Chapter 3: Unraveling Control

Dynan couldn't sit still and Mary noticed immediately when he walked through the front door two hours later than he'd promised.

She was in the living room with a glass of wine, her blonde hair perfectly styled even this late in the evening.

"You look tense," she said, setting her wine glass down on the side table. "Rough day with pack business?"

"Something like that." Dynan moved to the bar cart and poured himself a whiskey, downing half of it in one swallow.

The burn in his throat did nothing to quiet his wolf, which had been pacing restlessly since the moment Daggy ran from him.

Mary stood up and crossed the room. Their marriage had been practical from the start, a union that strengthened pack alliances and gave them both the stability they needed.

"You're distracted," she said, sliding her hands up his chest and over his shoulders. "I can help with that."

Dynan caught her wrists gently, intending to put some distance between them because his head was too full of Daggy and the little girl to think about anything else.

But Mary pressed closer, her body warm against his, and he became aroused.

Maybe it was the frustration or the confusion or the way his wolf was demanding he do something to regain the control he'd lost today.

He kissed her hard, his hands moving to her waist and pulling her flush against him.

Mary made a satisfied sound and wound her fingers into his hair, kissing him back, knowing exactly what he liked.

"That's better," she whispered against his mouth, her voice low and pleased. "I knew you just needed to unwind."

She opens his shirt buttons while he kisses down her neck, his wolf still restless beneath his skin but at least focused on something other than the woman who'd run from him.

Mary's robe fell open and he slid his hands over her bare skin, feeling her shiver under his touch.

They moved to the bedroom and Mary pushed him down onto the bed, straddling his lap while she finished unbuttoning his shirt.

"What's really bothering you?" she asked, rolling her hips against him in a way that made thinking difficult. "You're wound up tighter than usual."

"Does it matter?" Dynan pulled her down for another kiss, deeper this time, trying to lose himself in the familiar heat between them.

"Not if you don't want it to." Mary bit his lower lip gently before pulling back to look at him, her eyes dark with desire. "But I know when something's eating at you."

She stripped off her robe completely and Dynan let his hands wander over her curves, committing himself to this moment instead of the chaos in his head.

Mary knew how to move, and make him forget everything else, and right now that was exactly what he needed.

Their pace was rough, as Mary kept riding him like a pro like they were both trying to prove something neither of them could name.

Mary kept going faster and faster, her head thrown back and her breath coming in sharp gasps.

Dynan gripped her waist and matched her rhythm, his wolf finally quieting under the physical release.

Afterward they lay tangled in the sheets, both breathing hard.

Mary traced her fingers on his chest while her other hand rested low on her stomach, a gesture she probably didn't realize she was making.

"Maybe this time it'll take," she said softly, breaking the silence between them.

Dynan went still. They'd been trying for a child for over a year now with no success, and Mary had become increasingly focused on it with each passing month.

The pack needed an heir and she needed to secure her position as his wife, though she'd never said that part out loud.

"Maybe," he said, though his mind immediately went to the little girl and the fact that he might have had a child he'd known nothing about until today.

Mary propped herself up on one elbow to look at him. "You still haven't told me what happened today."

"I ran into someone I used to know," Dynan said carefully, not quite ready to tell her the full truth because he didn't know how to explain it without everything exploding. "Someone from before we got married."

"A woman?" Mary's voice went a bit louder and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"It was five years ago, Mary. It was an ancient history."

Mary studied his face for a long moment, like she was trying to read between the lines of what he wasn't saying. "Ancient history that still has you this wound up?"

"It's complicated." Dynan sat up and reached for his discarded clothes, suddenly needing space and distance from this conversation.

"Everything with you is complicated," Mary said, her tone light but with an edge underneath. "That's what I signed up for when I married an alpha."

She got out of bed and pulled her robe back on, tying it loosely at the waist. Dynan watched her move to the window.

"This woman you ran into," Mary said without turning around. "Should I be worried about her?"

"No," he immediately said. "You don't need to worry about her."

Mary smiled and moved back to the bed, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I know, because you're too smart to let it. And I just hope that's true, because you don't want things to be messy."