Chapter 14
My pulse was racing, and I could hardly make out what the other two wolves in the room were saying to each other.
Derrick had set off too many emotions with his words and the millimeter of space he'd left between us, and I was unable to ignore the touch of his body on mine. Their remarks seemed significant, but my mind had chosen to ignore everything going on around me.
Derrick had shown certainty in his remarks, knowing that I would give him my mate mark and that I would want it. His tone left no room for debate—it was obvious that the moment would arrive, and I was afraid of it.
The pack doctor departed, and the click of the door startled me out of my reverie. Once again, the two of us occupied the room alone, our anxiety level almost reaching the ceiling.
I heard Derrick approach, and when he took my hands and lifted me off the bed, my heart almost fell out of my chest. I tried not to look up at him, instead lowering my eyes to focus on the sensation of his hands. I felt like I might lose control just by holding them.
"Look at me." There was a faint murmur in his voice, and I was too weak to resist him. "I didn't want to annoy you. You simply caught me off guard; therefore, I'm not upset about what you did." I looked up and saw the scowl etched on his face. I extended my hand to him and used my fingertips to smooth out the marks. My contact lingered, and when I realized how badly I had damaged his neck, I froze. When I had fought him for my life in fear, he had lost a good deal of blood, and I didn't like that I had hurt him.
He extended his hand to me once again, seemingly unaware of the guilt that was eating away at me.
"Let's get you something to eat." I kept staring up at him, blinking at his words.
All that appeared to matter to him was my well-being and my sentiments, even though I had harmed him and made him bleed.
His words of encouragement made something in my chest quiver, but I shook my head at them. The tie between us was becoming stronger, and I knew I had to break free from it, but how could I not return his kindness? I needed to make up for the harm I'd done to him before I could put some space between us.
"I need to—" I stopped myself, flinching at the words that were about to come out. "Can I clean you up first?" He seemed startled that I had even asked him such a modest question. I was biting my lower lip as he studied me with his menacing eyes.
"Of course." Taking my hand in his, he said again, dragging me into a different bedroom corner.
The door he was heading toward wasn't the one the pack doctor had departed from, so I knew he wasn't taking me outdoors. He entered the bathroom, took a seat on the toilet, and hardly said anything. He gazed up at me eagerly, and even though he looked so strange in this posture, I didn't question it.
Like the bedroom he'd just dragged me out of, the bathroom was well designed. The room was enormous, with ceramic and marble floors and a spacious shower located on the other end.
I looked from one side of the room to a hand towel. Before I washed it in the sink next to us, I brought it into my grasp. I became terrified all over again as I turned to face Derrick.
I took a step forward and stopped just short of putting my legs in his. He chuckled at the void I had created between us and yanked me up against him, shifting me to a position between his legs with his hands on my hips.
I sighed with relief at our close quarters. His body exuded heat that I could feel as if it were my own. I heard him take a short breath, and my empty hand went to grasp his shoulder on his undamaged side, trying to stabilize myself.
"Tell me if I hurt you." My heart faltered as he released a huge puff of breath.
He thought my comment was absurd because he didn't believe I could harm him, yet here I was, wiping blood off his neck from where my fangs had attempted to rip him apart.
I took a big breath and moved closer to him, beginning to push the towel against his flesh. We had our faces close together, and I could feel his hot breath on my bare neck. I softly ran the cloth over his skin, gathering blood with my fingertips. I gave a quivering gasp as his legs closed around me.
This was overreaching—it was excessive.
"They're already healed; how is that possible?" As I examined the harm that was no longer there, my voice was a whisper.
He let out a moan, and I could hear his heart racing, but I was afraid to move away from him.
"I'm the Alpha king; my wolf is the strongest of us all." Without even the slightest hesitation, he said it through gritted teeth. "But having you in my grasp like this, I don't think I can control it." His voice seemed to get deeper as he spoke.
I withdrew my hands from his flesh, gulping fearfully, but to no avail. I tried to wriggle away from him, but he snarled menacingly, and I was stuck in the cage of his limbs with nowhere to escape.
