I bring the cup of coffee that is basically alcohol to my lips and drink it all in one go. The mixture burns in my throat, and then farther down in my chest as its warmth spreads through my entire body. I lean back in my chair, rubbing my thumb along the outside of the empty cup.
I guess this means physical touch alone doesn’t trigger anything. But I should be careful not to take things any further. What happened last night doesn’t change anything; being with her is still impossible. I wish I could tell her the truth, but I know it won’t work. I can’t speak the words—not to her, not to anyone.
I close my eyes and sigh. This would be easier if Sienna weren’t so hardheaded. Despite the situation, the corner of my lip rises. She’s a feisty firecracker, bold and determined. I can’t help but want to watch her all the time, just to see what she’ll do or say next. Her energy is contagious, all that ambition and drive packed into one small body.
I open my eyes slowly and stare blankly at the ceiling. What’s the use of admiring a woman I can never have? But if I let things go on like this, I won’t be able to maintain control. That kiss proved it. Simply ignoring her isn’t going to work. My wolf is too desperate to get to her. There has to be something I can do.
I set the cup down, stand up, and pace to the window. The morning sun is just breaking over the estate grounds, gilding the manicured lawns in soft gold. The world looks peaceful. Untouched. A stark contrast to the mess inside my head.
I’m about to turn away when movement catches my eye.
A figure crosses the lawn in long, purposeful strides, heading away from the estate house. I know that walk before I even let myself register who it is.
Sienna. Dark hair loose around her shoulders, a thin jacket pulled over her clothes.
I frown, stepping closer to the window. She’s heading straight for the tree line.
The forest that borders the estate isn’t off limits, exactly. Pack members walk it all the time. But we’ve had trouble on the outer perimeter—last night being a perfect example—and Lydia specifically told me she gave the Moonvale team a full briefing on estate safety. They were to inform her or me if they wanted to leave the grounds, especially alone.
Did she tell Lydia? I already know the answer. I check my watch; it’s barely past seven. The household is just beginning to stir. No way Sienna cleared this with anyone.
My wolf surges to attention, suddenly wide awake. She shouldn’t be out there alone. Not after yesterday.
I’m out of my office before I realize what I’m doing. Through the corridor, down the back staircase, out the side door. My strides eat up the distance across the lawn until I reach the edge of the trees.
I catch her scent immediately—jasmine and citrus tangled with the damp morning air—and follow it into the forest.
I see her, but I stay well back. She doesn’t seem to be heading anywhere specific, just walking. Putting distance between herself and the estate.
Between herself and me.
I trail her at a careful distance, staying on the soft moss to keep my footfalls silent. Luckily, I am upwind, so my scent drifts away from her instead of toward her. Decades of running these woods have taught me every shortcut, every vantage point. I could follow her blindfolded.
Her muttering starts about five minutes in.
“…absolute jackass. Who does he even think he is…”
I stop dead behind a thick oak, my eyebrows rising.
“…like I’d want to kiss him anyway. Arrogant, avoidant, emotionally constipated…”
My mouth twitches in spite of myself.
“…and he had the audacity—the audacity!—to kiss me like that and then throw me out as if I’m the problem…”
A breath hisses out of me that I struggle to conceal.
“Jerk. I hope he breaks a toe today…”
She trails off, kicking a stone so hard, it ricochets off a tree.
A hot and unwelcome sensation twists in my chest. Not guilt—I’ve been marinating in that for a week. Maybe the opposite? A thread of pleasure that she’s thinking about me at all. That she’s this worked up, this invested.
I shouldn’t be pleased. I should be relieved that she hates me. That’s what I want. It’s safer. And yet…
My wolf preens inside me. She’s thinking about us.
Shut up.
