Chapter 16

Zander

My scent lingered near her room when I made my way toward the kitchen the next morning. That meant my wolf had been up to no good, which was actually really good for me.

Vivian had breakfast ready, her smiling face greeted me though she didn"t meet my eyes for long. She was hiding something. I"d known her since she was born. I sat down at the breakfast table, grabbed a fork and started eating. "This is amazing, Vivian," I said.

"Thank you, Alpha."

I eyed her as she whisked around the kitchen cleaning up after herself. "Is something the matter?"

"Hmm?" she asked, turning her head over her shoulder, but keeping her gaze on her task.

I chuckled. "What happened?"

Even if she wanted to keep something from me, it was in a pack"s nature to tell their alpha the truth. They let him know so he could take care of things. It was an alpha"s duty.

Vivian sighed, knowing I knew, she turned and perched against the sink. "Ms. Sloane came to see me last night, I tried to get away but she"s quick for a human."

This made me smile. Piper was determined.

"What did she want?" I took a bite of toast.

"Answers to her many, many questions. I told her you were a great alpha and the pack went to stay with a neighboring alpha after the curse."

I shrugged. "She knew that, Vivian."

"She wanted to know about the curse. I didn"t tell her."

I nodded slowly, taking another bite. "Thank you. I"ll tell her when the time is right." When that would be, I had no idea. Piper was a loose cannon. One minute she was kissing me, and grinding on my thigh, and the other she looked like she wanted to spit in my face.

Vivian gave me a clipped nod and went back to washing the dishes. "Have you had your breakfast yet?" I asked.

"Yes, Sir. William has, too. He said he would be back shortly."

"Save a plate for, Little One."

"It"s waiting on the island, Sir," she said.

I finished eating, hand delivering my plate to the dishwasher before making my way toward the library. Piper was up, I could sense it, but I"d let her find me today. By the heaviness of my scent, I was sure my wolf put her to the test last night. I was curious to know if he"d worn her down enough for me to steal another kiss ... or two.

The dreams my wolf gave her, felt real to her, but it wasn"t for me. I didn't get to enjoy them because the beast occupied my nights. It was magical, really. The moon goddess let me keep that part of my wolf. Thankfully, he was getting more done than I was, apparently.

William left the package of romance novels I"d ordered on the desk in the library. I chuckled when I opened them at the buff dude on the cover, and the woman laying helplessly in his arms.

I placed them where she could see them, and sat down with the newspaper Vivian left on the kitchen table. The front page had shifted from Piper"s disappearance to a hit-and-run on a first grade teacher.

The library door opened seconds later, and Piper walked into the room. She wore one of the dresses in her closet. It was a corset top, deep red, with a long trail. It was theatrical of me to pick them, but I loved the way they looked on a woman, and Piper filled them out so nicely.

They were modest, but not too much that I couldn"t make out how perfectly built she was beneath it.

She sashayed into the room, pretending not to notice me, but her gaze lingered on the books perched on the corner of the desk. She dropped off her book, and turned to face me.

With arms folded over her chest, she asked, "I want to know about the curse."

Straight to the point. I"ll take it.

I stood up lazily, and walked over to face her. She stood between two rows of books, near the end. "What would you like to know, Ms. Sloane?"

She shoved her chocolate colored locks from her face, and slid her tongue across her teeth. "Does it have to do with that rose on your forearm?"

That was a safe enough topic. "It does," I said, rolling up my sleeve to show her.

I kept my gaze on her face, not daring to look down at the devilish thing. That voodoo queen was into dark arts, stuff I steered clear from for my soul"s sake. Piper reached out, her fingertips traced the tattoo, and her brows folded inward. "Why is this here?"

"She gave it to me. When all the petals fall off, I"m out of time."

Her pretty gaze lifted to mine, her palm still wrapped around the girth of my arm. "What happens when you run out of time?"

I swallowed, watching her eyes drop to my throat. "The beast wins, and I lose my pack, my life and my mate, forever."

"What did you do," she whispered.

The hurt of that question twisted a knife into my chest. I had deserved to be punished. I was becoming an alpha that was greedy, and careless. It"d been an accident, but one that could have been prevented. But I wouldn"t tell her now.

I needed her to trust me, and that story would only drive a wedge between us.

"Not now," I said, turning away from her, rolling my sleeve back down.

