18: Ambushed

“I almost didn’t get there in time. Another five seconds and he would have—” He can’t finish the sentence.

I cup his face with both hands and his eyes close like the touch causes him physical pain. “But you did get there, I’m alive because of you. Who is Victor? The man said the name. Tell your Alpha.” I repeat the words. “He called you my Alpha.”

“Because that’s what I am.” Rhys stops pacing.

“You’re like a king?”

“More like a warlord.” He laughs but there’s no humor in it. “I took the position five years ago, I’ve spent every day since then defending our territory from other packs who want what we have.”

“And Viktor is one of those other packs?”

“Viktor is the Alpha of the Cascade Pack, we share a border to the east, three years ago his pack started encroaching on our land, taking our resources, attacking our wolves.” He sits back down on the bed. “I tried to negotiate but Viktor wanted war, so I gave him one.”

“What happened?”

“His pack tried to expand into our territory and we defended it.” His grip on my wrist loosens slightly. “His fourteen year old son got caught in the crossfire, his father brought him to a battle he had no business being in.”

“His kid died because of you?” I can hear the judgment in my own voice.

“His kid died because his father used him as a human shield.” Rhys lets go of my wrist and something crosses his face that might be guilt. “I didn’t kill him but I was the one who broke through their line, the boy was standing behind Viktor and—”

He doesn’t finish but he doesn’t need to.

“Oh god.” I sit down next to him. “No wonder he blames you?”

“He does and he’s been waiting for a chance to make me feel what he felt.”

I don’t know what to say to that so I just sit there trying to reconcile the man in front of me with all that he just told me.

“Viktor wants revenge.” Rhys continues. “He’s wanted it for three years but he’s been waiting for the right moment, waiting for me to show weakness. If Viktor captures you he can force me to do whatever he wants, because the mate bond means I’ll do anything to keep you safe.”

“So I’m bait now?” My voice comes out flat. “That’s what you’re telling me?”

“Which is why I’ve been trying to keep you away from me, why I’ve been making your life hell, why I told you to quit, because as long as no one knows you’re my mate you’re safe.”

“Except someone does know now.” I gesture to my throat.

“Which means Viktor has been watching me, watching you.” He pulls out his phone. “Which means nowhere is safe anymore, not your apartment, not the office, nowhere.”

“So what do we do?”

“We?” He looks at me. “There is no we, Astrid, you’re going to let me handle this—”

“Like hell I am.” I stand up. “Someone tried to kill me tonight, I think I get a say in what happens next.”

“Your say is to do exactly what I tell you so you don’t end up dead.” His voice has that Alpha command in it again.

He moves toward me and I back up until I hit the wall.

I pull the cloth up with a shaky hand to create a distraction and reach for his face again. “This is going to sting.”

“I’ve had worse.” But when I dab it on the cut he sucks in a breath and his hand comes up to grab my wrist, not pulling me away but just holding on.

That electric spark shoots through me again where his skin touches mine, stronger this time and lasting longer, and we both freeze with my hand still pressed against his forehead and his fingers wrapped around my wrist. I can feel his pulse racing under my fingertips and mine is probably doing the same thing.

“Astrid.” My name sounds different when he says it like that, lower and rougher. “You should stop touching me.”

“Why?” The word comes out breathier than I intended.

His other hand comes up to cup my face and his thumb brushes across my bottom lip so slowly before pulling it down slightly. “Because if you don’t I’m going to kiss you again and I don’t think I’ll be able to stop this time.”

I should pull away, I should put the first aid kit down and walk out of this room and demand he take me home no matter what he says about Viktor, except I can’t make myself move because I’ve been aching for him to kiss me again since he kissed me in his office and called it a mistake.

“Tell me you don’t want this.” His thumb is still on my lip and his eyes have gone dark. “Tell me you haven’t been thinking about my hands on you.”

“Rhys—” It comes out desperate and needy and I hate how obvious I am.

His hand slides from my face to my lower back and he pulls me closer until I’m practically in his lap. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

I can feel how hard he is through his sweatpants pressed against my hip and it sends heat flooding through my entire body until I’m throbbing between my legs and I can’t think straight. My hands are shaking where they’re still pressed against his chest and all I can think about is how much I want him to touch me, really touch me this time without stopping.

“One word, Astrid.” His fingers dig into my lower back. “Say stop and I’ll stop right now.”

The word won’t come out because I don’t want him to stop, I want his hands on me and his mouth on mine and I want to know what it feels like to have him inside me, and that thought makes me dizzy.

I lean forward to close the space between us and that’s when the spark happens again except this time it’s not just a spark, it’s like touching a live wire, shooting through both of us so intensely that we both jerk backward at the same time breaking the moment.

“Fuck.” Rhys is on his feet and backing away from me like I burned him.

I’m still on the bed trying to catch my breath and process what just happened. “What was that?”

He’s pacing now and running his hands through his hair. “Every time we touch it’s going to feel like that, every time we get close it’s going to get worse.”

“Worse?” I press my hand against my chest where my heart is still racing. “That felt like getting electrocuted.”

“That’s what happens when the bond wants to be completed and we keep fighting it.” He stops pacing and looks at me. “It’s trying to force us together.”

There’s something in his tone that makes my stomach drop. “And you don’t want that.”

“It’s not about what I want.” He’s not looking at me anymore.

“It means I can want you and still know this is a bad idea.” He finally looks at me and there’s something cold in his expression now. “I can fuck you until neither of us can think straight but that’s all this can be, I can’t give you more than that.”

The hurt hits me so fast I can barely breathe around it. “You want to just fuck and then what, go back to being boss and employee?”

“I want to fuck you until we get it out of our systems and then I set you up somewhere safe, somewhere far away with a good job and enough money to start over.” His voice is matter-of-fact like he’s discussing a business transaction. “You get a fresh start and I get you out of danger.”

I stare at him because that cannot be what he just said. “You want to fuck me and then ship me off to another country?”

“I know you want me, you’re not exactly subtle about it.” His expression is unreadable. “So why not scratch the itch until we’re both satisfied and then go our separate ways before this gets more complicated?”

“Because I’m not a fucking hookup—” I’m off the bed and heading for the door before I can think about it.

“I know you’re a romantic at heart and I can’t give you that.” His voice follows me. “I can’t give you the love you want, all I can offer is sex, and honestly that’s more than I should be offering considering how much danger you’re already in.”

I spin around and slap him so hard my palm stings and his head snaps to the side. “Fuck you and your superiority complex.”

I’m at the door with my hand on the handle when he grabs my wrist and spins me back around, his eyes are glowing gold and there’s something dangerous in his expression.

“You can’t leave.” His voice has gone rough. “Viktor’s rogues are hunting you now, that wasn’t a random mugging, that was a test, and your life is already in danger.”

“Then I’ll take my chances—”

The window explodes inward with a crash of breaking glass and I scream as three massive shapes come hurtling through, one of them lands right between me and Rhys and I can see now that it’s not a person, it’s a wolf the size of a small car with gray fur and yellow eyes and teeth that are way too long.