Page 32 of Alpha Bond
Or is it?
Only one way to find out.
“Sierra,” I say cautiously, trying to gauge her reaction. “I’ve been thinking…about something.”
“Something?” Her eyebrows raise. “Something like what? Dinner? Because you know I’m always game for that.” Her grin is impish. Her face glows when she’s happy, and I like it when she smiles. I like a lot about her. That’s something, isn’t it?
I take a deep breath and try to force the words out, hoping that she won’t lose her shit when I suggest this. “This might sound like it’s coming out of nowhere, but I want you to hear me out.”
Fuck, what are you doing?
I’m pretty sure that once I say what I have to say, there’ll be no turning back.
But I’m starting to think that it’s the only way.
“Are you going to tell me what it is you want me to hear?” She cocks her head.
I take a deep breath and then dive straight in. “I want you to think about becoming my mate.”
Her eyes widen, and she stiffens as if I’d just slapped her. She sets the book down abruptly. “What?” The word is sharp. Her expression is a picture of disbelief. Shock even.
“Look, take a moment to think about this,” I say quickly, trying to explain my reasoning before she gets even more upset. “You have no place to go right now – no place safe, that is. And we’ve settled into a comfortable routine here.” I raise my hand when she scoffs at me. “Being my mate would give you protection and security within the pack.” I pause, knowing that this next part is crucial. “There’s no need for…uh…consummation – I plan to maintain my celibacy. This will be purely for show, to help with my status in the pack. I can’t get close to being alpha as long as I’m unmated. It could benefit both of us.”
Her face darkens as the words leave my lips, her eyes blazing with fury. I can practically feel the heat of her anger from where I’m sitting.
Maybe I shouldn’t be sitting. What I’m asking is big. Huge. Should I go down on one knee? What is the protocol where she comes from?
“Are you serious?” Sierra spits, her voice low and dangerous. “You want me to play pretend, to be your pawn in whatever power game you’re playing? Just so you can climb up the ranks? And what would I be? Some convenient bitch who’d spawn your pups like a breeding machine? Because no matter what you say about…consummation…I’m willing to bet that’s on the cards at some point. You males are…are…” She stops abruptly, muttering something under her breath that sounds like “pigs.”
Breeding machine? Where the hell did that come from?
“Sierra, it’s not like that. I already said I plan to keep my vow. I wouldn’t touch you.” I keep my voice calm. It doesn’t help. She storms toward me, her finger jabbing into my chest. Even sitting, I can still look her in the eye, yet that doesn’t make her any less imposing right now. The woman is a firecracker.
Why do I like that so much?
“Let me make one thing very clear, Jagger Law.” Her voice trembles with rage. “I am nobody’s pawn. I won’t be used or forced into something just because it might benefit you. If that’s what you expect from me, then you don’t know me at all.”
“I said nothing about being a pawn—” I begin, but she cuts me off.
“You think just because I’m a woman, you can push me around?” She folds her arms over her chest, glaring at me.
“Of course not!” I wish I didn’t sound so defensive. “That’s not what I had in mind at all. This could work for both of us.”
“Work foryou, you mean. You don’t even know whatIwant!”
“So, what do you want?” I cock my head. This outburst is totally unexpected.
“I want to make my own fucking decisions!” she half-yells. “You have no fucking idea what I’ve been through, Jagger! What they did…” She swallows, shaking her head. Her eyes are welling with tears, and the sight claws at my chest for some strange reason. When one tumbles over her lower lid, I fight the urge to brush it away. But touching her would be a bad idea. I just told her I have no intention of touching her…in any way.
“Sierra, I didn’t mean to upset you,” I say, trying to sound understanding without pushing her further. “I just thought this could be a way for both of us to get what we need.”
“Look, Jagger, I appreciate what you’ve done for me – taking me in, getting me the medical help I needed, and giving me a place to stay. But when I said that I’d like to repay you, I never meant…this.” Her voice has gone cold, though I sense it’s masking something deeper. And now I feel like a prime asshole.
“Fine,” I relent, my frustration ebbing as her vulnerability becomes more apparent. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. I won’t force you into anything you’re not comfortable with.”
“Sure you won’t,” she mumbles, then stares at the floor, her long dark hair creating a veil around her face. I can’t tell if she’s fighting off more tears or suppressing the urge to hit me.
The room falls silent, and I’m left wondering how I managed to misjudge the situation so badly. I thought I knew what was best for both of us – but now, I’m not so sure.