Page 6 of An Uncertain Claim

I laughed when she glared daggers at me and dug her fingers into my side, trying to pinch me but unable to find a spot that where muscles weren’t tight. That only made her even more annoyed, and I enjoyed her fire, happy it hadn’t left with her attacker. I much preferred her to be angry rather than sad or scared.

Brooks snapped his phone shut as he walked back into the living room. “Myka is delivering a pup, but her nurse already cancelled all of her other appointments because of the birth. So she can make a trip out here when she’s done.”

I lifted my chin at him, acknowledging his statement and showing gratitude. He returned the gesture and started for the front door. When he opened it, he nearly ran into Asher and Jase, both in human form and dressed in jeans and T-shirts. While they exchanged greetings, my eyes drifted down Peyton’s naked body and hunger ate at me. However, the thought of my enforcers seeing her like this sent a bolt of jealousy through me and possessiveness burned in my gut. I reached slightly behind me to the basket of blankets my mother insisted I keep for guests and grasped a soft, green, and blue plaid. I covered Peyton’s naked body just as they entered the room and dropped into a couple of recliners.

When Jase clocked my expression, his eyebrows rose and he glanced at Peyton, then back at me. “Report,” I snapped, my arms involuntarily tightening around Peyton.

Asher glanced back and forth between me and Peyton as well, except he had a grin on his face.

I narrowed my eyes and canted my head to the side. “How are things with Samantha?” That had his humor fleeing instantly and he glowered at me as he slouched in his seat.

“We chased him all the way to Castile territory, but the fucking wolves wouldn’t let us onto their land. Ephraim is reaching out to their Alpha for permission to at least follow his trail so we’ll know which way he went when he crossed their territory.”

Peyton had blanched while Asher spoke. “He won’t get to you again, baby,” I assured her as I ran a hand over the top of her head and threaded my fingers through her long hair. I frowned when I realized it was matted and full of leaves and tiny sticks. It reminded me that she’d been dragged through the forest.

“Allison found Sabrina,” Jase piped up. “Seems she received a text from ‘you’ that said Peyton had taken off again and to go find her. It didn’t take her long to notice that she couldn’t pick up Peyton’s scent anywhere outside.” Jase glanced hesitantly at Peyton before continuing, “She assumed that if Peyton was in the house, the alarm would be set.” The reminder of Peyton’s carelessness darkened my mood. “But just as she headed back, someone got the drop on her. She probably has a concussion, but she should be fine.”

My anger had rekindled, and I growled my inquiry. “How did the bastard even stay on our land unnoticed long enough to scope out the cabin and her bodyguards?” Our land wasn’t as secure as some packs’, but we still had it locked down enough to be aware when a stranger who hung around, rather than passed through.

My head enforcer swallowed hard and dropped his eyes to the floor. The submissive gesture suggested whatever he told me wouldn’t make me happy, and he’d clearly already picked up on my growing ire. “The cameras around along the western perimeter were down and”—he glanced at Peyton with sympathy—“the ones around your cabin were as well.”

“What the fuck?” I shouted as I jackknifed up, knocking Peyton askew so she rolled off me onto the cushion between my body and the back of the couch. I ran my eyes over her with concern, but when she didn’t appear harmed, or in much pain, another wave of fury washed it away. KBI handled the security on my house and our land. The only way someone could have tampered with it …the idea of someone in my employ betraying us seemed extremely far-fetched. We went through great lengths to make sure our people were unwaveringly loyal. Still, no one could foresee every situation and protect against it.

Asher shrugged. “Tanner said he’d look into it.”

I ran my hands through my hair and inhaled deeply, trying to stay calm. With the cameras down, the security system on the house had been all that protected Peyton once her bodyguard had been taken out of commission. Knowing what could have happened if we hadn’t caught up to her in time had already been eating away at me, but hearing the level to which Peyton had exposed herself blew my control to all hell.

“Out,” I ordered my enforcers. My tone was deadly and threaded with steel. Both men jumped to their feet and passed by me without comment.

I turned to the fireplace and stared at it, my fist clenching and unclenching as I tried to regain a handle on my anger. But my wolf was pissed as fuck and he wouldn’t allow me to grasp at my control. I slowly twisted around and pierced Peyton with a dark, probing stare. She’d moved into a sitting position, her legs folded in front of her with the blanket still covering her.

Her eyes met mine with curiosity and nothing else. It floored me that she didn’t seem one bit contrite, which only fueled my outrage. My wolf paced inside me, just as angry.

