Camille's POV

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Alpha Sigewuf sat beside me, only sparing me a fleeting glance before fixing his eyes back on the iPad in his hand.

I had no idea when I had fallen asleep, but I could feel an oppressive presence hanging above me, forcing my puffy eyes open. The words left my mouth before I could even think:

“What exactly do you think you're doing?”

The look on his face grew taut, cold and unyielding.

“Get down!”

Alpha Sigewuf stepped back. “And watch your tone!”

PRIDE.

There it was.

Alpha Sigewuf had an abundance of it, and even the tiniest stain on that pride was a trigger.

“You should know better than to stare directly at a woman while she naps,” I said with equal sass.

As I tried to lift my hand to get up, our hands brushed against each other, just slightly.

It felt like an electric shock as we immediately pulled away, our eyes locking.

Yes, there was an undeniable attraction between us, but if it had anything to do with a mate bond, I had absolutely no idea.

But none of that mattered now. I was here, in Slantville, and I had a duty to fulfill my responsibilities as a mate.

He looked away.

Alpha Sigewuf crossed his arms, his tone flat and unyielding. “Not when you're my mate.”

I shrugged. “I’m just saying, who knows, you could be a threat.”

His chin hardened as he stifled his anger.

Without another word, he strode toward the door of Rhaul’s mansion. I maintained my aloof demeanor following behind him.

The door swung open even before he reached it. Servants lined the hallway with their heads bowed low, as if conditioned to remain that way.

With a double snap of his fingers, one of the servants I would later identify as Lana stepped forward.

If his tone had ever been cold, this time when he spoke, it sounded grave: “Take her to the suite. You'll be attending to her tonight,” Alpha Sigewuf said with unmistakable irritation before walking away.

It didn't take Lana ten minutes to prepare the bath and set my things on the bed.

“Will you be needing anything else, my lady?” Lana asked, her head bowed.

“No. That'll be all for tonight. Oh—one more thing: I’m not your lady. Just call me Camille.”

The shock on her face was enough to show she wouldn't dare follow through on that order.

She nodded and quietly shut the door as she exited the suite.

Sitting in the bathtub, my eyes closed as my body soaked in the scented perfume.

It was a long while before I decided to step out.

Putting on the most decent nightie I could find, I headed down to the kitchen.

Halfway down the stairs, I picked up my pace when I heard the muffled sounds and heavy breathing coming from the direction of the kitchen.

I paused at the door. My hand hovered loosely on the knob listening to Alpha Sigewuf’s voice—smooth, silky, and tinged with desire—muttering something that made the female voice respond with delight.

Rage flared in my face. “Really!”

A lycan who showed no respect for the mate bond? “Just great!”

The Moon goddess really needed to do better with this matchmaking nonsense.

Not bothering to see who he was entertaining, and ignoring the part of me that desperately wanted to throw open the door and see the face of whoever was making him sound so tender, I turned away and headed toward the bar. I grabbed a bottle of wine before retreating to the suite.

It was 3 a.m. when the door to the suite swung open and clicked shut.

Alpha Sigewuf entered.

His broad, sexy shoulders were drenched in sweat, clad in running shorts and a t-shirt. He was simply stunning, every shade of sexy.

The problem with being a wolfless virgin was how easily pheromones announced the need for intimacy, often without permission.

I tilted my head away from the door, trying to force my mind to shut him out as desire from earlier began to stir again.

He disgusted me so much I could barely breathe the same air, but my body was betraying me. This craving was beyond my control.

It had to be the wine! It was messing with my head.

He pulled his shirt over his head. “You were at the door, weren’t you?”

My body stiffened in shock.

His voice was hoarse. “I smelled you.”

I cursed softly, closing my eyes tighter.

“If you're going to follow me around, you might as well get some headphones to block out the noise, don’t you think?”

I knew he was baiting me.

“And she knows how to do things I don’t think someone entirely wolfless like you can handle,” he taunted.

“Like I give a flying hoot!” I snapped, fed up with pretending to be asleep.

“If you had any respect for the mate bond, you wouldn’t be messing around with your whores and bringing them here. And right now, you’d realize this is my suite. So, please, turn off the lights, screw whoever it is you’re with down there, and leave me the hell alone!”

“This is my suite too,” he said, a repressive smile playing on his face.

I hid the disappointment swelling inside me.

“You know, I think you can have the suite to yourself,” I said, opening my eyes, slipping into my slippers, and heading for the door.

Just as my hand touched the handle, Alpha Sigewuf’s hand covered mine, holding the door back, closing the distance between us.

“As much as your smart-mouth makes you annoyingly attractive, I’d like to know, are you running away from me?”

“Isn't that what I’m supposed to do?” I snapped, avoiding his gaze. “Your fancy house, your trained staff, your pack, your lycan blood—all and none of it fazes me!”

A predatory smile lit his eyes. “Really?”

He tilted his chin. “Tell me this, do I tickle your fancy? Do I faze you?”

“You?” I scoffed, ignoring the pounding of my heart in my ears.

I knew he could hear it.

"You mentioned quite somethings but in no particular order did you make mention of me." His eyes lingered on me, daring me to lie.

“Yes. You actually surprise me enough with your shenanigans and lack of respect for the mate bond. You surprise me so much I dare want to leave!”

His mouth flattened. “That’s not all. A half-truth is as much a lie, you should know that.”

“The scent of your pheromones tells me there’s a lot more surprise my presence stirs within you than you’re willing to admit.”

I pulled my face away from his touch, gripping the door tighter.

His fingers traced a line along my spine, stopping abruptly around my waist as his large hands grabbed me from behind.

A slight moan escaped my lips before I could stop it.

“Tell me I don’t faze you this much,” he whispered.

He leaned in, placing a light kiss on my neck, then on my shoulders.

Damn, I was losing it.

My voice was weak and unsteady as my feet felt like puddles. “Stop.”

He paused, meeting my eyes.

The mounting desire in mine reflected in his.

There was an undeniable attraction, but it felt wrong. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this whole thing was utterly wrong.

Before I could protest further, his lips claimed mine.

The effect of the wine was probably kicking in.

My heart pounded fiercely against my chest, as if ready to explode.

I pulled away, cupping my nightie with one hand, turning my back to him.

“What is the meaning of this, Alpha?”

He took a step closer. “Welcome home, Lady Sigewuf,” he said with a sinister smirk.

“What exactly do you think you're doing?” My voice was a weak trickle, like a drying tap. A part of me is waiting for those hands to feel me in ways I couldn’t have imagined before.

“What our eyes have been screaming for since you appeared in that study.”

I bit my swollen lower lip, trembling from the kiss.

He moved closer from behind, placing his hands on my stomach as he shut his eyes, inhaling my scent.

Alpha Sigewuf leaned in further, nibbling on my neck. In that moment, I felt a mix of sensations, but mostly I was trying to just take it all in.

“You’re going to give me an heir,” his fingers brushed my skin as he leaned in for a kiss.

My mind felt like it was shutting down.

“Welcome home, my lady,” he whispered as he grabbed my hand.