“You aren’t going to kill me?”
“No, Margo.”
“Then why say those things?” I asked, shaking my head in confusion, curls falling in my eyes at the movement.
“Because if the world around us knew I found my mate, they would use you against me,” he said, standing up and folding his shirt sleeves up to his elbows. I stepped back, trying to make sense of his words.
“What?” I breathed out.
“I knew you were my mate the first moment I stepped out of that car. If they saw me be gentle towards you, they would use you against me, hurt you, take you, and I couldn’t allow that to happen. Not until I have security measures in place, not until I know I can keep you safe.”
“I can’t be your mate,” I said accusingly. “You’re lying. You said you never heard of a human being mate to a powerful wolf like this.” I glanced around me, stumbling back towards the door.
“Margo, I know this must be confusing. I will explain everything to you, come sit on the bed. I’ll find something for you to wear other than that dress, it’s filthy.” He stood up and went over the closet, rifling through some clothes. I turned quickly and threw the door open again, running down the hallway, trying to find my way back to the stairs.
I heard him curse loudly, and his thunderous footsteps followed mine twice as fast. I saw the staircase and rushed down it, missing a step towards the bottom, which only propelled me faster. I didn’t care what the wolves on the main floor thought about me. This wasn’t about my reputation; this was about my life.
“Margo,” the Enforcer called, standing at the bottom of the stairs.
I raced to the front door and pulled it open. The same man who opened the door for us now stood outside, guarding it against intruders, or possibly escapees. He looked surprised when he saw me, and I took that moment to jump down the three steps and towards the open woods around us.
Someone grabbed my arm, another guard, who pulled me to a stop and held me until the Enforcer approached us. I begged the man to let me go, but he held me firmly, bruising my freckled arm.
The Enforcer nodded to the guard and took me from his grasp. I fell to the ground as they transferred me. I crumbled down, burying my head in my arms.
“Margo,” he whispered as he knelt next to me, his hands stroking my hair soothingly. I didn’t make any attempt to move, and he said my name more assertively.
“Enforcer, please,” I whimpered, the sound muffled by my arms.
“Theo,” he said softly, sounding pained. “My name is Theo.”
When I didn’t respond again, he gathered me in his arms and brought me back inside the house. My curly hair shielded me from the other wolves downstairs as the Enforcer brought me back upstairs and set me on the side of the bed. I pushed his arms away, and he set them right back on mine, forcing me to sit still.
He knelt in front of me, taking the dirty sandals off my feet, setting them next to the nightstand on the side of the bed. His hand lingered on my skin, taking notice of a bruise his hand created in the car. He gathered the clothes he pulled out from the closet and set them on the bed beside me. His hands parted my hair, pushing it back so he could see my red, tear-stained face.
“Would you like to have a bath? It might calm you down,” he offered. I looked up at him through my tears. I shook under his steady, sad gaze. “Come on.” He helped me stand and led me to the bathroom where there was a large, curved, soaking bathtub in the right corner. He drew the water, pouring some soap in it as it filled, so bubbles covered the surface of the water.
“Do you need help?” he asked, noticing I was still visibly shaking. I shook my head quickly, no. He nodded. “I’ll be back in a moment then.” He left the bathroom, shutting the door most of the way behind him. I pulled the string that held the back of the dress together and slid it down my body. I took my bra and underwear off and placed them under the dress, out of his view. The water was warm as I slid into it, sinking far enough down, so the bubbles covered everything up to my shoulders.
The Enforcer knocked on the door once and then entered, walking over to sit beside the tub on a small stool. I kept my gaze on the bubbled water until I felt his hands touch my hair. I lurched forward, leaning over so that I was hunched over my knees.
“Margo, please, I’m not going to hurt to you,” he said gently, resting his hands on the edge of the tub. “Let me take care of you, that’s all I want.” I didn’t dare move.
He grabbed a soft sponge and dipped in the water and began to run it down my spine, brushing my hair aside to reach my shoulder. He continued to do this until he was satisfied and then moved his stool, so he could wash my hands and arms. He continued to wash my fingers, gently scrubbing the dirt from beneath my fingernails, and then moved to the end of the bathtub to do the same to my feet. My leg emerged from the water, only up to the knee. He cleaned my toes from the dirt and a few cuts I got from running outside.
With his hands on me, it was hard to focus on anything other than the claws that lurked on the other side of his skin.
Once my body was clean, he came behind me
