Page 101 of Wolf's Reckoning
For one moment, fury overrode the pain, and I glared at him. “What do you mean youcan’t?”
“I gave them to my pack to use.”
I stared at him. I was going to kill him.
“My rooms are warded,” I snarled at him. “My scent is contained in my fucking rooms, so when I go into heat—” I gasped as my body clenched. “I can bealoneand ride the fucking thing out.”
“I’ll take you home,” he murmured. He stepped forward and stopped. “Fuck.” He sounded as bruised as I felt. “I don’t think I can touch you,” he said with so much disgust I recognized it for what it was.
Self-loathing.
“Yes, you can,” I told him, willing myself to stand, settling for a bent-over crouch. “You’re the strongest, stubbornest asshole I ever met.” I was panting. “Take your wife home.” His eyes flared a pale silver, and I almost fell over in surprise. “What the?—”
I didn’t get the chance to speak; I was grabbed and thrown over his shoulder, then he wasrunningthrough the forest. I couldn’t focus on what hurt more: the way my bodybounced off his shoulder or the burning pain in my stomach.
Too soon, I was offloaded and dropped on a bed. I didn’t know where I was, and I didn’t care. My wolf was clawing at my insides to get out, but I fought with every fiber of my being. I had the sense of being lifted again, and then I was screaming in fury as I was dumped under the ice-cold spray of a shower.
“Wolfe!”
“Stay under,” he growled, pinning me to the wall. “Stay under,” he muttered frantically, pressing in behind me, “or Iwillfuck you over every inch of this house.”
I heard him. He didn’t want to take me like this; it was our shifter instincts trying to rule us. For both our sakes, I pressed my head against the tile, and I sobbed. His body curled over mine and he clung to me as I fought to hold onto my control.
We ended up curled up on the floor, damp and miserable. The first wave ebbed, and I could breathe a little easier. I pulled away from him, but strong arms pulled me back.
“No,” he murmured, nose buried in my wet hair.
“It’s okay,” I told him tiredly. “The first wave has passed.” I reached behind me, catching his hand, giving it a slight squeeze. “I have time before the next one.”
Slowly, I got to my feet, and my body felt like I’d rolled down an entire mountain.
Wolfe stood, and the two of us exchanged a wary look. He handed me a towel, then strode past me. I heard the front door open and close, and I knew he had left.
I sagged onto the bed, not caring that I was wet, not caring about anything other than I needed to refuel before the next phase. With a sigh, I got up and headed to the kitchen.
I didn’t eat.
I tried, Goddess, I tried. I sat in the chair in the living room of the house I now lived in with Wolfe—my husband in name, my rival in truth—and stared at the food on my plate while I waited anxiously for my heat to rise again.
I couldn’t move past one simple fact. Wolfe was as affected as I was. I could feel it in my bones. In my blood. In every heartbeat that came too fast when he was near.
Why?
Wolfe had barely spoken since the encounter by the shed. But what would he have said? His presence alone was louder than any words. The way he had stayed with me, resisted the need to touch me, fuck me, that took enormous restraint. Huge control.Huge.
I knew his wolf was pacing beneath his skin. I had seen it. I had seen his eyes change, meaning his wolf was too close to the shift. But he hadn’t acted. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t been there to see it. Or feel it, because I’d spent most of the night with my eyes squeezed shut.
And my wolf? Mine was curled up and waiting for him.
Betrayer.
The room felt too quiet. Too aware of its occupants. Me, alone. For now. I knew he’d be back. Where was he? Was he with someone else?
The sheer fury of my snarl at the thought of it scared even me. I set the plate down with a shaky hand. I stared atthe window in front of me, jaw tight, breath shallow. I could see my reflection in the pane. Pale skin, hair a mess, wide eyes, a sheen of sweat across my brow.
He would never. I knew it with more certainty than anything else. He would come back. I didn’t know when, didn’t know how long he’d give me, but Wolfe would come.
And sure enough—I heard his heavy, deliberate footsteps.
