As the fog of pleasure slowly lifted, clarity began to seep back into Larissa’s mind.With it came a dawning horror at what had just transpired.She’d allowed Malcolm, her rival and sometimes nemesis, to reduce her to a quivering mess on the kitchen table.
Worse, she’d enjoyed every second of it.
“This was a mistake,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.She pushed herself up on shaky arms, suddenly all too aware of her naked vulnerability.
Malcolm’s expression shifted, a flicker of hurt crossing his features before being replaced by his usual bravado.“Didn’t feel like a mistake to me.”
Larissa’s cheeks burned with shame and lingering arousal.“We can’t… This can’t happen again.You understand that, right?”
Even as she spoke the words, a part of her rebelled against them.Her body still thrummed with residual pleasure, craving more of Malcolm’s touch.
So when he reached out to help her off the table, her first instinct was to take his hand.
This isn’t right.
The thought crystallized in Larissa’s mind, sharp and cold as ice.
She’d spent years working to build her reputation as a tactical, levelheaded leader—someone the pack could trust to make decisions based on logic rather than emotion.
And now?One touch from Malcolm had shattered years of careful control.
If she gave in to these feelings, if she allowed herself to be vulnerable with him, everything she’d worked for could crumble.
What would happen the first time they disagreed on pack business?Their explosive arguments were legendary enough already—add romance to that volatile mix and they could tear the pack apart.She’d seen it happen before, when Vincent and Karla’s toxic relationship had poisoned pack dynamics, their personal fights spilling over into pack decisions until no one felt safe.
The pack needed strong, clear leadership now more than ever, not two alphas tangled up in a complicated romance.And what if it didn’t work out?Their rivalry would become a hundred times worse, and the pack would suffer for it.
No.She couldn’t risk everything she’d built, everything the pack needed, for what her traitorous body wanted.
Better to shut this down now, before it became something she couldn’t control.
Before she lost herself in Malcolm completely.
The world seemed to tilt on its axis as Larissa abruptly broke away, sliding off the table and pulling on her clothes.She put as much distance between herself and Malcolm as the confines of his kitchen would allow, trying to regain some semblance of control.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, she berated herself silently.How could you let this happen?
“Wait,” Malcolm said.“I—”
“Don’t,” Larissa cut him off sharply, finally turning to face him.The sight of him—disheveled, lips swollen, eyes dark with desire—sent another pulse through her.She ruthlessly suppressed it.“This was a mistake,” she repeated.“It can’t happen again.”
She watched as Malcolm’s expression shuttered, his jaw tightening.
Good.Let him be angry.
Anger was easier to deal with than the longing in his eyes.
“Hannah and Gregory are the real threat here,” Larissa continued, her voice growing colder with each word.“Not our…whatever this is.”
Malcolm nodded stiffly, his posture tense.“You’re right.The pack comes first.”
Always, Larissa thought, ignoring the twinge of regret that came with the word.“We should go.Now.We need to find the others, start rallying support.”
“We should check in with Nick,” Malcolm said.“Let him know what’s going on.”
For a second, Larissa froze, thinking perhaps Malcolm meant they should report their steamy encounter to the temporary alpha of the pack.Then she mentally shook herself.Don’t be ridiculous.He means we should tell Nick what I overheard Hannah saying at the diner.
“Right,” she said.“Let’s go.”