Chapter 5 - Evan

Mia recoils from me. The disgust on her face catches me off guard. "Entertain you?" she spits. "Are you serious? You can't be serious."

"You think I'm joking?"

"No. I'm not that kind of woman, and I don't appreciate being treated like some cheap whore."

She crosses her arms, and I'm momentarily distracted by the way her tits are pushed up against the top of her dress. I can just make out the curve of her breasts and the outline of her nipples through the thin fabric, and I lick my lips in an automatic response. She notices where my attention has shifted, and she shifts uncomfortably.

"Why don't you take a picture?" she spits. "It'll last longer."

Her words snap me out of my lust-induced haze, and I narrow my eyes. "I'm not sure what you think I meant, but I assure you, you're wrong."

"Well, you weren't insinuating that we have a tea party, that's for sure. My clothes are staying on, thank you very much."

I have to press my lips together to keep myself from laughing. This girl is something else. "Mia, relax. I was not suggesting you strip for me or anything like that. We're going to have dinner, and you're going to tell me everything I want to know about Stardust Hollow. That's all."

Although, as soon as I find myself explaining to her, an image pops into my mind of her standing before me, slowly removing her clothing, and it doesn't sound like a terrible idea. And then I remember the look of horror on her face when she thought I was propositioning her, and I have no idea what to make of it.

I'm a big man. Tall and strong, with a muscular build. Most people find me intimidating, and that's the way I like it. It makes it easy for people to know their place and not fuck with me. The women who aren't afraid of me are usually falling all over themselves trying to impress me. But Mia... she's different. She doesn't seem interested in me at all.

It's a change of pace, but also infuriating. If I wanted a challenge, I'd go hunt a damn buck.

"I'm not telling you a damn thing," she tells me, glaring at me with those beautiful green eyes of hers. They're not emerald or teal or any of the other pretty names people come up with for the color. No, Mia's eyes are an eerie shade of forest green all their own. And I can't stop staring at them.

"You will. And if you don't, I'm sure there's something we can do to convince you."

Her eyes dart to the silver cuffs that are already around her wrists. I'm sure they're burning her skin, but she's too stubborn to complain. Instead, she holds them up and waves them in my face.

"This isn't going to work on me, so you can just forget it. I don't know what your beef is with Stardust Hollow, and I don't care. You're not getting any information out of me."

Oh, she's feisty. I like that.

Unfortunately, my distaste for Ram and his pack runs much deeper than whatever attraction I have for her. It's a rivalry that's spanned years. Ram and I rose to power at the same time, but when I see what he's been able to do, what he's been able to build, I can't stand it. Couple that with how things went down with Callie, and, well, he's been upgraded to full-blown nemesis in my book.

I cross the room and stand in front of her, towering over her tiny frame. I'm at least a foot taller than her, and it makes me want to protect her and ravish her all at the same time.

"You don't think so?" I ask, grinning down at her.

She glares up at me and plants her hands on her hips. "That's right. You can do whatever you want, but it won't work. I won't tell you a thing."

"And if I have a gun pointed at your head?"

"It still won't work."

"What about if I have a knife to your throat?"

"Nothing will work."

"Hmm, you're a tough one, aren't you?" I chuckle, amused.

I lean in close so we're almost nose to nose. She doesn't move, doesn't even breathe, and her gaze flicks down to my lips. She can't help it. It's only natural for her body to respond. I'm an alpha, and I can feel the attraction between us, even if she wants to pretend it's not there.

"I bet I could find something that would work," I say.

I reach up and brush a stray curl out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. The movement is too intimate, too tender, and we both freeze. Her breath hitches, and she inhales sharply before jerking her head away and backing up a few steps.

"Why do you want me as your mate, anyway? I'm nothing special. If you're so hell-bent on getting revenge on Stardust Hollow, why wouldn't you choose someone with some status? Someone who matters. I'm no one."

