“We’ll get you more. The clothes from your apartment are here so you have plenty of outfits to choose from in the meantime. The betas are setting up your room.” I perk up immediately.
“Our things are here?” I blink rapidly at him as my mind wakes up.
He smirks at my excitement and nods. I instantly glare at him. He’d better speak when I ask him a question. This shit’s going to work both ways.
His eyes spark at the sight of my narrowed eyes. “Yes,” he says teasingly.
“I swear to God, if you can read my mind, I’m going to beat the shit out of you.” An asymmetric grin pulls at his lips.
“I told you I can’t. I won’t ever lie to you, Grace.” The whimper that leaves me at the sound of his tender tone is … unexpected. As is the desire to lean in closer.
It’s hitting me again … squirming in his lap, I close my eyes to will it away.
“I asked you one question and you still haven’t answered it.” The words rumble from his chest as I lean into him even more. I nuzzle under his chin and resist the need to nip at him. The temptation is nearly overwhelming and just the thought fans the low flames igniting my core.
“And what was that question again?” I really don’t remember. I’m still tired and this day feels like one giant blur of raw emotion.
“What do you know about werewolves?” He leans back in his chair and I lean back too. A little distance is good.
Oh, right. I swallow and pick at the ends of the throw as I shrug against him. “Not much, really.”
“And what is ‘not much?’”
“Well, I know you shift into a very large wolf. You’re good at smelling and hearing. You hate vampires.” I bite the inside of my cheek and try to think of more. “I now know that you all have silver eyes and you’re taller than average.” I push the throw down and lean back into him. Staring at the black and white photographs on the far office wall I comment, “You have the ability to make unsuspecting women sleep with you.”
A low growl rumbles up his chest as a warning.
“That’s pretty much it.”
“You’re right; that isn’t very much at all. And half of it’s wrong.” I scrunch up my nose and feel my forehead crease. I pull away from him, both my palms pressing against his chest as I stare into his piercing silver eyes.
“What did I get wrong?”
“We’re not all taller than average.” He mocks me. “I don’t like what you said about making women sleep with us.” I’m forced to bite my tongue at that comment, so much so I’m surprised I don’t bleed. “We don’t all have silver eyes. And lastly, we don’t hate vampires.”
“Yes you do.” The words come out accusingly. “That’s why we have the treaty. You keep them away.”
A slight frown mars his handsome face at my words, but he nods. “They stay away because we asked. But that doesn’t mean that we hate them.”
“You just asked them to stay away?”
“Well no, not exactly. We have an understanding.” I raise my brows, willing him to continue. “They stay away or we kill them.”
“But you don’t hate them?”
He shakes his head. “Why is that so hard to believe?”
“I was always told you came to Shadow Falls to hunt them because they’re your natural enemies.”
He scoffs. “Not at all. A mate to one of the pack members was in danger. We had to protect her.”
“A mate?”
“Yes,” he says and his response is clipped.
“Whose mate?”
“The grandfather to the Alpha of my old pack.”
“I don’t understand. This is the same pack, isn’t it? There’s only one pack who we made the treaty with.”
“We’re part of that pack. I fought their Alpha for the territory after forming my own pack.” The curious side of me itches to scoot closer to him. I need to know more.
“Tell me everything from the beginning,” I say then cross my legs in his lap and watch him intently.
His grin in response is contagious. “I will, sweetheart.” He shakes his head and adds, “Not today, though. It has to be two or three in the morning.” My gaze wanders around the room, searching for the source of the ever-present soft ticking. Damn, he’s right. The simple, sleek and modern clock on the wall directly behind me reads nearly 2:30 a.m.
“I’m happy you seem more relaxed now.” His words are soothing as I hum a response into his chest. He smells so fucking good. Like a masculine, woodsy pine.
“You’re like a drug.” The words slip past my lips effortlessly. “It’s not right and I don’t like it.”
He leans down and runs his teeth along the shell of my ear, causing a chill to run through me while his hot breath tickles my skin. He whispers, “I love that I’m your drug.”