Page 33 of In the Mouth of the Wolf

He gave my hand a final squeeze before letting go. “I understand. You have my number in case you need anything, right? I’ll just be right down the road.”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself to leave. “I… I don’t even know what to say.” Even after I convinced Mike I was alive and apologized enough to make up for the torture I’d put him through, I still needed to interact with Elias and Camden regarding my dad’s inheritance. Knowing these feelings existed between us was going to make it impossible.

“You don’t need to say anything. Take your time, and we’ll deal with your father’s will when you’re ready. Even if you need to return home first for a while. We’re not going anywhere.”

I couldn’t explain why, but I was having trouble getting out of the car. “Nolan offered to set me up with a pack of beta females in California,” I blurted in an attempt to continue our conversation.

His eyes lit with amusement. “Did he, now? But why would you need a pack of beta females if shifters don’t exist? What did you call us, ‘delusional LARPers’ or something to that effect?”

I let out a small laugh. “Yeah, something like that. Hypothetically speaking, if shifters did exist and I was an omega, I’m still unbonded. And if I want to walk freely without an escort for the rest of my life, I need to find a pack, right?”

He rubbed his chin with his thumb, watching me carefully. “Yes, you would. But I actually know a very nice pack right here that happens to have an omega position available, if you’re interested. And I think we might be able to offer you a bit more protection than beta females.”

I studied his face, the way his blonde hair curled ever so slightly at the ends and fell into his green eyes. He sported a scruffy beard from days of not shaving, and his lips looked kissably soft.

My breath hitched and his nostrils flared.

“I want to marry Mike,” I said. Was it to convince myself or Elias? “And I don’t think he’d be okay with the type of relationship an omega would have with a pack of alphas. And I can’t sentence you all to a life of permanent blue balls, either.”

Elias sighed, looking out the window. “Marriages fail all the time, California. But pack bonds are for life.”

His scent saturated the air, heating my core. Shit, was I actually wet? I still had to meet Mike. This wasn’t good. Why was my body still reacting this way?

He turned around quickly, his pupils dilating as he looked at me. “Archer didn’t want me to bring it up, but I have to,” he said. “You’re attracted to us. I can smell the arousal on you. And you want to claim us. You turned feral today at the sight of another woman just touching Nolan. You can’t deny it when the evidence is overwhelmingly in our favor. I know you love your fiancé, and I’ll respect whatever decision you make. But really think it over. Don’t just choose out of obligation or convention.”

I clenched my thighs together. “I’ve been on pills that have suppressed my shifter hormones since I was a teenager. At least, that’s what Archer thinks. If I go back on them, these urges will go away, and I’ll stop…”

“Stop what, being who and what you are? Is that really how you want to live your life?” I felt my heart leap up my throat as he continued, his chest heaving. “It suited you well enough when you thought you were just a human, but now that you know you’re not, how can you refuse this integral part of your identity? You’ll be living a lie, constantly in fear that one day the meds will stop working and you’ll have to explain to your husband why you need him to fuck you for four days straight as you descend into a heat. Why strange men are beating down your door screaming about knotting you when your scented slick attracts every shifter in the city.”

I placed my hands over my ears and dropped my head. His words cut like glass, leaving me bleeding in my seat. Maybe he was right, maybe he wasn’t, but I wouldn’t know until I saw Mike. Would I feel relieved? Disappointed? I was torn in a million directions and each one would mean leaving someone in pain behind me.

“I have to go,” I whimpered. I opened the door quickly before Elias could stop me, leaving my bag in the trunk. I would get it later. I just needed Mike.

I sprinted inside and pushed the call button for the elevator, double checking the room number he’d texted me, and knocked on the door once I arrived. He opened it in a flash, his face wracked with worry. He picked me up by my thighs and cradled me into his chest as I wrapped my arms and legs around him. Then he closed the door and walked me over to the bed.

“I was so scared. Don’t ever do that to me again,” he said, his voice shaking.

I sobbed into the crook of his neck, wordlessly nodding. He didn’t have a natural musk like the alphas, but he smelled like home. How could I ever have even considered leaving him?

He laid me down on the bed, his hands holding my cheeks. His violet eyes carefully inspected my skin while his fingers ran up and down my neck like he was searching for an injury. “Has anyone touched you? Hurt you?”

My face flushed. “No,” I replied, even though it felt like a lie. “I’m fine. It’s just been really hard dealing with all my dad’s shit.”

He closed his eyes, breathing hard as his hand crept around my throat, gripping it softly. “I was afraid I’d lost you. I would tear the world apart for you, my Lunessa. Without you, I am nothing.”

His mouth crashed into mine, angry and relieved and claiming. We separated only briefly to take off our tops, and the familiar sight of his chiseled chest released my slick, as the alphas had called it. Mike’s eyes darkened and he panted. “Your pills – you haven’t been taking them.”

How did he even know, and why was he reacting like a shifter? Was I really so potent even humans could tell when I was turned on? “Sorry, I…”

“Shh…” he placed a finger on my lips. “It’s fine, just let me fuck you. I need to be inside you before I can think clearly again.”

“Shouldn’t we use a condom?” The haze of lust wasn’t so thick I’d forgotten that at least.

He unbuckled his belt, pulling his pants down and releasing his hardened cock. “I’ll pull out.”

Before I could object, he’d tugged my leggings off, using them to tie my hands above me. Once we were both completely naked, he sat on top, straddling my waist. “You’remine, Marlowe.”

I’d never seen Mike like this before. He’d always taken a more dominant role in the bedroom, however this was ferocious. Frenzied, even. I was a little scared but also excited, wondering what exactly he was going to do to me.

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