I sat quietly on the dining chair, my body still...….. mind anything but that.
Rhage stood a few steps away dishing food into my plate like this was normal, as if he wasn't the Alpha King, like this wasn't surreal and damn near impossible to an ordinary wolf.
The way his massive body moved with calm control, the way the muscles in his arms flexed as he lifted the pot, his thick forearms tightening beneath his sleeves….... broad shoulders, powerful back, healed scars all over his body….... proof of his might.
serving me....…?
If someone had told me this would happen, I would've sworn on my life it never could.
I had always been terrified of him.....his brooding arrogant stillness..... the way his presence alone could silence a room and terrify even the strongest wolf…... of his beast who is merciless, feared and ended lives without hesitation.
A widower who never entertained the thousands of women who threw themselves at his feet…..... High ranked Alpha daughters, warriors, politicians offering peace treaty marriages.
I remembered how furious Amy would get every time another woman tried..... how she hated them for daring, how she waited for his rejection like it was a ritual.
And he always rejected them….... Every single one, and now he is here, cooking for me, watching over me, acting like I was his woman.
Me….... an orphan who learned early that comfort had to be self made, that support came from no one but myself.
Aside's Amy, I had no one to lean on, no safety net, no one waiting to catch me when I fell.
So what changed with this man?
How did I go from fearing this man to wanting him? to finding him devastatingly attractive? to wanting him to devour me on this table instead of the meal he dished on his plate.
I forced my gaze down breathing slowly.
I can't lose my best friend.
She's the only one who ever chose me, who ever cared and if staying away from her father was what I had to do, I'll do it no matter what my body or mind tried to tell me.
The plate touched the table.... I glanced at it and my breath hitched....
I opened my mouth to protest cos I'm allergic to nuts.
"I can't…...."
"I know," he cuts in calmly.
"I didn't use it" he continued.
My eyes lifted to his in suprise…....
Before I could respond he set a glass beside my plate, clear liquid, faintly tinted, steam barely rising.
Warm water infused with chamomile and a slice of lemon peel, something I always did when sleep refused to come, when the nightmares clawed their way back, when the memories of my parents dying in front of me refused to stay buried.
It was the only thing that ever helped..... my throat burned as he took his seat across from me.
He began eating quietly, not looking at me, not waiting for thanks or acknowledgment, like this was nothing, like he hadnt just swept me off my feet.
All this time, I thought I was invisible…..... I thought no one saw me, that my pain was something I carried alone.
My chest ached and before I could stop it a tear slipped free. I wiped it away quickly which he saw but didn't stare, didn't make it awkward, didn't soften his expression or ask questions.
He just kept eating giving me the dignity of privacy.
I looked down at my plate, my emotions tangled and confusing, my heart fluttering painfully against my ribs. I didn't understand what this connection was, but I felt it so deeply and it scared me.
After the meal, i thanked him quietly my voice still unsteady from everything I'd learned tonight.
My wolf was just there..….. silently watching.
Now that I know she exists the feeling was impossible to ignore.
It was like sensing myself from the inside and the outside at the same time, like I was whole in a way I'd never been before.
People always talked about having a wolf but you never really understand it until you experience it.... until it's inside you.
I carried our empty plates to the sink and washed them quickly needing the distraction.
When I returned to the sitting room he was gone.
The stairs creaked softly under my feet as I climbed gently opening the door ajar but the bed was empty.
The bathroom door was closed, steam curling faintly from beneath it, the sound of running water filling the room.
My gaze drifted to the closet and then I moved closer into the tiny narrow path.... Clothes I recognized filled the tiny space, mine, Amy's, old oversized hoodies and winter jackets we used to steal from the pack house and snuggled back into the cabin shelves when we were young cos of the how the cold always crept in no matter how much wood was burning.
I pulled one hoodie free, It smelled faintly of cedar.
The room was warmer than the rest of the cabin cos there was a wall mounted heater humming softly, built for nights like this, but the blizzard outside still pushed its chill through the walls.
I changed quickly grateful for the thick fabric then stepped back out and froze....
He had just come out of the bathroom.
A towel hanging low on his hips, bare chest damp from the shower, water still tracing down his delicious skin marked with ink, curling over the perfect muscle, disappearing beneath the fabric.
One of his hand held the towel drying his long curls and the other was holding a sweater.
He looked unreal…..... blue eyes, steam clinging to his skin, the scent of the soap and his essence filled the room….. he reeked of sex and all I wanted was to be pleasured by this man.
I've never seen a man with such sex appeal and suddenly I understood why women lined up for him, why they offered themselves so easily, why Amy used to seethe every time another name was whispered near his.
And now unbelievably I was standing here, staring like an idiot….. mouth still open.
"Are you going to keep staring or should I change somewhere else?"