His fingers tapped a rhythm on the edge of the table, his gaze fixed on her. The quiet didn’t bother him; he thrived in silence.
He could sit in stillness for hours if necessary. She, on the other hand, was clearly uncomfortable.
She kept sipping her coffee, her hands tightly gripping the white mug. Each time his fingers hit the table, he noticed her fingers tighten around the mug.
Her eye twitched, but she bit her lip, holding back her words. He could tell it was getting to her. They had agreed to an hour, but he was finding this amusing.
He was accustomed to people bending over backward for him. He was the alpha, after all. No one dared to defy him. There was occasional banter, some playful jostling, but nothing serious. But her?
He had practically had to carry her, kicking and screaming. That was a first. She was from a different pack, a pack without an alpha, it seemed.
It wasn’t just her defiance, but her body language around him. The more time passed, the clearer it became that she wasn’t feeling the connection. Why not? The longing in his chest was undeniable.
He had never experienced it before, but he knew what it was. A desire to protect. A yearning for closeness.
His ultimate goal was unclear. He wanted answers, he wanted confirmation, but then what? Just walk away?
Given his lack of restraint during their previous encounter, he wasn’t sure how that would go. Her scent had faded, making it easier for him to think clearly.
But when she had leaned against the door? His judgment had faltered.
He hadn’t expected her to resist. She was an omega; it should have been easy to bring her back with him.
But then, he had felt it the first time he touched her: the possessiveness, the sense of ownership. Like she was his. He knew what it meant, but he hadn’t been able to think clearly.
There were too many unanswered questions. Perhaps there was more to her story; a former alpha—even if she denied it. He didn’t need a complicated wolf tying him down. But he knew he couldn’t stay away.
He couldn’t just discard her; his wolf wouldn’t allow him to hurt her. Not that he would want to harm someone without reason.
A mating bond could be a vulnerability; something other packs could exploit. He couldn’t risk that. Yet, he couldn’t silence the voice within him.
“Well?”
His smile reached his eyes. “Well?”
She let out a long sigh, her nostrils flaring. “You wanted to talk. And now you’re not saying anything.”
He continued to watch her.
Even as she stared at her coffee, the golden liquid swirling in the mug with each tap of her fingers, his gaze remained fixed on her.
There had been a man in her apartment, but they weren’t together.
They couldn’t be.
She was supposed to be his mate, not someone else’s.
“I hadn’t realized how eager you are.” He laughed.
“You haven’t given me an answer yet.”
“Answer to what?”
“Why do you believe alphas are monsters? You mentioned you don’t have one, so why?”
“Because. Alphas are beasts, killers.”
“Is that why you’ve never had one? You were born into a pack, had a bad experience, and then left?”
“I wasn’t born into a pack.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Your parents were loners?”
“No. My parents were human.”
She set her coffee cup on the table, maintaining eye contact.
“H—” He chuckled. “You were bitten.”
Suddenly, all the missing pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Bitten. Wolves usually kept a safe distance from humans, making this a rare occurrence.
Mating with a human brought its own set of complications and responsibilities, and most wolves avoided such situations. The less interaction, the better. But what was even more uncommon?
A wolf biting a human and causing a permanent transformation.
“Your little friend did it?” That would explain why he was around and why his scent was all over her.
Her eyes narrowed. “Will would never do that to anyone.”
The bitterness, the loathing in her voice was unmistakable. It was clear she was far from happy with her current situation.
“Then who?”
“I don’t know,” she exhaled.
“Someone found me—I don’t think they intended for me to survive. If they did, slashing my back and chest open was a strange way to show it.”
He probably didn’t. That wasn’t a wise choice.
Not only had the wolf attacked a human, but he had let her live? He hadn’t made sure she wouldn’t survive to tell the story? He had left a newborn alone, someone who had no prior knowledge about their kind.
What a careless jerk. He could have caused trouble for all of them. Some wolves were just selfish fools.
“And Will?” He tried to keep the contempt out of his voice as he said his name.
“I met him when I transformed for the first time.” She traced the rim of her coffee cup with her fingers. “So no, I’ve never had an alpha or a pack. And I’m doing just fine, thank you.”
“I’m guessing your friend wasn’t fond of his alpha.”
“You could say that.”
“What did he do?”
“You know, I’ve answered a lot of questions. You haven’t shared anything.”
He gestured for her to continue. “What do you want to know?”
“Why are you here? Why are you talking to me?”
She was asking for answers he didn’t have. He had followed his instincts, sought her out.
He knew it wasn’t wise to consider her as his mate. But he also knew she was his mate. That was all he knew.
A final decision? A plan? He had none of those.
He was usually a meticulous planner, but not this time. He’d figure out a way to keep her close. He hadn’t thought beyond that. “I don’t know.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one I have. I’ve always had great self-control. Then you came along.”
“Am I supposed to believe you’re a virgin?”
He laughed. “No. But when I sleep with a woman, it’s because I’ve chosen to. Not because I can’t resist.”
His voice was soft, barely above a whisper, and he watched as she shivered.
“Why does that matter?”
“I don’t like losing control.”
His eyes were serious, his gaze intense, and she swallowed hard.
He could provoke a reaction from her—she must have sensed something was off. Had her friend not told her anything? He could just tell her, but she already didn’t trust his words.
“Well, I don’t have an explanation for you. I didn’t exactly enjoy what happened.”
Before she could take another breath, his hand covered hers.
He held onto it as he leaned across the table. “Coulda fooled me.” She tried to pull her hand away, but he held it firmly, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
“Smelled like you had a lot of fun.”
He couldn’t shake the memory of her soft skin, the taste of her lips, the way she seemed to melt into him. She was looking at him now, her gaze locked onto his, and he knew she felt it too.
Her eyes darkened as she stared at him, and he could almost feel the heat radiating from her. When she realized he was aware of her thoughts, she gasped and jerked back.
Alexander’s smile widened into a grin. He was quite pleased with himself. “Can’t let it go, can you?”
Her cheeks flushed a deep red, but she looked away.
This time, she pulled her hand away with more force than before, managing to free herself. She placed her hands in her lap, her fingers intertwined.
“Are we done?”
He chuckled and glanced at his watch. “I’ve got another forty-three minutes.”
But Alexander knew that forty-three minutes wouldn’t be enough. It wouldn’t even begin to answer all the questions he had.
