Chapter 8 - Faye

My heart was racing. My entire core was on fire, the heat growing and taking over until I was certain that I only wanted one thing right now.

Hector .

I heard the phrase leave my lips. It stunned my parents and my brother as intended. It stunned Hector the most, leaving him looking like he was wondering what he was supposed to do now.

I couldn't believe I just lied to him. It wasn't every day my childhood bully decided to kidnap me, hug me, and then defend me. And then he took it a step further by apologizing to me in front of the other two bullies of my childhood—my parents. Even my brother looked like he had stepped into an episode of The Twilight Zone right along with me.

Did he really think I would forgive him that easily? Shoot, I knew these people wanted a show. They wanted their accolades and rewards for nothing. They wanted me to be the perfect fit, and I could see now what Hector was doing. He was trying to prove that he could make anything work—even me as a mate.

He probably didn't believe that for a second. I wish I believed it.

Goddess, I didn't understand my feelings. I didn't get why this feeling kept growing inside me, this urge to jump his bones and take him to the ground with my hips. I wasn't even experienced, because not only was I a complete loser as a teenager, I was also a massive reject with the many boys that came after Hector.

None of the men in the Beaufort Creek pack had wanted me. My name never came up to be matched. Even the few dates I had with a couple of human guys in town ended up with me getting ghosted halfway through the meal. I was just an adult loser.

Yet that wasn't how I felt with Hector holding my hands and looking down at me like I was the most important person in his life right now.

Deflated tried to match his expression, keeping my features set with determination. If he wants a mate, I'll give him a mate. But if he wants sex…

"Cliff," Hector said softly, "would you remove our guests? I need to talk to my mate."

My mother coughed, then laughed, then made this wild sound that was a cross between the two sounds. "But Alpha, we're here to—"

Hector glared at her with all the power he possessed in his body as the new leader of the Silverfangs. "Don't question me. Leave. Now ."

Oh .

That sudden burst of authority made me bite my lower lip. Alright, if he did want sex, then maybe I could accommodate for that. So long as he didn't mind me being inexperienced, then we wouldn't have a problem. We were adults, after all, and adults could decide to do whatever they wanted, like perform as a mate.

Meaning performing things that a mate does.

Cliff ushered our parents into the living room with his sheepish grin, trying to crack jokes the whole way— have a nice trip, see you next Fall . Dad gave him a few polite chuckles. Mom just stayed deathly quiet. She was probably fuming right now with how she had been spoken to in front of the alpha— by the alpha.

Which honestly only made me swell up with affection for the alpha.

Hector stared at my parents and my brother as they went to the front door. It wasn't until the door clicked shut that he turned back to me, the fury in his face dissolving upon looking into my eyes. Those were such dangerous gemstones. The blue-violet reminded me of amethyst stones, the kind that were used to ground and protect. His irises were chiseled with scratches of white throughout, making them look like raw stones taken right out of the earth.

I clutched his hands. I didn't want him to let go, even as my own body urged me to do it, to resist getting attached to someone who would probably discard me later like everyone else. Even though it was probably part of his big, planned performance, to get treated with an ounce of respect in the one place I didn't think would ever be part of my plans again felt…

Good .

Desire coursed through my veins as I stood on my toes again. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, waiting for him to close the gap. That was the thing about kissing guys—they liked it when they got the opportunity to seal the deal. Maybe I wasn't very experienced with sex, but I was a great kisser. I was even called a damn fine kisser once by this farmer guy who smelled like outside grime and tobacco.

Hector wasn't like those other men. He wasn't a loose cannon. He didn't take advantage of me when he very well could have. I didn't want to think about him pressed against me again, but I couldn't help it. I thought about his hips pushed into my bottom, his back flat on me, and his nose exploring my hair…

I shivered. "Do you have any clothes I could wear?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. I just—" He released my hands. My palms felt cold from his absence. "Upstairs. I just have to get the FROG ready."

"I'm sorry. The what ?"

He chuckled. " Full Room Over Garage ."

I shook my head. "You're weird."

"You're weird for not knowing that term. Come on, everybody knows that."

My affection faded. It was amazing how guys could open their mouth one time and ruin everything at the drop of a hat. One phrase or one word was all it took to make me lose the fire in my belly for him.

I crossed my arms over my chest while straightening my posture. "Right. Yeah. I'm so stupid for not knowing that."

"You're not stupid. Don't call yourself that."

"Are you telling me as my mate or my alpha?"

He stepped toward me, his chest giving off enough heat to replace what I'd lost. "Yes."

"You're really bad at this whole mate thing, you know. Kidnapping isn't exactly romantic."

"Would it have been better if I kissed you?"

My eyes were so wide that my vision went blurry from me staring hard at his boots. Now, why did I have to go and say something dumb about romance? It wasn't like this was anywhere near being in love. In some packs, mates didn't have to love each other. They just had to be mated. And since he chose me out of the back of his mind, it wasn't like we were fated to be together.

I took a deep breath and sighed, trying to resist touching him. "You know, back in my pack, we have our mates announced by our alphas."

"Alphas?"

"We have two alphas, Troy and Blake."

He was quiet for a minute, but then he burst into laughter. " Two alphas ."

"Ugh, here we go. Make fun of me for that, too."

"Oh, I definitely will. I can't think of anything more useless than that."

I shrugged and reached for the mug of tea sitting on the table. Despite the fact that twenty minutes had passed, the liquid was still comfortably hot. I took a sip to calm myself down—though I found I didn't have much trouble with that when Hector touched my bicep.

After a brief silence, I smiled tightly at my mug. "You know, they're right."

His thumb skated over my shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

"My parents—they're right about me being chunky. I've always had an eating problem. I just don't know when to quit."

