I didn’t appreciate my Beta flirting with her, so I had to remind him to back off. I hope he got the warning because I would fucking castrate him if he ever made a move at her.
My nose still flared with anger. I had no idea if I was more angry with Dominic or myself.
What was I thinking when I blurted out that rejection?It was the last thing I wanted to do. My mark on her was my only link to her, and I never wanted to erase that bond. I wanted her. But the thought of her not wanting my mark pained me.
What do I need to do so I can make her stay?If I ordered her to stay, then it would be another Andrea. I didn’t want to risk her hating me, so I was ready to reject her so she could have what she wanted.
But did she just stop me?
Fuck!She kissed me. I closed my eyes and rubbed my palms against my face, confused with everything in my head.
“Are you done staring at the empty door?” Jacob’s mocking voice snapped me back to the present, and I turned my head toward his voice. The fucker was taking another sip of my expensive rum.
“What the fuck are you still doing here? Who said you could drink that?” I walked toward him and grabbed the bottle in front of him, sealing its cork tightly before placing it back in my liquor cabinet.
“Relax. I know we just cockblocked you, but don’t you think you were going too fast? Is everything okay between the two of you?”
“We hardly talked when you bolted in unannounced.” I sighed in desperation as I slumped my body into my chair.
“I felt your aura seeping through the office door, so I rushed in. What riled you up?”
“I almost rejected her.”
“What? The fuck, Riley. Don’t tell me you don’t like her. Because you looked like a smitten dog, mind you, not a wolf, but a fucking dog while looking at her. What’s with the rejection drama?”
“That’s why she is here, right? She wants that mark gone.”
“Idiot! Are you a fucking Alpha? Her uncle wanted that mark gone. But I didn’t even think for a second that she wanted it away. You told me you marked her three full moons ago, so why did she show up just now? Beaten and dragged by her uncle?”
He just called me an idiot, but I would have to agree with this fucker. She didn’t want my mark gone from her, and that was why she kissed me.Are females really this fucking hard to read?
“Instead of rejecting her, why didn’t you ask where she had been for the last three months, and why did she run away from you? There’s more to that female than what meets the eye. Get to know her. If she’s not worth your time and the Luna title, then reject her. Let her go.”
My heart constricted at the last part. I didn’t even think for a second that she wasn’t worth my time or that she wouldn’t fit as my Luna. The question is, would she give me her time so I could prove my worth as a mate, as her Alpha?
“I don’t want to do to her what I did to Andrea,” I told him my truth.
“What do you mean?” His brows furrowed.
“I confined Andrea here. I took her by force by blackmailing her. In the process, she hated me. If Nadia turns out to hate me, I don’t think I can live with that…”
“You like her…”
I snorted a fake laugh. “The last three months were fucking hell without her. I don’t think you will understand.”
“I do. I lost Clair for two weeks, and my only motivation to get up every morning was that she was alive and I had the chance to find her. I didn’t know where she was or who had her, but I didn’t stop until I took her back. But you have Nadia here, so forget about the last three months. Ask her to stay. Offer her protection from her uncle. If she doesn’t want to stay in yourpackhouse, give her a house nearby. And control your mood swings. Let your mate bond help you get the female you want.”
He was already done talking, and I was just staring at him.
“So?” His forehead creased as he looked back at me.
“Did someone tell you you’re fucking too smart for an asshole? But I’m not sure if that will work for her. But I’ll try.”
He chuckled, sipping his rum before pointing a finger at me. “You must clean up your act and step up as an Alpha again. Try to impress her.”
BETA DOMINIC.
“I don’t think a beautiful female like you fits in a…” I didn’t get to finish what I wanted to say when Alpha Riley dug into my head, swearing at me and telling me to back off from flirting with Nadia. He was angry, and as much as I wanted to taunt him because of all the stress he had given me for the last three months, I knew when to keep my mouth shut. I could do it some other day.
