“Where’s my sister?” she demands, going tight again, chest heaving.
This time, I’m bringing her directly to my bed.
“Do you have her here? Are you Tyson?” she adds.
“No,” I say.
“Where are you taking me? No. Not up your stairs. Let me down!”
She grips me tight as I climb and closes her eyes and blows out a few slow breaths, trying to calm herself. It’s obvious by the way she clings to me that she’s afraid of being dropped. Afraid of heights?
“I won’t drop you. Promise,” I murmur against her jaw.
Her piercing blue eyes are wild with a combination of fear and fury, her mouth contorted into an adorable scowl as I take her to my bedroom, which takes up three quarters of the top level. When I set her down on my bed, she’s immediately trying to roll off, so I pin her with my body and hold both wrists above her head in one hand.
Fuck, yeah. Under me. And I’m already unclothed. Perfect.
She writhes and grunts. “Let go!”
She feels so fucking good underneath my body. My cock has never been this hard. It has me warring between the urge to use manners and do what I have every instinct and every right to do.
I want what’s mine. Now.
Her chest heaves up and down from her exertion and the angry look in her eyes? It’s a direct line to my cock. I can’t wait to watch that anger melt off her face when I impale her.
“This can’t be happening,” she whimpers.
“This is happening,” I correct her.
“Where’s Ivy?”
“Not far. She’s with Tyson Savage,” I manage to say as my eyes travel her body.
“Is she okay?” she asks and the concern on her face hits me in the chest.
I don’t know the answer to this, but I’m sure Tyson will make sure that if she’s not fine, he’ll get her there. He might have some work cut out for him but if he’s anything like me – which biology and pack mechanics says he should be – he’ll find a way. “If she’s not, she will be.”
I let her wiggle her wrists out of my grip but keep her pinned with my hips.
“What does that mean? And back off!”
She pushes my chest with both hands. I don’t budge. Instead I soak in the feel of the heat from her palms.
I beat back the urge to take her here and now, though I know I can’t hold off much longer. I fully understand now what it means when men describe the rut that comes on when they identify their mate. I need to get this explanation out, succinctly, and quickly so I can get on with this.
“Your sister is Tyson Savage’s destined mate. In your world, you’d call her his wife,” I state.
She glares at me but doesn’t look surprised, which surprises me.
“And you’re about to become mine,” I add.
A swallow works down her throat and she paints on more bravado. Again, not surprise, which is curious to me.
She flips her left hand and holds it in front of my face. A massive diamond ring sits on her finger. She wiggles her fingers for emphasis.
“One ring? Not two,” I say. “You’re not married. Yet. Give me a few minutes, though.”
“I will be in a couple weeks,” she replies shakily, chin quivering, suddenly not looking so tough. “Everything is booked.”
Irrelevant.
“Even if you had two rings on your finger,” I continue, “it doesn’t matter. Fate has spoken.” And it has. There’s no doubt in my mind. “Though obviously that you’re not married makes this less complicated,” I add.
“You’re wrong about that, Doggo. Very wrong. If you’re gonna have a conversation with me, how about you get off me and put some clothes on like a civilized person?”
I smirk. My blood is hot, my cock is hard, and I need her. Badly.
“Though, civilized? That’s obviously not what you people are. People,” she adds under her breath, rolling her eyes.
“Now that I’ve explained myself, I’m ready to be the opposite of civilized, Amelia.”
She shakes her head. “You haven’t explained yourself and I don’t need you to, because this is not gonna happen. I’m engaged and this is only happening because of…” She doesn’t finish, just stares at me.
“Because of…” I prompt.
She shakes her head instead of replying.
“Amelia, you’ve seen with your own eyes what I am. And you know it’s not a dog. A wolf shifter identifies his mate by scent. He identifies his mate and then he takes her.”
“You’re smelling my perfume. It’s known for being sultry. That’s why I wear it. Besides, this is down to something else entirely. Not to mention you probably smelled the beef jerky in my purse.”
I chuckle, but shake my head. “I smell what’s underneath those artificial fragrances. That’s how I know. I felt something on the phone and then caught your scent. You smell fucking delicious.”