His mouth curved on one side, and the furious heat of his gaze subsided to warm pleasure. “Thank you. Second…yes, I understand.”
She waited for more, but he said nothing else. “I thought you’d promise to prove yourself somehow.”
“A promise would mean nothing to you today,” he said.
Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. He wasn’t Drew, but he was an alpha. Seventeen percent wolf. A beast. When April shuddered, he withdrew his hands, and instantly hers grew cold.
“I don’t want you to prove anything. I don’t want to be anything to you but a guest of your pack. I can’t be a wolf’s mate again, not any wolf’s mate. Not ever.”
She braced herself for his anger, but he only nodded. She searched his face for what he was feeling—had she hurt him? Could he evenbehurt?—but his expression was calm, reserved. Relief filled her chest. She pushed up from the chair, and Malachi slid a step back before standing to his full height. The size of him didn’t terrify her this time. Her body remained calm and…safe.
Was she believing another liar?
“Where will I stay?” she said. Time to go meet her host.
A furrow gathered between his eyes. “You’ll stay here.”
“What? Y-you mean, I have to be…I have to serve as your—?”
“No,” he growled. “You’ll be a guest, as you said. Nothing more.”
He meant what he said. She was sure of that, although her certainty made no sense. She couldn’t find a response, just stood there.
He cocked his head. “You’d prefer to be housed by someone else.”
“Don’t you think that’s best?”
“If fear were your reason, but it isn’t.”
He was right. She felt no fear, couldn’t even convince herself it was a failure of her survival instincts. Could only stand here feeling safe.
He didn’t ask her to explain. Maybe she shouldn’t. But this encounter was too confusing. She needed to understand herself, and to do that, she needed to process out loud. She twirled a lock of hair around her finger and studied him. He looked right back at her, steady and patient, but those weren’t the only qualities of his golden wolf eyes. Authority and strength lived there too, neither of which he had wielded at her. Yet.
“Surely if you’re telling the truth, it would be difficult for you to house me yourself.”
He turned away from her, looked out the tall windows a long moment, then turned back. “It’s your choice, April. Others in the pack will take you in if needed. But as long as another alpha seeks to find you and harm you, I can protect you best here.”
He was right. If she wanted to survive, she could do no better than staying close to the most powerful wolf…in the country? On the continent? In the Western Hemisphere? No telling.
“You’re willing to house me without any hope of my becoming your mate.”
He nodded.
“Then…then I accept your hospitality. Thank you, Malachi.”
Another nod. He didn’t smile, but his shoulders lowered with a slight release of tension she hadn’t realized he was holding. “I’ll show you to the bedroom, if you’d like to rest.”
“I’d rather get my day/night cycle back on track, if you don’t mind. I should stay awake until at least nine.” Then her brain caught up to his words. To the simplest word. “Um,thebedroom? As in singular?”
“I live alone,” he said with a tilt of one eyebrow.
“I refuse to put you out of your own bed.”
“The couch is comfortable. I often sleep there by choice.”
“That’ll be fine then. I can just—”
“No.” The word came on a growl that should have made her jump…but didn’t. “I will sleep on the couch. You will sleep in the bed.”
