, she licked her lips and focused on the meal.

I joined her a minute later with my own dish and we ate in silence, momentarily ignoring the thick tension in the room. My wolf was pleased to see her eating, especially knowing she was taking care of our pup. But he was every bit aware of the coming explosion and though he was calm, he remained alert.

Once I’d cleaned my plate, I sat back and observed her countenance, noticing a distinct difference. She looked a little lighter than I’d seen since she’d arrived. As if the fresh air had breathed new life into her, taking some of the weight off of her shoulders. This was the Peyton I remembered. Still, it didn’t excuse her behavior.

Peyton eventually swallowed the last bite of her second helping and pushed her empty dish away. “You might be a giant pain in the ass, Nathan,” she quipped, "but damn, can you cook.”

I didn’t comment as I cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher. With that done, I didn’t have to worry about her being undernourished and could focus on lecturing her about the irresponsibility of her choices.

She stood from the table and crossed the room to one of the recliners, then grabbed a blanket and droppedinto the cushy chair.

“Comfy?” I asked, my voice coated in sarcasm.

“As a matter of fact, yes,” she replied with an overly sweet smile.

Damn, this woman frustrated me. I still stood on the opposite side of the island, facing the open living area, and I placed my palms on the cool granite, resting my weight on them.

“What did I tell you about leaving the house, Peyton?” My tone was conversational, but I doubted she missed the simmering anger beneath it.

“You didn’tsayanything about it, Nathan.” She narrowed her eyes. “You gave me a command and expected to be blindly obeyed.”

I contained a frustrated growl and tried to remain calm. “For your own safety, Peyton. You can’t go running around alone, out in the open where anything could happen to you.” Pressure was building behind my temples, so I yanked the band from my hair and let it fall around my shoulders. “If you wanted to get out of the house, you should have asked me.”

“Exactly when would I have done that?” she countered.

Running a hand through my hair, I exhaled slowly. “That’s fair. Next time, leave me a note if we don’t see each other. If I can’t take you out, I’ll send an enforcer to escort you.”

Peyton’s expression darkened and her flat tone was ominous when she spoke. “I agreed to let you help me with my situation. But I am not your prisoner, Nathan King, and I refuse to be treated like one.” She dropped her feet to the ground and grabbed onto the arm rests so hard that her knuckles turned white. “I’m a grown-ass woman, Nathan. I can take care of myself. I was doing it long before you and I’ll be doing it long after.”

I pushed off the counter and stalked around it, coming to a stop at the edge of the room. I braced my feet apart and crossed my arms over my chest. “You are under my protection, Peyton. Whether you like it or not. And you will follow my rules.”

“You are not my alpha,” she snarled as she jumped to her feet. “I’m not your responsibility!”

“Like hell you’re not my responsibility,” I stated, my anger slowly chipping away my control. It didn’t help that she looked hot as fuck all riled up. I needed my mind focused and not distracted by her breasts bouncing with each choppy breath, or the sexy fire in her eyes, or anything else that turned me on—which was pretty much everything about Peyton.

“One night together doesn’t give you a claim on me, Nathan.”

That snapped my attention out of its lust-induced distraction. My wolf had jumped to his feet and growled, snapping his jaw and gnashing his teeth,and I wanted to shout at her that she was categorically wrong, but sensed it would only make the situation worse.

Even if we hadn’t created a child that morning, I would still have claimed the right to protect her. Just as I had for anyone who’d needed my help in the past.

However, like in other moments since she showed up here, I was cautiously aware that she was different. The connection between us wasn’t something I’d experienced before—not just with someone I was aiding, literally never before.

Normally, I would have made her Tanner’s immediate responsibility and stuck to finding the serial killer. And yet here I was, ready to lock her in her room because the thought of anyone else looking after her made me want to rip their throats out.

The idea of another man anywhere around her or our baby sent a shockwave of jealousy and rage through me. I would never let anyone usurp my claim on Peyton. My wolf was practically howling in agreement. She was mine to protect and given that she was carrying my child, there was no way in hell I would back down on this.

And there it was. My smoking gun.

I glanced pointedly at her stomach. “You aren’t just taking care of yourself anymore, baby.” Slowly, I prowled toward her. “Did you think about what could have happened to the baby while you were out gallivanting and making yourself an easy target?”

Peyton looked thunderous, her eyes shooting daggers as she marched to the middle of the room andseethed, “I would never put my cub in danger.”

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