I watch in disdain as he grasps her hand.
“So lovely to meet you,Emily.”
“And you are?” she asks.
“Simon Cunningham, darling. Alpha of the Cunningham pack just over the border here,” he says smoothly, making my wolf seethe with anger because he is touching what isours.I have to remind my damn wolf once again that Emily is not ours.
She is a guest in my house. She is my parents’ attempt to arrange a mateforme, because clearly they think I am inept and my father is getting antsy for retirement. She is also grinning like the Cheshire Cat at Simon while giggling like a schoolgirl.
I breathe through my nose, my jaw tightening as I grind my teeth to try and stifle the growl that wants to tear forth from my chest.
She can not seriously findSimonattractive, heat or no heat. She doesn’t even know him!
The scent of milk and honey thickens in the air as a deep, angry growl escapes me. Bugger, she’sperfuming.
I slam the car door shut, making them both jolt. Emily turns to look at me, and for a moment, her eyebrows furrow and she almost looks frightened, which makes me feel like an arse.
But seeing the fear flash in Simon’s eyes is enough to pull my attention from the sweet-smelling omega in my presence. For now.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be, Simon?” I nip. “It is late.”
Simon looks from Emily to me, his hand still holding hers. He gracefully lets go as he smirks at me.
“I was just on my way out, actually.”
He kisses her hand swiftly, and Emily smiles softly. Simon slides his hands into his pockets, sulking off toward the woods.
“Until next time, darling Emily,” he says with a grin, leaving Emily and I alone once more.
Chapter
Five
Emily
“Finally,” I groan into my pillow as I close my eyes. Even the damn pillow smells luxurious; like warm spice andhim.
Mr. Bittersweet. That’s what I’m calling Luke Pembrooke, even if he doesn’t know it.
He might smell like a treat, might even look like a prized dessert with those rock-hard pale abs, but the sugar stops when he opens his damn mouth. The man is insufferable, even for an alpha. He acts like just because he showed up to the airport and gave me his damn sweater that he’s got some claim on me or something.
My wolf whines internally because the very idea of Lucas Pembrooke claiming me makes her giddy as all hell. And maybe it makes my insides giddy a little, too. I think back to moments ago, as he dropped me off like a hot potato, grumbly and growling as he sulked off down the hall like someone had eatenthe last cookie in the cookie jar. He didn’t even let me return his damn sweater.
Seriously, what is this guy’s problem? I’d say it’s an alpha thing because I’m in heat, but I don’t think that is it. Why do I care what Luke is mad about? He’s not my problem.
I roll over onto my back, closing my eyes as I try to relax among the soft linen of this enormous bed. My mind wanders as I try to make sense of everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours.
Mother shoving me on a plane. My heat showing up at the worst time ever. Luke removing his sweater and exposing that hard, pale chest…
So what if he looks good with his shirt off? Plenty of alphas do. They’re naturally built to be five-alarm fires.
I bet Simon looks good shirtless, too. Even if he is thinner and leaner than the big grumbly alpha.
I know slumber is near, but yet I feel restless. I roll over onto my stomach, letting out a heavy sigh. My omega is antsy. Agitated.
I groan in defeat, burying my face in the pillow once more.
The scent of burned sugar and spice fills my lungs, and I let out a whine as
