This was what I needed. For the whole weekend, I refused to let my wolf run free; I punished her for Roman’s stupid decision. But I was done with that.
She had done nothing wrong. Together we had failed, not just her.
The blazing sun shined through the trees on us. I let out a small howl and jogged to the packhouse. From the trees, I watched the warriors finish their last run of the day. I had watched them since I was just a girl, but this time it was different. This time I had no hope of becoming one of them. I was empty.
All the wolves ran toward the clearing right behind the packhouse, even Vanessa, who was a hundred feet behind everyone else.
When they had all shifted, I frowned, not seeing him. Suddenly his minty scent drifted into my nostrils. He was close tome. I clenched my jaw and sprinted back through the woods. Paws hitting the ground. Branches scraping my legs. Leaves falling around me. I ran fast but not fast enough.
His scent followed me, and I knew he was hot on my tail. I pushed myself faster. He growled viciously, and his voice rang through my head, commanding me to stop. But I didn’t.
He clamped down on the back of my neck with his canines, latching right into my flesh. I squirmed in his grip, my skin tearing. Before I tore myself away, he sunk his teeth deeper in my muscle, into the one place that alphas could to make any wolf shift, until I unwillingly transformed back into my human.
When he shifted, he gazed down at me, green eyes hard. “Why aren’t you at the hospital? Your assignment started today.”
“Fuck off,” I said, grasping the back of my neck to stop the blood.
“Rethink your next words, pup.”
“I said, ‘Fuck off.’”
He snatched my throat in his hand and pushed me against a tree. “I order you to go to the hospital. Your assignment started today.”
“I don’t belong at the hospital.” I ripped myself out of his grip. “I belong out here.”
After snatching my neck again, he held me still. “You will go to the hospital and you will not complain to me again. Do you understand? That is an alpha’s order.”
Blood rolled down my neck—the bite hurting—but his scent and the feel of his fingers soothed my wolf.
They might’ve soothed her, but they didn’t sooth me. “You should know by now that I don’t listen to any orders you give me,” I said. “I never have and I never will, especially after what you’ve done.”
The thought of becoming a rogue crossed my mind for the briefest moment. Going solo? Living out in the woods? Killing rogues by myself to keep everyone in Roman’s pack safe? It was more than tempting.
“The other night you followed my orders, didn’t you?” He stepped closer to me, pushing me against the tree, his minty scent so damn strong. “And I gave you exactly what you needed.” His other hand traveled down my bare body and brushed against the front of my aching clit. “Be a good girl and do it again.”
I swore under my breath, trying to keep my mind clear. He knew exactly—exactly—what would get on my nerves.
“Stop, Roman,” I said. I pressed my knees together, feeling the wetness pool between them. Damn my fucking wolf for enjoying this torture. Damn her.
He rubbed me harder, and I almost let out a moan. Almost. His face was buried into the crook of my neck, his canines poking against my soft spot. My core pulsed violently, the pleasure building higher and higher.
Fuck. I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like this.
But I did.
It felt so fucking good to feel good after what happened on Friday. I didn’t want him to stop, but I would not give him any kind of satisfaction, would not let him get away with this. So, I grabbed his wrist and pulled it away from me. “I said, ‘Stop.’”
Roman paused, raised his brows in shock, and parted his lips. His eyes were a mix of gold and green and his canines lengthened even more as he struggled to stay human.
Sure, I had pushed him away before, but this was different.
I took a deep breath, seeing his large canines. If I wasn’t angry, I’d probably be turned on. “Don’t touch me ever again,” I said. “If you wanted me, you should’ve kept me around, but you pushed me away so I’m not dealing with this anymore.”
I mustered up the courage I had left and shifted back into my wolf, running further into the forest.
Within a few minutes, Roman would have wolves tracking my scent because I had left pack grounds without his permission and had blatantly refused to go to work. But I didn’t give a shit.
The sun burned brightly above me, making my fur warm. I didn’t know how far I had gone; I just ran until I heard branches snapping behind me.
