Page 14 of Kidnapped By the Wolf

As I watch her go to town on that turkey sandwich, all my blood rushes south. Immediately, my soldier is standing at attention.

It’s not just that Cassie is beautiful, though she certainly is. It’s her scent. Her defiance. The fire blazing in her veins. It’s the sheerballsof thinking she could outsmart a wolf — then throwing a punch when she realized she was cornered.

Usually, that sort of arrogance would piss off my wolf. And yet there’s something about Cassie that has him growling with the need to protect her. Claim her.

Fuck. Why did Sebastian bring her here?

It takes me a few deep breaths to get ahold of myself — and deflate my massive erection. No matter how much I don’t want to treat Cassie like a hostage, I can’t afford to let her escape.

Clearing my throat, I come around the table and look down at her like she’s some boot fresh out of basic training.

She meets my gaze with an arch of her eyebrow, and my wolf’s hackles go up.

I can’t tell if he’s pissed or if he wants to play. There’s no shifter idiotic enough to stare down an alpha who’s as worked up as I am, but damn if Cassie doesn’t hold my gaze.

I grit my teeth and drag in a breath, refusing to take the bait. I’ve looked into the eyes of terrorists with nothing but darkness where their conscience should be. I’ve faced off against entire gangs of shifters. I can certainly handle one human female — even if that human seems bound and determined to push me over the edge.

“Are you going to try to escape again?” I ask in a low, deadly voice.

Cassie shrugs and sits back in her seat, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “Are you going to tell me what the hell I’m doing here?”

“You’re here because your father needs to be taught a lesson.”

Cassie snorts, and for some reason, this really rankles my wolf. She’s treating this situation as though she’s been sent todetention — not captured and delivered to her father’s enemy on a silver platter.

She’s either the dumbest woman who’s ever lived or the bravest.

“What is it that you plan on doing with me?”

“Whatever’s necessary,” I lie, meeting her hostility inch for inch.

If she wants to play games, I can play games. My cock twitches at the thought of how I’d like to play with her, but I quickly stuff down my desire.

Going over to the closet, I open a drawer in my tool chest and pull out some fresh zip ties. I hadn’t planned on leaving her tied to a chair all night, but it’s what I have to do.

Cassie looks strangely nonchalant as I come to stand beside her. She picks up the glass of water I left sitting on the table and drains it in one go.

Gliding my hand down her arm, I tug it gently around the back of the chair before capturing her other wrist. Her skin is so unbelievably soft, and as I’m securing her zip-ties, I get the sudden, overpowering urge to kiss a trail down the inside of her wrist all the way to her palm.

But I don’t.

Cassie stiffens as I move in front of her, and my cock twitches as she squeezes her thighs together. I get another whiff of that sweet feminine musk but studiously ignore it.

I have to be misreading the signs she’s giving me. That’s the only explanation.

Cassie’s still barefoot from her earlier escape attempt, and I can’t help noticing her dainty feet. She’s got some raging tan lines, which only reinforces my hunch that she’s spent a lot of time outdoors.

“Are you cold?” I ask, eyeing her bare arms, which are covered in goosebumps.

“I’m fine,” she grinds out, staring straight ahead.

With a sigh, I straighten up and cross to the wood stove, tamping down the coals and adding fresh logs. In all the commotion, I let the fire die down, and it’s not exactly cozy in here.

Even though I have close to a month’s supply of wood curing in the racks under the back deck, I go outside to split some more. Physical activity usually helps calm my wolf, but having Cassie in my cabin feels like a bomb that’s about to go off.

I need to decide how I want to play this with the McGregors.

My wolf growls at the thought. Cassie isours, not a pawn.

---