I felt her anger forming, and then she pulled me around to face her. "I"m so tired of being trapped here with little answers. If I am this hypothetical mate, don"t I deserve to know why you are the way you are?"

"Not now," I said again.

Suddenly unimpressed with the path of this conversation, I turned back again and walked toward the door. Piper"s quick footsteps neared, and she shoved me from the back. I swung around, coming close to her. Vivian was right, she was quicker than I realized.

"You gonna hit me," she taunted. "Keep me here, and then beat me up for asking questions."

I smiled. "Oh, I want to do ungodly things to you, but hit you isn"t one of them."

A blush crawled up her cheeks. I noticed her pulse rising, and a twirl of anger and lust forming. "You know what I think, Zander. I think you"re a tease. I think you get off on dragging me along, and you"ll keep me here until I"m old, and still never do what you say you"re going to—,"

The beast inside of me came to life, and I gently shoved her back against the bookshelf. "Is that what you think, Ms. Sloane? You think I"m not doing what I want because this is a game? On the contrary, Little One. This is life or death for me. I don"t just need you to jump on my cock for a good rump in my bed, Love. I need you to fall deeply in love with me, or this won"t work. I won"t beat the beast without it. So if this game is what will make you fall, or if it"s what you want to play, I"ll do it."

Piper pressed her mouth into a thin line. So many emotions splayed across her pretty features that I couldn"t pinpoint what would happen next.

In a burst of energy, she launched forward, pushing me back against the opposing bookshelf, and tangled her fingers into my hair. Her mouth was hot and determined, bringing mine down to greet hers.

My wolf had been busy.

Little One was hungry for more.

With no mercy, she kissed me like she"d never see me again. I wouldn"t stop her from having me like she wanted. I"d let her lead. Gripping her upper thighs, I holstered her to my hips, using the bolted library shelf to help hold her up.

It was all tongue, fingers and desire.

There was something bone deep that she needed to fill, and until she let me explain, she wouldn"t understand that it was the mate bond. She rocked her hips against mine, making my wolf howl in painful bliss.

She pulled away to gather her breath, and I took the opportunity to kiss a path down her neck, nipping the spot where my mark would go. She froze, like it jolted something awake inside of her. I stilled against her neck, breathing in her scent, the globes of her ass in my hands.

For the first time since she arrived, I wished I hadn"t picked out those big skirt dresses. "Your wolf kisses better than you," she said, her voice full of a tease that I knew I would easily fall for.

"Yeah?" I asked, nipping her bottom lip, loving the look of shock on her face. A drop of blood formed, and I licked it off.

My wolf liked it.

And so did she.

But she knew she shouldn"t like it. The confusion rested so heavily on her face, so I decided to take another taste before the rational side of her brain won.

I pressed my mouth against hers, using one hand to tangle into the locks at the nape of her neck. "Does my wolf make you want to wake up, so that I can truly satisfy you? It feels real, but that pulse between yours legs that only your true fated mate can touch, can only be reached by me."

She stalled against my mouth, her jaw clenching in aggravation.

"Does that hurt your pride, Little One? To know that the man you hate is the only one that can satisfy your itch?"

She narrowed her eyes to slits, and slid from my hips, still pressed between the bookshelf and my chest. "My pride isn"t the problem."

Piper shoved from me, and stalked toward the library door. My wolf relentlessly tried to escape, urging me to go after her. I chuckled, sliding my thumb across my mouth to savor her taste.

She stalled at the door, looked back, snagged all of the books sitting on the desk, and took off running.

I was laughing when William walked into the library. He"d respectfully waited until we finished before he dared to interrupt.

"She seems friendlier," he said. "She was carrying the books. You did well picking those out."

I buttoned the sleeves of my shirt, and ran my fingers into my hair. "Any news?"

He nodded. "I picked up new scents around forty miles into the woods. The cell phone towers are few and far between, which is lucky for us. I saw several people searching for her. It won"t be long before they make it here."

I shoved my hands into my pants pockets. "How long?"

"A few days, tops," William said. He walked over toward the doorway, and looked over his shoulder. "Do you think you can make her fall in love with you before they make it here? Where is that alpha charm hiding?"

I wasn"t sure that part of me truly existed anymore, but we"d find out. Because I had mere days to make her fall for me, and better yet, trust the man that kidnapped her.