Page 17 of The Silent Mate

At last, I tore my gaze from Roman’s and glared at the dirt. For some reason, every bone in my body protested as I dipped my head in a small, subtle display of respect. Despite my body’s strange resistance to him, Roman was still theIntonat NoctePack alpha. Further resistance would only cause problems for me—or Malik.

With my concession, Roman finally deigned to speak. “I’m pleased to see you healthy and unscathed this morning, Aria.”

My eyebrows scrunched together, stomach twisting at the insinuation of his snide words. As if he’d expected Malik toharmme the night before… Irrational fear and disgust churned in my chest, at once afraid and irritated by his assumption.

Malik wouldn’t hurt me.

“You wanted to see me fight?” I questioned, hoping to steer the conversation away from my fated mate. I didn’t need to disclose anything about my relationship with his brother.

A flash of white teeth. “Yes. Every new pack member must be tested before being sorted into units. As my brother’s mate, I thought I’d personally oversee your testing.”

“How thoughtful of you,” I bit back, too quick. Too confrontational. Roman’s gaze flickered with poorly veiled anger, and I swallowed before continuing in a hurry.

“But I’m afraid you’ve wasted your time. I’ve been training as a healer and nurse for the last seven years,” I announced, my hands balled into fists at my sides to control their shaking. “I’d be much better suited in your infirmary, assisting a doctor or–”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” I echoed, blinking away my surprise.

One corner of Roman’s lips curled in a barely-there smile, and I could hardly believe my ears.

“If you believe you’d be better suited in a position with the pack doctors, I won’t force you to fight.” He waved his hand, still wearing that easy smirk. “I’ll tell our lead nurse, Estelle, to expect you tomorrow.”

“I–” My mouth hung open for one long moment before I corrected myself. “Thank you.”

Maybe I read Alpha Roman wrong? Perhaps he wasn’t quite the heartless, unworthy male I first deemed him to be.

“You’re welcome,” he replied, his voice smooth like honey.

We stared at each other for one long moment. Then another. I felt the eyes of the surrounding pack members weighing heavy on us and Anders hovering suspiciously close to my back. Even so, I kept my gaze on Roman.

Willing myself to forget the way he’d spoken to me the evening prior, when he’d stared at me with unashamed desire and proclaimed his intent tobreedme for an heir, I forced a small smile on my lips. “Well… If that’s all?—”

“Not quite.”

And, just like that, those two clipped words snuffed the hope from my heart. I didn’t dare to breathe.

“There’s the matter of your scent,” Roman drawled, casual, as if he was discussing a simple matter of business with his second-in-command.

“My scent?” I echoed, eyeing him dubiously.

He took a step forward, and, like a repelling magnet, I took a step back, only to brush against Anders’ front. Cornered.

“It appears my brother failed to perform his duty last night.” He gave a low, deriding chuckle that made my blood warm in anger and embarrassment. My cheeks flushed as I felt the eye of every shifter land on my neck, bare and unclaimed. “You continue to carry your old pack’s scent.”

“I don’t see how that is anyone’s business,” I countered, although I failed to hold Roman’s gaze. My eyes found my feet, and my hands curled into tight fists, fingernails biting into my palm.

“As your alpha,” he hummed, and I felt the vibration of his words in my bones. “It ismybusiness.”

He prowled ever closer, his feet coming to a halt directly in front of mine, but I didn’t dare look up. Every instinct urged me to run.

“You’re a member of theIntonat Noctenow. Carrying our scent—myscent—is a matter of protection. No one dares to touch what is mine.” His hot breath fanned against the side of my cheek.

I knew if I lifted my head, I’d find him bearing down on me,our faces inches apart, so I kept myself bowed. It was clear what Alpha Roman wanted. He wanted to give me his scent.

“I-I won’t leave Malik’s home. I won’t be in any danger there, so it won’t matter whether I have my old scent.” I tried reasoning with him, shaking my head. “I won’t leave until I’ve been initiated with the rest of my old pack.”

Then, with a touch that sent spindles of ice shooting down my spine, his big fingers grasped my chin and pulled my head up. Just as I anticipated, mere inches separated his body from mine. I tried to lean back, but Anders’ unrelenting form pressed into my back, holding me in place.

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