She was an hour away from town when she caught sight of Seth’s gleaming black truck speeding her way with several vehicles behind it. Her heart sank, and her stomach rolled over. She thought about blowing right by him. She really did.
As if already in her head, he swung his truck to the side, blocking the entire road. She rolled to a stop.
Her lungs stuttered. Hurriedly shoving her package into her purse, she waited as he stretched out of his truck, along with Erik, and stalked toward her, his face set in harsh lines. He wrenched her door open, and she was suddenly very glad she hadn’t locked it.
Slowly, deliberately, he reached over and unbuckled her seat belt. “Get out.”
Her body obeyed his command before her brain or mouth could catch up and protest. She balanced a hand on his shoulder as she climbed out, noting several of the vehicles turning back around. He had brought a bunch of the pack after her? “Seth, I...”
“No.” He grabbed her hand and stomped through the rain as Erik reclaimed his truck.
When she was inside Seth’s truck, and they were headed back toward Lost Lake, she cleared her throat. “I had to go to Seattle for a case file.”
“No.” His knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, and he didn’t look at her.
She fell quiet as her temper began to stir. “Now listen, Seth.”
He cut her one sharp glance, and it stole all her breath. Then he turned away to watch the road. In profile, he looked rugged and powerful. A sheath of control surrounded him, and those dark eyes had glittered with something dangerous. He wasn’t just mad. He was pissed.
Something uncoiled in her stomach. She cleared her throat again.
“I’ve been a little confused and overwhelmed lately, Mia,” he said mildly.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
He continued as if she wasn’t just sitting there like a fish off a line. “I’ve been worried about you with Pete dying and you not feeling well.” His eyes were hard and flat, his tone rough. “But treating you with kid gloves has had the opposite effect of what I want, and what you need.”
She straightened. “Excuse me? What does that mean?”
“It means I’m the Alpha, and I’m done with insubordination.” His voice was now a low drawl as the truck cab swelled with his temper, although he appeared to be in complete control.
She snorted, trying to hide the sudden fear—the veryrealfear—slamming into her. She’d panicked and run to Seattle for the pregnancy test, using the case file as an excuse, even in her mind. It probably hadn’t been the smartest move. But pride wouldn’t let her admit it. “Right. What are you going to do, Volk?”
“Oh, baby, I’m going to punish you.”
Chapter12
This was Seth’s fault, and he knew it. He kept his hands on the wheel and not his woman as he drove to their home, his mind replaying the last several weeks since Pete had died. Seth had tried to be understanding and kind, and in doing so, had effectively negated any sense of safety Mia might’ve found with him. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, finally pulling up to the sprawling home.
In his peripheral vision, he saw her shoulders relax. “Me, too.”
“No.” He cut the engine and turned to look at her. “You don’t understand.” Allowing either of them uncertainty had been a colossal mistake, especially with the threats around them pounding closer. “I’m sorry I haven’t taken care of you properly. That I let my concern for you misplace my judgment.”
She frowned, partially turning toward him. “I don’t understand.” Her pretty eyes were cloudy, and her shoulders looked slim in her sweater. She’d lost weight the last couple of weeks, which had also deterred him from following his instincts.
“I know.” He reached over and unsnapped her seat belt, noting her jump. Good. “Do you remember the night you challenged me? What happened out in the rain?” He’d taken her down and hard, biting her, giving them both what they needed.
Him in control.
Red spread across her high cheekbones, and her pupils expanded slightly. “Yes.” Her voice emerged breathily, and she cleared her throat to say the word more forcefully a second time.
His cock hardened. God, she was beautiful. And she’d given herself to him for safekeeping. In his effort to ease her into the pack, he’d created a situation where she felt safe driving into the city without even telling him. Somebody could’ve taken her, could’ve harmed her, and he never would’ve known she was even gone. “That night you gave me…you.” He let his tone dive low into a possessive rumble she’d be deaf not to hear.
She swallowed and settled her hand on her right hip in a move both instinctual and habitual.
Amusement, dark and dry, settled in his chest. “Baby? Are you going for your gun?”
She jolted, her eyes widening. “No. Um, I…” Confusion clouded her eyes for a moment.
