“I want to go home,” she screamed. “You’re supposed to be my mate, but you call someone else sweetheart? Where are my clothes? My suitcases? I want my stuff!”
In the next moment, her rage shifted and she began to sob. When warm arms came around and pulled her into a warm, muscle-covered body, she thrashed, wiggled, and tried to fight him off. But he just held her tighter and tighter until she couldn’t breathe.
“Shh, dancer. You’re not going anywhere. I told you, we’re together forever.”
“Then you’d better fucking stop calling other women sweetheart. Or else one of us is going to end up without his balls. Who is she? An old lover? Someone who’s going to be a side piece when you stop wanting to fuck me? Who?”
Katee wasn’t sure if it was anger, hurt, or fear that she felt most. All she did know was that she couldn’t fill her lungs because he was hugging her too tight.
“Can’t. Breathe.”
The arms around her loosened enough so she could pull in a full breath, but he did not release her. Instead, he lifted her from the ground and walked across the room. Turning her head,she saw he had taken her back into the bedroom. The last thing she wanted was to go back to bed with him.
When she continued struggling for release, Toren smacked her ass until she stopped fighting his hold. “Stop fighting. We are going to talk. Then we will both get dressed and go downstairs to join the pack for lunch.”
“I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to have lunch. I want my clothes, and I want to leave.”
She squealed when Toren tossed her onto the middle of the bed. He followed her down, not giving her a chance to get away. She ended up on her back with him lying over her, using his weight to hold her in place.
She looked into his eyes, and the fierce and fiery wildness she saw there had her growing still. He looked as if he would rip her apart if she tried to fight any further.
“You. Are. My. Mate. You will not leave me. Ever.”
Fear shivered through her, and all she could think to say was, “Okay.”
Chapter Five
Toren took a deep breath and forced his snarling wolf back from breaking free from his control. His wolf couldn’t simply fuck her into submitting to them, even if it did sound like a good idea. His mate needed answers, and Toren was the man who had to give them to her. It was not safe for her to leave the pack house. Not until he had dealt with Keller, and even then she would be surrounded by guards.
“I have never slept with any member of my pack. The woman you heard me talking to was Clarey. She cleans the house and keeps the household running. She’s a half-shifter that we brought into the pack about a year ago after we found her beaten to a pulp and lying in a ditch by the side of the road. She is the only female member of the Waverly pack. Until I mated you yesterday.”
Toren watched as Katee digested that information and slowly relaxed under him.
“I do call her sweetheart, and when you meet her, you’ll understand why. If you want me to stop, I’ll try. Just remember, you are my mate and no one,no one, comes before you. In fact, as of last night, you are the most important member of the pack. You will be protected and cared for not only by me, but by every member of my pack. Including Clarey. Now, how about a shower? Then we’ll go down and join the pack for lunch.”
Katee studied his throat for a moment before meeting his gaze again. “Oh, all right. I won’t tear her apart until after I meet her. And I am hungry, so let’s get that shower and join your pack for lunch.”
“Ourpack,” Toren corrected.
“Fine,” she huffed. “Our pack. Now let me up.”
Toren slowly rolled off of her and climbed from the bed. He was prepared for another physical battle, but she surprisedhim by following him off the bed and walking straight into the bathroom.
As they approached the dining room, fifteen minutes late, a body flew out of the dining room doorway and hit the wall on the other side of the hallway. A moment later, a large black wolf leaped into view and stood over the man who appeared only semi-conscious.
“What the fuck?” Toren roared as he pushed his mate behind him to keep her safe.
At the sound of his voice, the wolf froze before turning just his head to look at Toren. The man just moaned and stilled.
“Back up, Micah. Go to your room, calm the fuck down, then shift and put on some clothes,” Toren ordered, the alpha power strong in his tone. “Then you can come back and apologize to my mate for scaring the fuck out of her.”
The wolf nodded his head up and down, then moved to stand in front of Katee and made a half-bow before loping out of view.
Toren then turned his attention to the man still on the ground, who looked dazed, but was coming back to full consciousness. Approaching the man slowly, he reached down, took his hand, and helped him to his feet.
“What the fuck did you do to piss him off now, Jaren?”
Jaren stood leaning against the wall as he shook his head and came back to life. Grinning at the alpha, he said, “I called him out about the fact that he didn’t believe you had actually found and claimed your mate without even knowing her name. Not sure why that pissed him off, but he seemed to take offense at knowing all the dish.”