Jasmine tried to slow the erratic beats of her heart. Her gaze roamed. She was in some sort of barn, but where exactly was another question entirely. Her eyes focused on the man in front of her. The strong line of his jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth. His face held a guarded tension, but it did nothing to hide the appeal. A rugged handsomeness.
His golden eyes remained on her, and she could feel the familiar stir inside her. A warmth spread through her as her wolf clamored to the fore.
Mate
. She couldn’t deny the pull toward him. But fuck it all, this was not how this was supposed to happen. “Where are we?”
“I had to seek shelter from the storm.”
The wind raged outside, whistling through cracks in the wooden walls. For the first time she noticed her new apparel. “Where did the clothes come from?”
That muscle in his jaw twitched again. She was grateful for the warmth they provided but she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like his answer.
“Does it matter?”
Did it? He’d provided for her, but yeah, it kind of did. “Yes.”
“I procured them.”
“Stole them.” She sighed.
He pushed to his feet and paced the small area of the stall. “And if I did?”
She looked up at him. The sweats he wore did nothing to hide the muscles underneath. Damn, he was attractive. His hair had been shaved close to his skull. A five-o’clock shadow lined his cheeks. Raw sexiness. Her nipples puckered and her lower belly gave a roll. No. She couldn’t react to him this way. He’d fucking attacked her pack and kidnapped her. “There is no if. Ya did. Moving on.”
He growled.
A shiver ran through Jasmine’s body made part of fear and part of desire. His dominance was greater than hers, but by no means was she a wimp. Her wolf flexed its claws and she ignored it.
“Your sassy mouth isn’t appreciated.”
She huffed a laugh. “Well your caveman tactics aren’t either.”
With a roar he punched the wooden stall door and splinters fell down. A new fist-sized window now decorated their abode. “Yeah. Proven my point,” she mumbled.
“Do you think this is how I imagined finding you?”
She held his stare.
“For years I’ve dreamed about finding my mate, and look at us.”
“Yeah. Because it was always my dream to be hauled over someone’s shoulder and held captive in a damn barn.”
“Aagghh. Will you even give me a chance to explain?”
Jasmine shot to her feet, tired of looking up at him. “What is there to explain? You were with the wolves that attacked us, which means you’re my enemy.”
“No. Not your enemy. I’m your mate.”
The two-size-too-big pants started to slide down her hips. She grabbed the waistband and jerked them into place. “Yeah. I won’t deny it. But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to give in to it either. How many of my friends did you slaughter before you found me?”
His gaze lowered to the dirt-covered ground.
“Exactly.”
His head lifted and he caressed her face with his eyes. “I didn’t take any lives today and the word you should focus on is
before
.”
She trembled. It was hard to ignore her body’s reaction to him. “Ha. Easy for you to say.”
He stalked closer and she retreated a step. Her back came up against the wood siding. He closed in. His scent entered her nose and she had to repress a moan. Spice and pine. Her core gave a pulse of want. She licked her lips as his body molded against hers. His erection was hard to miss. It rubbed against her lower belly, thick, large and ready. It had been awhile since she’d had sex, but she couldn’t let that happen right now. She focused on his eyes. Glowing flecks of amber peppered the golden-colored circles. Those eyes were the things of dreams.
“It’s not easy for me to say. But I can’t change the past. Please give me a chance to make it right.”
This truly was a mess. How could she want someone so much when they’d caused her loved ones harm?
His hand cupped the side of her face as he inhaled deeply. “I can scent your desire. It calls to me.”
Her hands came up to his solid pecs and she ran them up to his shoulders. She wanted him. Or at least her body did. But hell, she couldn’t forget what had happened only hours ago, and not to mention she didn’t even know his name. She gave a shove and created enough space to slide out of the sensual cocoon he’d entrapped her in.
His sigh reached her ears, but she couldn’t feel sorry for him. She took in a few fortifying breaths then turned to face him. “This can’t happen. Not like this.”
“Then what would you have me do?”
Tears burned at the corner of her eyes. How could this be happening? It was so unfair. Finding her mate was supposed to be a beautiful thing. How could she ask her pack to accept him? After what had happened, how in the hell was she supposed to think they’d be okay with this? And it would have to be her pack, because there was no way in hell she would go with him to Arik.
She pushed back her emotions, not wanting him to see her weakness. “Let me go.”
His facial expression turned to one of horror, but he quickly masked it. “Never.”
She gripped the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, her gaze moving to the ground as a sigh burst through her lips. “This will never work.”
“How do you know it won’t? You haven’t even given it a chance. Fate brought us together.”
Her gaze snapped back to his. “Fate? All fate did was screw us both.”
“We can make it work.”
“I don’t even know your name.”
“Shadeau.”
Such an odd name, but appropriate all the same. For that is what their mate bond had been cast in from the very beginning.
He spoke softly. “What is your name, mate?”
“Jasmine.”
“Jasmine,” he whispered.
Her name on his lips made her lower belly tingle with excitement. How easy it would be to let him take her. She had a feeling it would be wild and raw. Claws and teeth. The sexy man in front of her oozed masculinity. Her lower lips grew wet just thinking about the way he would control her.
He closed his eyes and let loose a moan. “Sweetness. Your scent is driving me crazy. Please.”
She sobered. “I need to go.”
Quickly, she stepped toward the stall door. She managed to push it open, but found herself lifted off her feet before she could even step out. “What the hell?”
She fought against his hold, but he squeezed her tighter, her back flush against his chest.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
Jasmine angled her head to look up at him. “Oh really? What makes you think I’m not?”
“Because I won’t allow it.”
