Justice, not vengeance.
Her ex and his best friend were spoiled brats. They were assholes. Maybe even criminals. And they deserved a few weeks in jail for what they'd done to her. With her father's influence, she might be able to get them kicked out of school. That was the kind of payback she'd been hoping for.
Not murder.
But that's what she saw shining in the alpha's eyes—pure animal rage. He hadn't raised a hand against her—not yet, at least—but somehow she knew Dustin and Josh wouldn't be so lucky.
"No one." Mia shook her head, glancing down at her feet as she lied. "I was in an accident."
"An accident?" A second later, his fingers pinched her chin, drawing it up and to the side, exposing her cheek to the light. "Someone accidentally hit you."
Mia bit into her lip, as much to swallow down the feelings of warmth that blossomed in her core as to keep from telling the truth.
"You don't have to worry about that," she said.
His deep, terrifying growl filled the whole room. "Of course, I do," he said. "You are my—"
Before he could finish the sentence, Mia smacked his hand away from her face. She was sick of people telling her what she was.
"I'm not your anything."
Spinning out of his grasp, she ran like hell back toward the bedroom. She was surprised to make it all the way inside and slam the door behind her. The alpha was so much faster. He could have easily caught her if he wanted to.
Caught her, and pulled her into his arms, and propped her up against the wall, and…
Memories of the night before swarmed through her head. She …hadn't been herself. She hadn't been in control. When he touched her, something else took over. Made her give in to the dark and sensual impulses buried deep inside her.
She couldn't let that happen again.
Mia searched for something to bar the door. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to choose from. From what she could tell, the alpha lived a spartan life.
Even though she knew it wouldn't be enough, she grabbed the only chair in the room. It turned out to be a whole lot heavier than it appeared though, and Mia struggled to drag it across the floor and prop it underneath the knob.
It was a good start. It was probably large enough to keep the alpha out for a few minutes, but not a whole day. She needed something else. Something bigger. Something stronger.
But there wasn't anything. The room was empty except for a closet full of clothes and an unmade bed.
The bed.
That could work. Running over to the far side, Mia pushed with all her strength. The massive solid wood frame didn't budge an inch. It had been stupid to think it would.
Mia's heart leapt into her throat at the sound of heavy footsteps headed toward the bedroom.
The alpha was coming.
And he was taking his time. Why not? It wasn't like there was anywhere for her to go.
Still, Mia couldn't face him right now. She was too scared. To hurt. Too raw. She might not be able to keep him out forever, but she had to at least try to fight back. She had to prove to herself and him that she wasn't about to roll over and submit to fate.
Drawing in a deep breath, Mia tried one more time to push the bed across the floor. The thick wood posts didn't give, but the mattress did.
Okay, then.
Sliding her hands underneath the thick pad, she lifted and shoved with all her strength. It was heavy and unwieldy, but at least it moved…a whole four inches.
That's as far as she got before the door was flung open. The chair she'd struggled to move flew across the room, splintering into pieces as it smashed against the far wall.
Mia froze as the alpha captured her in his gaze. There was no more patience left in his eyes. No restraint in his expression. He was annoyed and angry…and hungry.
"What are you doing?" His roar filled the room, shaking the walls.
Mia's knees shook at its intensity. Her guilty gaze fell on the mattress, which was now awkwardly draped over the side of the bed frame.
"Trying to keep you out." There was no point in lying.
The alpha pulled his shoulders back. His chest pushed out. Shit, he was big. So massive that Mia understood why he needed to keep his rooms so open and spacious. There was hardly enough room for him as it was.
"Why?"
Really? Did he honestly not know, or did he just want to hear her say it out loud? Maybe he got off on her fear—just like Josh had.
If that was the case, Mia was sick of it. If she was about to die out here, then she would go to her grave with at least a shred of dignity intact.
"Because I don't know what the hell is going on," she shouted at him. "I don't know you. I don't know where I am. I don't even know who I am anymore."
"You are my—"
"I swear to God, I'm going to scream if you say that word one more time."
The alpha's jaw hardened.
"Then scream," he said. "It won't change anything. It won't dry the slick that's running down your legs."
Mia gasped as she glanced down at her feet. Sure enough, streams of shiny moisture were coursing down to the floor. She hadn't noticed it before. She'd been too focused on trying to get away.
But now that the alpha had spoken of her slick, it was all she could feel—the wet heat, pooling and dripping, the tight coil in her belly that wound even tighter every time she looked at the alpha, the need that was like no other.
"This can't be happening," she said aloud, more to herself than to the alpha.
"But it is," he said, stepping closer and rounding the corner of the bed. "You're going into heat, and you can't fight it."
The hell she couldn't.
Raising her chin, Mia grabbed the first thing her hand fell on and
