Chapter 5

SHANE KINCAID

‘Take a good look in the mirror, son. Look at those eyes, bask in the darkness they hold, be the darkness and embrace what you are. A monster in the making. You killed your mother today, tomorrow it’ll be your mate. Better yet, your brothers’

A monster.

Being called a monster by my own father hurt when I was a ten-year-old pup. Nineteen years later and I wore the word ‘monster’ like a brand on my forehead.

I embraced it and lived like a monster because being one made me feel like a god.

A monster owned the whole world.

A monster killed with no remorse.

A monster was an Alpha without a heart.

A monster couldn’t be changed, couldn’t love, couldn’t get hurt.

And this monster certainly didn’t have a mate, wasn’t going to mark her and wasn’t absolutely going to fall for her.

Ten seconds are gone and little Miss Invisible is still hiding behind my desk, thinking that if she pretends to be invisible, I’ll ignore her presence.

The alcohol might be in my system but my wolf and I catch her scent and get irritated.

My brothers and I have experimented with women a lot trying to find our mate and what not.

I experimented with them because I knew as well as them that we were born to share a mate.

I never craved a mate though.

Never even entertained the idea.

Why? Mates are women. Women are trouble. Women can’t handle the three of us. Can’t handle me.

And all those women we have experimented with have been the same.

I’m too harsh and rude for them.

Connor is too violent for them.

Neo is sweet but he is also unhinged when it comes to sleeping with them.

Yet this woman…this River is ours and she doesn’t even know what that means.

White-hot anger zips through me as I place my glass back inside the mini-bar in my office.

Why on earth would she come here? Why would Greta let her out of her sight?

“I’m not playing games with you, Princess. Get the hell away from my desk and next time I ask that, I won’t be so nice”

My voice is as hard as granite. Cold like winter and grating like the big bad wolves she was warned about when she was a kid.

Her legs come into sight, creamy, milky, brown skin. Tempting like a forbidden fruit dipped in chocolate and all things sinful.

She makes a little squeal as she slowly retreats from her hiding space.

When she stands up, her five-foot something height cowering in front of me, every shred of calmness in my body disappears.

Hazel pretty eyes stare at me, a tiny black dress hugs her features the way a fruit is cocooned by its skin, her raven hair is everywhere. On both sides of her cheeks, down her shoulders, probably on her waist.

She’s temptation.

She’s gorgeous.

She’s, my damnation. Our damnation.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?”

I want to slap her ass so hard for coming here and risking her safety. To punish her with my teeth and my-

Get a grip, Shane.

“I’m not your mate”, she starts. Her nose held up in the air, her face serious I almost want to chuckle and I never…smile.

“Because Landon O’Connor is your mate?”

Landon O’Connor is a walking dead man. I spared him for a few days, let him think he’s still a competent alpha before I snuff the life out of him for claiming what wasn’t his in the first place.

For claiming my River. Our River.

She scoffs,

“He rejected me and handed me over to you guys without blinking. He’s not my mate, he’ll never be my mate again”

The crack in her voice indicates she loved him. Loved him so much, her little heart might be broken as we speak.

“Did you love him?” I taunt.

I step closer. I gobble her scent that is unlike anything I have ever smelled and step closer to her.

“What does that have to do with anything? I’m talking about me not being your mate not about Landon”

She loves him, it’s obvious. That makes me mad for some reason.

‘She’s ours. Not his. She’s ours.’ My wolf snarls out of control.

We never lose control. Not since my father.

“Make no mistake, River, you are alive because my brothers think you are their mate. I’m not your mate, I’m the alpha who looks at you and sees you as the weakest prey I have ever seen. If I can’t kill you might as well as kill the man you love just to make myself feel better”

And killing Landon will make me the happiest man in the world. The loser deserves what’s coming to him. More importantly he doesn’t deserve her.

Doesn’t deserve the pink fat lips staring at me right now, looking so captivating and inviting.

Doesn’t deserve her high cheekbones, a thin nose and the biggest mocha eyes I have seen on a woman.

“I might be weak; I might be small and insignificant but at least I’m not a monster like you and your brothers which is why I’ll never accept all of you as my mates. I’d rather die”

Monster. The word stings coming from her pretty mouth. The word fuels rage until all I’m seeing is bright screaming red rage.

I corner her against the edge of my desk.

I grind my teeth so hard they feel like dust in my mouth as my leg steps between her mini-dress nudging her legs apart.

“I want you dead too. More than you know but more than that? I want to watch your face as we monsters take you. I want to see how you moan for me and my brothers as we fill your every hole.

I want you to hate yourself for wanting us, River. Right before you die, I want you to hate liking how we monsters fuck you”

We are close. So close, her boobs are straining against the fabric of her dress touching my suit.

So close if I leaned in, I could kiss her, turn her around and take her raw on my desk.

She grits her teeth, angry, cute, murderous.

“I’d. Rather. Die. Than. Be. Yours”

My hand reaches out between her legs, right where my right leg is keeping her thighs open.

“Shall we see the proof?”

I don’t give her time to answer. I reach for the space between her legs.

Expecting to meet fabric, I meet her core. Her womanhood so slick and wet with her arousal.

I’m beyond fuming she’s not wearing panties underneath and the fact that countless men saw her and she wasn’t wearing panties spikes my nerves.

That anger radiates into need and like a starved werewolf, one of my fingers runs the line between her intimate folds as I lean into her ear whispering harshly,

“You are not just wet, baby. You are soaked. Does the thought of me and my brothers taking you like a little slut turn you on?”

She shivers. She melts.

Her scent goes wild and I’m weak with need.

I run a second finger across her slit, this time moving from her clit which is throbbing and needy of attention, to her hot definitely inviting center.

I should stop. I’m losing control. She’s taking away every bit of control I have.

I don’t stop. I lose control. I do the one thing I have never done in my life.

I get jealous.

“Did Landon take you? Did he touch you here and lie to you he loved you? Did he promise you forever?”

She moans, she bites her bottom lip and looks at me with daggers in her eyes,

“I hate you”

“I hate you too, princess”

I drive my finger deep inside her. A cry shatters her body, a moan follows when I caress her insides.

I’m about to add a second finger when something trickles on my hand.

It smells like…No. She couldn’t be…

I pull myself out of her, I pull her dress down like some sort of gentleman I’m not and I create distance between us.

“You are going to leave escorted by my men straight back to the house. You are not to leave the house under any circumstances”

“I’m not going to- “

I cut her off. Pissed off than ever.

“You came here with no panties in a dress shorter than my temper. Do you know how many men saw you? Do you know how many men will die today because you had no panties on? Go home, River. Now or I kill their families too while I’m at it”

She wants to cry. I don’t care.

She takes her purse and leaves.

When she’s gone and my sanity is next to the trashcan, I hold the finger that was inside her and see the blood.

She’s a virgin.

Hell, a virgin.

Xx

Half an hour into meetings, looking over pack issues and I can’t focus.

She’s a…

My door bursts open, Connor stands in the doorway with blood on his face which is common when it comes to him but something else flashes in his eyes.

Fear.

“They were ambushed. They took River”

I’m up from my seat before my wolf can roar with malice.

‘Who took her? Who hurt her? Who…killed her?’

“Who?”

“Xandar Khan has her”