Page 26 of The Alpha's Temptation

They looked wilder than the others, in more of a daze.

“Stay close to me, little mate,” Caelan–or should I sayhis wolf–whispered over his shoulder. My heart leapt in my chest from the new nickname his wolf had given me, but this wasnotthe time! Though the heat was building between my thighs once more, growing hotter.

The rogues leapt in all directions towardme. He slashed their throats over and over before they could even touch me again until he was covered with blood.

I tried to summon my magic, but it didn’t work. I didn’t know how. I wanted to. I wanted to help in some way that I could. But I had never been able to. Maybe he was right… maybe this all was a fluke. Maybe something else was happening, and I really didn’t have magic.

I wiped sweat off my forehead. Was it getting hot in this forest? Or was it just me?

Lycos, it is really hot.

Blood soaked through my shirt, and I pulled it off my body. So hot. So, so hot. Why was it so hot? It had to be my heat, back again, torturing me for not completing the mating bond back at the cabin.

When Caelan killed the final wolf, he looked over at me, his eyes glowing completely gold. “Don’t do this to me, little mate. You know I can’t control myself around you.”

CHAPTER 18

LIVIA

“You can’t be goingthrough this right now,” Caelan said, seizing a bit of control from his wolf, his eyes continually shifting between brown and gold. “We just finished with the rogues. There could be more waiting for us around these parts. If you don’t control yourself…”

“Little mate,” I said, finishing his sentence.

His eyes glowed gold. “Little mate.”

“Lycos… I love when you call me that,” I whispered.

He shook his head again, regaining control. “Livia, control yourself.”

“Maybe that’s why the rogues were chasing us,” I offered. “They couldsmellme.”

After inhaling sharply, smelling my arousal, myheat, he growled softly. “You know that’s not why they were chasing us. They were sent by the Whispering Pines Pack to kill you, and I need to get us home in one piece.”

I swallowed hard, and the heat continued to swell inside of me. While I tried hard to control it, I couldn’t stop staring at him: the way he moved, how the wind blew his hair just slightly, his scruff…

Lycos, he is so fucking sexy.

“Livia,” he growled through his canines. “Control yourself. Now.”

“I’m trying,” I whimpered. “But… but I can’t.”

“You must.”

I sucked in a short breath, my breathing becoming ragged. “Or what? What’s going to happen? What are you gonna do about it?” I taunted. “You know the only way to solve this is to mark me, to claim me, to make good on your nickname for me.Little mate.”

“Livia,” he said again, barely able to get my name out of his mouth.

“I’m really hot,” I whispered, sweat now covering my body.

The forest around us was empty, and we had nobody else to chase us.

“We’re alone, and I’m so hot,” I whined desperately. I stopped at a tree and curled my fingers against the bark. If I had claws, they would dig right into it. But my dull little nails didn’t do anything.

“Livia, we must continue moving,” he said, not looking back at me.

I held out an arm and stared at the dirt. “I’m so hot. I can’t.”

My core was throbbing, and I knew that if I looked at him again, I might do something that I’d regret. That we’d both regret. I had been so confused lately. I didn’t know if he wanted me or if he didn’t.

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