Page 9 of Kept
Not just fear, then. Not just the need for shelter.
Kade moved closer and felt his own restraint scraping under his skin like claws trying to get out. He didn't hide it. Let the boy see what he was dealing with. What kind of monster he'd chosen to trust.
The wolf in him was pacing now, pushing at the boundaries of his control. It wanted to prowl closer, wanted to crowd the boy back into the mattress, wanted to cover him with its scent until no other wolf would dare come near. Mark him. Claim him.Mine mine mine, beating through Kade's blood like a second heartbeat.
But the human part, the part that still had some control, saw something else. Saw the way Eli's hands trembled. Saw the exhaustion in the slump of his shoulders. Saw a boy who'd been running for who knows how long, who'd been thrown away by the people who should have kept him safe.
Kade's instincts flared in about five different directions, tearing him apart. Part of him wanted to growl, to assert dominance, to make it clear who was in charge here. Part of him wanted to kneel beside the bed and ask why Eli thought he had to be so quiet when he wanted something. Why he was so practiced at making himself small.
Another part, the older, darker part, wanted to grab those skinny wrists and pin them right into the sheets where his scent already lived. Wanted to hold him down until he stopped shaking, until he understood he was safe because Kade said so.
Instead he stayed still.
Gave the room time to quiet. Let Eli's breathing slow from panic to something more manageable. Let the boy realize Kade wasn't going to lunge at him. Wasn't going to hurt him.
"I'm not going to send you out there," Kade said finally.
Eli's whole body sagged with relief—just for a second before he caught himself, straightened his spine like someone had caught him breaking a rule. That quick correction told Kade more than any words could have.
The boy was used to having relief yanked away.
And he expects me to do the same.
"But."
There it was. Eli's shoulders hunched slightly, already bracing for the catch. For whatever price he'd have to pay. His fingers twisted deeper into the sheets, knuckles going white.
Kade tilted his head, studying him. The wolf in him was cataloging everything—the rapid pulse in that exposed throat, the sweet scent of submission mixed with fear, the way the boy kept stealing glances at him like he was both salvation and damnation. "You've done this before. Found places to hide."
Eli's jaw worked, but he didn't answer. Didn't need to. But there was something else in the way he held himself, a tension that wasn't just fear. His eyes kept darting to Kade's mouth, his hands, before jerking away.
"How many times?" Kade kept his voice neutral. Conversational. Like they were discussing the weather instead of how many times this boy had begged for shelter. Like his wolf wasn't clawing at him to claim, to mark, to keep.
"Does it matter?"
"It does to me."
Eli's breath caught at something in Kade's tone. “A dozen times. Two. I don't—" He stopped himself, swallowed whatever he was about to say.
Eli's eyes flicked up, then away. Found a spot on the wall to stare at. "They had their reasons."
Sure they did.Kade could imagine exactly what kind of reasons.
"This is my house," Kade said, pushing off the wall. Taking one step closer. Just one. His muscles coiled tight with the effort of moving slowly, of not just taking what was already his. "My territory."
Eli nodded quickly. "I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have?—"
"Stop." Kade's voice dropped low, commanding. The tone that made other wolves bare their throats. "You're in my space now. Don't apologize for it."
Eli's mouth stayed half-open, caught mid-apology. His pupils dilated at the command, and his tongue darted out to wet his lips. Not just nervous. Something else.
"You keep doing that. Shrinking. Like you're trying to disappear." Kade took another step closer, watched how Eli's breathing changed—shallower, faster.
His whole body screamed with the need to touch, to claim, but he held back. Let the anticipation build. "Everything that comes through that door belongs to me."
Eli's breathing hitched. His thighs pressed together, subtle but telling. "For how long?"
"Who said anything about letting you leave?"