"That's not fair for you to say."

I huffed lightly, but I wasn't amused by the realization. "I hike, swim, exercise. I do it all. And yet I still have this—" I grabbed my voluptuous hips—"I'm still fat ."

He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. With his free hand, he took the mug of tea and leaned close. I was in his shadow now, protected by his figure from anything that might invade this space. Whether it was demons from beyond the wall or within the pack, I felt like he would keep me guarded.

I felt like he would keep me safe.

"I never want to hear you put yourself down again. Don't ever act like you're not the hottest woman in this entire pack," he demanded in a gruff voice. "Do you understand me, Cherry Pie?"

I gulped. "Yes, sir…"

Every inch of me trembled as his lips crashed into mine. I felt something rise in my chest like a wave that refused to crash. It was like a rocket that just kept shooting higher and higher into the sky without ever wanting to come down. Goddess, this was something else. This was truly a vibrant event, him taking me like he was now with his hands coasting over my wide hips and plump bottom.

This was everything I had ever wanted from him. I hated thinking of it that way, pitting it as a guy showing affection by being a bully. But it made sense now. I got it now. I understood why he gave me so much attention. He did it in the way my parents had done it. He thought he was just fitting in.

Maybe , I thought. I don't know that for sure. But maybe…

His tongue trailed my lower lip, prodding my mouth to open wider. Once he had me pliant, he plunged inside to explore the space over my tongue, diving in quick laps that made me think of how it might feel between my legs. That quickening feeling returned, hard enough to shoot my arms around his neck. Why was I awkward? Had I really been standing here with my hands stiff at my side like a toy soldier this whole time?

Now that I had leverage, I could steady myself on my toes and duel with his tongue, soft mews following each completed kiss cycle. I didn't know when to stop. I didn't want to stop. Even though I hadn't exactly won against my parents, I felt like I was celebrating a victory. I survived again—with Hector at my side.

If we could do that, what else could we do together?

Bliss exploded in my center as I tried to climb him like a tree. I became desperate for him to crush me against his chest, mewling urgently as he lifted me by my bottom and planted me on the table. None of those waves I felt ever crashed. It was the impossible tide, the eternal rocket. It was fireworks shooting up, up, and away. It was my heart beating as loud as the thunder that I subconsciously summoned.

He propped my legs over his hips, shimmying between my thighs with a swift thrust that sent electric tingles throughout my body. I broke the kiss with a sound that could only be described as pleasurable defeat.

Because he was rock hard.

His firmness teased my slit through my spandex short, almost nothing separating us from experiencing the warmth of each other's secrets. My head lolled back as his kisses grew heavier, demanding that I reveal my throat to him, demanding submission to his will. Each time he swept his stubble over my neck to nip my flesh, I felt my limbs weaken, and I grew tender with desire.

"Bite," I whimpered. "Do it."

I cradled his head as he plunged to my throat, where my main artery pumped vivaciously. The way it pulsed beckoned his mouth, coaxing his hips into slow, controlled thrusts that teased his hardness against my slit. My core ached for him to break me open, to take the one secret I had left and destroy it.

I didn't want to be a virgin anymore. I didn't want to hide behind a lie. I wanted to be Faye Lynne Spears, the woman who was proudly curvy and did whatever she wanted. And right now, what that woman wanted more than anything was to have Hector Shaw obliterate every presumption she had about pleasure and replace it with something even better.

Something unbreakable.

Something that forever lasts .

As the sensation crested, he unexpectedly stopped worshipping my throat and stepped back an inch. And then another. And then one more. A gaping space sat between us, tinted with flakes of gold and lavender like surreal snow. He inspected the strange light for a second before fleeing into the living room.

I was left gasping for breath as I gripped the edge of the table, struggling to stand upright on wobbly legs. How could he do that to me? We were just getting started. I was just getting used to the idea of giving myself to him completely.

Still gasping, I touched my lower lip that felt swollen and bruised from his affection. This was a feeling unlike any other. The way he took liberties with me while reading my body was unique—and I didn't think I would find that anywhere else. But was that because he cared for me, or was it because he wanted to keep my forgiveness?

Disappointment soon replaced my desire as I remembered what he had done by inviting my parents in here. He was parading my forgiveness around. He was showing off his new mate and the control he had over her—over me . I wasn't in the mood to be used as a prop, nor did I think it was wise to get lost in my feelings for Hector.

Because there weren't any feelings. Whatever I thought of him had everything to do with the past and nothing to do with the present. His apology was just an act. He probably didn't mean it. Not in a way that mattered to me. I closed my eyes as my heart thundered in my ears, the realization completing a cycle in my mind.

I was just used for showmanship. Nothing more.

When I finally snapped my eyelids open, I took a calming breath and fixed my stance. My legs weren't shaking anymore, yet I could still feel the internal sting of my desire for him. Maybe our connection was purely physical. Because I sure didn't feel like I could fully trust him.

No matter how many times my brain tried to tell me to do it.

I wobbled to the sink where I caught myself on the counter, trying to ignore the mess I made in my panties from just being kissed . For all I knew, that was abnormal, too, a byproduct of being too riled up as a virgin.

My features contorted as I stared at the kitchen window, observing my light reflection in the glass. Why would I care about what he thinks of me? He's just using me for alpha clout. That's all it'll ever be between us.

But despite how logical it seemed to me in my mind, my body yearned for his approving touch. My throat longed for his lips to return. My slit throbbed at the thought of his hardness repeating its journey. Maybe if I broke the seal, I could control my feelings. If it was me in control, then nothing could change my mind. Nothing could convince me that he was the one for me.

Not him. Not a ritual. Not anyone .