I growled. This was going to be a problem. Until we’d completed the mating bond, I wasn’t going to be able to stop thinking about her, stop coveting her. But it was clear she didn’t trust me, even if I didn’t understand why. As long as she didn’t trust me, as long as she refused to let me in entirely, the mating bond would never be fully completed.
Overhead, the shower squeaked on, and the rush of water as it slammed into the tub filled my ears. The thought of her alone, naked, in the shower, only made that aching need for her even worse. I could barely take it.
With another growl, I stalked up the stairs to my room. Rage raced through me. She couldn’t do this to me. I needed to claim her. If that meant forcing it on her, then that’s what it would require.
The shower turned off. A moment later, I could hear the bathroom door opening. Not entirely aware of what I was doing,only that I needed her and fully intended to take her, I sprang to my feet and marched out to the hallway.
She was clad in a robe. Her hair was still damp from the shower, droplets of water still beading on her forehead and trickling from her collarbone. The smell of strawberry shampoo wafted down the hall, only making her even more alluring. My wolf growled with need and hunger at the sight of her.
She came to a halt as she saw me. There was something that might have been acceptance in her eyes, or closer to expectation. I barely noticed as I stalked toward her, trying and failing to hold back that almost insatiable need pulsing through me.
Folding her arms, her chin jutting out, she waited. She was so unlike the timid, insecure girl I had known all those years ago. That strength that kept coming out of her at surprising moments only made me want her more. I admired it as much as it was currently infuriating me.
“Let’s get this out of the way,” she said, her voice calm and even. The fact that she managed to remain this composed in front of me, when I was like this, was nothing short of admirable.
It was also annoying as hell.
“We need to complete the bond,” I said.
“No, we don’t,” she said. “Not right now at least.”
I didn’t bother holding back a low, angry growl. “It’s your duty as my mate.”
She didn’t flinch at my tone or look remotely ashamed. “Having sex is not a duty. And I’m not going to sleep with you just because we’re mates.”
I started to walk forward, but she held out a hand, her eyes hard as stone. Surprised, I stopped.
“You’re driving me insane here,” I growled, looking her up and down. God, she looked incredible. I started imagining what she would look like without a towel, and I could feel my cock twitch with interest.
She took a deep breath as she met my gaze, seeming almost to steel herself. “Trust me, I’m feeling it, too,” she said.
Eagerness rippled through me. I took a step toward her, reaching out to pull her into my arms, to take her. She held up a hand, pushing it against my chest. It burned where she touched as she stared up at me.
“I’m not doing it,” she said. “Not tonight. Maybe not for a long time.”
I growled. “It’s your duty.”
She raised an eyebrow, her lips now a thin line as her eyes burned. That fire only made me want her more.
“I have a duty as luna to the pack, yes. And you and I are bound. Believe me, I am very much aware of that little fact. But that doesn’t mean I have a duty to have sex with you. But I’m not going to just because our wolves want it.”
Anger and frustration radiated through me. That wasn’t going to be good enough. With another growl, I took the wrist of the hand still pressed against my chest and pulled her against me. Everywhere she touched sent ripples of need through me, and my cock twitched as my wolf demanded I take her.
My arm snaked around her waist, holding her tight against me as I kept holding her wrist above her head. She tried to push away, but I gripped her tight.
“What’s stopping me from taking you right now, anyway?” I snarled.
I felt her breath hitch slightly, could smell her arousal, but her eyes remained firm.
“Let go of me before I make you wish you had,” she said. There was not a hint of bravado in the words. Just pure certainty. That defiance just kept aggravating my wolf, making him want her more.
A pinch of rational thought pierced through that need and hunger. This was a bad idea on a variety of levels. I let her go, though not without reluctance. I could sense my wolf, wanting her, needing her, needing to claim her. I let out a snarl as my fingers flexed.
It would be so easy to take her. I knew that. What was more, my wolf knew it. He fixated on it, wanting me to give in to my base urges and push her against the wall and take her right then and there.
With an irritated growl, I closed my eyes. I couldn’t let the wolf take over. This was the mating bond trying to take control. If I gave in to it now, then what would that mean for the rest of our lives?
Emma waited, her arms folded as she stared up at me with pure defiance and conviction. I couldn’t help but admire it again, despite how infuriating my wolf found the rejection.
