Distracted. He shook his head. It finally made sense when, all those years ago, his dad told him that females were the true Alphas of a pack. “They’ll distract you to your detriment.” And Jurywasdistracting him. Right now, he’d eat his own damn shoes if Jury asked him to, and that was worrisome too. Because she’d been right to remind him that she was from an enemy pack.
And she just conveniently wound up in my territory?
Koe had to wonder if Jury was in his territory without a motive. Was she sent to tame the Alpha? Were her scars a ploy? It was an angle he hadn’t considered until now. Now, that he was willing to go to war for her. And he was. He was willing to burn the Biters to ash to avenge her because he believed her. But should he believe her?
Fuck!
Was he playing into their hands? At first, he’d assumed she’d just been sent to infiltrate the pack, but what if she’d been specifically chosen to seduce him, the Alpha? Pissed that hehadn’t considered this scenario from the jump, he tossed a glare over his shoulder at the landing that led to her room.
Is she playing me?
The thought had his heart thundering in his chest. Her sweet, delicate demeanor was just the thing to dupe an Alpha like him. Someone so gentle and appealing would call on any good Alpha’s protective instincts. Did Bragga know that, or was he giving the Biter Alpha more credit than he deserved? Worse, was he demeaning Jury? And could he afford not to?
Torn, he knew that as Alpha, it was his responsibility to do his due diligence, but as a man could he? He didn’t believe that there was a deceitful bone in Jury’s body. But knowing that Narae, her sister, could mask the scent of her lies had Koe wondering if Jury could do the same.
Fuck!
There was so much to do. He knew Bragga and his Biters were coming; he just didn’t know when. He knew he needed to talk to the Blackbird pack about getting rules changed, but did he bother with that now? And he knew he needed to find out if Juryand Narae were legit or if they were deceiving him and his pack, but he didn’t know how to do that. His pack was goddamn mess right now, and it was because he’d let Jury and Narae in. He needed to find out if they were deserving of that grace and that took priority over all else.
Chapter 27
Daemon was all over Narae. Kissing her long and deep, his hands gripped her ass as he rubbed himself against her jeans, dying with the need to tear off the clothes separating them to push hard and deep inside her. Beneath him, Narae was kissing him back, one arm wrapped around his neck, the other hand fisting his hair, her thighs gripping him tight.
With a snarl, he ripped himself away from her. Pacing away from the bed, he fisted his own hair and tried to control his inner wolf. Demon was slamming against his insides, enraged that they weren’t claiming their mate. But he couldn’t do this right now. It wasn’t fair to Narae, it wasn’t fair to Jury, it wasn’t fair to his pack, and it wasn’t fair to himself.
Unable to face Narae, he kept his back to her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped you like that. I just…” He dragged in a deep breath, angling his head to the side to glance at her over his shoulder. “I can’t control myself around you, and I apologize for that weakness. It’s unacceptable.” He shook his head in self-contempt. “I can’t even promise you it won’t happen again.” And that pissed him off. Where in the hell had his self-control gone?
“I’m a big girl, Daemon. I’ll tell you know when you’ve gone too far.”
That had him turning to face Narae. He watched as she climbed from the bed and straightened her hair, and then her clothes. As she stalked past him, she shoulder-checked him, which made him grin, partly because her shoulder only reached his arm, but mostly because she had the balls for the move. As a courtesy, he rotated his body with the contact so she’d feel like her anger had an impact.
She’d just reached the bathroom entrance when he stopped her with, “I’m going to my home to check on things. I’ll be back in a while. You can find breakfast in the cafeteria on the main floor. West wing.”
Narae turned to frown at him. “Your home? You don’t live here?”
He chucked his chin toward the window. “I have a cabin out in the southernmost pasture. Demon and I need our space.”
She nodded contemplatively. “I feel that.”
He wanted to ask whether she meant she felt it because she knew Demon, or because she, too, needed her space. He was hoping it was the latter, so she wouldn’t be too resistant to moving out to his cabin with him when he fully claimed her. Because that was the plan. Eyes going up and down her frame, his still hard cock jerked in appreciation. He wanted her. He wanted her like he wanted his next fucking breath, and the desire to walk to her, pick her up, and push her into the wall to fuck her until she screamed that she was his was making him lightheaded. “I need to know the truth,” he demanded. “And I’m just gonna take you at your word. Do you have someone back at the Biter compound? A male?”
Narae shook her head. “No. I wouldn’t let any of those fucks touch me, and none of them have ever tried except for the recruit you killed at the firepit and Lionel.”
“Lionel?”
“He’s one of Bragga’s top Enforcers. He’s psychotic. He cornered me once and shoved his tongue down my throat. I foughthim off like my life depended on it. Because it did. He’s fucking crazy.”
“Lionel.” Daemon repeated, gritting out the name in disgust, rage replacing the lust that had consumed him.
Narae turned for the bathroom again. “I need to get cleaned up.”
“Wait.” When she turned to face him, Daemon just put it all on the table. “You need to know a few things, and the sooner the better.”
She simply stared at him and waited.
“First, I like my mark on you. I don’t regret it, and I don’t want it gone. Second, I don’t give a fuck about Bragga or a single one of his pathetic Biters. There’s only one person you should be worried about coming for you. And that’s me.” He took a step closer. “Because Iamcoming for you, Narae. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my whole damn life. Even now, my hands are itching with the need to grab you. And you may act indifferent to the idea, but the scent of your sweet, hot pussy on that bed just now tells me that you aren’t as opposed to the idea ofme as you’re letting on.” He paused a beat and then continued. “But. If you don’t want that…don’t want me, then you need to talk to Koe today. Let him know I’ve marked you against your wishes, because if you don’t…” He dipped his chin, looking at her from beneath speared brows. “If you don’t, I’m coming for you. Fast and hard, love. I’m coming for you. And then I’m cominginyou.”
***
