Page 17 of Heroes & Hitmen (Windy City Wolfpack #1)

Ares

A tense silence hangs in the air as Miley and I stand side by side in the bedroom of our swanky new apartment, staring down at the massive bed.

It’s topped with crisp white sheets and a fluffy white duvet, positioned in front of a massive window overlooking the glittering city below.

One bed that we’ll be sharing as a happy couple, blessed by fate.

This whole thing is turning out even better than expected.

“Is it just me, or does this feel like the start of a romance movie?” I murmur, breaking the silence.

Miley folds her arms over her chest, glaring at the mattress like it personally offended her. “We’re not sleeping together.”

My brows shoot up. “Then where do you expect me to sleep?”

“The couch looked comfortable.”

I snort a laugh, gesturing to the bed. “C’mon, that thing’s huge. We could both sleep on it and still be a mile apart.”

“Nope,” she quips as she marches over to the edge, snatching up one of the pillows and a folded throw blanket slung across the end. She whips around and trudges back in my direction, shoving them at my chest. “You’re the one who got us into this mess, so you can sleep on the couch.”

“I think what you’re trying to say is thank you ,” I chuckle.

She scowls back at me. “For what, signing our death warrants?”

“For getting you out of a deal you obviously didn’t want to be in.” I toss the blanket over my shoulder as I meet her glare head-on. “The way I see it, I just bought you a month to figure things out. ”

“And then what?” she fires back.

I smirk. “Well, by then you’ll have fallen so in love with me that you’ll be begging me to make you mine for real.”

Miley’s violet-grey eyes narrow into slits, the silver of her wolf peeking through. “I knew you were reckless, but I didn’t realize you were also delusional.”

“Just wait and see,” I say confidently, wetting my lips with my tongue as my gaze drops to tour her form.

Tonight has been such a shitshow that I haven’t even had a chance to really look at her, but goddamn .

Miley Beckett is a fucking vision in a little white sundress and matching satin bow, perfectly poised and put together.

The tension between us crackles as she glares back at me, but it’s not just anger buzzing in the air.

There’s an undeniable heat simmering between us, a fierce chemistry that’s ready to combust.

I know she feels it too. We may be faking our mate bond, but the way she’s looking at me right now? That’s real.

She just refuses to admit the truth.

“Yeah? Well, good luck with that,” Miley huffs, spinning away from me and stomping back toward the bed. “And have fun sleeping on the couch.”

I roll my eyes as I follow after her, tossing the pillow she gave me back onto the mattress. “Like I said, this thing is plenty big. I won’t even touch you.”

She whips a glare at me over her shoulder.

“Unless you want me to,” I add, grinning.

Miley throws her head back with a groan, scrubbing her hands down her face. “You’re insufferable.”

“C’mon,” I coax as I step in close, skimming my knuckles up her bare arm. “We’re obviously attracted to each other. Why don’t we make the most of this?”

“Because you’ve fucked us!” she snaps, jerking away like my touch burns her. “It was bad enough that I didn’t show up for the pairing, but this lie is only gonna make things ten times worse when it comes out.”

“ If it comes out,” I counter.

“ When ,” she repeats. “We can’t keep up the ruse forever. People are bound to catch on.”

“Not if we play it right,” I insist, gears already turning. “We just need to come up with a plan, get our story straight. Make this look real.”

“Oh, you’d just love that, wouldn’t you?” she scoffs, turning away again to peel the covers back with sharp, angry movements. “Pretend to be my doting mate, play house with the girl you’ve been stalking for weeks…”

I smirk, because she’s not wrong.

The way I see it, we both benefit from this scenario. She avoids a forced mating with a stranger, and I finally get to step out of the shadows and pursue her for real. I’m not just the Alpha’s hired gun sniffing around where he doesn’t belong anymore. As far as the pack’s concerned, she’s mine .

This might just be the best idea I’ve ever had– though she doesn’t seem nearly as into it as I am.

Miley smooths the sheets with surgical precision, pressing out invisible wrinkles like she’s trying to control something in the chaos I just hurled us into. Given the fact that uptight seems to be her default setting, though, I’d say the chaos started long before I got involved.

