Page 46 of Stolen By the Alpha Hunter
God help me, Ido.
He keeps going until the pain is gone, replaced by a molten ache and a deep, pulsing awareness of where his mouth just was. Of where it could be next.
Another sound escapes me—a soft, desperate little mewl—and my whole body shudders.
Then he pulls away.
“Better?” he asks, voice rough.
I open my eyes. And I remember.He didn’t want this. He doesn’t want me.
He only did it because hehadto. Because it hurthimtoo.
“Yes,” I whisper. “Better.”
He nods, backing away.
“We should get some sleep,” he says. “I’ll stay up. Keep watch.”
I glance around the room, realizing for the first time that there’s nothing for me to wear. Not even a blanket.
“They didn’t even bring me clothes,” I whisper.
Javi’s eyes flick over me—just once—and something flares in his expression, sharp and hot and gone in an instant.
He turns away.
“Don’t worry,” he says flatly. “I won’t touch you.”
And that should make me feel safe.
But it doesn’t.
It feels like another rejection. Another reminder that I’m claimed but notwanted.
I gather the towel tighter around myself and curl into the corner of the bed, the cold sinking into my bones again.
“Okay,” I whisper. “Goodnight.”
10
JAVI
I’ve never felt anything quite like when Peaches told me I wasn’t her mate.
From the moment I met her—from the moment the wolfsbane wore off and I scented her—I knew there was some connection between us. And biting her, tasting her skin, her blood, only made that connection more concrete.
If mates are real—and the jury’s still out on that one—then she’s mine. Even if they aren’t real, there’s some wolf magic happening here that I have no control over.
I know I have to protect her, even if it means the end of me. It’s the reason I felt called to the hunt when she was in danger, why I put everything on the line and got myself imprisoned on this dystopian island.
Pretending like I feel nothing for her is pure torture, but I have to do it if I want us to live.
As far as Gideon is concerned, everyone on the Rig needs to believe that Peaches is miserable. He wanted her punished—and I can’t make her feel so safe that Gideon would be able to tell, or we’ll both be fucked.
I stand watch at the door, waiting to find out if someone will come snooping to see what we’re up to. I’m sure they expect us tobe doing something very different than sleeping, but the storm is loud enough that they wouldn’t be able to tell anyway. I find myself grateful for the pounding rain as I stand vigil, ignoring the sleeping girl in the bed behind me.
Still, my arousal rises, my wolf unable to ignore the pounding, desperate desire I have for my mate.
