Chapter 6 Bargains

"Be careful who you laugh with, Wildflower," I whispered. "Even if it's my brother. The last thing you want is to see me jealous."

Her thighs accidentally rubbed against my erection, and she gasped on feeling it, before managing to squirm her way out of my trap.

Her entire body was flushed when she faced me fully, and I crossed my arms, watching her with amusement.

I could hear how unsteady her breathing was, and I could smell the depth of her arousal.

And fuck, that only made me want her more.

But just as quickly as the chemistry had sparked between us, she abandoned it.

"You don't get to keep me here and tell me who I can laugh with," she snapped. "And nice try with the proximity, Mr Wrath. But you'll have to do better than that."

With that, she turned and walked away angrily.

†††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††

LYLA

I slammed the door shut behind me, pressing my back against the wood as if that alone could keep Zephyr out.

My heart was still racing, my skin still on fire.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I'd caved. Fucking caved.

I shouldn't have let him get that close. And even if I had, I should've stared up at him with defiance, met his gaze with pure, unyielding spite.

But instead… instead I'd…

A breath left my lips as I shut my eyes, squeezing my thighs together, the wetness between my legs making me curse under my breath.

I'd melted under his voice, his lips grazing my ear... his tongue licking my earlobe.

The memory of it caused a blast of pleasure to shoot through me, causing a tingle in my feminine core, and I moved away from the door, stalking toward my bed.

I needed to get a grip on my emotions. On myself.

He had barely even touched me, and yet my body reacted as if he had.

I had a huge problem on my hands, as huge as the man responsible for it.

How was I supposed to leave this marriage when he made me feel like this? So utterly out of control around him?

So...lustful.

So... wanted.

The feel of his erection against my legs in the greenhouse had been enough proof. Hard proof of his desire for me.

I was doomed.

Completely and utterly fucked.

I wanted to escape Zephyr Wrath, and at the same time, I wanted to be consumed by him.

†††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††

THREE WEEKS LATER

The household was on edge.

Every staff member looked apprehensive.

Zephyr's employees were a mix of humans and wolves, but the tension among the wolves was especially high. According to Celine, the Alpha of a rival pack, along with his closest men, was arriving soon to negotiate with Zephyr.

But when I asked Zephyr about it, he had given away nothing.

"Stay in your room until the meeting is over," he had ordered. "You mustn't be seen."

"Why?" I had demanded.

He hadn't answered, but instead stared at me with those annoyingly dark, but mesmerising green eyes before walking away.

I flicked off the TV in my room and released a loud groan into my pillow. An hour had slowly dragged by, and I was bored out of my mind.

How much longer was the darned meeting going to last?

After enduring another unbearably long moment of rolling around in bed, I got up to sneak outside. At least I'd find some peace in the greenhouse or strolling through the gardens where no one would see me.

Carefully, I tiptoed out of my room when the sound of faint voices coming from Zephyr's study down the hallway caught my attention.

What could they be discussing that was taking so long?

Wolf politics never interested me. However, realising that my chances of escaping this marriage were growing slimmer by the day, and that I would inevitably be pulled into their world whether I liked it or not, I figured it wouldn't hurt to learn a little.

So, I crept closer till I stopped by the door, where there was a small keyhole. Bending slightly, I pressed my eye to it.

Inside, the rival pack's Alpha sat on a large chair, while two of his men stood on both sides of him. He looked relaxed, but I could feel the tension in the room.

Across from them, Zephyr sat composed, his legs crossed, while Nik and Alex stood on either side of him, both their expressions hard and unsmiling.

"This is a generous offer, Darrin," Zephyr said. "You get the land you want, legally, with full ownership rights. In exchange, our packs remain at peace."

The rival Alpha, Darrin, scoffed. "And you think tossing us a few acres of Wrath-owned land is enough to buy my cooperation?"

"It's more than a few acres," Nik cut in. He appeared miffed. "The territory we're offering is fertile, strategically placed, and untouched. You'd be free to develop it however you see fit."

Darrin crossed his legs. "And in return, I'm just supposed to trust you? Sign away my loyalty to your pack and expect my wolves to bow their heads whenever the mighty Zephyrus Wrath walks by?"

"This isn't about submission," Zephyr replied. "It's about avoiding a war breaking out. Your pack has been expanding quite aggressively. We could continue the territorial disputes, or we could settle this with a deal that benefits both of us. Your choice"

Darrin was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "And if I say no?"

Silence.

Then, Zephyr replied, his voice dangerously calm, but deadly. "Then you force my hand."

The tension in the room quadrupled.

"Is that a threat?" Darrin asked, almost in amusement. "You must think my pack weak. If it's war you want..."

A rough hand suddenly grabbed my wrist, and I froze, looking up to meet a pair of cold eyes.

One of the rival Alpha's men.

The blood drained from my face, and my stomach fell to my feet.

I'd been caught.

"What do we have here?" he said through his teeth, squeezing my wrist tighter, and I squeaked in pain.

Without wasting another moment, he pushed the door open, dragging me with him, and shoved me to the centre of the room, interrupting the conversation.

All eyes fell on me, and the silence that followed was so deafening that my cheeks burned with embarrassment.

If I had teleportation powers, I'd have used them without thinking twice.

My heart beat faster, but I refused to look at Zephyr. I'd defied him again, but this time, there was no thrill or sense of satisfaction, only fear.

Even I knew the situation I had landed myself in was not a funny one.

"Caught this one eavesdropping," the man said as he moved to stand beside Darrin, his cold eyes raking over me. "Doesn't look like a staff member... appears..."

"... to be the human mate I've heard rumours about," Darrin finished, his curious gaze sweeping over me with amusement.

He looked even more menacing now that I was close to him. But it wasn't just his size or the aura of power he gave off; it was the disgusting and creepy, ever-present smirk on his lips.

"Well, well, well," he mused. "I heard the rumours, but I never expected them to be true."