Alpha Tate’s POV

Slamming my bedroom door shut, I slap my palm against it and hang my head.

What was that?

What the hell was that?

I rejected her.

I shouldn’t be feeling this way about her.

She shouldn’t be so…so beautiful. Sexy. Soft. Enticing.

So fucking desirable.

Clutching my hand into a fist, I pound the door with it and push off it.

Now that I know what her lips taste like, how her touch sets me on fire, I can’t not be with her again.

We didn’t even fully explore each other yet.

No.

I will have her again.

But once I have my fun, I will let her reject me back.

Even if she is hot now, she still abandoned the pack all those years ago.

She abandoned me.

She’s too weak to be a Luna.

A true Luna would have stayed, even with my rejection.

She would have stayed for the pack.

My stomach clenches as I remember that day, how hard I worked to hold in the pain from doing the unnatural act of rejecting my mate.

How Sarah’s gentle strokes did nothing to soothe me.

How my body had ached to go to my mates now broken one…

But she was gone.

She had vanished without telling anyone where she was even going.

Running my hand through my hair and grabbing it in my fist, I stare at my bedroom door, wanting to retrace my footsteps right back to her bedroom and finish what we started.

But no.

I am stronger than that.

Cracking my neck, I move to the door attaching my room to my own personal gym.

Nothing a good workout can’t fix.

Kit’s POV

I have no idea how long I lie on the bed in the same position that Alpha Tate left me in, staring at the door, wondering if he had really just been here with his hand up my skirt, or if I just had a very realistic dream.

Lifting my hand to push my hair out of my face, I’m hit with his scent from my hand, from rubbing it over his chest, his defined abs…

He was here.

And I caved to my desire like a bitch in heat.

Damn it.

Damn him.

My toes wiggle and a shiver of goosebumps erupts up my legs as I remember his body pressing mine against that door.

I’m in trouble.

I won’t be able to resist him if he comes again.

I want him to come again.

Forcing my still weak legs to hang over the bed, I take a deep, calming breath.

Something I have been practicing for years now.

Calming breathing exercises when I feel overwhelmed…

Something I felt a lot outside of the werewolf world.

Something I felt a lot inside of the werewolf world.

Now would be a good time to take that long, hot bath.

Get Alpha Tate’s scent off me.

Closing my eyes, I hug my arms around my body, allowing myself to have one last brief moment to enjoy his scent left on me, to remember how wonderful his touch felt.

Then I plan to scrub every last memory of him off my skin.

Hopping off the bed, I start to run the bath, placing all the new bottles of oils and scrubs that are in the cabinets along the ledge.

How dare he prevent me from rejecting him back.

So unfair!

I didn’t throw my hand out to prevent him from publicly rejecting me all those years ago.

I shiver slightly at the thought.

Maybe if I had…

No.

I haven’t allowed myself even once in the last seven years to think about what my life would have been had he not rejected me.

That life was never meant to be.

And I refuse to wonder or daydream about it.

Letting my dress fall to the floor, hesitating slightly with my panties that Alpha Tate had sexily pushed aside earlier, I determinedly march across the bathroom and toss them into the small trash bin.

I don’t need anything that reminds me of him.

Looking down at the new black sundress on the floor…the dress I had worn to go on my very pleasant date with Colin, I sigh and pick it up to follow the panties into the trash.

I won’t think of Colin when I see that dress.

I will only think of Alpha Tate clutching the fabric in his hand to reach my panties.

Slipping into the tub, I close my eyes, enjoying the heated jet sprays massaging my legs and back.

Then I start reading the labels of all the bottles along the rim of the tub and start the process of scrubbing the man off my body until my skin is red not just from the heat, but from using three different exfoliants.

Finally, I get out, wrapping a towel around me and going back into my bedroom, grabbing a silky, navy nightie from the dresser and climb, exhausted, into the plush bed.

It feels unreal that this morning I woke up in my own bed, went to work, had my sister find her mate, drove four hours back to the place that I swore I would never go to, had a date with a man that I thought would never consider me, and fooled around with the mate who rejected me…

No wonder I am so tired.

Pulling the blankets up, I grab my phone to see if Cami had texted me, knowing full well that she probably won’t be coming up for air anytime soon, but still hoping to hear from her.

Oh…shit.

Four texts from Colin.

False alarm, patient is fine. Heading back to you now!

Are you still up? 

