<b>Chapter </b><b>17 </b>
The formal greeting only irritated me further. My jaw clenched tight. “Exin that you, as a werewolf<b>, </b>attacked two human girls<b>.</b><b>” </b>
A flicker of surprise crossed his features before he masked it. The other wolves in the training area pretended to resume their exercises, but I knew every ear in the room was straining to catch our conversation.
William swallowed hard, looking at the floor. “One of them is my mate.”
“Was,” I corrected sharply. Something primal inside me recoiled at his im. “She rejected you. Why?”
His jaw tightened. “There was a… misunderstanding.”
“About Olivia Parker? About your son?” I stepped closer, my voice dropping to ensure only he could hear. My pulse quickened with anger. “About how you nned to use a human mate for status before discarding her?”
William’s head snapped up, shock evident in his amber eyes. “How did you—”
“Why did you put your hands on her today?” I cut him off, my patience wearing thin. My fingers curled into fists at my sides. “And on her friend?”
William shifted ufortably. “I lost control. The rejection… it’s been painful. As you know, the mate bond-”
“Don’t lecture me about mate bonds,” I growled. My vision sharpened, focusing on his throat. “You betrayed her trust for years. You have a child with another woman. Yet you im to suffer from a broken mate bond?”
“I love Olivia,” William admitted, his voice strained. “But many werewolves take human mates for appearances. It’s not umon.”
My control slipped for a moment, my eyes shing gold. William immediately dropped his gaze, exposing his neck in submission.
“So you pursued a five–year rtionship with a woman you never intended to truly bond with,” I summarized, disgust evident in my tone. “Sacrificing your professional standing and pack position for what? A temporary physical rtionship?<b>” </b>
<b>7:55 </b><b>Sat</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>20 </b>
“It’s not like that,” William protested weakly. “I care for Olivia. She’s my true mate, not Reba. My feelings are genuine.”
“And Reba? What were your feelings for her?” The question came out rougher than intended.
William hesitated. “She’s just a human. Ordinary. Nothing special.”
Something inside me twisted at his dismissive words. The image of Reba’s defiant green eyes shed in my mind, along with the memory of her scent–honeysuckle and rain–that had haunted me since our night together. My skin flushed hot, my muscles tensing with an unexpected possessiveness.
“You’re being considered for the Delta position because of your strategic thinking,” I said coldly. “Yet you risked everything for an affair that could have been discreetly handled. Disappointing.”
William’s face flushed with shame and anger. “I can exin—”
“I’m not interested in your exnations,” I cut him off. “Marcus will handle this matter from now
on.”
I turned and walked away, aware of the hushed silence that followed me out of the training center. Once outside, I took a deep breath of fresh air, trying to clear my head of Reba’s lingering scent.
In my car, I found myself unable to focus. My hands gripped the steering wheel too tightly, my breathing uneven. Her face kept appearing in my mind–those expressive green eyes, that stubborn chin, the soft curve of her lips. The memory of her skin against mine sent a jolt of electricity
through my body.
The wolf inside me paced restlessly, wanting to im what it saw as mine. I couldn’t deny the truth any longer–Reba Brown affected me in ways no woman ever had. The realization was both exhrating and terrifying.
My hand moved on its own<b>, </b>sliding down, unzipping my pants, starting to stroke, my mind consumed by her–her gorgeous face<b>, </b>her innocent eyes, the warm, electric feel of her under me that night<b>. </b>I gritted my teeth<b>, </b>trying to stay calm, but her name slipped out, low and hoarse. “Reba…”