Chapter 193
AARON
All I want to do is drag Leah back to Rathborn mansion and spend the night holding her in my arms.
Now that I’ve slipped, now that my wolf and I have gotten a taste of how good it can be iming our
mate, I can barely think of anything except
taking more.
And by forcing myself to walk away from her, all I’m doing is upsetting my wolf further.
But he doesn’t understand this is the only way I know how to
keep her safe until the threat has passed.
It almost killed me to walk away from her like that just now.
When I’d been inside her-when our mating bond had been
fully realized in that moment-I’d been able to feel exactly how
much she loved me beneath all the hurt and confusion.
It made me euphoric, even as my fear that someone could use
her against me increased exponentially.
I refuse to let that happen.
If nothing else, our time together has only strengthened my resolve to protect her at all cost.
As for tonight, I still have this da mn Council meeting to get through.
And it’s time I reminded my Beta of his ce.
I stride outside, and see James pacing over near the SUVs, his agitation obvious, but it only serves to
fan the mes of my
anger.
I stalk over, and he’s so distracted, he doesn’t even see or
scent meing until thest second.
But I scented him.
His arousal, to be exact, and I’ve never been closer to ughtering one of my own than I am at this
moment.
I grab him by the back of the neck and fling him into the side of the SUV, then use my body and
superior Alpha strength to keep him pinned there.
After the way Leah responded to me, I no longer think she’s been sleeping with anyone else. She was
too hypersensitive, too desperate for release.
All that aside, the intense way my mate loves me, I know she’s
not stirred by anyone else. For her, other men pale inparison when held up against me.
As for James, I know the signs of unsated wanting.
“Did you enjoy the show?” I demand in a low, dangerous growl. I know he didn’t see much, but what he
did see when he arrived just after we’d finished was more than enough. Although, I know it’s partially
my own fault for not making sure the door was shut. “If you ever so much as nce at my mate with
lust again, I will w out your eyes and feed them to you. Do you understand?”
He jerks a nod, but I can feel defiance in every line of his body.
I yank his head back, exposing his neck, leaving it open if I
wanted to sh my ws through his flesh and end his life
right here and now.
“Do you understand?” I repeat furiously.
“Yes, Alpha,” James mutters, and I finally feel the fight go out
of him.
I shove myself away from him in disgust.
James has been loyal to me since we were kids.
Despite these rough patches between us, I still trust him more
than anyone else in my life, which is what makes his apparent mooning over my mate all the more
infuriating.
Right now, however, I have to put that out of my mind and somehow get in the right headspace for the
Council meeting.
The car park is filling up, and when I make my way to the foyer, Alphas and their Lunas dressed in all
their luxurious finery are arriving and mingling.
I’m not in the mood for small talk, so I go straight into the hall to find a seat and wait for the meeting to
begin.
I sense the moment Leah slips into the room, only minutes. before the meeting is due to start. She
finds my gaze across therge space, like we’re mas drawn together, and she
knows where I am at any given moment, just like I know with
her.
She sits as far away from me as she possibly can, and while
my wolf is disappointed, I am d for it. I’m sure she’s
drenched in the smell of sex, arousal and love, and I doubt I could sit through this meeting if I were able
to catch even a
hint of her scent.
The meeting starts atst, and there are several formalities, before the mood of the Council members
shifts slightly.
I’m expecting it, but I can’t help a small swell of apprehension
as Karolina announces, “Alpha Rathborn, report to the floor.
Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Immediately.”