Dark Fates (A Paranormal Anthology)(58)

Knowing she lashed out at him unreasonably, she didn’t even try to stop herself from doing so. “Then I can be your kept woman. That’s great. Put me in a place like some kind of doll or, I don’t know, a child you can control.”

She jumped at him, her hands outstretched as if she might claw out his face. As far as she could remember, she’d never been violent before, but all she wanted to do in that moment was inflict pain. Even if doing so made her unreasonable. Deep inside, she knew Hayden had done nothing to warrant her behavior, and yet all she could do was react.

He caught her in his arms, and rather than restrain her, he tugged her up against him, pulling her tight until her head was tucked against his chest, and he held her still. “Shh. Now. It’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid.”

His voice felt like warm boon on her frozen soul. “I’m not afraid. I’m angry with you.” She shook against him, and he rubbed her back in a circular motion that felt surprisingly calming considering that before he’d started doing it she’d wanted to claw out his eyes.

“You’re not angry.” He rubbed his nose against her head, and she closed her eyes. “You’re tense, frightened, overwhelmed. And you have every right to be all of that. You’re here less than twenty-four hours, so, for now, let’s shelve the idea of where you’re going to go to next. You’ll stay here, for now. And you’ll let me take care of you because that is what I do.”

She raised her head to look at him. “I shouldn’t let you or want you to take care of me. I’ve been letting people do that for a long time. Or at least pretending that was what the True Believers were doing.”

“We’re not the True Believers. I’m an Alpha, and I know you’re not a werewolf, so you don’t exactly understand what that means…”

She laughed. “It means you’re in charge.”

“Yes, it does. But also that I am responsible for the well-being of everyone in my pack. Like it or not, human or not, you’re part of my pack. Even beyond that, you’re mine. For now, why don’t you just think of it as you being safe? I’m not much of an Alpha, other Alphas, like my brother, they just have inherent belief in themselves that I will never possess, they know what to do at all times. I’m damaged. I did horrible things. I’ll never be worthy the way the others are. But I will keep you safe.”

Listening to the strong beat of his heart, she could believe him. “Are you sure you’re a werewolf? Maybe you’re just crazy and think you shift at a Full Moon.”

He snorted. “If I set you down, can I trust you not to run again? I’ll always be able to catch you, but I won’t have your injuries made worse.”

“I’m not running.” She shook her head. “I kicked off my shoes a while back, and I have no idea what happened to them.”

“We’ll get them. They’re about a mile back.” He knew where her shoes were? Had he seen them, or was this some kind of werewolf smell thing? After a minute, he set her down.

“So what are you doing that I needed to get down?” Her heart had quit racing. It might be that Hayden had a weird werewolf mojo thing going on, but whatever it was, she appreciated that he’d calmed her and not freaked out when she had.

“Only Alphas of a pack can shift into their wolf form during a non-Full Moon.” He took a deep breath. “I’m going to prove to you that I’m a werewolf so we can cross that off the list of things you’re not one hundred percent certain you believe in. You’ll know it’s a for-sure thing. You’ll know that neither I nor the True Believers were nuts. Well, the True Believers are only not about there being werewolves. But before I do that, I want you to keep in mind that I’m also a man.”

She let her eyes roam his toned form. “I’m not likely to forget it.”

“Well, just in case.” He tugged her against him. In the time between one breath and another, he kissed her. She gasped as his mouth met hers. Hayden was all heat, and his lips were soft but firm. She closed her eyes.

After a moment, he pulled back and exhaled loudly. “You’re still bleeding. I need to get you home, and since I don’t want to take you on the ground like some kind of f*cking animal, I have to remember restraint.” He cracked his neck. “Not the easiest thing for me right now.”

Chelsea lowered her gaze and could see the bulge in his pants that evidenced his statement. Wow. If the tenting was any indication, Hayden would prove to be huge, and he really, really wanted her.

Hayden smirked. “Like what you see?”

Her mouth watered. “I don’t have all that much experience with this. I mean I haven’t been with anyone since I was fifteen. I don’t want you to, you know, get your expectations up.”

“Do you think your lack of partners is something that’s going to bother me? It’s a big giant plus, honey.” He shook his head. “Wait, I need to show you the wolf.”

“Right.” She tried to breathe slower. “Okay, don’t kiss me if you want me to stay focused because you’re really good at it.”

“Just remember that I’m also a man.”

She nodded. They’d covered this. “Do it if you can do it, and if not, then you and I can go visit a mental health facility together. Maybe they’ll have a two-for-one sale.”