Page 10 of New Blood (Werewolf Alliance #1)

J ude had slept surprisingly well and long despite the unfamiliar bed and the erotic dreams that had featured Danielle prominently.

It was no wonder that he awoke with a raging hard-on that demanded satisfaction.

But he didn’t give in to that particular need, knowing that going down that road would only make things worse.

Instead, he jumped under the shower and allowed the warm water to caress his body.

It didn’t do much to bring his boner down, but he had more self-control than that.

He wasn’t going to crack. Besides, he had a busy and long day ahead of him, with tasks that would distract even the horniest man from his sexual needs.

He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, drying himself quickly, then wrapping the large towel around his lower half.

He wiped the steam off the mirror and reached for his razor when he heard a sound coming from his bedroom.

Was Austin checking in on him, anxious to get the show on the road this morning?

Jude walked out of the bathroom, expecting to see his brother fully dressed and ready for action. Instead, Violet walked toward him, a stack of towels in her arms. She stopped the moment she laid eyes on his body and quickly dropped her lids.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I was told to bring you towels to make sure you have enough.”

He grunted to himself. “As you can see, I have a towel. Danielle took care of that yesterday evening.”

“Oh.” A rose blush traveled over her cheeks. “I didn’t realize…”

“And if I needed more towels, why isn’t Danielle the one bringing them?”

Was she perhaps the one who’d told Violet to bring more towels, because she didn’t want to enter his room after what had nearly happened last night?

“I don’t know,” Violet stammered.

He didn’t care that he was making Violet visibly nervous. “Send her up. I want to speak to her.”

“Yes, of course.” She turned.

“And leave the fresh towels on the dresser,” he called after her.

She complied with his demand. When the door closed behind her, he stood there for a moment without moving, drops of water collecting around his bare feet.

Violet, looking at his half-naked body hadn’t stirred anything in him.

In fact, it had deflated his semi-erect cock beneath the towel in record time.

Just as well. He didn’t want to greet Danielle with a hard-on when she came to his room.

Maybe he should get dressed. It was the smart thing to do.

However, his body didn’t follow his brain, refusing to reach for his clothes and get dressed.

No, he wanted her eyes to roam his body.

He wanted to know what it felt like when she looked at him, caressing him with her eyes.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d stood there in the middle of his new bedroom when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in!”

The door opened, but to his shock and disappointment, the person entering was Flora, Violet’s mother.

He lifted an eyebrow.

“Good morning,” she said with a smile that was probably pasted onto her lips. “I hope you slept well.”

“I did, thank you,” he said curtly. He forced himself not to sound annoyed about her presence and infused his voice with a friendly tone. “I was surprised that your daughter showed up here this morning, bringing towels.”

“Yes, I figured you probably needed more than just one, so I sent her.”

“I appreciate that, however, I don’t feel it’s appropriate for Violet to wait on me.”

“But you’re the alpha,” she protested instantly. “I thought it best that Violet takes care of your needs so that you know that you’re welcome here.”

Welcome? He wanted to scoff, but he stopped himself. “That’s not necessary. Your daughter has a high status in this pack. I’d prefer you assign Danielle to clean my suite instead.”

“But Danielle…”

“Yes, what about her?”

“Well…” Flora stepped closer and sighed. “You must know, Danielle is very shy. She’s easily intimidated by somebody of your status. And you’re a stranger to her, you know. She doesn’t do well with strangers. She needs time to adjust.”

He didn’t believe a single word Flora was saying.

It was pretty clear to him that the reason she wanted Violet to take care of him was so that he would get to know her better.

The fact that Eve had looked less than pleased when he’d announced that he would mate with her couldn’t have escaped Flora.

He wasn’t an idiot. Flora was probably already positioning her own daughter to become his second choice for a mate should Eve refuse to mate with him for whatever reason.

But no excuse would make him change his mind about whom he wanted to allow into his room to tidy up.

“I’m afraid I have to insist on Danielle. Please inform her of my decision. I expect her to tidy up my room and make sure I have everything I need. Is that understood?”

He cast her a firm look, keeping his voice even.

“Yes, of course. I’ll speak to her.”

When the door closed behind Flora, he let out a long exhale.

He was certain that this wasn’t the last time that Flora would meddle in his affairs.

Not that he blamed her in the least. She was only doing what she thought best for her and her family.

And that included positioning her daughter so that she wouldn’t be overlooked if things didn’t work out as planned.