Page 35 of Forsaken Desire
“Sure,” she said, smiling. “What happened to Alex?—”
She cut off, her eyes widening at what I was sure was Lucian storming toward us.
“Leave,” he ordered.
“Yes, Alpha,” she muttered and hurried deeper into the center.
I gritted my teeth and whirled.
“Fine.” Then I’d shift and get out of here. I was almost to the clear doors when Lucian grabbed my arm and yanked me to face him. Ithwappedagainst his bare chest.
“Look at me,” he snapped.
I kept my attention on his sternum. He sighed, and his arm wrapped around my back, and he urged me out through the doors. The vehicles had all dispersed except for his Mercedesand another small car. I tried slipping to the side, but his arm tightened. In a smooth movement, he pulled me into his arms, carrying me like a child.
“Alpha, put me down,” I spat, my temper slipping past the cage of my defenses.
His jaw twitched. Still, Lucian didn’t listen. I gritted my teeth, shoving at his chest uselessly. Skillfully, he jostled me to one side, balancing my weight with ease as he popped open the car door. Once he set me on the passenger seat, he leaned over to buckle the seat belt, his smell enveloping me. I swayed toward him. As soon as I caught myself, I snapped back, pulling myself out of the haze of his allure.
A click of the seat belt later, he gripped my jaw sternly, but no less gently.
“Do not fight me on anything, Josephine. You won’t like where it gets you.”
He’d lied. He was the Alpha, and he’d lied. “You had plenty of opportunities to tell me.”
His lips twisted, and the corners dipped. “I?—”
“No, lies by omission are still lies.” I had no urge to hear him out. “Just take me home.” The two-story house in the distance flitted in my memory. “Myhome.”
He sighed, and his breath kissed my cheek. I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to lean into him. The only reason I knew he slipped into the driver’s seat was the bang of the door shutting and the engine roaring to life. I kept my eyes shut.
“Josephine,” he whispered.
I said nothing, focusing on breathing.
He sighed, and pebbles crunched under the tires.
I settled into the ride, trying not to spiral. Not only was he the Alpha, but he’d had a mating arrangement. He could have told me from the beginning, yet he chose to keep it hidden.
A hand settled on my thigh, and I growled. He squeezed once, and his touch slipped away. His lips thinned, and his jaw visibly twitched. He didn’t look okay, but I didn’t care how upset he was. Not after what I’d discovered. A few more minutes passed, and his sleek car bumped over the dirt road. He didn’t make another reach for me.
I finally relaxed, settling into the drive once I made sure he wasn’t trying to take me to his house.
With my eyes closed, I leaned back, sinking into the buttery leather of the seat.
I’d never directly asked him if he was the Alpha, but now I could pinpoint how he avoided my questions.
I’d been such a fool.
I pressed my lips together so hard it hurt.
Despite everything he’d lied about, I couldn’t help but feel at fault somehow. I should have thought to ask, but how would I have known? I knew the most basic shifter information from Tate, but she was the only wolf interaction I’d had in prison. Now I understood how lost I was.
Even after the event I’d just experienced, it was all new to me.
Who was I? And where did I come from?
My temples throbbed, and I sucked in a hard breath through my nose. Once I arrived at home, I needed to shift or the discomfort crawling over my skin would drive me crazy.