“From now on, you are to stay in this house at all times. You will have a bodyguard in here with you who will keep the security system armed and if you make so much as a single attempt to leave”—I walked up right in front of her and glared down in a show of power and authority. Alpha vibes came off me in waves, aggression bleeding from my pores—“I will blister your ass before locking you in a fucking cell. Do I make myself clear?” My wolf grunted in agreement, recognizing what was happening by my tone.

Peyton’s eyes had grown wide and round. If her jaw hadn’t been secured shut, it probably would have been on the ground. When I finished speaking, the silence seemed to snap her into action and she shoved hard at my legs, trying to force me back, but I didn’t budge a single centimeter. Instead, I took my dominance to the next level, bending down to bring our faces close together while I caught her wrists in my hands and locked them together above her head. My hair fell forward, creating a curtain around our heads.

“This is not a negotiation, Peyton. You disobeyed me and it could have gotten you, and our child, killed. Not to mention what happened to Sabrina. I’ve tried to give you as much freedom as I could while making sure you were safe, and you’ve bucked me at every turn. I’m done placating. You are my fucking mate, you’re carrying our cub, it’s my job to protect you and I won’t let you, or anyone else, keep me from doing it.”

Peyton struggled against my hold and shook her head vehemently. Her emerald orbs were burning with anger and something else I didn’t have the patience to try to read.

Anger and passion were similar emotions. Mixed together they could ignite a fiery explosion. At that moment, I was one spark away from burning the motherfucking house down. My wolf had already lost it, making it even more difficult for me to contain myself. As I stared at my mate, locked in submission beneath me, I wanted to give in to the deep, gnawing hunger that constantly plagued me. Since I couldn’t, the sexual frustration boiled over. “Perhaps once you’re healed, I should remind you who has the power in this relationship,” I growled. “What would it take for you to completely submit to me, baby? I bet if I fucked you hard and rough, then pushed you to the edge over and over, never letting you come”—I licked my lips—“you’d kneel before your Alpha.” A growl rumbled in my chest, my wolf expressing his approval.

Peyton stopped struggling and sat up as straight as she could manage with her arms above her head and my body crowding her. Her eyes threatened murder and it turned me on even more—I wasn’t sure what that said about me, nor did I care. I wanted her to fall at my feet, to admit that I ruled her entirely. It might take some convincing, but after that first night together, I knew the fight would be hot as hell.

Smiling wickedly, I tossed another match onto her blazing temper. “And don’t forget, baby. You come whenIdecide. Which means no finishing what I start on your own.” My fingers tightened around her wrists, and I smirked. “Perhaps I should mention, it won’t be possible anyway because you’ll be tied to my bed.”

Peyton continued to sit still as a statue and glared at me. However, as always, she couldn’t completely repress the effect I had on her body. Flashes of molten gold told me that her panther had melted under my powerful display and my wolf pushed at me, trying to get to Peyton’s cat and give her what her eyes were begging for.

“You can pretend all you want, kitty cat, but we both know I can smell your arousal. You want to be dominated as much as your panther does. You’re simply too stubborn to admit it.” I rubbed my beard along her cheek and whispered, “I don’t mind though. It’s so much more fun to break you.”

Fuck. I wanted her so damn bad. I had to remind myself of the inconvenient timing repeatedly before I could convince my body to retreat. After I released Peyton’s arms, I took a few steps back, leaving enough room between us for her to stand. She threw me a venomous glare that couldn’t quite hide her arousal before walking stiffly from the room. A minute later the walls shook from the force of Peyton’s door slamming shut.

Chapter Five

Nathan

Still amped up on the adrenaline from fear and anger, and dealing with a pissed-off wolf who wanted me to go after her, I paced the length of the open room a few times, talking my wolf—and my cock—down. When I felt a bit less volatile, I took a hot shower, letting the water beat down on my tense muscles, attempting to alleviate some of my stress. Unfortunately, while my emotions leveled out, the desire coursing through my veins didn’t diminish. I gave up on relaxing and blew out a harsh breath right before I twisted the handle on the wall all the way to the opposite. Icy water pelted my skin and I let the numbing cold chase away the craving simmering inside me. I dipped my head under the spray for a minute, then bent it back and shook my hair out. When my ardor had cooled and my shaft was sufficiently placid, I shut off the water and grabbed a dark blue bath sheet. After using it to dry my body and work the water out of my hair, I hung it back up and ambled over to stand in front of the mirror. I trimmed my beard, brushed my hair, and put it up at the back of my head. Then I finished up my after-shower routine before dressing in a pair of dark jeans and a grey, short-sleeved Henley.

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