Page 68 of Stolen By the Alpha Hunter
I have to bury my face in my hands to stifle a laugh—because holy hell, he’sgoodat this. And it’s hot. Why is it hot?
He waits a beat, then murmurs, just for me, “Good girl.”
My smile disappears. Heat floods between my legs and I squeeze my thighs together, my hands fluttering uselessly at the hem of the oversized shirt.
God help me.
I’m too aware of the way his eyes rake over me, too aware of the wordgoodstill echoing in my ears.
Maybe…no. He couldn’t be. There’s no way.
But then he looks at me like that and?—
“He’s gone,” Javi mutters, all the tension bleeding out of his shoulders in one long exhale. “Abel. He’s been watching. He knows something’s off.”
“Like what?” I whisper, the unease crawling back under my skin.
“Like I haven’t actually claimed you.”
Oh.
My gaze drops to the floor. My fingers twitch against the edge of the shirt, curling into the fabric. I swallow hard.
“We could,” I say quietly, the words falling out before I can stop them. “If we have to.”
Javi’s head snaps up. His whole expression shifts—something furious and gutted flashing in his eyes. “I’m not going to force you to do that,” he says. “That’s not—justno.”
The knot in my throat tightens. That rejection hits harder than it should.
Because it’s not just about survival anymore, is it?
Because some traitorous part of mewantshim to.
“They’re not going to give up,” he says. “Abel is obsessed with you. Gideon’s just waiting for an excuse to rip me out of the picture and shove someone else into your bed.”
I press my lips together, my stomach flipping with anxiety. “So what are we going to do?”
Javi paces, his jaw tight. “I can’t leave you alone, not while we’re still figuring this out. You’re not safe unless I’m next to you.”
“Well, what if…”
I stop. The thought’s too absurd. Too dangerous. I hesitate—but then I look at him, at the shadows under his eyes, the bruises of exhaustion and restraint.
“Tell me, Peach,” he says. “We’re running out of options.”
I take a breath. Say the thing I’ve been afraid to.
“What if you bit me again?” I whisper. “More than once. Enough that your scent’s everywhere. If you mark me properly…no other alpha will come near me.”
The words hang in the air like static.
Javi goes still.
His brow furrows as he crosses his arms, broad chest rising and falling with slow, measured breaths. He doesn’t answer right away—just watches me.Staresat me, actually, like he’s trying to see past the surface of what I said. Like he’s looking for a trap.
I think he’s going to say no. That he’ll shut me down the way he always does when I get too close—when Ioffertoo much.
But instead…
