Page 51 of Wolf Claimed
Maddox wanted to go out there and tell her she wasn’t alone, that she had him, but she was right about him. He’d been pushing her away. He’d fallen for her and he couldn’t have her. They both knew it. Or rather, he did. He wasn’t so sure about her. She had just slept with Rafe and Tiernan at the same time, too. That complicated matters, and once she blood-bonded Tiernan, the scout would never let another male near her. Maddox still didn’t understand why Tiernan had last night. Unless it was because he sensed that same need within Alyssa. The need for more than love; the need for pack.
The same need he was feeling now. To be with her, even if it meant sharing her with the pack.
Pack. A new pack. One built on morals. The concept seemed so foreign. And wrong. Out of place. Like his feelings for Alyssa. They had become so intense that he no longer felt the last threads of the blood-bond he’d shared with Isabella. It was as if he’d never blood-bonded her. That scared him because it seemed as if his wolf was clearing the way for Alyssa. Permanently.
I won’t claim her. She’s not mine,he said to his wolf.
Sharp teeth tore into Maddox from within. His wolf disapproved of him walking away from Alyssa. That was the problem shifters had with their wolves. They didn’t understand the complexities of humans, let alone humans and shifters together. His wolf only knew what he wanted. Alyssa.
Maddox needed to let his wolf run, to clear his mind and work off that extra energy building inside of him, but that would mean leaving Alyssa alone and he wouldn’t do that. She was in too much danger, despite her being armed.
The quiet on the other side of the door alarmed him. Had she left, and he’d been too distracted to notice? Maddox flung the door open and found Alyssa curled up in the dark red recliner with nothing but the thin jean jacket draped over her to keep her warm in the cold apartment. Seeing the carnage Tiernan had left behind in the dorm hadn’t affected him, but seeing her tear-stained cheeks made his gut clench.
Her eyes opened and her lips parted, then closed, her expression cautious. The wall he’d built between them was hurting her. He couldn’t continue like this, wanting her and hurting her. But what if he gave in? She was meant for Tiernan, not for him.
And yet he couldn’t accept that. Perhaps he needed to listen to his wolf. And his heart and worry about the consequences later.
“Let me take you to the bedroom, angel,” he said as he stroked her hair. When he scooped her into his arms, her hands locked behind his neck and she rested her head on his shoulder. She’d been through a lot in the past few days, physically and emotionally. He needed to do better for her. Even if she wasn’t his mate, she was his to love, his to protect.
“I don’t want to push you away, but I don’t want you to get hurt,” he said as he carried her into the bedroom, pulled back the covers, and set her down. He removed her boots and placed her gun on the nightstand beside her.
“I have feelings for you, Maddox. And I don’t want you to feel like you don’t matter just because I’m attracted to Rafe and Tiernan, too. I don’t understand how I can have these feelings for three guys at once, but I need you, all of you. I think it’s this wolf inside of me.”
“Even if you had a wolf inside of you, she’d reject at least two of us. Shifters don’t share mates.”
“Never? I mean, it’s not something I’ve ever thought of before, either. Never had an interest in anyone, and now I can’t choose between three guys. And when I try, it’s like my wolf disapproves of what I’m doing. As if she wants all three of you for me. It doesn’t make any sense, and yet it feels right.”
Fuck, she still thought she had a wolf in her. Was that her subconscious trying to compensate for something? There was nothing about Alyssa that came across as unstable. Or maybe everything he thought he knew about his own kind was wrong. He scoffed at that idea. More than likely, that damn drug Gallagher had given her still lingered in her system and was confusing her.
Except she seemed as alert as ever.
“I don’t understand it either, angel, but you don’t have to worry about choosing me. I won’t be here much longer. Just long enough to help clear your name.”
Disappointment filled her face. “Did your pack order you to return home?”
He needed to make her understand. What had happened before, spreading the virus to his pack, Isabella’s death. . .Those were proof of what he’d known for a while.
“Alyssa, angel, I’m not meant to be with others. I’m a danger. It’s some curse in my family. Novaks destroy the ones they love or get them killed.”
“You don’t see how much we need you,” she said, sliding out of bed. Without the thick rubber soles of her boots, she only reached his chin, but those hazel eyes pierced him as if she could see right through him.
“We?” he asked.
“Rafe, Tiernan, me,” she replied, looking as sure and confident as ever. No, that damn medicine wasn’t affecting her. This was his angel. Seductive. Alluring. Determined.
“We’re a temporary team set up for the DSA’s program. That’s all,” he tried to convince her, though he knew it would be useless. She wanted all of them. Damn, but he’d give her everything she wanted if he could. She deserved it all, especially the love.
“That’s what I thought, but you and Rafe convinced me otherwise. We’re a pack.”
“A pack can be temporary.”
“Really? How often does that happen?” She’d called his bluff.
“Never,” he said as he clenched his jaw. He could resist her, or try to, but he wouldn’t lie to her.
“Then stop talking as if you don’t deserve to be with us. You’re a wonderful, decent shifter.”
‘I love you, Maddox. You’ve been wonderful to me,’ Isabella said before she closed her eyes, never to open them again.
