Page 10 of Moonlit Choosing Ritual

“That little monster!” I imagined snapping her neck in my hands. Madness was licking at my feet. There was so much at stake that I couldn’t afford this distraction.

I was rarely ever this out of control. Few things caught me off guard, but over the past few hours, my reaction to her had shocked me. Not mine. My wolf’s. In any case, my wolf’s fascination with Kimble was becoming a real problem, and if I didn’t put a stop to it soon, the consequences would be far worse than I could imagine.

I was known to be ruthless and calculating when it came to my foes. But in Kimble’s case, I’d spent three million dollars. Talk about calculating.

My wolf was curious like a puppy around her. In frustration, I swung my arm to the left, hitting part of the marble column. Chunks of it landed on the balcony. Her singing stopped immediately. I shot a glare in the direction of her room and resolved that she needed to be punished for her noise, for being so irritating. Only then would she learn how to conduct herself around me and my pack.

I stormed inside and shouted through the door at the guards, “Call that little imp into the dining hall NOW!”

The guards’ eyes widened in confusion.

“Y—yes Alpha. But which imp?” one of them asked.

“Kimble!” I roared, slammed the door, and went to put on my jeans. Fuck, my cock was straining hard against them. I adjusted it, willing it to go down.

“Alpha Talon?” Aria sat up, the comforter slipping from her body, baring both her breasts. Normally, this sight was enough for me to fuck her, but the idea of punishing Kimble was exciting. I didn’t reply to Aria and headed down to the dining room, where I expected to see that little demon.

However, she wasn’t there. Anger took hold inside me like a tidal wave crashing against the shore. My heart drummed, pounding with the ferocity of a war chant. Rage coursed through my veins like molten lava, turning my vision red. Each thought that was related to Kimble was like a jagged lightning bolt striking my inside with ruthless precision.

I sat at the head of the table, my muscles coiled like a serpent’s, ready to strike. Before I realized, my chest rumbled with a menacing growl. I got up and began pacing the dining hall. “Where is she?” I grumbled, trying to stop my fangs slipping out.

The guards and the Omegas who were buzzing around came to a stop, their gazes on the floor.

Fifteen fucking minutes later, my Gamma Mason came with Kimble. She looked at me like a deer in the headlights. Fresh from her bath, her skin raw and glistening, her smell even more intoxicating than ever. My collar was still around her neck, the leash hanging in front of her.

I sized her up. In her pajamas and a cut-off top that was probably left in her room by the previous occupant, she looked fucking sexy as hell. My eyes hooded the moment they darted to her exposed belly. The little demon wasn’t wearing a bra.

I asked everyone else to leave the dining hall via my mind link, and as soon as they left, I strode over and grabbed her upper arm with one hand and her leash with the other.

“Ah!” she gasped as fear mixed with her scent. Good. I wanted her to be scared of me. She tried to struggle free from my grip, but I tightened my hold until she let out a cry.

I was on the verge of losing it. Yes, I was much stronger than her, and if I squeezed her arm tighter, I could even break her bones. My wolf howled at me to go slow. What was it with him and Kimble? It’s said that our wolf spirits are wiser than us and can sense who is friend or enemy, but how could Lupin like Kimble so much when I abhorred her presence. Yet her touch sent a shiver down my spine which made me clench my teeth. This was a new reaction and it wasn’t right.

I left her, shoving her away as if she burned my skin, but continued to hold her leash. After a long moment, once my anger had ebbed, I said, “What took you this long?”

She looked to her left and right with those round, baby blue eyes, while rubbing her arms where my fingers had already left a mark. “You said I should be here by 11 AM. It’s only 10.”

The gall of this girl. I gazed into her eyes and felt… enthralled. I could hear her heartbeat. My gaze traveled to her throbbing pulse, her golden hair tied in a messy bun with strands escaping and settling on her nape, then low to her heavy bosoms, her nipples straining against the fabric of her top. Despite my control, my eyes slipped to her stomach, where her pajamas hung loosely as if being held by her hips. Her waist flared into a curvy ass. I stopped breathing.

I clenched my fist hard, hoping my fangs didn’t slip from my gums. In all my twenty-eight years, this was the most fucking frustrating reaction my body had ever had.

Tearing my gaze away, I looked at the clock and it showed it was fucking 10. Who cared? “I paid three million dollars for you, so you better be here when I demand, you got that?”

Her face contorted in anger for a second as if in defiance. “I’ll repay you and leave.”

“Leave? You will not leave.” I snarled, my fists clenching so tightly that my fingernails dug into my palm. Then I narrowed my eyes. “It seems I’ll have to shackle you!”

She took a step back, her eyes going round in fear again. “I said I’ll leave once I’ve paid you back. I’m educated, and you can hire me to work in your office for a salary. I know the minimum wage, so if I save up over a few years, I can repay you. Besides, if you have restaurants nearby, I can work overtime to pay your money back. I know three million’s a lot, but it’s not impossible to earn.” She took a deep breath. “And then I’ll be able to leave and finally be free, like a bird.”

Fury engulfed me like a raging fire. I turned on my heel. “You stay right there!” I growled, storming out of the dining hall and making my way to the kitchen where I grabbed a chain before returning. The instant she spotted me, she took off running.

“What the hell are you doing?” she shouted as she reached the door.

As if she could escape me? With a predator’s intensity, I grasped her waist and slammed her to my chest. The contact sent me into a spiraling dizziness just like when I captured her in the forest. My body jerked as if lightning struck. I’d grabbed so many women this way before, but none elicited this reaction.

She slapped my forearm and it seemed like foreplay. Fuck. I brandished the chain in front of her eyes. “You talk about leaving again, I’ll chain you to my bed!” It wasn’t an empty threat, and when she stilled, I knew she knew it.

“I won’t,” she blabbered. She accepted that I had the upper hand in whatever fucked-up relationship we had.

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