Page 1 of Forsaken Desire (Ruthless Wolves #1)

I shuffled down the hall on the two-hundredth floor and stopped at a floor-to-ceiling window to gawk at the city stretching before me.

The stars glinted so close from up here. It felt like I could reach out and touch them.

I hugged myself, hoping it’d soothe my anxiety that had persisted since we’d arrived at Crescent Hotel. The lack of open space made my skin crawl. I detested closed-off areas.

If only that were the reason for my anxiety. Dad and I were moving here—hopefully.

Dad went out to a bar nearby to see if he could find any other shifters around. He wanted to dig for information on how this pack was run before the meeting scheduled tomorrow with Alpha Wilder.

Fingers crossed the Alpha wasn’t a douche, because I needed their meeting to go well. Joining this pack meant I could accept entry into the University nearby?—

The best smell I’d ever encountered filled my nose.

I couldn’t help but follow it. My mouth watered.

It held an undertone of vanilla, but toe-curlingly better.

I careened around the corner of the slim hall that opened to a second.

Intricate ivory baseboards carved with elegant designs lined the walls.

I breathed in, inflating my lungs. The potency of the scent grew with each step.

I slowed my slight jog as I neared an archway and poked my head into the room. It held multiple large printing machines and a coffee bar in the corner.

Then I saw him .

He stood at the furthest corner of the office space, facing the printer screen. The smell came from him . My stomach flipped, and I sucked in a deep breath. Wide shoulders tapered to a lean waist, and his dark hair reflected the fluorescent lights, causing some strands to gleam blue.

Turn around. Turn around.

I audibly dragged a breath in, combing my brain for what to say.

“Um,” was all that came out. I was an idiot.

I wanted to groan and turn into a puddle, but before I could dissolve into a bundle of nerves, he turned, halting my breath in my throat.

“Call the repair—” He inhaled sharply. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen, and I had never thought of males as ‘beautiful.’

Our eyes met, and the bond snapped into place, forcing me back a step. My axis shifted to encompass him. Only him. A pure white light stretched from my chest to his, so bright it almost blinded me.

Mate.

I’d found him. He was mine. I staggered forward, tracing my gaze over his features. I had to crane my neck to look up at him.

Those eyes stole my breath away. Dark lashes fringed the intense hazel shade.

His lips were parted with shock, but it did nothing to hide the attractive features.

He had an even nose, sharp jaw, and lips curving down at the corners as if that was their perpetual state.

His dark hair was artfully styled to the side with a slight swoop at the front.

He was the hottest shifter I had ever seen—without a hint of boyish softness—older than me, for sure. It wasn’t odd to have a mate who was younger, but if he felt weird about it, we could wait before starting our relationship. Getting to know each other slowly sounded perfect?—

“No,” he said harshly, and a faint line formed between his eyebrows.

The bond wobbled between us, and he smacked at it as if he could physically force it away. It no longer glowed brilliantly, it had become muted, easy to ignore unless I focused on it.

No, what? My feet started to tingle, and the rush spread to my fingers. What did he mean by that?

A sour taste spread on my tongue. It felt like he’d struck me where the bond connected at my chest.

He moved and for a split second, hope blossomed . . . but was just as quickly ripped away. He tried to move past me, angling his body like I was a pariah. I reached out to grab him, and he jerked back before I could touch him.

“No,” he snarled with so much rage.

Bile accumulated on my tongue, and I pressed my hand to my stomach. I helplessly sucked in a deep breath. He smells so good .

And now he was striding past me.

“Please,” I croaked. His body stiffened, but he didn’t take another step. A low growl vibrated from him. I pressed my palm against his lower back. The crisp, white button-down bunched under my hand, tugging it from where the fabric was tucked into a belt.

His inhale was close to a gasp.

In an explosive move, he had me pinned against the wall, his lips crushing mine.