The thought crosses my mind to explain to her that our mating has much less to do with revenge and more to do with saving my pack. The itch to explain that she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and her being here is nothing but a stroke of terrible luck pains me, but the words die on my tongue. That would only validate the things she just said about herself, and to know she views herself that way makes me inexplicably... sad.

Instead, I shrug and force an expression of indifference. "You're attractive enough, and I could certainly do worse. My brother chose you for a reason, Mia."

"Your brother," she sneers. "Your brother is a brute. A savage."

I bark out a laugh because it's true. "My brother is a lot of things. Savage is just one of them."

"I know you were no happier to see me today than I was you," she points out. "You don't want me here, either. I could see it on your face the moment you saw me."

"You're right. I don't," I reply, and her eyes widen in surprise. She doesn't seem like she knows what to say to that, and I grin at her. "I have no desire to deal with the complications you cause, but I don't have a choice. I'm the alpha, and what I want matters very little in the face of what's best for my pack. Sometimes, the hard decisions must be made, and this is one of them."

"What about your own happiness and your own conscience? Don't you deserve to sleep well at night, too?"

The question is innocent enough, but it hits a nerve, and I turn away from her. The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. "No, Mia. I don't deserve those things. And you'll figure out why sooner rather than later. You can keep trying to reason your way out of this, and you're welcome to try, but the end result will be the same. You will stay here. How either of us feels about it is irrelevant."

I'm surprised to find that there's a part of me that does want her, a part of me that wishes the circumstances were different. She's articulate and clever, and she's got a fire in her that I haven't seen in anyone else. I could fall for a girl like her.

But I can't. I won't. Because if I let myself get close to her, I'll end up caring far too much about what she wants and needs. That would mean sacrificing what's best for my pack, and that's something I could never live with.

I turn to leave the room, and Mia grabs my arm. Her fingers are soft and delicate, contrasting perfectly with the strength of my forearm. I turn to look at her. She looks startled like she's not even sure what she was going to say. She pulls her hand away, and it falls back down to her side.

"Why?" she whispers. "I know there has to be a reason, and not just a petty feud with another pack. Why am I here, Evan? And why won't you let me go?"

A single tear slides down her cheek, and I don't even realize I'm wiping it away until I feel the moisture on my fingers. She closes her eyes, leaning into my touch, and she sighs. I take her face in my hands and force her to look at me. Her green eyes are wide and glassy, and it pains me to see her looking so vulnerable and defeated.

I know I'm about to shatter any semblance of hope she had that I'm not as cruel and cold-hearted as I'm perceived to be, but she deserves to know. It's only right.

"Stop asking questions, Mia. You're going to be here for a long time, so you might as well accept that."

When I move to pull my hand away, she wraps her fingers around my wrist and holds on tight. She's strong, stronger than I thought, and the way her touch is making me feel... it's like my body is being shocked with electricity. The energy crackles and buzzes between us, and I have the overwhelming urge to kiss her.

"You have no heart," she whispers.

I pull my hand away and stare at her hard. "You're absolutely right, Mia. And it's better for everyone if you remember that."

"Hey, boss!" My brother's voice booms through the house, and his heavy footfalls echo down the hallway.

I step away from Mia and turn to face him. When Rafe reaches us, he pauses in the doorway, looking between the two of us with a curious expression. "Everything okay in here?"

"Fine, Rafe. What's going on?"

"Just letting you know the hunting party didn't have much luck. We need to start rationing what meat is left." He leans against the doorframe, and I could swear he looks pleased at having to deliver the news. Rafe has never been happy with the way I lead the pack, and he's constantly finding fault with the way I make decisions. I know he's hoping he'll eventually become the alpha, but that's never going to happen, and by the looks of it, he needs a little reminder.

I take a step toward him, and he stands a little taller, squaring his shoulders. "That's the third time this month," I say. "So tell me, Rafe, who is going to pay for those failures?"

My brother swallows hard, and I can tell by the look on his face that he knows what's coming. He's crossed the line.