"I've hired enough, and dealt with it fine."
"You just told me you don't sleep."
"I don't need to sleep."
I heard Callum's scoff from outside the shower. "Delegate the work, or I'll delegate it for you."
"Touch my business, and I will kill you inourfucking bed."
"At least you can admit it's ours."
"Great. Now bring the couch back."
"No."
I glared at the wall of the shower, pumping shampoo into my hand and scrubbing my scalp violently.
Callum had already put all of my toiletries in his bathroom, which was either considerate or overbearing. Or maybe just fucked up, since I'd been forced to move in with him.
He waited outside the shower while I finished washing my hair and the rest of my body. Neither of us said anything, but the tension in the bathroom was thick enough to cut.
When I stepped out and grabbed a towel, his gaze dropped to my bare, wet body immediately.
I yanked the towel off the hook nearby and strode up to him.
Was I still furious?
Oh, yeah.
But was I going to use his obvious attraction and possessiveness to my advantage?
You'd better believe it.
I glared up into those piercing blue eyes. "You obviously don't understand the way the werewolf world works, so let me make one thing very clear, Callum. Women run the packs. We make the calls. Men exist to keep us safe. When a man tries to overstep his boundaries, do you know what a woman does?"
"I have a feeling you're going to tell me."
"She leaves. And she finds some other fucker to protect her. Betas are a dime a dozen."
His nostrils flared. "You can't leave me."
"Not physically."
The threat lingered in the air.
A mate bond didn't guarantee loyalty.
It didn't force emotional connection of any kind.
It didn't prevent cheating, betrayal, or anything similar. It was a permanent mental bond, and a vow, and that was it.
"You're threatening me." Callum's eyes were so cold, they burned.
"Am I?"
His lips curved the tiniest bit, his expression almost wicked. "What do you want?"
"Stay out of my business. Keep your hands off my laptop. Don't try to control what I do with my time."