My hands hovered over his arms, and I finally settled them on his bicep. His vanilla scent enveloped me. So, so good. I moaned. This was where I was meant to be. In his arms. We were each other’s other half. A fated pair that must be nurtured.

I flicked my tongue against his hesitantly, trying to match his fervor with my clumsy, unpracticed attempts. His body crushed into mine, his hardness shoving against my stomach. Butterflies bloomed in my stomach, and I gripped his shirt, tugging frantically. Suddenly, he pulled back, lips damp.

His hand cupped my jaw and forced my face upward to rub his thumb across my lower lip.

“Who are you?” I breathed.

“Lucian,” he answered. His teeth clicked together while a muscle flexed in his jaw.

He jerked away from me, taking away his warmth.

I made a grab for him, but he shoved my hand away. I couldn’t help my flinch. Why was he pushing me away?

He exhaled, and it sounded close to a hiss. He stretched his neck from side to side and rolled his shoulders. Why was he so angry?

When he looked at me again, it was with such intensity that it caused a shiver to course down my back. With a single stride, he overwhelmed my space. He gripped my jaw, squeezing so hard it brought tears to my eyes.

“I don’t have a need for a fated mate.”

I gasped, my heart shriveling under his glare. It would have hurt less if he’d punched me. “I reject you. Get out of my sight.”

He released me so abruptly that I staggered. My mate doesn’t want me . Emotion clogged in my throat. I couldn’t believe this. A fated mate didn’t behave this way. My lip trembled. I needed more of an explanation. He couldn’t just leave me like this, but he was already striding away stiffly.

“Wait,” I whispered, so low that he must not have heard me. He was my mate; if he had heard me, he would have stopped.

It took a beat to get my legs working, but eventually, I forced my feet to move.

One step. Another. All the way to the end of the dark hall.

The threshold opened to a large waiting room.

I passed an empty desk with plants covering the surface.

As soon as I was near the couch, I could see into a room made of glass walls with the blinds open.

The light from inside made it easy to see my mate inside the office, head bowed over the large desk . . . and another woman was there. She said something, but the glass made it impossible to hear.

His fists pressed to the desk’s surface. Watching was a train wreck in slow motion. Each step I moved closer made it easier to see when her fingers touched the back of his neck—skin to skin.

I gasped and the bond struck a sharp pain through my chest, but I didn’t stop my forward momentum, only slowing once I was a foot away from the pane.

My mate stiffened and whipped his head directly to where I lurked near the door.

He had pinpointed my location with such ease.

His expression morphed into something that never should have been on the face of the one meant to cherish me.

With a swift movement, he yanked the woman onto the desk.

Another slam of agony stabbed into my chest. I staggered, only a few feet away from the glass.

The woman was so wrapped up in watching him, she hadn’t seen me.

She spread her knees, and his fingers delved under her dress.

Once his fingers wrapped around her bare thigh, the searing pain drove me to my knees.

I could only mouth “no” repeatedly. Every fiber of my being ached, and it all came from the bond spearing through my chest.

He met my gaze, an analytical edge to his expression. A thick pressure formed in my throat, and my stomach and heart were in agony.

Him touching her physically hurt.

I couldn’t make sense of this. Why was he doing this? Why didn’t he want me?

The blonde woman with dark roots tipped her head up, her lips grazing against the jaw meant for me.

She tugged up his shirt and touched his stomach.

Another agonizing slam against our bond.

I grunted from the force of the hit. She slowly crept lower to tug the button of his slacks loose.

She slid off the edge of the desk and knelt before him. Nausea roiled in my stomach.

His cock bobbed free, and her palm wrapped around the base. A rip shredded through my stomach, and I crumpled to the floor.

From my position on the ground, I watched her lean forward and lick the tip of his length.

I crawled away from the scene and lunged for the plant on the other side of the desk, using it as a shield to not watch my mate betray me.

All the contents exited my stomach. The pain worsened, and numbness crept over my limbs.

I staggered to my feet.

I had to get away from here.