Chapter 13: Dean

13

DEAN

J amie turns slowly, her dark hair swaying around her shoulders in a glossy curtain as she comes face to face with me. Her gold eyes sparkle in the faint light pouring in through the back door. Her silky olive skin glows along her collarbone and down her slim arms.

She’s perfect. If I wanted a woman, that is.

The urge to pull her to me, to grip her locks tightly in my fist and tip her head back, is strong. I want to demand she tells me what the fuck she thinks she’s doing and kiss her senseless at the same time.

My wolf is displeased about her behaviour, whereas I’m downright suspicious.

I’m giving her and Wyatt the benefit of the doubt by letting them stay here, but really, I know nothing about them. Who’s to say they didn’t get kicked out of their last pack for stealing? Or worse?

When I demand she come with me, her expressive eyes give away her fear. She’s worried about what I’m going to do next, and damned if, for the first time in my life, I’m hesitant about cranking up the anger.

Any other wolf, and I’d make sure they knew exactly how badly they’d fucked up, but with Jamie, I’m holding back. I can’t bear for her to be afraid of me.

With our bodies mere inches apart, her body heat pressed against me, I can’t force myself to step back and give her more space. I stare at her full, dark pink lips and the temptation to step forward and taste them, to pull the bottom one between my teeth as I lift her up and wrap her legs around me is staggering. The warmth of her skin under my fingertips is heaven.

Imagining our bodies touching from head to toe, our limbs tangled as we fight for dominance, has my cock standing to attention and my wolf ready for action.

But that would be a terrible idea. I’m judging the competition she’s entered, and as a rogue, she’s vulnerable here. I’m supposed to be leading by example, I remind myself, trying to pour some cold water on my red-hot libido.

If she were your mate, it would be different. But she’s not.

With great effort, I peel my fingers from her luscious hips and close my hands into fists, hanging awkwardly at my side, to stop myself from touching her again. I know I won’t be able to wash her scent from my skin tonight. Wrapping my fingers, coated in her scent, around my hard cock is as close as I’m going to get to the real thing, depressing as that is.

I need to get this woman out of my head, but right now, staring into her hooded, sultry eyes and loving how her breasts rise with each shallow pant, I don’t want to. I want more.

A fallen battery rolls from the bench and clatters off the tiled floor, breaking the spell between us. Suddenly, I remember exactly why I should ignore how delectable she is. She’s snooping around my packhouse, in the middle of the night, looking in places where she really shouldn’t be.

Jamie’s up to something, and I need to figure out what it is.

Ignoring the mess on the floor, I crook my finger at her, enjoying her indignation at the gesture, then head for the door without looking back. “Follow me.”

There’s enough of a pause, that for a delicious moment, I think she’s going to defy me. But then, I hear her boots crunching on broken glass and scattered tea lights as she reluctantly trails behind me into the dimly lit corridor. No longer surrounded by her intoxicating scent, my brain finally kicks into gear.

And I’m pissed. Really fucking pissed. Both at her brazen disrespect within my own house, and my reaction to her. She’s testing my control in every way.

When I get to the official alpha’s office, I push the door wide, keeping it open with my splayed palm as I stand back and wait for her to pass. Head held high and chin tipped up defiantly, she struts inside, pretending to be unbothered by the anger pouring off me. As I let the door swing closed, I smile to myself at her obstinate attitude. This is going to be fun.

Jamie stands in the middle of the floor and takes a good look around with her hands clasped behind her back. Does she have any idea how incredibly hot she looks in those leather pants? Of course she does , I think ruefully, otherwise she wouldn’t be wearing them. I shouldn’t doubt how clever this little rogue is. She’s managed to wrangle a spot in the competition and the packhouse.

Who’s to say seducing an alpha isn’t the next part of whatever her plan is?

“Sit.” My command is harsh, giving away a little of how frustrated I feel. I’m teetering on the edge, unsure what to do or how to act, something I’ve never experienced before. One thing I do know is that this woman is dangerous to my sanity.

Jamie’s eyes flash at the disrespect, but she doesn’t challenge me. She knows that she could be on the verge of being eliminated from the Alpha Games. With a tiny huff, unable to stop herself from showing some attitude, she drops her perfect ass onto a seat and primly folds her hands in her lap. Probably to stop herself from giving me the middle finger.

