Only her mate can.
“She’s mine, and I am not giving her up.”
We stare at each other across my desk.
Nearly a minute passes before he finally drags his gaze from mine.
I’m sitting. He’s standing. ButIam the Wolf King. And I am the most dominant wolf in the room.
“You haven’t bitten her, which means she has a chance,” he says.
Of course, he would have checked and made a note of that. He’s probably searching for anything that could tear us apart.
Calling to tell him Kat was hurt was the right thing to do, even if I regret it now.
“No, she doesn’t.” I get to my feet.
The bite I want to put on my mate’s throat isn’t just a warning to other males that she’s mine. It’s a bonding bite. Another way to tie us closer together.Permanently.
I haven’t put my mark on her, but wearegrowing closer.
She is leaning on me, as a mate should. It’s driven not only by biology but also by instinct. She may not be ready to forgive me, but Iamher mate. Her body recognizes it, even if she’s resisting the bond mentally.
“She’s mine.” I pull open the office door.
As expected, Finan is standing outside, alert and ready to act.
“This conversation is over,” I tell Patric.
Finan moves aside as Patric walks out. He stops inches away and turns around, looking me in the eye. “She will be happier without you. You might not want to admit it to yourself, but she knows it. Otherwise, why hasn’t she agreed to the bite?”
“Perhaps,” I admit. “But I think that’s her decision, don’t you?”
Without a word, he turns around and walks away.
Kat sits beside me at the long table in the office where I hold all my enforcer meetings.
My arm rests on the back of her chair, and I’m surprised she hasn’t glared at me or pushed it off.
She came down looking a little better after resting for an hour. I didn’t tell her about the argument I had with her dad, and I hope he keeps his mouth shut about it too. Kat needs to heal and recover, not deal with her mate and her father snapping at each other whenever her back is turned.
My six enforcers had filed in, nodding as they entered the room and took their seats. I’d gripped her arm, halting her as she was about to walk in, aware my enforcers were watching as I bent my head and said into her ear, “You need more rest, Kitty cat.”
She’d stiffened her spine and looked me right in the eye. “I’ve rested enough. It’s time to hunt.”
I’d taken my hand off her so I wouldn’t kiss her like I’d wanted to.
Ever since Patric left my office, and the meeting began—with Finan giving a brief update on patrols—I keep questioning myself.
Kat is as much mine as I am hers, but maybe she'd be happier back in Nebraska with her family and with an alpha who isn’t as dominant or as domineering as I am.
“Aren?” Finan prompts.
I yank my gaze from Kat to find my enforcers staring at me expectantly.
My enforcers are exhausted, yet they never slack off on the daily patrols since I increased them. Every morning, afternoon, evening, and night, we check all our borders. Cristofer isn’t surprising us again like he did before.
When I told Kat that she could take the bed in what was once my bedroom, I meant it.