“Why didn’t you go tonight?” I probe.

She freezes, fingers tightening around the edge of the duvet. “Just got in my head about it, I guess,” she mutters, glancing back at me over her shoulder.

Our eyes meet, and for a split-second, I see the flicker of doubt in hers, the deep-rooted fear of trusting anyone in this fucked-up system. Then it’s gone, replaced by that sharp, carefully guarded mask she always wears.

“Doesn’t matter now,” she sighs. “What’s done is done. Right now, I just wanna crawl in bed, close my eyes, and get some sleep. Alone .”

I don’t like it, but I’ve pushed her enough for one night. She’s still here, still fighting, and that’s more than most would be doing in this situation.

“Suit yourself,” I finally say, grabbing the pillow and turning to head for the door.

Just before I reach it, she calls out, stopping me in my tracks.

“Hey Ares?”

I glance back, smugly awaiting an invitation to join her in the bed.

She tilts her head, eyes gleaming with disdain. “If I hear you snoring, I’ll come out and smother you with that pillow. ”

A shameless grin tugs at my lips. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were flirting with me.”

“Keep dreaming,” she scoffs.

Oh, I’ll be dreaming alright. About her in that bed, about getting in it with her and finding another way to ease her stress. One that ends with us tangled in the sheets, naked and sweaty and spent.

Because this new living arrangement is just the start. I’m already working my way beneath that tough exterior, and I can’t wait for that defiance to begin unraveling.

I wake up with my face mashed against the rug and an ache in my neck that could paralyze a lesser man. Groaning, I roll onto my back, staring up at the ceiling as the fog of sleep clears. My joints are stiff, my spine one long knot of regret.

The couch, while modern and designer as hell, was clearly made for decoration, not sleep. Too narrow for my frame and too stiff to be forgiving. At some point in the night, I must’ve rolled off and decided fuck it, the floor’s better.

Dragging myself upright, I stretch until my shoulders pop and the knot in my neck loosens. Then I shove to my feet, heading down the hall toward the bedroom and quietly easing the door open.

Inside, the light is soft and golden, spilling in through the window and casting a glow over the entire room.

Miley is cocooned in the covers, facing away from me with just the top of her head peeking out, her dark blonde hair spilling over the pillow.

The little white bow is still in place– perfectly tied, even in sleep.

I pad across the room as quietly as I can and duck into the en-suite bathroom, starting up the shower and stripping down. The water’s scalding when I step in– just how I like it– and I stand under the spray for longer than normal, until the tension in my muscles gradually slides away.

After I step out, I wrap a fluffy white towel around my waist and rake a hand through my damp hair, wiping the steam from the mirror to check my reflection. Still a handsome devil. Tired as fuck, but at least I don’t look any worse for the wear.

Miley’s awake when I exit the bathroom, rifling through a small suitcase on the bed. She’s already dressed in a pleated skirt and blouse, hair brushed back and tied neatly in a new bow. Black, to match her skirt.

“Good morning, beautiful,” I drawl.

“Morning,” she murmurs absently, not even glancing back at me. “Your stuff’s in the living room. They just dropped it off.”

I arch a brow. “ They ?”

“Alpha’s goons,” she clarifies, her back still turned. “Guess they took the liberty of packing for you.”

I frown, pivoting on a heel and stomping toward the living room.

Sure enough, when I walk in, the two suitcases I brought from home are sitting near the door, along with a stack of boxes.

The thought of a random stranger pawing through and packing up my belongings sets my teeth on edge, but there’s not much I can do about it now.

Hauling one of the suitcases onto the couch, I unzip it and rifle through for a clean t-shirt, boxers, and jeans, tossing the towel aside and getting dressed right there in the living room. Then I run a hand through my damp hair again, smoothing it back as Miley breezes in from the hall.

She looks like she just walked out of a glossy fashion spread–clean lines, polished nails, clothes fitted perfectly to her lithe body. Gorgeous, naturally.

“Off to see Alpha?” she asks, folding her arms across her chest.

