He was a monster. He had bought her like cattle. He would probably kill her the way he'd killed the others.
And her stupid, traitorous body wanted him anyway.
Marc would have been ashamed of her. The thought cut through the haze of unwanted arousal, sharp and cold. Her brother had died trying to save her from this man, and here she was, wet and wanting on his deck, her body already eager to submit.
No. She would not dishonor Marc's sacrifice by surrendering to biology.
The cook, a grandfatherly beta with kind eyes and calloused hands, helped her to her feet. "Come along, omega," he said gently. "Let's get you settled."
"Does he always treat his brides like this?" The bitterness in her voice could have curdled milk.
The cook's face creased with old grief. "The captain is not what the stories say. But he's not safe either." He guided her toward the lower decks.
She would remember that. She would remember everything. Her brother's blood on the road. Her father's refusal to meet her eyes. The way the captain’s scent had made her weak and wanting.
And she would survive. Whatever it took. Whatever it cost her.
Because Marc had died for her. And she would not waste that sacrifice.
IN THE CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS, the bed dominated one wall, massive and draped in dark fabric. Navigation charts covered a heavy wooden desk. Weapons hung from hooks: swords, pistols, a wicked-looking knife. Portholes looked out over the sea, and through them she could see Roquemort growing smaller as the ship pulled away from shore.
Her home. Her dead brother. Her worthless father. All of it disappearing into the sunset.
Marc, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
"You may use the bed." The captain’s voice came from behind her. She hadn't heard him enter. Wolves moved too quietly. "I will sleep elsewhere until..." A pause. "Until arrangements are made."
She didn't turn around. She couldn't. His scent was filling the cabin, making her light-headed, and if she looked at him right now, she might do something she would regret.
"I hate you.”
He moved closer. She could feel the heat of him at her back, could feel her body leaning toward him like a compass needle finding north. "The other brides didn't speak to me this way."
"The others are dead." She forced herself to turn and face him. He was closer than she'd realized, barely an arm's length away, and his eyes were doing that gold-flicker thing again, his wolf pushing at the surface. "Forgive me if I don't take them as role models."
"Sharp tongue," he repeated. "And brave. Foolishly so." He reached out and touched a strand of her hair, rubbing it between his fingers. "Your heat is coming. I can smell it on you. Three days, perhaps less."
Her face burned. "That's none of your concern."
"You are an omega on a ship full of wolves. Your heat is everyone's concern." His voice dropped lower, taking on a rough edge that made her belly clench. "When it comes, I will chain myself in the hold. You will lock this door and not open it for anyone. Not for the crew. Not for me. Do you understand?"
She stared at him. "You're not going to..." She couldn't finish the sentence. Couldn't name what she'd expected.
"Force you?" His lip curled in disgust. "I am many things. I have done things that would give you nightmares. But I have never taken an unwilling omega, and I never will." He released her hair, stepping back. "When your heat comes, you will want me. Your body will scream for me. But want born of biology is not consent, and I will not touch you until you choose it with a clear mind."
She should have been relieved. She was relieved. But there was another feeling underneath it, coiling hot and shameful in her belly.
Disappointment.
She wanted to slap herself.
"Why?" The question slipped out before she could stop it. "If you bought me, if I'm yours, why does it matter whether I choose?"
His expression shuttered. "Because it’s necessary to break the curse."
"How do I do that?"
He stopped with his hand on the door’s latch. When he looked back at her, his eyes were fully gold, his wolf staring out at her from behind the man's face. “You must fall in love with me.” He opened the door and left.
