Chapter 6

Chapter 6

REED

I watchRiley’s expression as Cree explains to her the events of the day. From following her out back to consulting with me and Axel on her care. To what she needs to do before she ultimately kills herself.

Her flippant disregard sets a fire burning behind my chest. My wolf claws at me, wanting to break free and teach our mate a lesson. Yes, our mate because that’s what she is. We’ve known for months, but we’ve been waiting for her to figure it out.

Unable to keep him at bay any longer, I let the one thought fly free. “What the hell were you thinking, Riley?” I know my eyes have shifted, and I see them glowing in the watery reflection of hers. My fists hang at my sides, holding back the shift.

Rolling her eyes, she murmurs softly to herself, something that sounds like, “Thanks, Grace.”

“What?” I ask in utter confusion.

“Nothing, Reed. Are you sure you really want the answer to that question? I can tell you right now, it’ll only piss you off more, and you’re barely holding it together as it is.”

“Yes.” I stare at her, my eyes still glowing from the presence of my wolf just under the surface, my breaths sawing between clenched teeth as I fight to maintain control.

Head high, holding my gaze while raising one brow at me, she squares her shoulders and confidently states, “I wasn’t, Reed. That was the whole point, after all.”

That was the truth of the matter. She wasn’t thinking, she didn’t want to have to think or feel. She wanted it all to end and was trying to shut it all off. And she was so fucking close this time, too. Fucking bear.

I’m not stupid, I’ve seen her at the bar strung out and drunk. Still blows me away that Cree put up with this behavior for this long. I’ve watched her down pill after pill when she thought no one was watching. But I was always watching.

My wolf is losing his cool, his control. He’s pissed that our mate hurt herself like this. That she wants to leave us, as irrational as it may sound considering she has no idea who we are yet. But all wolves grow up learning about true mates—or fated mates as some call it—knowing they’re out there, and she just wants to leave before meeting us. Why? What could be so bad that she would willingly give up on something so special as a true mate?

My wolf pushes forward, forcing the change. He turns his attention to our mate, protectiveness warring with his anger. He glares at her, keeping eye contact, demanding her submission. She won’t be able to hurt herself again without permission. She can’t leave us; we’re her alpha.

Riley doesn’t back down. She holds our gaze, unwilling to break. My wolf growls at her, willing her to understand; but she is our mate—our equal—and she won’t submit. Not this way at least. Not by force.

She raises that brow again and smirks at me. Fucking smirks.

That does it, my wolf fucking loses it, and I can’t hold him back. His temper flares, and he growls at her as he lunges forward, landing nearly in her lap, baring his teeth. The bitter scent of fear fills the air between us, and I see the terror in her eyes.

I fight for control again. Willing the beast back down and the shift to come.

Back down, you won’t win her this way. She doesn’t trust us. I assure him we will gain her submission; but we need to be patient and earn her trust.

He crawls back to the corner of my mind, scared for his mate and their future together but also angry because she won’t acknowledge the bond between them.

She needs time, a chance to heal, but she’ll come around.

A heartbreaking whine echoes in my mind. Give her time. She’ll feel the connection in time and choose to be with us. But for now, you need to back off and let her come to us. I hate that he’s hurting, I feel every ounce of his pain, but we need to be gentle with our mate.

I get on my knees in front of Riley, hands out, palms facing her, and slowly lower them to her knees. To my surprise, she doesn’t pull away at my touch, rather lets me rest my hands there.

“He wanted to hurt me,” she whispers with tears in her eyes. “I didn’t think he really would hurt me, why did he do that?” She turns her face away from mine, but I won’t let her hide.

Reaching up, I cup her cheek and bring her gaze back to me. Keeping my tone light and non-threatening, I explain. “Riley, I’m so sorry he scared you. He’s scared and frustrated. He would never do anything to hurt you.” With my words, her expression changes to one of confusion tinged with anger.

“Frustrated about what? And he’s scared? After that little stunt, I’ll give him something to be scared of. Me. He better watch his back. He might have caught me off guard tonight, but next time, I’ll be ready for him.”

My wolf lets out a low growl at the challenge as he claws his way to the surface once more. Removing my hands from Riley’s body, I stand up and take a step back, the shift coming much faster this time.

What the hell are you doing? Do you want to scare her away forever?

Defiant mate,he growls in my ears, his anger lacing every word.

Hunched over, I fight against the shift, refusing to let the wolf back out. I’m half-shifted when Cree shoves me across the room hard enough to leave a Reed-sized indent in the drywall.

Gods, this woman, she’s going to be the death of me.