Though it’s a rhetorical question, I nod. She was there in his office last night when he told me to come by this morning at eight sharp so we could ‘go over the details of this arrangement’. Not the two of us; just me. Because her father views her as property, not a person.

It makes me fucking sick, but I have no choice except to show up. Now isn’t the time to defy orders– not when we’re embarking on the world’s most dangerous game of pretend.

“Gonna need you to rub up on me first,” I say, advancing toward Miley.

She stops short, wrinkling her nose. “Excuse me?”

“We said we’d fake it, right?” I ask, holding back a smirk. “If we were fated mates, we wouldn’t be able to keep our hands off each other. There’s no way I’d ever leave this place without your scent all over me.”

“What do you know about fated mates?” she scoffs disbelievingly .

“Plenty,” I reply with a confident lift of my chin. “My parents are fated mates. So are a bunch of my friends. Pretty sure we are too, babe, even if the moon hasn’t confirmed it yet.”

“Yeah, right,” she snorts, rolling her eyes hard.

I guess I can’t blame her for having doubts, considering fated mates are rare here, but they aren’t where I’m from. I’ve suspected it since the first night we met, and it’s about time I let her in on my suspicions. I held back before, thinking it might spook her, but now…

“All the signs are there,” I say. “The sparks when we touch. The way our wolves react to each other. The fact I’m constantly thinking about you even when I know I shouldn’t be.”

Her long lashes flutter as she blinks, a blush rising to her cheeks.

She knows .

She has to know.

Still, she shakes her head stubbornly, folding her arms tighter.

“You don’t believe me?” I ask, though it’s not really a question. It’s painfully obvious that she’s not buying what I’m selling.

“I think we’ve already established that you’re a great liar,” she mutters.

I shrug. “So are you.”

“That was out of necessity.”

“Exactly,” I say, stepping closer. “I lied for you. Not to you. There’s a difference. I’d never lie to you, Miley.”

Her gaze narrows, chin lifting to hold eye contact. “And I’m supposed to just take you at your word?”

“Well, yeah.”

She barks a laugh, shaking her head again.

Guess it’ll take more than a single conversation to convince her.

“I’m gonna be late if I don’t get going, so c’mon,” I mumble, beckoning her with a flick of my head and holding my arms wide.

She looks at me like I’ve lost my damn mind. “You’re serious?”

I nod. “Unless you wanna get caught on day one.”

Miley stares back at me for a long moment, posture stiff and guarded. Then she huffs out an annoyed breath and reluctantly starts forward, her whole body tense as she steps into my waiting arms.

I wrap them around her like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

My palms smooth along her back, settling on her slim waist as I breathe her in.

She smells like vanilla and freesia– a delicious, intoxicating combination that’s uniquely her .

My wolf surges forward, alert and hungry, wanting more.

Wanting to claim .

Miley’s eyes ping up to meet mine, her wolf peeking back through silver shimmers in her irises. Her breath hitches, muscles slackening just a fraction.

I lean forward to nuzzle into the curve of her neck, trailing my nose just beneath her ear. “Gotta make it convincing,” I murmur against her skin.

I feel her pulse jump.

She doesn’t move, doesn’t speak– just stands there stiffly as I run a hand through her hair, letting the silky strands slip between my fingers.

Then I gently spin her around, hooking my chin over her shoulder from behind and banding an arm around her waist. Her head drops back against my chest, back arching, and I know she feels it too– this thing humming between us like a live wire, the sparks blooming everywhere our skin is in contact.

She starts to relax against me, but the second she realizes it, she jerks away.

“There,” she declares as she spins to face me again, a little breathless. “We done?”

I lick my lips, grinning in satisfaction. “Not even close, but that should do for now.”

She frowns, backing away. “Still insufferable.”

“And yet you’re stuck with me,” I say smugly. “Better get used to it, sweetheart.”

She lets out something between a growl and a groan, turning on a heel and strutting away down the hall. I card my fingers through my hair as I watch her retreat to the bedroom, a smile still on my lips.

Miley may act like she wants nothing to do with me, but I saw the way her wolf looked at mine.

And wolves never lie.