Page 6 of Her Wolf's Demands
The nostalgic memory strangled my windpipe, making it hard for me to breathe.
A heavy hand landed on my shoulder, the touch reassuring. As tempted as I was to bury my head in Malone’s encompassing torso, I resisted, instead, stepping out of his grasp.
Extending my arm, I punched him in the tummy, snarling when he frowned down at me. “How dare you offer me up as a weapon?!”
Okay, so violence wasn’t the answer, but my pathetic excuse for an attack was so mild, Malone hadn’t even flinched. Plus, the bastard deserved far worse.
He glanced at Manual, waving a dismissive hand to him. The other wolf disappeared, blending into the shadows as he left. Good, at least I could really have a go at him without an audience.
Running a hand over his face, Malone shook his head. “It’s a good solution.”
“Solution?” I spat, almost choking, “is that all I am to you?”
Fucking hell, I’d been stupid enough to believe that our mating would ease the tension between us, maybe even bring us closer together. He’d trusted me enough to tell me about his sister, why was he pushing me away now?
“You’re ruthless,” I whispered, turning away and marching towards the dirt track to check the boundary.
His hand grabbed my arm, spinning me towards him. “Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you.” His nostrils flared, his white teeth flashing as he snarled.
My heartbeat raced, the blood pounding through my veins. The rush of heat was confusing. It started as fury, melting into desire as it pulsed between my legs. “Fuck you,” I muttered, staring up into his face.
“Fuck me?” he bit back, his voice lowering at the same time as his head. “Is that what you’d like to do?”
A strangled gasp escaped me as he wound his fingers into my hair and tugged, forcing my head back. I swallowed, refusing to let him intimidate me, despite the tingles of lust that sparked under my skin, begging for him to lower his lips to my neck.
“Don’t try to distract me from your dick move.”
The corner of his lip lifted into his cheek in a smirk. “Your aggression certainly makes my… dick… move.”
Shoving him, I cast a freeze spell on his boots, smirking to myself when he couldn’t move his feet from the ground. He held his arms up in surrender and rolled his eyes.
“I mean it,” I snapped, “I will not be your weapon. Iwillbind the wolf within me.”
His face hardened, the line of his jaw tightening.
He hadn’t had the decency to ask if I would help them rebuild the pack. He’d just stormed on, alpha-headed, making decisions for me. He was so used to everyone doing what he wanted, he’d lost the ability to ask nicely. Not only that, he knew that I wanted to be with my brother. I wouldn’t be a prisoner in a place where no one wanted me.
“I find a way for us to be together, and you want to throw it in my face?” His words were bitten through his teeth.
Broody, angry Malone was back. Hadn’t he just won his pack over? He should’ve been happy that he had half persuaded, half ordered them to accept me.
My eyes closed briefly, the heartbreak seeping from my pores. “You’ve been forced to accept me into your life. As powerful as the bond is, we don’t know each other. You haven’t been able to talk to me for a whole week, let alone tell me that you planned to sway the pack with the promise of my magic. You think I want to be with someone like that?”
Air sucked into his lungs, the sound just audible. I’d hit him in the gut with words, which were obviously more powerful than my fist.
My own stomach clenched as he shook his head. “It was the best solution for everyone. We get to be together, the pack is expanded, and you get to live.”
“Live?” I snorted. “Do you really think I want to live half in and half out of your world? An outsider? If the alpha can’t respect me enough to include me in his decisions about my life, how will the pack?”
He watched me, his intense gaze delving into mine. I stayed firm, holding my ground as he stepped forward, his throat bobbing in a swallow.
“What do you want then?” he asked, his voice raspy.
Licking my lips, I crossed my arms over my waist. “I want,” I whispered, trying to hold on to the tears that threatened, “to bind the wolf so I can leave. I need to start again, away from you, away from Brighton.”
Chapter Three
“Wake up!”