When I realized what a terrible choice I'd made, I had cleansed most of the blood off his neck. My wolf was tingling with anticipation as she felt our mate's thighs dig into our bodies. I would have gone weak at the knees long ago if his legs hadn't been wrapped around me in this manner.
I had no idea what to say, as we were both breathing deeply while planning our next course of action. The sound of his next words made my body stiffen, and I knew that if I looked into his eyes, his wolf would be there.
"My wolf won't be satisfied if you leave without properly taking care of me." His phrases were bold and cutting, and his tone was gruff and decisive.
"Take care of you?" The thought of me taking care of him struck me like a bolt from the sky, and my cheeks blanched as my thoughts immediately entered the perilous area.
He would let me do it, but how? When he grew tired of me, would he throw me to my knees so I could swallow a mouthful of his hardening length, or would he slam me against the sink and fuck me senseless?
"The blood, Kylie." I was humiliated when he tottered and turned to stare directly into my eyes. "You seem so innocent, but your mind went straight to the gutter—the smell of your arousal is very sweet, but I will not let you have your way with me just yet." He hissed as my eyes slid to his lap, and my heart began to beat a mile an hour. Even though he appeared to enjoy the torment of our intimate touch more than just letting me go, I wasn't the only one who felt aroused by it.
"If my mind went to the gutter, then where is yours?" My voice was quieter than his.
To be honest, I believe he sensed my unease since I would be scared if he moved.
It was easier to imagine him caressing me in such a dirty manner than it really was, and I was still having trouble embracing our mate link. I questioned if he sensed my reluctance to do so, but his subsequent statements suggested otherwise.
"I am intrigued by the sensation of being between your thighs; therefore, I advise you to clean me up as soon as possible, before I have the opportunity to contemplate it." The explicit words caused my pulse rate to drop to virtually nothing, and I instinctively squeezed my knees together while trembling to press the towel on his skin once more.
I put the bloody towel into the sink and got out of the cage. His legs appeared to have been made around me after I rushed to wipe the remainder of the blood off him. My touch had become less delicate. I left him in the restroom and went out without saying anything.
I walked the length of the bedroom, trying to settle my body down; the sexual tension seemed to smother me. I had to stop thinking harsh things about myself before he thought the worst of me.
A few seconds later, when he entered the room, I seemed to have composed myself. When he smiled at me, my tummy began to quiver. His fingers wrapped around the handle of the bedroom door while he waited for me to follow, and my eyes followed his body as he opened it.
He remained bare-chested, and the idea of his leaving the bedroom without any clothing on made me wince. I was depressed because I felt like he was staring down at other people when he looked like this. Why was I depressed?
"Is something the matter?" He narrowed his eyes at me, and I averted my gaze.
"Aren't you going to put a shirt on?" With apprehension, I asked him a question and saw his eyebrows lift.
Though the reason for my query appeared quite obvious, he seemed equally captivated and perplexed by it. If I chose to go about his pack home without wearing a shirt, I pondered how that would go down with him.
"Why would I need to put a shirt on in my own home?" His sincere question and carefree demeanor surprised me.
"Because your residence is frequented by hundreds of other individuals as well—I don't want another she-wolf to be able to observe what is mine!" My eyes widened at the nasty edge in my tone as I growled.
There it was, the envy, and I hated myself for voicing it.
I put my palm to my mouth in shock, and Derrick laughed as he leaned against the door frame. Was it something I had just said? He had appeared to relish it, which disgusted me much more than the candid comment. He stepped back into the room and reached one of the drawers, a smug smile on his lips.
In a matter of seconds, he covered his body by wearing his shirt.
"You seem to be getting overly possessive of me, angel—and I'm really liking it." He sighed as I only gazed at his extended hand, which he had again offered to me. "You don't have to be embarrassed when all you said was the truth. Now take my hand. I need to make sure you eat something before I lose my mind." He spoke with sincerity, and the mere mention of food made my hand instantly reach for his.