“What are you both staring at?” Paige demanded, shaking me from the trance of the animal in me.

I smiled down at her, licking my lips as my eyes danced over every curve of her body. She looked amazing. More than she usually had. Every sense of my being homing in on her and her alone. I leaned into her, pressing my nose to the crook of her neck where I had marked her, taking a deep breath at the scent of our bond. She pushed back at me again, cursing me under her breath as she struggled to shove me back. As I groaned at the effort it took to obey her demand to let her be, a sharp knock at the door diverted my attention.

The moon was increasing the strength of the bond pull. I could smell every pheromone on her body calling to me. As much as I knew I could never hurt her, I became increasingly nervous around her. She wouldn’t understand what was happening to me. Not fully.

“Who is it?” I growled through the door, refusing to open it and risk someone ballsy enough to try and attack Paige in our room. With how the moon was affecting me, I wouldn’t put it past some freshly turned wolf to try and remove the obstacle they saw in Paige.

“It’s Chase.”

I let out a warning growl through the door. “What the hell do you want?”

“Calm down, Nyte. I’m not coming after your mate. I volunteered as a messenger. Alpha Alexander needs Madilyn to come to see him.”

Madilyn got up from the bed, suddenly aware of the sound of the order.

“I’ll see you later, Paige,” she said, waving as she approached the bedroom door.

“Step back,” I growled to Chase, my teeth grinding at the sound of his chuckle as he moved away from the door.

When I was sure he was far enough from my door, I opened it just enough for Madilyn to leave, slamming it closed behind her.

“Seriously, what is wrong with you today?” Paige demanded behind me.

I looked over my shoulder, a groan leaving my lips at the mere sight of her. She stood beside the bed, her hands on her hips and a single brow raised. The rings in her nose caught the light of the lamps, giving her an ethereal look, like a statue of a goddess come to life.

Taking a deep breath, I looked away, gathering myself before I pounced on her and scared her to death. “It’s the full moon,” I grunted.

“What?” I could hear her walking around the bed, picking up her phone from the bedside table. “The full moon isn’t for another two days though.”

I shook my head, pressing my forehead to the bedroom door. “The moon’s effects start taking hold days before and lasting several days after.” I swallowed a hard lump that had been stuck in my throat, trying to keep my mind clear as I explained this to her. “It’s more important than ever for you to stay away from the pack. The moon weakens our impulse control. We become more animal than human. The pack is more dangerous to you, especially if they are new to the effects.”

“What about you?” she asked, startling me.

“What about me?”

“Am I safe from you in this state?”

I turned away from the door, slowly walking to the side of the bed she occupied. I cupped her cheek when I reached her, stroking my thumb over her high cheekbone.

“I would never hurt you, Paige. I would sooner throw myself off the lighthouse than hurt you in any way.”

She leaned into my touch, closing her eyes. “I believe that, but I had to hear you say it. You’ve been acting so weird with me today.”

I tilted her head up to look into my eyes. “That’s because, on top of my impulse control weakening, my libido is growing. Every time I look at you, all I can think of is bending you over this bed and sinking into you. It gets harder and harder to resist.”

“Would you hurt me if you gave in?” she asked curiously, lifting her hand to my chest.

I smirked, knowing full well I wouldn’t. Not in any way she wouldn’t normally enjoy. What worried me wasn’t hurting her. It was pushing her too far before she was ready. For werewolves, mating under the full moon had more consequences than she would be prepared for. I had to resist as much as possible.

“No, I wouldn’t hurt you any more than I already have.”

“Then why are you resisting?”

Another knock interrupted us, our eyes moving to the door.

“Who the hell is it now?” I demanded with a growl.

“Alpha needs to see you now,” Beta Jose called from the other side.