He moved, positioning himself in front of the desk and leaning back against it as he forced himself to be patient.
“You were always welcome to ask,” he snapped.
“The only thing I ever wanted from you, you couldn’t give me. You wouldn’t give me,” she cried out, her finger stabbing toward him furiously. “Not only did you refuse to even consider allowing me to do more than these messy damned files for you, but you then destroyed the office I spent years organizing. Were you so desperate to get your menial help back that you just had to have me fired, Cullen? That you couldn’t even allow me to work for anyone else?”
Cullen stared back at her in shock.
“Fired?” he questioned her with a growl. “Chelsea, I didn’t have you fired. What the hell happened?”
The look she shot him was frankly disbelieving.
“You called Rule,” she yelled back at him hoarsely, that sense of hurt and betrayal washing over him like a bitter breeze.
“The hell I did,” he snapped. “I never mentioned firing you. I informed him, officially, of my now-active Breed status and of our mating status. Nothing more.”
“It was officially none of his business,” she cried out, her dark eyes burning with anger. “That was our business alone.”
For a woman who knew so many Breeds he often wondered if she had any human friends, her knowledge of the Breed society was shockingly inadequate.
“Chelsea, honey.” He gripped the edge of the desk behind him in frustration. “The moment my Breed status went active I was required to alert him because of my position in law enforcement. And all Breeds are required to inform either their alphas or the Bureau when they mate. I have no alpha.” And he intended to keep it that way. “So I notified Rule. And that was the extent of our conversation.”
“Rule fired me,” she whispered, licking her lips before giving a little shrug that looked far too much like defeat. “He said the Mating Heat scent would keep me from getting information.” She shot him a bitter smile. “You got what you wanted after all. What did you say? There’s no cure?” Her smile was too bright and too filled with hurt. “Congratulations, Cullen. Dad will be overjoyed. Granddad will be proud as hell.”
And it hurt her so deep that Cullen wasn’t certain he could fix it.
“I’ll call Rule . . .”
Chelsea was shaking her head even as he spoke. “Please don’t do that, Cullen. I don’t want or need that good-ole-boy network to fix a damned thing for me.” Her smile was tight and hard. “Look at it this way, all that angst over protecting me just got easier.”
Got what he wanted?
“You actually believe I wanted to see you hurt like this?” he demanded, staring at her in disbelief. “For God’s sake. If I wanted to get you fired, Chelsea, I could have done it a hell of a lot easier without making myself look like the bad guy. And I sure as hell wouldn’t have used our mating to do it. The last thing I want you to do is resent your bond with me.”
He rubbed at the back of his neck in irritation as the anger continued to glitter in her eyes.
Before he could say anything more, a hard knock sounded at the door, causing her to flinch slightly before she controlled it.
“What?” he snapped, his irritation growing.
The door eased open and one of the junior agents poked his head in warily. “Sorry, Commander, but Director Breaker from Breed Affairs is out here. He’s demanding to speak to Ms. Martinez.” The agent flashed her a smile. “Hey there, Chelsea. It’s good to see you again.”
“Hey, Rylan.” She returned the greeting
, her smile tight. “Tell Director Breaker to—”
“Go to hell?” Rule stepped into the office and flashed Cullen a glare. “Don’t bother, Cassie took care of it for you.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Cullen bit back a frustrated curse.
“You’re damned sure trying to make my life hell,” Cullen informed him, staring back at the other Breed with a flat, hard warning. “Keep it up and we’re going to have words.”
Rule eyed him suspiciously. “You’re not crazy enough to be a Bengal. Too damned calm.”
“Rule, I’m going to kill you,” Cullen stated, restraining a growl threatening to rumble in his chest.
“Well, join the club.” Rule grimaced before turning to Chelsea. “Will an apology suffice or must I grovel?”
Moving past Rule, Cullen stomped to the door and closed it in Rylan’s far-too-curious face. Son of a bitch, this morning was flat going to hell.