The moment I lay eyes on him, I forget how to breathe altogether. He only wears a towel hanging on his hips, his skin beaded with droplets of fresh water that add an almost glittery sparkle to his warm olive flesh. It becomes impossible not to gawk at his perfect proportions, the muscles on his back flexing with each step he takes.
He heads to the cabinet, an arm extending toward the door to show off the biceps on his arm, and a shoulder that's filled out with more muscle than I remember from our night inthe woods. I gulp hard, forgetting to stuff my face with chips when my eyes rake over his athletic frame.
My gaze cruises over the towel, and I catch a glimpse of the prominent bulge at the front, a sinful thought crossing my mind.
There's something better I'd like to stuff my face with…
The cabinet door slams shut, jolting me out of my daze and instantly lifting my eyes to see Dominic smirking coyly at me.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asks with a mischievous glint in his eyes as he leans a shoulder against the cabinet door. One corner of his mouth is arched in a simpering smirk, and he doesn't tend to his bag of chips, instead staring at me expectantly.
“I'm enjoying these chips,” I say, gesturing to my handful of chips and then proceeding to shove them into my mouth as I lean back and pretend that my heart isn't racing from ogling him in the towel that leaves little to the imagination.
“Sure,” he chuckles slyly as he peels himself from the kitchen cabinet and pads forward until he's in the living room.
Clamping my thighs where I'm seated on the couch, I try to control the baser urges swimming in my core, not wanting to move right now. With my spine ramrod straight, I keep a straight face as I swallow the chips that taste flavorless on my tingling tongue.
“Tomorrow's test is when we'll have to work as a team,” Dominic says as he casually sinks onto the longer couch across from me.
The furniture appears too small for his larger frame, his legs splayed out with one knee hooked over the armrest. I can'thelp but notice that the towel is parted too far, a bit of his thigh exposed to reveal the muscle covered in olive flesh and dark hair. My mind races with filthy thoughts, but I can't help myself.
Being this close, I can't get him out of my head when his mere scent consumes me, everything about him reminding me of the sweetest pleasures he'd shown me in the past.
Gulping hard again, my breathing remains measured as I keep a straight face, even though I'm losing my mind. It's something I learned how to do when I needed to toughen up against the brutalities I faced in the pack, and even more so when Dominic rejected me, and I had to harden my heart.
“Then I should probably head to bed,” I say as I stand up slowly, dusting off the crumbs from my chest. When I look up, I notice Dominic's eyes lingering on my chest as if he's undressing me and ridding me of the oversized T-shirt I'm wearing.
I clear my throat and flatly say, “Goodnight, Dominic.”
“Goodnight, Cecelia,” he responds as I pass him, and I bolt for the bedroom where I can close the door behind me and let my emotions run rampant. Lugging in deep breaths to console myself, I can mentally feel my walls slipping away every time I'm near Dominic.
I hate that I feel this way, I hate that I'm forced to be his partner in the trials, and most of all, I hate him for ever breaking my pure heart.
Then why does he still affect me like this?
***
Standing behind a screen propped up by a tripod stand, I take a look around the field to collect information.
Today's test is a simulated battle on the field, with each team taking turns behind a screen to navigate the attack and position their simulated wolves to demonstrate their skills as an alpha and luna of the pack. It's a test of strategy, and what it'll look like if the alpha and luna train their wolves in preparation for a battle.
Dominic and I are the last team to take the field, and we've had enough time to gauge the performances of the other teams. I look back at my screen and notice that Dominic has made some changes to the formation of wolves on the borders.
“Dominic,” I whisper to get his attention while he's focused on the screen, his tongue pressed to his cheek.
“Huh?” he responds without lifting his eyes from the screen, tapping and placing wolves across the field. Our screens are synced, so I can see exactly what he's doing. The countdown timer in the left corner says we only have thirty seconds to go before the battle begins, but he's missing something.
“The border,” I begin, clicking on the image of a group of five wolves. “Don't leave it open.”
Dominic shakes his head, clicking on the same group and sending them back to the field. “The enemy will come through the border regardless. Defense needs to be strong enough without forsaking the lives of border patrol.”
“If border patrol stays on the border, they can signal for the others the moment the enemy crosses into their territory.”
Dominic’s nostrils flare just as the bell rings out to signal the start of the battle. Sighing with exasperation, I meet his stern eyes briefly before he turns to the field. The projections of the simulated wolves come alive on the field as the enemy rushes in from the woods.
“I know what I'm doing,” Dominic says as he crosses his arms and watches the scene unfold before our eyes. “I've studied battle strategies.”
Rolling my eyes, I turn to watch the simulated battle play out. Though it's imaginary, the wolves fighting on the field appear lifelike, and as they're injured or killed, the blood spraying across the field appears very real. I flinch and wince as I watch the battle unfold, when I notice another group of enemy wolves entering from the side of the woods.
