Obsession: A Rejected Mate Shifter Romance (The Mate Games #1)(33)

“Answer the question, Callista.”

Her eyes narrowed, and her lips thinned. “No, I don’t think I will.”

I raised a brow. Not at all used to such outright defiance from her. She was usually all simpering sweetness and ready to bend over backward to please me. I wondered if she finally realized I wasn’t planning on touching her with a ten-foot-pole.

There wasn’t anything Callista Donoghue could offer that I was interested in. Our parents might have negotiated a marriage contract, but I had no intention of seeing it through. Not before Sunday had entered the picture, and certainly not now. Though, I would use the relationship when it suited my needs. Which it did to drive a wedge between me and the creature of my obsession. Not that it worked.

Seeing that flare of jealous possessiveness in Sunday’s eyes when she saw Callie claim me was burned into my memory. My cock thickened at just the thought of her desire for me. And the proof of it only fueled my own need.

I stalked forward, grasping Callie’s chin in my hand and jerking her head up. “Yes,” I snarled. “You will.”

Her breath hitched, and her pupils flared. Apparently, Callie had a thing for pain. I could work with that.

Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips. “You saw what she did to me. I couldn’t let that wolf bitch get away with it. No one insults us like that, Noah—”

“Do not call me that,” I growled, my voice ice cold and deadly serious.

She blanched. “But, Sunday—”

“Yes. She did. But you may not. Ever. I am Thorne to you. That’s all I’ll ever be. Now . . . what did you do to Sunday?”

Anger flared in her dark eyes, and she sneered up at me. “Exactly what she deserved. An eye for an eye and all that.”

“You bit your own cheek, didn’t you? Sunday never drew your blood.”

She sniffed. “As if she could. But getting her kicked out of class was only the beginning.”

Panic buzzed through my veins. It felt off . . . too real to ignore and yet not wholly mine. I shoved it away, wanting answers. Still gripping her jaw, I shook her. “What. Did. You. Do?”

Callie winced as my fingers bit into her cheeks. “See for yourself.”

Sweet lilac wine filled my senses before I saw her. And then, Sunday emerged from the women’s locker room, completely nude, cheeks flushed red with anger and embarrassment she was working to control. My breath caught in my chest at the sight of her, lush curves, tight pink nipples, wet hair trailing down her shoulders, the ends stopping just before the tips of her breasts. The most perfect creature I’d ever seen, and yet, instead of appreciating her beauty, I was witnessing the brunt of Callie’s cruelty.

“Bloody fucking hell, Callie. You’re more childish than I gave you credit for,” I muttered as I tore my shirt over my head.

I reached Sunday in a few long strides, handing her my shirt without a word. The gratitude in her eyes told me she was near her breaking point, but she held her head high and covered herself without a glance at Callie. Anyone who looked at her sideways got a death glare from me, and without hesitation, they trained their gazes elsewhere. All except for Kingston. The arse stood at the archway leading to the courtyard between this building and our dorm.

“Glad I stayed for the show.”

I wanted to knock his teeth out, but Sunday threaded our fingers and squeezed, a silent plea echoing in my mind, then.

Don’t.

It was just a single word, but her voice came through clear and present in my head. Fuck. I had my shields up. I couldn’t hear anyone else. What the devil was happening?

“Bugger off and lick your wounds, dog.”

“Maybe I need to lick hers.”

I stiffened at Kingston’s words. If he so much as touched her I’d rip his arms from his body and beat him to a bloody pulp, risk of war or no.

“Touch me, and I’ll bite your dick off,” Sunday snarled. “Try it. I dare you.”

Kingston leaned against the arch, a satisfied smirk on his face. “Oh, there it is. The fire you were missing before I found your wolf. Sooner or later, she’ll make her appearance, and you won’t be able to resist me. I’m your mate, like it or not.”

It took everything in me not to end his life right then. But something in her changed. She was fighting with her wolf, at war with the beast inside her that, fuck, that wanted him.

“Come on, dove. Let’s get you back to your room before we both end up in Father Gallagher’s office for the rest of the year. If we’re going to spend time on our knees, I’d rather it be doing something much more enjoyable than his damned introspective exercises.”

She shook with rage and frustration by the time we got to her door. “That fucking bitch. She stole my clothes and set them on fire in the showers. What is this, high school?”

“She’s a spoiled, pampered princess. A petulant little twat. And you, my beautiful little wolf, are a goddess.”

Her soft smile had me desperate for a taste. “Am I?”

“Fuck yes. And if you let me into your room, I’ll show you exactly what a willing disciple looks like.”

My voice was a low growl of need. She was too tempting, and I’d been tested time and time again, my will only so strong. The connection between us screamed for me to give in.

Her breath caught, that slight hitch drawing my attention to the hollow at the base of her throat, then lower, to the tight nipples pressing through the fabric of my shirt. My shirt protecting and covering her skin. My scent would be all over her, marking her as mine so no one else would dare attempt to make a claim.