Where are you? 

Guess you fell asleep…I’ll see you tomorrow at training. 7:00 AM sharp! 

Feeling guilty, I go to put my phone on the nightstand, then bring it back to me to reread his last text.

Training?

He wants me to go to training?

No way.

I go to put my phone down, but hesitate again, anxiety creeping in.

Will I get in trouble if I don’t show up?

By whom?

The Beta who won’t be leaving his bed with my little sister anytime soon?

Or the Alpha who just had his way with me against the door?

Ha.

I don’t think so.

Putting my phone down, I resolutely turn my back on it and pull the covers to my chin, thinking that there is no way that I will be able to fall asleep…but then instantly enter into the dreamworld…filled with naughty dreams of a certain Alpha…

“What the hell?”

Sitting up in bed, my heart pounds against my chest in fright as I listen for whatever just jerked me out of my dream where Alpha Tate found me at the diner and rushed over to me to claim me as his…

There’s another loud banging on the door and I throw the blanket off as I scramble to answer it, hesitating a foot from it when I catch his scent.

Oh crap.

The door flies open, and Alpha Tate fills the doorway with his giant frame, looking frightening…his eyes swirling, his jaw tight.

He is shirtless, dressed only in gray athletic shorts and sneakers.

But I barely have time to register his muscular, tantalizingly sexy body before I feel a chill of apprehension.

Swallowing nervously, I take a step back.

His eyes do a quick up and down, then bore into mine.

“Were you not told that you had training at 7:00AM this morning?”

“Um…”

He raises his eyebrows, clearly expecting more of a response than ‘um’.

I take another step backward.

“Maybe Colin texted me…but I didn’t think I had to go.”

“And why wouldn’t you have to go?”

“Because I am not a member of this pack.”

The words come out a little more confident as I cross my arms over my chest in a challenging move.

“You aren’t?”

“No.”

“Your sister is mated with my Beta, and you are staying in my packhouse, under my protection.”

“I don’t need your protection. And my sister is mated with someone in your pack, not me.”

His jaw twitches as if he is grinding his teeth.

Feeling suddenly reckless, I place my hands on my hips and jerk my head in a sassy swivel.

“I, Katherine Aster…”

In one swift movement, Alpha Tate closes the gap between us, spinning me around so that my back is against him, his hand covering my mouth, his breath against my ear.

“I told you not to say that…”

My body reacts to his touch, instantly hot with mad desire for him.

Is this what I had wanted when I challenged him?

For my back to be touching his naked torso…to feel his growing hardness behind me…his other arm around my chest, pinning me against him…

“The next time you try that without my permission, I won’t be very nice. This is your last warning.”

I’m not sure if the shiver this time is from his hot breath on my neck, or the tone of threat in his voice.

He slowly lowers his hands and I wonder if I dare to push him any further.

Steeling myself, I spin around, my breasts pressed against him, and throw my face up to his.

“You don’t control me. I’m allowed to reject you anytime I want, just like you did to me.”

He raises his eyebrows, then drops his hands around my waist, making me place my hands against his chiseled stomach to steady myself.

Ah…fuck. Wrong move.

Alpha Tate lifts me, and without thinking, I twist my legs around his hips, my hands behind his neck.

Spinning around, he pushes me against the door.

Mmm…

Closing my eyes, I throw my head back…eager for him to explore my body again.

His hand moves up my thigh, up my thin nighty, gripping my bottom.

My hands move upward into his hair, pushing his face forward into my chest.

His lightly nips my sensitive breasts with his teeth through the thin fabric and I thrust my hips against him.

“Kit…”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t reward disobedience.”

Alpha Tate abruptly releases me so that I slip down the door and land hard on my bottom on the floor, my nightie up to my waist, my strap falling down my shoulder so that I have to clutch at the flimsy fabric to not reveal my breasts.

“Hey!”

He steps back and gestures impatiently for me to get out of his way.

Glaring at him, wanting to throw a punch upwards into his groin, I stumble upright and step aside.

“You’re an ass.”

Alpha Tate, about to step through the door, gives me a scathing look.

“Get dressed and be at the training center in ten minutes, or I will show you just how much of an ass I can truly be.”

Hurrying forward, I slam the door shut behind him, livid at him.

Furious at myself for letting him get to me.

Fine.

I’ll go to training.

Ohhh, I’ll go to training alright.