“You’re a good boy,” Blackwell rumbled, his hand moving down to scratch the nape of Sebastian’s neck, fingers moving behind his ears, petting and stroking him with gentle strength. “You’ll see that belonging to me is exactly what you’ve always needed.”
Sebastian clenched his jaw, suddenly furious. Blackwell didn’t know that. Blackwell didn’t knowhim. They were strangers, and the fact that Sebastian smelled good and liked to be manhandled was not the basis of a relationship.
“Can’t you pick someone else?” he pleaded.
Blackwell’s fingers stilled, his hand resting on the back of Sebastian’s head, warm and unbearably heavy.
“I’m afraid not.” Blackwell didn’t sound even remotely sorry. “I wantyou.”
Sebastian could see exactly how much the werewolf wanted him. All he had to do was look down and Blackwell’s bulge was right there. It loomed in the periphery of his vision, like a girthy snake stuffed down the left side of Blackwell’s pants.
“But-”
“You signed up for this.” Blackwell gently cut him off. He tilted Sebastian’s head back, using his hair for leverage, leaning in until Sebastian could feel his breath on his throat.
“I didn’t think-”
“I wish I could have hunted you,” Blackwell rumbled, his voice dipping into a growl. The sound set off alarm bells in the lizard part of Sebastian’s brain.
“What?”
“I wish I’d tracked you down myself, let you make a run for it.” Blackwell leaned in and dragged his nose down behind Sebastian’s ear, pulling his head back further to lay bare the long line of his throat. “I wonder how far you’d have gotten before I caught you.”
Sebastian clenched his eyes shut, wondering how it was possible to be this scared and this turned on at the same time.
Blackwell rubbed his stubbled jaw over the tender skin of Sebastian’s Adam’s apple, his chest rumbling with animal pleasure as he breathed in Sebastian’s scent.
When Sebastian felt like he’d been scraped raw, Blackwell pulled away and sat back on his haunches. He studied Sebastian for a few long seconds, looking immensely satisfied with himself.
“Sorry about that.” Blackwell licked his lips and let out a wistful breath. “I didn’t mean to get carried away.”
Sebastian was lightheaded, his heart beating furiously against his chest, and he realized that he’d been holding his breath. He exhaled, the air escaping like he’d been punched.
“Are you okay?” Blackwell’s voice was soft, his eyes worried. Sebastian said nothing, lifting his fingers and tracing them over the skin where Blackwell’s stubble had rubbed him red.
He tried to imagine it – Blackwell catching his scent and hunting him down, claiming him without any warning – but his mind shied away from the very idea of it. Whether that was because it was too terrifying, or too arousing, Sebastian couldn’t say.
“Don’t be scared.” Blackwell placed his hand on Sebastian’s thigh and gave it a firm squeeze. His hand was so massive that his fingers spanned almost the entire width of Sebastian’s thigh. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”
“Okay,” Sebastian whispered, swallowing. He was suddenly glad for the truce between humans and werewolves. He couldn’t imagine how much more terrifying it would be to have Blackwell chase him down, claiming him without even the pretense of consent.
The current system was much better. The only people who had to worry about being hunted by a werewolf now were the people stupid enough to sign up for Life Mate.
“Good.” Blackwell rubbed Sebastian’s thigh and rose to his feet. “It’s decided. Wait here while I take care of the paperwork.”
“But-” Sebastian tried to protest, but a sharp look from Blackwell had him swallowing his protest.
“I’ll be right back.” Blackwell pointed a stern finger in Sebastian’s face before exiting the conference room.
Leaning back into the armchair, Sebastian wondered if all werewolves were as bad at listening as Blackwell, or if he was just a bully.
Blackwell had completely disregarded everything he’d said, batting away his objections like they were nothing. Blackwell was clearly an alpha used to getting his way, and Sebastian shuddered at what that might mean for him.
As the seconds ticked by, Sebastian’s racing heart calmed and he felt like he could breathe easier. He was still feeling anxious, but his immediate panic was fading.
His tenuous calm shattered at the sensation of his phone starting to vibrate in his pocket. Pulling it out, he checked the caller ID and winced.
It was his mom. For a moment he stared at the screen, a picture of his mother’s grinning face staring back at him, unable to bring himself to answer. How on earth was he supposed to tell her that all her worries had come true and that he’d been picked by a werewolf?
