He shrugged. “It’s for your own good.”
“Keep telling yourself that, kidnapper.” She twisted her body around until she was on her stomach, her eyes never leaving his. “Why did you lock me inyourbedroom?”
“Only door with a lock,” he lied. It was a dumb fucking lie too. When he took her to another bedroom later, she would find a lock and know he was a liar. She would probably give him shit about it.
Now, he didn’t have a choice but to pretend part of his plan was always to keep Lilliane in his room.
“If you think you can have your way with me, you’re insane.”
He snorted out a harsh laugh. “I don’t need to force anyone to have sex with me. I’m the alpha of my pack. There are plenty of women around here who would throw themselves at the opportunity.”
“Good for you, wolf boy,” she taunted. “But if you bring them back here, how would you explain the woman in your bed?”
“You’re annoying as fuck, Lilliane. Change, don’t change. Shower or don’t. I give zero fucks. You do what you want within the confines of this room while you come to your senses.”
“Whatever,” she rolled her eyes.
Atlas took a few steps into the room, and Lilliane hurried to nestle into the pillows as if his advance was a threat. He swore under his breath and hurried to the bathroom to grab his toiletries.
“You’ve got nothing to fear from me,” he said before slamming the door shut behind him. When he clicked the lock, he heard her say, “Right. Nothing to fear but the locked room.”
Atlas wanted to open the door again and make Lilliane see that she was safe with him. He would never hurt a woman. Never. Not even one who was apparently more than willing to sacrifice herself for her sisters.
He thought better of it.
He needed a break from the howling in his mind.
Atlas went to one of the spare bedrooms, showered, and jerked off to the idea of Lilliane in his bed. He slid on a pair of PJ pants and went to bed. He couldn’t find a comfortable position no matter how much he punched the pillows or tossed and turned.
By midnight, he had enough. He headed toward the kitchen for a snack. Maybe some carbs would help him crash for the rest of the night. As he slunk past his bedroom door, he heard something that made him pause.
A soft sob.
There it went again! A sob followed by small coughs and an incoherent string of words.
“Lilliane,” he whispered.
Before he could even think about what he was doing, Atlas unlocked the door and opened it.
What he found froze him to his core.
Lilliane was fast asleep. Her eyes were scrunched closed, and her feet kicked at the blankets with so much vigor that they were half on the floor. She sobbed again, and he flipped on the bedside lamp.
“Lilliane,” he whispered. “You’re having a bad dream.”
“No,” she gasped, eyes screwed shut.
Atlas couldn’t take it. He sat on the bed and cupped her face in one palm. “Hey, trouble, you’re having a nightmare. You’re okay. You’re safe.”
Startled out of her sleep by his touch, her eyes sprang open. They were wide with fear and panic. He tried to move back, but Lilliane reached out to close her hand around his wrist. Tears fell down her cheeks, breaking his heart. He wiped one of the tears away.
“Hey, now, what’s happening?”
“Where am I?” she asked.
“At my place. I’ll call your sisters. They can be here in minutes.”
“No!” she cried, sitting up. Her fear was back. He hated seeing it in her eyes. He hated the smell of it lingering in the air. “Please. Don’t. They…” She closed her eyes and started to cry in earnest.
