MILLIE

I keep my eyes on the crystal case containing precious books as the Alpha traps me in his arms. I remind myself that this is all worth it. I'll endure his mark on my neck and his arms around my body if that's what it takes to earn my freedom from this bond. Somewhere within those pages is a recipe to burn Leander Mockingbird. To escape him. End this mate bond without his permission.

He marked me, and I'm going to bite him right back.

His hands slowly trail down my sides. Feelings of affection flood me, and I know they're not mine. They're his—and that confuses me. Why does he care and feel attracted to me now, years after the rejection and I've only made his life hell? Is it because my figure is more muscular? Because I'm no longer the chubby teenage girl desperate for his attention?

It doesn't matter. It's too late.

I grip his biceps. They're so thick that my hands can't cover even half of their girth. I'm frustrated by my sex when it clenches in acknowledgment of his obvious strength and dominance. I'm horrified by my nipples as they harden.

The wine dulled my senses, but my rogue attraction is immune. I can't diminish it no matter how much alcohol I consume.

Hate brews in my belly, but lust boils in my womb. I want the man that I hate. Want him to fuck me roughly as I curse his name, the words stuttering with every slam of his hips.

"You're starting to reek," he murmurs, inhaling deeply, growling as my pheromones spark a war in him.

Something awakens between us. Dangerous, terrifying, and greedy. His cock.

My pussy flutters in response. I rip myself away from him, rejecting my thoughts and desire. Rejecting the yearning under my skin so potent that it seems like an ancient, unfulfilled love from a past life.

"A deal is a deal," I say, walking toward the crystal case and not looking back. I've never feared facing him. But tonight, I can't bring myself to look at him and the erection pitching his pants. Piercing me more harshly than his cold grey eyes as my wet pussy flutters longingly.

"I'm going to take one of these books," I say.

"Take it," he mutters, his voice so deep that it rumbles through the room, scraping some dust off the shelves.

I hesitate. He's letting me walk away with one of these precious texts?

"I won't damage it," I promise.

"I know you won't. You're too religious. Too faithful to your goddess."

He closes the distance between us, keys jingling as he searches for the right one for the case. He's so close that I stiffen, afraid that he'll unlock me too. That he'll see inside me and learn my deepest secrets.

That he'll read me.

I reach into the open case, taking the leather book and hoping it will contain information. I can't flip through it right now and reveal the nature of my research. Leander would burn the entire library if he realized I was searching for a way out of this mateship.

"If you want more ancient texts, my lap is always available."

I grind my teeth at the preposterous arrangement that he suggests. He wants me to sit on his lap for books?

"It took me two days to hate you," I whisper, gently stroking my fingers across the leather book. "You rejected me in two days, but they awakened years of hate."

His nostrils flare and his grey eyes darken, brewing a storm I'm not walking away from. I gladly welcome the fucking rain.

"And it took me one day to pity you. Poor touch-starved Alpha can only get his dick near his mate through coercion." I lift my head. "Pathetic."

I walk away, the book safe in my hands.

"What does that make you, Millie? For enjoying the touch of the man you hate and pity, what does that make you?"

"The mate bond—"

"Don't you blame it on the bond! It's more than that."

Goddamn this. Goddamn it all.

I leave the library, slamming the door behind me. My eyes are already scanning the cover of the book. I'll devour the entire text before the moon returns the sky to the sun. I'll find a way out of Leander's clutches overnight.

He doesn't follow me out, but he's still with me. I can smell him. Feel his cock indenting my belly like a memory burning into my mind. Hear him pacing and growling across the house before running downstairs and shifting.

I sit on the edge of my bed and carefully flip through the book, not letting my desperation damage the pages.

The vocabulary in the book is so ancient that I stare at some of the terms blankly. It's English, but an ancient kind.

Most of what I can interpret is tales of the moon, violence and love.

When I awaken the next morning, my neck aching and the book open next to me, I realize that I fell asleep on the eightieth page. I'll need to find a computer to research the terms I took note of—that is, if Leander will allow me access to the internet.

There's a tingling in my scalp. An itching. I touch my head curiously and realize it has grown half an inch overnight. The  Alpha's temporary mark is doing its work, healing me and regenerating the hair I bitterly chopped off.

For the first time, I feel torn about the mark. My mother would have been heart-broken if she saw what I did to my hair, but it's growing back.

I hop into the shower and complete my ritual. I touch myself to tame the pheromones that are blooming from my skin, calling for Leander and begging him to finish what he started last night.

"Millie!"

I jolt in surprise. Feeling like I've been caught red-handed. I glance at my fingers guiltily. Shamefully.

I shut the water off and dry myself, changing into jeans and a t-shirt. My bare feet walk over the cold hardwood floors as I peek over the railing.

"Leander."

He's by the door. Arms crossed over his bare chest. I worry I might need a second shower.

"There's some sort of party tonight. You may go if you wish to. The pack will be delighted to spend time with their Luna now that she has returned to her land."

I ignore the last part of the sentence, not wanting to indulge his delusions.

"You're cutting me loose? That's surprising."

Especially given how snappy I was last night, mocking him and slamming his door.

"I'm letting you go because I trust there won't be any trouble. A guard will follow you and every male will know you're mine. Especially with that mark on your neck."

"Nothing some perfume and a turtle-neck can't hide."

He glares at me. "Don't turn the party into a funeral, Millie. You underestimate me."

I tip my head to the side. "And why is the pack's beloved Alpha not going?"

"Because pack members always act like they're at a job interview when I'm around."

I tap the railing. "Don't look so down, Alpha. I'll be here to shove you off your high horse and treat you how you deserve to be treated. I'm not afraid like the other pack members."

"I wonder if you would be this disrespectful if my bite had been a few centimeters deeper."

