Chapter 7

*Dante*

She had pretty brown eyes.

They were the only thing I was willing to let myself notice, standing this close to her. In the woods her eyes had shown a mix of fear, helplessness and determination. Now they were clear and jarring and there was only one emotion glaring in them. Anger. The anger in her eyes caused the same emotion to start brewing beneath my skin.

She had no reason to be angry about anything.

She wasn't the one given a tiny helpless girl with an absurd hair color for a mate. She crossed her arms, unconsciously drawing her breasts together and lifting them. I let my gaze fall to her chest, to the way her breasts were right in my line of sight. If she had been an inch or two taller they would be right in my face. I watched her nipples pebble, stabbing through the cotton shirt she was wearing. I couldn't hold back my smirk, raising my head to look at her.

She was affected by me.

She held my eyes with a defiance I hadn't known she was capable of, her tongue darting to wet her lips. I felt a corresponding tightening in my pants, slightly surprising me.

I was affected by her.

Then again, we were mates. And likeness for a person had never had anything to do with attraction. "Looking for a way out," she finally replied to my question of what she'd been doing in my room. Did she think it was that easy? That I was going to bring her back to my pack, have the pack healer attend to her and then have her immediately be on her way? The little one was also delusional. Did she expect me to just forget she had taken down a rogue wolf all by herself?

Despite being so weak?

Or that she has been the one to get a good look of the last rogue who'd managed to escape?

"You're not finding one here," I deadpanned, staring down at her. "I suggest you go back to your room." Hearing the room being addressed as hers must have shed light on the exact kind of situation she was in. There was a flash of panic in her eyes but she layered up, her eyes skidding away from mine for a second before coming back. She uncrossed her arms, what a shame, moving her head slowly from side to side.

"There's no reason for you to keep me here," She argued. "You can't keep me here." She commanded with a raise of her voice. My skin pricked at the tinge warning in her tone. No one spoke rudely to me and got away with it. An unspoken law she would soon be aware of. Did she think I was going to just let her go because it was what she wanted? Since when did I start taking orders from stubborn helpless wolves?

Since when did I start taking orders from this wolf?

"Watch me," I sneered, leaning forward so she could really see the feral look in my eyes. I made her nervous. It was obvious in the way she held her breath, her eyes breaking contact. She darted her tongue nervously, wetting her lips again. My pants tightened even more, the muscles in my arms bunching. Her gaze dropped to my arms, obviously noticing the way they'd flexed violently. She dragged her gaze even lower and when she went completely still I knew exactly what she was looking at.

The outline of my hard dick on my pants.

Her gaze shot back to mine. There was a mix of surprise and panic before they morphed into something else. Something I knew all too well. Desire and mischief. She took a step forward, covering the last bit of space between us and bringing her body flush against mine. I could feel every inch of her. From her round breasts pressed against my chest to my hardness touching her right between her legs. I held her devious gaze.

'This is how you want to play it, little one?' I mind linked.

She startled, obviously not used to the sound of my voice in her head but she got over it quickly. Her hands lifted and I waited to see what she'd do with them. No doubt she thought she had me under some kind of spell because of the mate bond. I inwardly bared my teeth. If only it were that simple. Her hands rested on my shoulders, her palm soft but rough and her grip more firm than I'd thought they could be. She stared at me from beneath her lashes and then she grinded against me.

My hands fisted at my sides.

This close I could see her eyes widen slightly. She'd obviously not thought far enough in whatever the hell she was trying to do to know it would also give her pleasure. Her throat worked as she stared at me, waiting for a reaction. I couldn't help arching an eyebrow at her. What had that been about? 'Trying to see if you have some kind of power over me, little one?' I asked through the mind link. She jerked again, still not used to having my voice inside of her head.

The surprise in her eyes was suddenly replaced with fierce determination. Her grip tightened on my shoulders and the next second she was rubbing herself against me, slowly. I watched her leisurely move her hips against mine, trying to get a reaction. Any reaction. Trying to test the strength of her hold against me so she could use it against me in the future. Her hips grinding into mine were affecting me more than I was going to let her see.

Her eyes hooded as the mischief in her brown orbs turned to heated looks. Her pleasure began building, her hips undulating at a slightly faster pace. Her lips parted, the smell of her arousal filling my nose and stirring my wolf. My jaws tightened from how much I was willing myself to not move, watching her shamelessly rock her body against mine. I saw the moment she gave in to her own desires. Her lips parted and her head fell back, bright purple waves cascading behind her. Her breath caught in her throat.

I've had enough.