Instead of walking around to the far side of my desk, or my father’s desk really, I move closer to her. Leaning my hip against the antique wooden table, I fold my arms over my chest and pause to steady myself. Jamie’s astute gaze registers my dishevelled state. My tie is gone, tossed angrily onto the ground outside the back door, and I’m missing the top button of my shirt where I yanked the collar open, unable to breath with it done tightly around my neck.

That’s what this woman is doing to me.

I can think of a million different things I should be dealing with right now, but there’s nowhere I’d rather be, fucked up as that is.

“Care to tell me what you were looking for when I interrupted you? Something valuable perhaps?” My tone is condescending, and my thinly veiled accusation has the desired effect.

Jamie’s high cheekbones flush pink, and her cheeks hollow slightly. She’s offended by the suggestion that because she’s a rogue, she must be a thief.

Her wolf is just below the surface, and I’m tempted to keep provoking Jamie until she shifts, just so I can get a look at her animal. I bet she’s sleek, dark, infuriatingly insubordinate, and fucking magnificent. Just like her human.

“I wasn’t stealing anything,” she grits out, holding back what she really wants to say. Which is probably for me to fuck off.

“Hmm.” I look to the heavens, praying for patience. Questioning her is a waste of my time, she won’t tell me anything.

“Well, if you weren’t stealing from me, then what were you doing snooping around in the pitch black?”

She glares at me mutinously, and I find myself marvelling at how this woman has the audacity to be annoyed when she’s the one who was caught red-handed.

“Just exploring.” Jamie’s sultry voice rolls through my mind and travels straight to my gut. She’s being purposefully obtuse and plain disrespectful.

When I say nothing, Jamie’s pretty face falls. She was spoiling for a fight, but I’m not going to give her one.

“How about instead of acting like I’m in the wrong here, you pretend to be sorry and apologise for getting caught ransacking my pack’s private property?”

Jamie flushes and averts her gaze, the reminder of her wrongdoing enough to quell her fire, if only for a moment.

“I apologise. I’ll replace anything I broke.”

I wave away her offer with a shake of my head, a few damaged hardware store flashlights are the least of my concerns.

“Don’t push your luck, Jamie. That’s not the point, and you know it. I’d be well within my rights to dump you over the border, and it wouldn’t cost me a wink of sleep.”

The words come out harsh and strangled. I’m hoping that she thinks it’s barely contained rage and not lust rising inside me, like a phoenix rising from the dusty ashes of my heart.

“Oh, well we couldn’t have that, Alpha .” I wait, letting the awkward silence stretch on for as long as she can bear before she sighs and looks away. “I was being nosy. I saw the door and wanted to see what was behind it.”

The truth. At last.

“And what business of yours is what I keep behind a locked door, inside my own packhouse?”

She twitches, seeming to believe it is her business, but she’s clever enough to stay silent.

“Looking for ghosts, I guess,” she whispers, quiet, maybe even slightly sad, but not one bit meek. A look of determination crosses her face briefly before she hides it away.

Ghosts.

Maggie, my stepmum and the pack healer, always talks about ghosts of the past. Mainly how my father’s spectre still hangs over me and my brother, and how he’ll continue to ruin our lives until we can let go of the past. As if it’s that easy.

As I watch Jamie, a memory, a thought, something I should know tickles the back of my mind, but the harder I reach for it, the further it slips from my grasp.

“You’ll find no ghosts here. And you’ll stop whatever it is you’re up to, immediately, if you want to stick around.”

We stare at each other like rivals sizing one another up before a big fight. The tension in the room is so thick you could cut it with a knife. For a moment, I worry she’s about to say she doesn’t want to stick around, that she’s quitting the games. Just the mere thought of her leaving has my adrenaline pumping.

“Fine,” she concedes, and I scoff. I’ve heard that before. She has no intention of stopping, so it’s up to me to figure out what she’s doing here.

Pushing to my feet, I stop right beside her chair on my way to the door. With great effort, I keep my eyes forward and avoid looking at her face. I want to present an aloof attitude; one I know will rub her up the wrong way. “Consider this your official warning, Jamie. Next time you even breathe the wrong way, I’ll take great pleasure in punishing you myself.”

The scent of her arousal perfumes the air and I growl, my need for her growing. She’s dangerous to my self-control.

“And not in a fun way.” I need to stay away from her, which will be easier if she believes I’m the ass everyone says I am. The look of indignation on her face tells me I got it spot on.