“Hey! Stop that!” I growled and grabbed her wrist when she aimed another slap at me. My wolf stirred as hers surfaced in her eyes. Not amber like the wolf spirit she had housed when we were young, but a deep sapphire blue. My heart pounded, my blood heating as I spun her against the wall and held her wrists over her head. She screeched with anger as I overpowered her with my body, leaning my weight against her and stopping her struggles for freedom.
“Get off me!” She twisted and bucked, turning the friction between us into something I couldn’t ignore. Heat surged through my blood.
I half-growled, half-laughed, and twisted my hips sideways as she tried to knee me in the balls. “Gods damn it, Firecracker, stop attacking me and I’ll let you go.” Still she fought. “Ember! Stop it, please!”
Surprisingly, she did. Her chest rose and fell rapidly and there was a sheen of sweat over her brow. I cursed myself, I’d brought her here to heal her, not cause her more pain. Without hesitation, I licked her bottom lip where it was split and bruised. The sweetness of her blood exploded across my tongue, and I clenched my jaw to hold back my groan. I wanted to do it again and again. I shifted my hips away so that the evidence of her effect on me wasn’t so obvious.
Her body stiffened at the touch of my tongue. “Whoa, what are you doing?” Despite her question, there was a breathy quality to her voice.
I ensnared her wide green gaze with mine. “Healing you.” Come on, man, step up, I beseeched my wolf. He grumbled, and though he hadn’t really settled down since we’d scented Ember’s blood, he still refused to help.
Ember shook her head. “No, you can’t do that.”
I dropped my forehead against hers. “I can, Ember. I’m the Alpha Prime. I’ve taken the power of all the alpha’s I’ve killed in this place; and I have killed many. That means I can use my wolf’s power to at least partially heal you.” It wasn’t a complete lie.
She shook her head again, confirming that she had no idea of the real reason I could heal her. “No one I’ve ever met, except that bastard Walker, has had the ability to heal injuries like that.”
I cocked a brow, my stomach tensing at the mention of that faerie bastard. It still pissed me off that he had healed her, when as far as I knew, only mates could heal each other. “How many wolf shifters, or should I say, alphas, have you been around these last four years?”
She blew a breath out and stared at the ceiling.
I smiled when she shrugged, and a flush stained her cheeks.
“I’ll take that as none, then?” Her silence confirmed it—no shifters, and definitely no alphas. My muscles unwound a little, her lack of experience with our own kind made my lie more believable. We might have a long history, but we had only kissed once and though it had turned my world upside down, we’d never discussed being mated. I’d stayed away from her because she’d been young and I’d stupidly believed I should give her time to experience life without me getting all possessive and protective of her. I trailed my nose up her neck and jaw to the soft skin below her earlobe, inhaling her warmth and smokey scent. Lust slammed through me, my heart racing.
“I can heal you, Ember.” My voice was low and gravelly, but I didn’t try and hide it, instead I smiled as her breathing hitched. “I’ve been here for four years. Doherty wants a prison full of strong alphas and shifters who can earn him money, and he needed an alpha strong enough to keep the inmates in line. I’ve done that, and I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. Let me help you.” I released her wrists and cupped her cheek, revelling in the warmth and softness of her skin beneath my hand. “I can’t believe you’re actually here. Doherty really did give me the head of your wolf, that’s why I thought you were dead.”
Her brow furrowed and her eyes shone wetly as they searched mine. Holding my breath, I waited, hoping she would explain how that could happen. She swallowed hard, then tentatively reached out and mirrored my hold. Her skin was calloused, but her touch was warm and a thousand times more potent than I expected. For so long, I’d dreamed about her