“I could do with a shower.”
“Later, once we’ve discussed some things. Important things, Marissa.”
“I . . .” she stopped, uncertainty and a flash of fear crossing her features.
“Let me start,” Shade kept his finger in place, refusing her the option of looking away. “First, you are safe here. You’re in my home and we have guards in place. You have no need to be scared.”
“Who says I’m scared? I’m not. I just don’t like being,” she waved her arm around, “like this. Stuck in bed and what in hell am I wearing?”
Shade smirked, his eyes roaming over her body that was now visible down to her waist, dressed in one of his white tees. “It’s mine.”
“You, you, you . . . did this?” she asked, blushing scarlet.
“What? No.” Shade sat back, shaking his head. “Lana did. She washed you and changed you while I went to our warehouse to get you some supplies. She sent me for clothes and other items that you’d need. Although I do admit I was a little upset I missed it.”
Marissa took a swipe at him, barely missing his face. “Not funny. We don’t even know each other.”
“But we do. Our Wolves know each other. Don’t they? And you know what we are to each other. You can’t deny it, Marissa. No Wolf can.”
He saw a gamut of emotion roll over her, so many he couldn’t grasp one before another took over. Her heart speeding up and thundering in her chest so loud he could clearly hear it. “I’m a nobody. How can we be mates? You’re a damn Alpha and I’m a runaway from the Pack from hell. I’m no Alpha, Shade. I can’t be.”
Fuck! Her voice rose and fell with fear and longing. His name on her lips tearing him up inside. Shade craved her, needed her, wanted her in his arms. Reaching over he removed the tray, placing it on the floor, then gently picking Marissa up to cradle her in his lap. She struggled for a few moments, before settling into his embrace, her fingers grasping tightly to his shirt. He remained silent as he waited on her calming, the turmoil raging inside her was as loud as if she were shouting from the rooftops. Her self-doubt rolling off her in waves as she snuggled her head into the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent.
That was exactly what he wished her to do. She needed to recognize him as her mate and there was no quicker way than smell for their kind to do that.
“Oh hell,” she mumbled. “Shade, the Goddess has made a mistake. I’m not an Alpha, really, I’m not.”
Shade gave her a squeeze and started to rub a hand up and down her back. “I’m assured the Goddess doesn’t make mistakes, but before we go there, I want you to tell me about yourself. Tell me everything, Marissa. I want to know why you ran, why you have scars, why your father is such an asshole that I wanted to rip his heart out. I don’t want you to leave anything out. After I know everything, then we can return to what the Goddess has done. Okay?”
“You won’t like it, any of it,” she whispered against him, sounding like a scared child.
“I don’t suppose I will, but I need to hear it.”
And he didn’t like it. Not one word. Marissa didn’t hold back when she explained what type of Pack she’d ran from. The horrendous treatment meted out to females causing Shade’s inner Alpha to howl with anger and grief. In his world, women were revered, cherished, but also allowed to hold positions of power and strength. Hell, some of their fiercest sentries were She-Wolves, but not all women wanted that and that was fine too. Nobody was made to feel they needed to fit into any kind of slot, whether that be the homemaker, or the wild and dangerous fighter. Each and every one was valuable to the Pack and each and every one was cherished and loved. But it was when Marissa spoke of her father and the way he treated her that he nearly lost it.
He had to use every ounce of his Alpha power to hide his anger and revulsion from her as she told her story, her tears soaking his clothes and dampen his skin. For every tear shed, he swore he’d make her father pay dearly. Just when he thought it could get no worse, no more depraved or cruel, Marissa revealed the final straw that sent her fleeing the Pack: her father’s plan to hand her to the Alpha for the sole purpose of sex to produce a son.
A growl rumbled in his chest, unable to hold it inside any longer, Shade released it, tightening his arms around his mate. “I’ll tear his fucking heart out.”
Marissa shook her head furiously. “No, he’s dangerous, they’re all dangerous. I don’t want you going anywhere near that place.”
“He deserves to suffer for what he’s put you through, Mari,” Shade ran a finger down her face. “He’s a monster, a fucking monster.”
“I know he is but I don’t want you going anywhere, Shade, please. I won’t feel safe if you’re not here, and I hate to admit this,” she lowered her eyes briefly, taking in a gulp of air, “but I do feel safe with you. For the first time in my entire life, but if you leave then I won’t, and it won’t make a difference how many guards there are. If you aren’t here, then I’ll be afraid he’ll come for me.”
Shade lowered his lips, gently kissing the tip of her nose. “So we’re back to what the Goddess has done.”
Marissa shrugged. “I guess we are. I still think she’s made a mistake.”
“Damn, Mari, after everything you’ve gone through, what you fought to survive, and you