Now I'm the one glaring. I snap a hand over my temporary mark, outraged by the thought of a permanent one. My body would shatter from the sexual frustration. I would lose my mind. Being sassy and bold wouldn't come so easily, and Leander knows it.

I spin my heels around and return to my bedroom, beelining for the ancient book on my bed. I continue reading where I left off.

There has to be a way out.

***

I read for only half an hour before a knock at the door interrupts me. I know it's my mysterious chef dropping off dinner as usual. I don't get up right away, finishing a paragraph before stepping outside.

I'm startled when I find Leander still standing there. But even in my surprise, my fingers twitch with the urge to slam the door shut.

"What are you doing here? I thought you had someone to go torture."

He nods, as if agreeing with me. "Yes, but lunch is ready downstairs, and I want you to join me."

I squint at him, wondering where he finds the audacity to just demand everything.

"Who has been cooking this food?"

"A chef. She's very private. Not much of a talker, but I'll introduce you to her tomorrow."

I walk past him, and he follows.

Downstairs, I awkwardly settle into a stool by the island table and examine the homemade pizza. The chef must have made it elsewhere and brought it in for us.

I pick up a flatbread slice and take a bite. It's healthy and delicious. Nothing like the junk pizza I ate Fridays after I beat my pussy and cursed Leander to high hell. Those were lonely days. I could rarely go to bars with my friends, fearful that my pheromones would spike randomly. It's not normal for females to reek like I do, but my pheromones don't call for any male. They seek the attention of an Alpha.

Leander stays standing, not yet eating. I wonder if he doesn't find the food appetizing because it's not seasoned with the blood of his enemies.

His eyes drift to my shoulder. "Your hair is growing back. The mark worked."

"Do you expect me to thank you?" I ask, sarcasm melting on my tongue just like the cheesy pizza. Goddess, this is good.

"Just don't change yourself to spite me."

What nonsense is he saying? I've practically redesigned myself because of him. Changed my appearance, my way of thinking, my lifestyle, just to be free from him.

I look around the kitchen, noticing how it hasn't changed much from the era of the previous Alpha family. It's a state-of-the-art kitchen. Modern but stylish.

What a beautiful prison.

"Why don't you give me a tour?"

He frowns. "You have seen it all except the basement."

"I want to see it," I reply, finishing another slice. "It's the one part of this home that I wasn't allowed to see. What's down there?"

"A safe house for the Alpha family. Designed to protect from any attack." He pushes off the table, his food untouched, and leads the way. I cover the pizza and follow him downstairs, thinking of the previous Alpha family. What happened to them?

We reach the basement, and I become highly aware of the dim lights and the nearby predator. Leander retrieves a card from his wallet, sliding it down a slot beside the metal door like a credit card. There's a hiss, and the metal door opens.

"Is that the key?" I ask him.

"Yes," he replies. "Only way in and only way out." He slides his wallet and card into different pockets and enters the safe room.

Automatic lights flicker on. I follow Leander and look around the metal bunker. There are shelves neatly lined with cans, and at the very end of the bunker are giant screens on low-power mode. There are a few doors along the walls. I can only assume they're bedrooms and bathrooms.

"Soundproof, bulletproof, fireproof," Leander says. "Built long before I inherited the pack. Let's hope you never have to use it."

"What about you? Wouldn't you hide in here during emergencies?"

"No. I belong in the battlefield. But you? You are too precious to lose. If you were to fall, I would collapse mentally."

"Such pretty words for a man who rejected me."

"I only want the best for you, regardless of our past. That's why..." he hesitates, looking nervous. That worries me because Leander is never nervous. He has too much power. Life itself is at his beck and call.

"That's why when your mark fades a few days from now, I want to set it again. It's for your safety and—"

"You're fucking joking," I interject. "Mark me again? For safety? I'm in your territory, Leander. You're the Alpha here. Who the hell do I need protection from other than you?"

Is he addicted to marking me after getting a taste?

He stares at me blankly. "I can't say much."

"As usual," I grit. "You can never answer questions, only multiply them. Is this why—is this why you let me fish and allowed me to go to the party tonight? To get me in your good graces so I'll let you mark me again?"

His silence is all I need to hear.

Mark me for my safety? That's bullshit. He just wants to track me. Every freedom he allows me is conditional.

My blood boils. At every twist and turn, he disappoints me. The more I get to know this man, the more I wonder why the goddess bonded us.

The more I regret getting caught.

He sighs. "This would be so much easier if you just listened."

He still doesn't get it. Still doesn't understand that I'm here to bring him hell. And I will never submit so long as there's life in me.

I take a few steps forward, tripping and crashing into his arms. He catches me. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," I breathe. "Can you get me a glass of water, please?"

He releases me and walks deeper into the bunker. The sight of his back makes my gut twist. It's triggering. Reminds me of the day he walked away from me five years ago and left me crying on the dirt.

Silently, I walk backward. I sneak toward the door and with a satisfying leap, I exit the bunker and slam the door shut, hearing it hiss and close.

There's a soft thud as Leander slams his fists onto the door. The soundproof walls keep his captivity a secret.

I examine the card I snuck out of his pocket. The only key that will open the bunker.

"Sorry, Alpha, but it's time you got a taste of your own medicine. I have a party to go to."

I walk upstairs, leaving the basement behind without looking back.

I walk outside and greet my guards. "Hey, did Leander tell you guys to escort me to the party?"

"Yes, Luna, he did."

I feel too content to correct him. He can call me Luna all night if he wishes.

"Great. He's in his office right now and said he's not to be disturbed. I'll go change and then we can be on our way."

"Yes, ma'am."

Hmm, this is going to be a great night. And I'm in no rush to return home to free Leander.

He could use the vacation.