Chapter Ten

Roan It took all of Roan’s strength to leave that club. She’d smelled so sweet, teasing every ounce of self-control that he had inside of himself. His wolf called him every name under the sun on his desperate flight from the building. She wanted to reject him. It danced along her tongue, and her facial expressions, but something stopped her from it. That was all Roan needed was a small crack to wedge his foot in the door. Where are you going? his wolf growled. Go back there and bring her home. “Not yet,” he whispered, shoving his way out the exit. The night air sucked the breath from him. “She is coming back with us, but not yet. I don’t want to drag her, I have a few days to persuade her, and if she doesn’t come, I’ll have to make her.” Make her now, it said. I want to go home. Roan ignored his wolf’s demands. He needed to get to the condo and rid himself of her scent for the night. It was too much. It made his body quiver with need. Did you see the way her wolf reacted to us, his wolf bragged. Roan couldn’t get it out of his mind. Her heavy breaths, the smell of her skin, and the way his words made her blush. She was perfect, and so close but so out of reach. He jogged toward the condo, racing to his room to strip from his clothes. The need for her lingered in the air. It’d taken so much strength to walk away, and he needed to take a breath without inhaling her. Turning on the shower, he scrubbed his skin until it burned. You suck, his wolf said. If I were you— “You are me, and yet, you’re stuck in there because I’m in charge,” Roan said. Wanna bet, his wolf growled. I’ll rip out of here right now. “Then we will get arrested for screwing up a hotel room. Chill out. I’m not going after her tonight.” Whatever, it mumbled. Roan finished his shower, relaxing on the bed, taking deep breaths without the heaviness of her scent swarming him. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he glanced down at his dad’s name across the screen. “Hello?” “Son. How are you? I haven’t heard from you since you left.” “I’ve been busy chasing this crazy shewolf around the city.” He chuckled. “Samantha warned you that she was stubborn.” Roan walked over to the window and pressed his forehead against the cool glass. “She wasn’t kidding. How’s it going there?” He huffed. “I’ve been working with contractors all week trying to get my stairs fixed, thanks to you.” Roan smirked. “You’ll live. What about the rogue that was caught?” “Haven’t heard a peep. Jacob’s been doing well with handling it. Though I heard some ruckus through the mind link a few minutes ago. Has he called you?” “No...” Roan’s phone buzzed. “It’s him. I’ll call you tomorrow.” “Okay, I want to hear about Sullen, and I also have some things that I need to discuss with you.” “Sure, Dad. I’ll talk to you then.” Roan hung up and then answered. “What’s going on?” Jacob sighed. “We caught three more rogues in the west side of the pack lands tonight.” “Three?” Roan asked, rubbing his face with his palm. “Do they seem to know the first one?” “No one is talking,” Jacob sighed. “I put them in different cells so they can’t talk, but if any of them are from the same previous pack, they might mind link one another. I have guards on them day and night.” Roan began to pace the floor. “You don’t think your mate has something to do with it, do you?” Roan stopped pacing. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jacob sighed. “I just mean … when is the last time we’ve had a rogue? Ever since your mate showed up, we’ve had four—” “I suggest you stop talking before I make a special trip back to rip your throat out. You don’t speak about my mate that way. She’s the pack's future Luna. She has no interest in pack life, and no reason to try and tear our pack down—” “Roan,” Jacob said, “you know her father died in the pack war several years ago.” Roan’s stomach dropped to his ass. He hadn’t even thought about that. He remembered his dad briefly telling him what happened to Samantha’s husband in the midst of that war … and that he was a part of. “I didn’t realize,” Roan whispered. “I’m sorry,” Jacob said. “If you don’t think she has anything to do with it then I get it, but there is a motive. It’s probably part of the reason she was hell-bent on running.” Roan sat down in the small desk chair in the room, and palmed his forehead, resting his elbow against his knee. “This is going to be harder than I thought. I may not persuade her to come. I may have to carry her caveman style.” Yes, his wolf chimed in. Now. Go get her now. Jacob chuckled. “Dude, you’ve got your work cut out for you. I’ll let you go deal with that. I have everything under control here. I’ll call you if we find out anything.” Roan hung up the phone and fought the urge to toss it against the bed. He’d been reigning Alpha at the time of that pack war, and though it wasn’t his idea, he had to defend his pack against the other alpha’s attempts at taking part of their land. “She thinks I killed her dad,” Roan mumbled to himself. He stood up and ran his palm down his face. He’d get some sleep tonight, because tomorrow, he’d have to plan out a way to get her to come with him. He didn’t want to be that alpha. The domineering one who forced himself on his mate. Roan wouldn’t force himself on her, but he would force her to come speak to him. They were fated mates. Who were they to reject what fate said was right? He’d explain that he didn’t know her father, and that pack life wasn’t that bad. It’d be fine. Everything would be fine. Roan didn’t believe that for one minute. Sullen was stubborn and fighting their bond like a champ. He’d need to pull out more than a caveman drag back to his pack to win her over. What Sullen didn’t realize, was that Roan would do anything to have his Luna. And he’d be damned if a human would spend one more day touching what was his. Duke, Whatever-His-Name-Was, was finished.