CHAPTER 20: CONTROL

He was going to kill us.

That was the only thing flashing through my mind as I saw the murderous look on his face.

He stood in the middle of the wide doorway, his broad shoulders stiff with tension, arms crossed and eyes glowing a faint crimson red. I could almost feel the Alpha power radiating from his body. Even more than Valden could, considering I was his unfortunate mate.

But I was still wrapped in Valden’s arms.

I thought he would let go immediately after the voice rang out but his grip seemed to tighten on my waist defiantly. But even that couldn’t mask the way his throat bobbed up and down as Darek narrowed his eyes onto his hold on me as if he was going to rip Valden’s arms off with his teeth.

"What do you think you both are doing?" He repeated.

"We were just talking," I quickly said as I wriggled myself out of his arms.

"Talking?" Darek turned to Valden, a cold ruthless smile curving on his lips. "So this is what talking looks like? You touching what doesn’t belong to you?"

What doesn’t belong to you?

Fury surged through my body. Of course he just saw me as a commodity that belonged to someone. As if he had any right to decide who I should talk to or let touch

me. I’d heard enough.

I lashed out in anger. "I think I can decide for myself who I belong to."

"Our mate bond has already decided it for you, Maeve."

I scoffed. "Our mate bond? I don’t know if you remember Darek, but you haven’t accepted me as your mate yet and neither have I. So that doesn’t mean anything."

His eyes blazed in fury, teeth clenching before turning towards Valden.

"Step away from her," he commanded.

Valden didn’t move.

"No," he said, standing his ground, looking perfectly composed now, his face masking whatever he was feeling.

There was so much tension in the air that you could cut it with a knife.

"No?" Darek laughed, his tone mocking. "Do you really think you can get away with defying my orders, Beta?"

"She’s not your slave for you to dictate who she should be with," Valden shot back.

For a second I thought Darek would shift and pounce on him and rip him apart. His anger was so much worse that I could feel it in my bones, in all its burning searing glory. My wolf retreated so far back inside, scared of the fire.

"Do you want to die tonight, Valden?" Darek asked softly.

"If that’s what it takes to protect her, then yes," he said, putting his arm around my waist again, pulling me closer to him.

No, no, no. I could sense what Darek was about to do. It was written plain as day on his face.

"Stop it," I cried and wrenched myself out of Valden’s hold and moved in front, between the both of them. "Both of you, just stop!"

Darek’s gaze flicked to me. There was something in his eyes, anger, yes, but something more, something primal.

Before I could even register properly he grabbed my arm and dragged me into his study and closed the heavy door on Valden’s face before he could so much as protest.

My mouth opened but the words got stuck in my throat as he stalked closer, placing both arms on either side of me, caging me against the back of the door until the heat and scent of his body coiled in my gut.

"You had no right–" I started as he cut me off.

"No right?" He growled. "You’re my mate. I don’t need permission to take you away from another man. That too someone who clearly still has feelings for you."

I wasn’t surprised that Darek knew about our history. Everyone seemed to know about it now.

Darek sighed.

"So that’s why he wanted to be reassigned here." He exhaled and continued. "You know what? Good. I’m going to make sure it goes through so he can be here when he sees you being claimed by another man. So that he can finally get it into his thick head that you are mine."

"I’m not yours, remember? I never was. You’ve made it clear that you wanted nothing to do with me as your mate and I don’t either. At least I loved...love Valden."

His hand shot out to grab my chin, tilting my face up. His thumb brushed my lower lip until my pulse became erratic and my breath caught. My thighs clenched involuntarily.

The bond surged and slammed into me so violently until my knees grew weak, my body arching into his touch against my will.

"I hate you," I whispered, though it sounded more like I was pleading, begging. I grabbed his shirt, the sound of buttons popping as I clenched it harder, trying desperately to push him away except he didn’t even budget. All that power that surged through me was no longer making an appearance. I felt just as weak now, just as powerless.

His mouth pressed against my ear as he spoke smoothly. "You can’t hate me. Even if you wanted to."

"No, I’ll never let you control me, Darek. I’ll never be with you."

"So you’d rather be with someone who wouldn’t bat an eye when you were beaten to a pulp right in front of him?"

I stilled. The fight with Valeria. I remembered as Valden watched me get beaten up right in front of him, as he fixed me with his bored eyes. All because someone was watching. Because he wasn’t supposed to act like he cared.

It was dangerous. That’s why he did that. It had to be so.

"How do you know about that?" I asked, a feeling of unease settling in my chest.

"I know, sweetheart," Darek said smiling, his hands trailing down my waist to my hips eliciting a short gasp from me. "I know because he was following my orders."