He ground his teeth. “Absolutely not. Never.”
He took another step back, desperate to get away from that scent. It clouded his judgment and pierced him with confusion. How could the scent of his enemy bewitch him so?
“Exactly. I’d rather die than be with one of you,” she cried.
Don’t walk away from her,his wolf insisted.
Oh, he absolutely would. No way would he ever succumb to this outrageous prank from the universe. He was an alpha. He had pride. He wouldneverconsort with his enemy.
He and the Sacco glared at each other and fell silent. The only sound echoing around them was that of their frantic breathing.
“Let me go!” she demanded and struggled against her restraints. In her wild desperation, she knocked the blanket loose.
Rafe watched the fleece fall, sliding off her and landing in a pile at her feet. He scanned from her toes up her voluptuous body, lingering over the lush curves of her naked flesh.
He hated himself for even staring at her at all. She was his enemy. She’d been caught tampering with operations at his resort. She was to be punished, not gawked at.
And yet, Rafe couldn’t tear his eyes off her. His wolf pranced inside with jubilance.
We finally found her,his wolf declared.Our mate!
Chapter 2
Mila
No, no, no.
The situation had gone from bad when she’d been captured to utterly devastating when her wolf perked up.
Why now? Why at the worst possible time—and with the most awful shifter imaginable?
To make a terrible situation excruciating, Mila had knocked off the blanket in her frantic attempt to escape. So now she stood tied up before this horrible Franconia shifter, restrained and naked.
He stared at her with a mixture of hatred and desire. And her body responded in ways it shouldn’t under his intense gaze.
“Stop looking at me like that!” she shouted.
He snorted before turning away. “As if that wasn’t intentional to try to distract me.”
“I don’t think so.” She snorted. “As if I’d bare myself to a Franconia!”
“And yet, here you are exposed before me by your own doing.”
Mila scowled. Although not planned, that was exactly how the situation had panned out.
She attempted to bend down to retrieve the blanket, but the ropes binding her wrists prevented her. The bastards must have silver reinforcing the rope, which would weaken a shifter and make it difficult to use any magic. The shifter who had captured her had worn gloves and kept them on when he’d fastened her to the wall in this room with no windows and a couple of shelving units. No way out besides the door that he walked through.
“You can at least be decent and release me so I can cover up,” she barked at the Franconia standing before her with penetrating blue eyes.
“Ha!” He arched his brows, keeping his gaze averted. “How naïve do you think I am? I’m not stupid enough to do so and let you attempt to escape.”
She dropped her head back against the wall and groaned. “Damn it.” She swallowed before she uttered the distasteful words. “Fine. Just cover me up.”
He entwined his fingers before him and cracked his knuckles before he stared into her eyes, piercing her with a cool gaze. “I’m an alpha and don’t take orders from other shifters—let alone one from a rival pack caught trying to destroy my business.”
Ugh, he had to be Rafe, the leader of the Franconia pack.
Yes,an alpha,her wolf rejoiced.A perfect match for the daughter of one.
