wolf is strong. She sees it as a threat.”
“And you?” I ask. “Do you see me as a threat?”
Something flashes in her light-brown eyes before she shutters it closed. “All outsiders are threats.”
Without saying another word, she turns and walks away, my gaze dropping to her stiff shoulder and the faded mate mark that’s there, while Presley’s previous words filter back through me. I find myself standing completely alone, in front of Tyran’s house, while the rest of the pack lumbers off to do...whatever it is they were doing before. Everywhere I look, clusters of shifters are working together or just loitering, but all of them are ignoring me completely.
Anger bubbles up inside me, because fuck this. Fuck this place, fuck these wolves, and fuck my wolf for bringing me into this situation. All I wanted was to be left unclaimed, left to live my life the way I chose. Now, I’m in the exact situation I was trying to run from, with twin marks in my shoulders and a temper flaring in my chest.
With narrowed eyes homing in on the alpha’s door, I find my feet moving, taking the stairs up the deck two at a time. I don’t bother knocking, I just march straight for the door, intending to burst through it and slam it shut behind me. Except it opens a second before I get there, and I jerk to a stop in front of the blond male who was standing on the deck with Tyran earlier.
He cocks an eyebrow at me but steps aside. I falter in surprise for a second, but then manage to march my ass right past him like I have every right to be there. Anger is driving me hard, and I have every intention of laying into the male whose teeth laid into me.
The inside of the house is cozy. Rough around the edges, but even in my current state, I note the well-made furniture, the leather, woven rugs, and the wooden floors that make the large space not feel cold or lifeless. Directly in front of me is a wide staircase, each step made of a log cut in half, it’s rough bark arching beneath the sanded tops. My bare feet pad up them, and I don’t let myself stop, even though I feel the weight of the blond’s stare on my back as I head upstairs.
I let my wolf’s nose lead me, seeking out the combination of musky amber, cedar, and cashmere that are key notes in Tyran’s masculine scent. We find it easily, the aroma saturated in here, but even if it weren’t, I have a feeling my wolf would still be able to pick it out of a slew of other smells.
Luckily, I get my burst through the door moment this time, because I scent him just on the opposite side of the long hallway. I shove open the door without warning and slam it behind me, breath already panting in anger the moment I find him sitting behind his desk.
He still doesn’t have a shirt on, and it pisses me off seeing him just sitting there cool as a fucking cucumber. But it’s mixed with surprise, because he’s sitting behind a desk. He’s holding a pen and doing...paperwork. I have to blink for a second as I try to assimilate this vision with the famed and monstrous leader I’ve always heard about.
The overwhelming scent of him surrounds me as he leans back in his chair, making the wood creak. His brown eyes latch onto me as he cocks his head. “Something you need?”
The arrogant impatience of his tone snaps me back into my irritation. “You didn’t tell me you were the fucking alpha.” I practically hurl the words at his face, mine burning with anger.
He shrugs and scratches down his sharp jaw. “It’s not my fault you weren’t wolf enough to pick it out.”
This arrogant bastard.
“My wolf was a little preoccupied being overrun with instincts.”
Heat flares in his eyes, which just makes me want to slap him. “I’m aware. You should let her do that more often,” he smirks.
“Screw. You.”
Tyran scoots the chair back and pats his thigh. “The invitation is open.”
A rage of noise strangles in my chest, and my vision pulses. He leans forward, bracing his elbows on the edge of the desk, watching me. “You need me to fuck that anger out of you, Seneca?” he says, his voice practically purring. I shouldn’t like the way my name sounds on his lips, but