Page 27

Chapter

Twenty-Six

D ANNY

Three days later, as I was wandering back to the bakery after having lunch with Knox, my mind was a fuzzy haze of pleasure and plotting.

How could I get him into bed with me?

I wanted orgasms. Shared orgasms. All we’d done so far was make out—which I loved, no doubt about it—but I was ready for more.

Yes, I was grateful to him for taking it slow and not rushing me. He’d made me feel special and cherished. Like something precious that he wanted to protect.

All of that was good. Honestly. But I was desperate to come with someone other than myself touching me. How should I make that clear to him? Should I present myself to him naked on his bed? Should I simply strip and sit on his cock?

I sighed. Most likely, I ought to talk to the man, which wasn’t nearly as fun. But it would have the benefit of avoiding any misunderstanding as well as, you know, dubious consent.

“Danny! ”

I stopped walking instantly, almost tripping over my own feet in my fright. I recognized that voice, although I wished I didn’t. It was Rex, the man who’d beaten me to a pulp and left me fucking terrified.

My heart beat a staccato rhythm, and I turned toward the voice. Sure enough, there he was. He held my gaze and strode toward me.

My head swam. I’d forgotten to breathe.

I lurched away from him, sprinting as fast as I could, but this time, there was no outrunning him. He grabbed my arm and the scent of burnt coffee filled my nostrils.

“We need to talk,” he growled.

“All I need is for you to leave me alone.” I tugged my arm, but I wasn’t strong enough to pull away from him. “Let me go.”

He held firm, and his upper lip curled back in a sneer. “Don’t be such a baby.”

He dragged me into a narrow alley between the nearest buildings. I planted my feet and tried to resist, but as always, I was weak and he was strong.

“Let me go or I’ll scream.” I tried to keep my terror under control. “You’ll be surrounded before you can get away.”

After all, we weren’t that far from the center of town and all three of my brothers worked nearby. My mate, too.

“Shut the fuck up.” Rex gnashed his teeth at me. “You can scream all you like once you’ve listened to me. This has gone on for long enough. Call off your family. It’s time to stop punishing me and tell the Clan Alpha to let me back into town.”

I snorted, hardly able to believe what I was hearing. “Are you kidding me? My dad is never going to welcome you back into Grizzly Ridge. It doesn’t matter what I do or say. He knows what you did to me, and if I speak up for you, he’ll know that you threatened me. He’s not stupid.”

Rex released my arm but before I had time to escape, he grabbed onto my wrist, his hand closing around it so tightly that I worried he might break the delicate bones there. It was only by power of will and the determination not to let him see how badly he was hurting me that stopped me from flinching.

“This is all your fault.” His eyes flashed yellow-gold, his bear close to the surface. “I have been fucking ostracized because of your weakness. If you were stronger, none of this would have happened. No one would have made a fuss. But because you’re weak, they all rushed to condemn me.”

My stomach bottomed out. I took a step back, my foot skidding on a piece of gravel. The thing was… he had a point.

Not that I thought it was all right to abuse your partner, but if he’d attacked Everett, Garrick, or Zander, they’d have fought back. They wouldn’t have allowed themselves to be hurt the way I had. Or, if for some reason they had, they’d have left him after the first time it happened, not gone back for more.

I wasn’t blameless in this.

“Fix it,” Rex growled, his eyes glowing brighter.

“Let me go.” My voice was quiet, and shame bubbled in my gut.

Why wasn’t I yelling at him?

Why hadn’t I screamed, as I’d threatened to?

“I can’t do what you want me to, and if you hurt me again, you’ll only make things worse for yourself. Please, Rex. Just let me go and we can forget about this.”

He hesitated, and for a couple of seconds, his grip on my wrist loosened. Sensing that I was making headway, I kept talking .

“You can go back to your cabin, and I’ll shower before I see Knox so he doesn’t smell you on me. We can—”

His fingers tightened around my wrist and his lips curled into a snarl.

Oh no. I must have said something to piss him off. I racked my mind.

“I heard about that disgusting dog you’ve been playing with.” He backed me up against the side of the building, his breath hot on my face. “You don’t belong to him. No matter what happens, you’re mine. It’s my touch that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.”

A sliver of ice sliced through me. I was afraid he might be right. I’d already held myself back because of the fear he’d instilled in me. What if I went to my grave still allowing the effects of his violence to dictate my actions?

“I…” I trailed off, trying to make myself as small as possible. It was times like this that I wished I was built like a more traditional omega. It would make it easier to seem meek and nonthreatening. Perhaps that would make his instincts kick in and prevent him from doing anything further to me.

A growl echoed down the alley, sending shivers cascading over my skin.

It hadn’t come from Rex.

Slowly, I turned my head. There, at the end of the alley, stood the broad figure of my mate.