“Allow it? I sure as hell don’t remember asking for your permission.” She blew at wayward strands of hair that covered her face as she continued to struggle. “Let me go. I don’t want to be forced to hurt you.”
He laughed.
Oh if that didn’t piss her off. She kicked hard at his shin and brought her elbow back into his stomach. A small grunt sounded from behind her, but he held her firm.
“Jasmine, stop.”
“No. I won’t stop. Every time I get a chance I’m going to try to run so you might as well let me go now.”
“Am I so bad, Jasmine?”
Something inside her heart constricted at the sound of his wounded words. He wasn’t. It was the circumstance that was. Or at least she hoped he wasn’t. “You’re holding me against my will.”
“For your safety. You don’t understand. Arik has a sick plan and there is no way in hell I’m letting him get to you.”
Her struggles ceased. “What kind of plan?” Talking to him suddenly seemed like it might be a useful thing to do.
“Sit down. Eat something. I’ll explain.”
One meal. She could do one meal. Besides it would be good to know what Arik’s plans were. At least she could take away something useful from her situation. “Okay.”
Slowly Shadeau released his hold. Her feet touched the ground and she turned as she took a step back, putting space between them. “I’m listening.”
He gestured to the blanket on the ground. “Sit.”
She rolled her eyes but complied. “I’m sitting.”
He bent over to rummage through a couple baskets she hadn’t noticed before. Yep. He stole the stuff. The store logo was emblazoned on the sides of the plastic baskets. Her gaze moved to his ass. What a wonderful view of muscular perfection.
He turned and smiled. Busted. Her cheeks heated as she darted her gaze to what was in his hands. So she’d looked at his ass. He’d probably ogled her goodies before he dressed her.
She lifted one brow as she focused on what he held, pushing away her embarrassment. “Beanee Weenees and juice pouches.”
He grinned. “Let it never be said that I didn’t wine and dine you.”
A laugh burst out of her mouth. He chuckled with her. Wow. His face seemed to light up. If he turned on the charm it would make it ten times harder for her to leave. She cleared her throat as a lump of emotion threatened to clog it. “So tell me about this horrid plan your alpha has?”
Shadeau sat down in front of her and handed her a plastic spoon then popped the top of his can. “He’s no longer my alpha.”
This shocked her. “You broke the tie?” He must be more dominant than she’d thought.
“Yes. I know that puts us in an even bigger mess. I have nothing. But I swear to you, I’ll make sure you’re provided for.”
She shook her head slightly. They’d have to talk about his means of appropriating things later. “I’m not worried about that right now. I’m more concerned about the whys.”
He looked away, taking interest in his food. She didn’t want to rush him, but the suspense was killing her. She ate a few bites then took a drink. When he still didn’t speak, she couldn’t contain her curiosity anymore. “So, this plan?”
His gaze moved back to her. “Please understand that I really didn’t like this idea in the first place, but things were so different after Arik attacked our pack. My old alpha Torin was a complete ass. He kept us looking to him for handouts. But before Torin, I’d been a lone wolf for so long, that the company of others was better than being alone. Then Arik came in. I didn’t even fight. Most of us didn’t. Torin didn’t exactly breed loyalty.
“The things Arik gave us from the start were so much more than Torin had ever supplied.”
Jasmine nodded. “I can see how it’d be shocking.”
“Well, then we got our assignment. Apparently Arik’s right-hand man and cousin Ivan wanted his wife back.”
“That would be ex-wife. Julie left him a while ago,” Jasmine corrected. Julie had in fact been working in a bar with another wolf named Tyra for a good amount of time before she’d met Jasmine’s alpha Luken. And Ivan was an ass. No way in hell Julie would ever go back to him. Besides, Jasmine and the rest of her pack could look at Luken and Julie and tell they were in love, even if the mate bond hadn’t yet appeared for them.
“Yeah, well, Ivan still saw her as his. But Arik wasn’t willing to take the risk of going after her just so Ivan would be happy. So Ivan came down here to scout out the packs in the area. Another wolf with Arik, one that didn’t come from my original pack, told Arik about our female’s heat cycles. Arik wants to breed an army.”
Oh no.
Jasmine shook her head in denial. “You were there to kidnap women?”
Shadeau looked at the ground.
Nausea churned in her belly. “How in the hell could you go along with something like that?”
“I told you, I wasn’t big on the idea.”
Jasmine shot to her feet. “Not big on the idea? I can’t believe this.”
Shadeau stood. “Have you never had to do something you disagreed with because your alpha ordered it?”
“Hell no. My alpha isn’t a piece of shit who would ask something like that of me. Nor the one before him.” Her old alpha Konrad shared the same values and structure as Luken. They’d all been together before the split. A split that had to be made, because Luken had become an alpha in his own right and two alphas couldn’t coexist.
“You don’t know how lucky you are then.”
“So were you just going to give me over like some piece of trash to be raped?”
“No! Never. That’s why I broke the tie. That’s why we’re hiding here. Once I found you, I just couldn’t blindly follow anymore. And I’ll be damned if I let Arik hurt you.”
She threw her hands up in the air. “And what about those from my pack and the other packs? What about those women your buddies took? We were in contact with the other packs in the area. We know you attacked all of us at once.”
He strode over to the side of the stall, and banged his head lightly against the wooden wall. “I don’t know.”
Jasmine pulled in a few shaky breaths. She could tell his conscience was eating at him. But she had to find a way to get through to him. Seeing him like this made her hurt inside but it also gave her hope. He wasn’t all bad. She’d fought with him pretty much since she’d awoken. Maybe it was time to try another tactic.