“Which you could have fought. You didn’t want to.”
I opened my mouth. When a brilliant reply failed to emerge, I closed it.
“Your wolf wants to cede control to mine,” he said. “In every way.” He held my stare. “You already know this is true. You’re just annoyed about it.”
He couldn’t be serious. I wasn’t into kinky dominant-submissive shit. Sex was one thing and, yeah, who didn’t like getting their dick worked over by someone who knew what he was doing? But crawling on all fours for him? Turning into a fuckingwerewolf?
I tried to summon a laugh. When it wouldn’t come, I shook my head. “I don’t want any of this.”
He straightened from the sink. “If you’re unhappy with the mate bond, you need to talk to your wolf about it. But you can’t run around unsupervised. I’ll teach you how to shift, and I’ll keep you safe. We can figure out the rest later.”
The panic I’d felt earlier made a swift return, snuffing out my weird urge to crouch at his feet. He sounded very much like he had no intention of letting me go. And he was fully capable of holding me prisoner. In a flash, I saw my future unravel, all my careful, quiet planning falling apart. I’d spent the last four years plotting my escape from my parents. Now, Jesse showed up talking about werewolves and mate bonds.
Part of me wanted to inform him he’d clearly lost his mind. A bigger part of me wanted to jump off the barstool and sprint to the nearest door.
But a third part of me—the part that had spent multiple summers at “retreats” that were splashy facades for gay conversion camps—knew I couldn’t do either of those things. Those retreats had accomplished two things: draining my parents’ retirement savings and teaching me how to fake compliance better than an Oscar winner. The trick was to avoid overdoing it. Quick capitulation would spark suspicion.
“I’m not your mate,” I said. God, it sounded so stupid I would have laughed if the situation hadn’t been so serious. “I barely know you.”
He slow-walked his dark gaze down my bare chest, the look on his face a tantalizing mix of heat and confidence. “I’d say you know me better than you did twenty minutes ago.”
Damn. Despite my mind-blowing orgasm, my dick tightened. Apparently, it didn’t give a solitary shit about Jesse keeping me against my will. He claimed he hadn’t drugged me, but what else explained my reaction to him? He admitted he’d been watching me. Maybe he’d waited in the forest, hoping to knock me out and drag me back to his place. I gulped as a new thought formed in my mind.
“Did you do this to me?” I blurted. “Turn me into a—” I gripped the edge of the counter, my brain refusing to deliverwerewolfto my tongue.
But Jesse understood. “No,” he said, his face abruptly serious. “You have heightened senses now. Use them. I give you my word that I didn’t turn you. We never change people without their consent.”
“So who did?”
“I don’t know.” A dark emotion flitted through his eyes—there and gone so quickly I couldn’t decipher it. “I’ll explore theforest tomorrow. See if I can find a scent.” He raked his gaze over me, but it wasn’t sexual this time. “You’re exhausted. You need sleep.”
Instantly, my brain supplied me with images of our bodies tangled together. I curled my hands into fists on top of the marble. “And how will that work? You gonna handcuff me to your bed again?” I clenched my jaw at how stupidly husky my voice sounded.
Jesse tilted his head, that heated confidence gleaming more brightly. “If you want me to.”
My throat became the Sahara. “I don’t.”
Something amused and indulgent replaced the confidence. “You’ll have to let me know if you change your mind. For now, I’ll get you something to sleep in.” He gave me a pointed look as he rounded the island and left the kitchen. “Alone, if you’re wondering.”
For a second, I stayed put. Did he expect me to just follow him like a dog?
“Caleb.”
I turned on the stool and found him watching me from the living room. His posture was relaxed, and his frat boy features were as composed as ever. But I wasn’t fooled anymore.
“If I don’t come home tonight,” I said, “my parents will call the cops.”
“You’re twenty-three years old, and Hale Valley is one of the safest communities in New York. The police aren’t going to look very hard. Not tonight. And tomorrow morning, you’re going to call your folks and let them know you’re moving out.”
Alarm bells clanged in my head. “I’m not?—”
“You can’t go home, Caleb. It’s too dangerous.” His eyes lightened, and his voice dipped low. “Come upstairs now, please.”
Pressure formed a thick band around my chest. As before, looking directly at Jesse was like trying to stare at the sun. Pain stabbed at my retinas, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from whimpering. Sitting was no longer an option.Move.I had to move because Jesse wanted it.
And because it would feelso goodto go.
I went, the pressure easing enough for me to breathe without effort. But the weight in my chest didn’t dissolve. It tugged like an invisible hook embedded between my ribs, propelling me in his wake as he crossed the living room and climbed the stairs.
