But his words… his statement… his comment about Alphas shying away from commanding others to shift.
That’s… that’s not true. Alphas in my pack used to do it all the time to their females. It’s part of the mating ritual. It’s supposed to be sacred and special, something the male does for his chosen mate.
Or was that just another way to control the females?
My jaw clenches.
Really clenches.
Momentarily confusing me because I made my wolf gnash her teeth.
And Tieran’s knowing gaze suggests he saw it, too.
“You’re a fighter,” he says, approval underlining those words. “Do you want to try to take control yourself, or would you like my help?”
He’s already helping, his words alone seeming to give me the power to override my wolf. At least subtly.
Or maybe that’s my anger.
Anger he’s awakened with his truths and his outside perspective.
Have I been suppressed my whole life? Living in a world meant to keep women down, to control them, all to what, impregnate them?
What was the point of all the tests? The trials? Me proving my worth as a mating candidate?
They tested my speed, my agility, and my strength. All to what, ensure I was able to produce a worthwhile pup?
I… I don’t understand.
It feels too wrong. Too outlandish. Too insane to be true.
Yet I can’t deny the resounding truth in my soul that Tieran is telling me the truth.
He continues to brush my fur, waiting for me to give him my decision. Or perhaps waiting for a sign.
I can’t exactly speak.
But I can blink.
And my jaws appear to be clenched as a result of my own frustration.
What else can I control? I wonder, attempting to move my head to look at Tieran again.
My wolf obeys.
His eyes lock with mine once more. “Good,” he murmurs, his eyes grinning. “Try laying down.”
I do.
And my wolf allows it.
“Sit back up,” he says.
I lift up and meet his gaze once more.
He nods. “That’s it. You’ve broken down some sort of wall between you, helping to blend your wants and needs. To turn human, you’ll need to take full control and tell her to heel. Which, given what I’ve observed of your animal, won’t be easy.”
“We could try feeding her,” a deep voice suggests from behind me, causing me to spin on my rump to inspect the newcomer. Caius. I recognize his scent. Peppermint and spice. I’m not sure when I cataloged that information in my mind, but it’s there, giving me his identity along with his familiar voice.
He has thick brown hair, an athletic physique, pretty silver eyes, and a kind smile with dimples engraved in his cheeks.
“Well, hello, gorgeous,” he says, crouching in the doorway. “Don’t you look all nice and clean.”
Tieran grunts behind me. “She’s not a dog.”
“Says the male who was down here giving her orders to sit and lay down and off,” Caius returns without missing a beat, his gaze still holding mine. “How about some salmon, hmm? Maybe that’ll help placate your wolf enough to subside to your wants and desires.”
The sensuality in his voice stirs heat inside me, just like Tieran’s brushing request.
Something about these males, perhaps their power and Alpha auras, is calling to a foreign part of my being. I can feel it stirring beneath their knowing gazes, threatening to take control and leave me a writhing mess on the ground.
That part of me doesn’t care that my wolf is still in charge, it wants to wake up and steal the reins.
The competing sentiments cause a low whimper to escape my lips. Except it sounds oddly needy, like I’m begging for something I don’t understand.
“Well, that wasn’t on the menu, but we can absolutely arrange it once you’re back in human form,” Caius says, his dimples flashing again as he straightens in a ripple of muscle that makes me drool.
Literally.
My wolf is drooling.
Wow, I think, irritated all over again. Put your jaws together.
She does.
Which gives me pause again and I narrow my eyes. Stand up, I think.
She obliges.
Walk.
Again, she listens, but pauses to rub against the male in the doorway, earning her a quick scratch behind the ear. “I like her,” he murmurs. “Let’s keep her.”
“Again, she’s not a dog,” Tieran tells him.
“Oh, I’m very aware of what she is, T,” he drawls. “Volt is, too.”
Volt? I think, pausing just outside the bathroom door in the bedroom. V must be Volt.
And he happens to be standing in the entryway that leads to the hall, his arms folded as he braces himself against the door frame. “How was your bath, sweetling?” he asks.
I shake out my coat in response, pleased that my wolf listens to me again. Is it my anger that caught your attention? I wonder. Because I’m still mad. I can feel the burn of it in my gut, itching for an outlet.
My pack raised me to be weak, to disassociate from my wolf.
They rejected me for being white.
Then raped and murdered my mother in front of me.
And pinned the blame on me.
Yeah, I have a lot to be furious about. I’ll just keep channeling it until my wolf lets me convert back into a human.
At that point, I’ll evaluate my next move.
Which will probably be to run.
Maybe.
Depending on how these Alphas react.
“I’ll admit it’s a rather bland punishment,” Volt adds as Tieran follows me out into the bedroom. “I expected something a little more intense.”
“Yeah? And who let her in my room again?” Tieran pauses beside me to draw his fingers through my nape.
“It was that or leave her begging by your door. I chose to indulge the pretty beast instead.” Volt sounds completely unapologetic.
“Hmm.” Tieran’s touch leaves my fur as he saunters over to start stripping his bed. “Since you let her in here knowing she was a filthy mess, I think you should have to clean it up.” He starts pulling the bedding together to create a giant ball.
My wolf wags her tail, excited about this new game.
I tell her to stop.