Page 34 of Tainted Romance

Just don’t kill her, Allie. I calmed myself down, watching her kiss my mate. My heart squeezed for a moment, and she might as well have had her polished manicured hand squeezing it.

I tore my eyes off them and looked back at Taylor. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the wolf side of you, Taylor.”

If I made conversation with him, I could pretend the two of them weren’t sitting there, and Ebony wasn’t flirting with Zane.

“There are few sides of me you haven’t seen, Allie.” He winked.

I knew right away I had just opened myself up for numerous comments and snide remarks. Should I flirt back? I stole a glance in Zane’s direction, he wasn’t even looking at me.

“Well, I guess you will have to show me them.” I smiled briefly.

Chapter Fourteen

I was towel drying my hair when my room door opened. I was expecting it to be Taylor, trying to catch a glimpse of me naked so, when I turned around to give him a spray, I was shocked to see Zane standing there.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” I snapped. No sooner had I spoken, he had moved across the room.

“What are you playing at?” His eyes were coated with rage. “Flirting with him, what the fuck, Allie?”

I hadn’t even realized I was backing away from him until my back hit the wall.

“Do you want me to kill my best friend, is that it?” He had lowered his voice; it was like a deadly whisper.

“N..No,” I stuttered, looking into his eyes with fear swirling in my stomach. “I…”

“Stuttering isn’t going to help you, Allie.”

I always thought of myself as a strong, confident woman, but, at this moment, I was trembling with fear.

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” I choked out, pushing myself further into the wall trying to get away from him. Right now, I was well aware of just how built Zane was. His strong muscular body was once something I lusted over, right now I was terrified of it.

“Please, Zane, calm down. You’re scaring me.” My eyes were still locked with his deadly black ones.

Perhaps it was the weakness in my voice or the fact his wolf felt just how terrified mine was. He took a step away from me and regret flashed across his soulless black eyes.

“Sorry.” His eyes flashed back to their misty grey coloring. “I didn’t come here…” He frowned. “I didn’t come here to scare you. I just…” His words broke off again. “Why him?”

Taylor. He had to be talking about Taylor.

“I didn’t think it through. I’m sorry.” I wanted to get Zane jealous not angry. “I was just hurt after you chose Ebony over me.” My eyes dropped to the floor. “I just wanted to get you back. I guess I didn’t think it through.”

“He’s my best friend, Allie.”

I looked up and immediately wished I didn’t. “I’m sorry.”

Hurt flashed across his face. “I don’t like this anymore. I want you and him to put a stop to it.”

“Ok.” I frowned for a moment. “But why?” Sure, it might bother him but what did it matter if it lasted another week or a day?

“Because I don’t like it.”

“It’s not for much longer and anyway it is not like it matters to us, right, because you and I, well, that…” In my heart, I wanted to say it would work and even my wolf was howling for her mate.

“I can’t have you.” His words crisp and sharp burnt through me. “You’re planning on leaving as soon as you turn twenty-one and your commitment to the pack is finished. You have no loyalty to the pack so how can I honestly expect you to want to become their future leader?” It was the coldness in his voice and the tint of anger which had me frozen to the spot. “How can I expect them to follow you?”

I don’t know how many times I had told myself I didn’t want to be his mate, but right now it hurt hearing it come from his mouth.

“So, you want to what…?”

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