his cheesecakes.”
Claws and fangs extended, Joel sat up abruptly. “Shall I bring you his head?”
Ellie pulled on her uniform and retrieved her military-style pants. “Definitely tempting, but a maybe a little overdone. Besides I don’t want it on my conscience. Do you know what he did when I told him that I’d cooked those cheesecakes? He put his fingers in his mouth and pretended to gag. I’d reached boiling point by then so I shoved one in his face.”
“That’s my girl.” He grinned, but deep inside Joel knew she wasn’t. He’d come after her to haul her back to the otherworld even though her enlistment in the Lykae army was up. He’d intended to see her adopted into his Tundra Toughs pack, and watch over her the way he had for the last two years. Now, thanks to his animal passions and the thrill of the chase, he’d screwed up badly.
He should have kept his grubby paws off her. Even if he persuaded her that her scars didn’t matter, and to him they didn’t, he had to destroy any dreams she harbored of building a new life within his pack.
Chapter Two
Joel was a grown man, the next alpha of the Tundra Toughs pack, and he had a man’s needs. He’d taken plenty of lovers—probably more than most—over his five centuries, but never a woman from his own pack. When he finally took a mate, he wouldn’t shame her by introducing her to a woman he’d already nailed.
A born survivor, Ellie would move eventually, but he’d hurt her. He’d never intended that. To a Lykae, a chase meant flirting and fucking, but he’d known Ellie wanted more. He’d recognized her as special from the moment he’d laid eyes on her, but her Elven heritage disqualified her as mate material.
Sometimes he dreamed about her, but that was just sex…surely? He hated that, thanks to his out-of-control libido, he’d have to cut any ties with her. That meant hurting her again, and he felt sick at the thought. Maybe things would have been different if she’d been born a Lykae.
He needed to man up and tell Ellie that fucking the Tundra Toughs’ next alpha meant she was persona non grata to his pack. Ellie had trusted him, and he was about to betray her. Disgust consumed him. He’d used her body as badly as the Elves.
Stalling, he asked, “Was that cook the reason you ran?”
Ellie shut down. She lay perfectly still, and her face turned into an emotionless mask. Even her eyes lost their sparkle, and when she blinked, Joel thought he spotted a tear hanging on her dark lashes.
Finally she nodded. Her voice came out in a strained whisper. “He showed me how nonmilitary Lykae would look at a freak like me. Your pack hates Elves, and with good reason. They’re a treacherous race that preys on the weak. Even the Fae have allied with Lykae against them, even though physically they look like the same species. Honestly, Joel, your pack will despise me, and you’ll get into fights defending me. Despite what just happened between us, I will never put you in that position.”
A coward would accept that and say nothing, but Joel needed things clear between them even if it hurt them both.
He wished things had been different, but he wouldn’t have missed fucking her for the world. The best sex I’ve ever had, and now I have to hurt her . “I’m sorry, Ellie. I won’t sponsor your entry into the Tundra Toughs anymore. Not after… You know, because of what we just did. I mean… Well… Damn it. We need to face facts. My father’s desperate to retire and spend the next few centuries doting on my mother. I can’t introduce a woman I’ve bedded into the pack. I still haven’t taken a wife, but when I do, I can’t flaunt my indiscretions under her nose. I know I shouldn’t have… Look, Ellie, I’m sorry, but…”
Words failed him. Ellie’s smile turned so brittle he thought her cheeks would splinter. She blinked hard, then backed away to fasten her clothes. They dressed in silence that stretched out too long.
Finally she
Claws and fangs extended, Joel sat up abruptly. “Shall I bring you his head?”
Ellie pulled on her uniform and retrieved her military-style pants. “Definitely tempting, but a maybe a little overdone. Besides I don’t want it on my conscience. Do you know what he did when I told him that I’d cooked those cheesecakes? He put his fingers in his mouth and pretended to gag. I’d reached boiling point by then so I shoved one in his face.”
“That’s my girl.” He grinned, but deep inside Joel knew she wasn’t. He’d come after her to haul her back to the otherworld even though her enlistment in the Lykae army was up. He’d intended to see her adopted into his Tundra Toughs pack, and watch over her the way he had for the last two years. Now, thanks to his animal passions and the thrill of the chase, he’d screwed up badly.
He should have kept his grubby paws off her. Even if he persuaded her that her scars didn’t matter, and to him they didn’t, he had to destroy any dreams she harbored of building a new life within his pack.
Chapter Two
Joel was a grown man, the next alpha of the Tundra Toughs pack, and he had a man’s needs. He’d taken plenty of lovers—probably more than most—over his five centuries, but never a woman from his own pack. When he finally took a mate, he wouldn’t shame her by introducing her to a woman he’d already nailed.
A born survivor, Ellie would move eventually, but he’d hurt her. He’d never intended that. To a Lykae, a chase meant flirting and fucking, but he’d known Ellie wanted more. He’d recognized her as special from the moment he’d laid eyes on her, but her Elven heritage disqualified her as mate material.
Sometimes he dreamed about her, but that was just sex…surely? He hated that, thanks to his out-of-control libido, he’d have to cut any ties with her. That meant hurting her again, and he felt sick at the thought. Maybe things would have been different if she’d been born a Lykae.
He needed to man up and tell Ellie that fucking the Tundra Toughs’ next alpha meant she was persona non grata to his pack. Ellie had trusted him, and he was about to betray her. Disgust consumed him. He’d used her body as badly as the Elves.
Stalling, he asked, “Was that cook the reason you ran?”
Ellie shut down. She lay perfectly still, and her face turned into an emotionless mask. Even her eyes lost their sparkle, and when she blinked, Joel thought he spotted a tear hanging on her dark lashes.
Finally she nodded. Her voice came out in a strained whisper. “He showed me how nonmilitary Lykae would look at a freak like me. Your pack hates Elves, and with good reason. They’re a treacherous race that preys on the weak. Even the Fae have allied with Lykae against them, even though physically they look like the same species. Honestly, Joel, your pack will despise me, and you’ll get into fights defending me. Despite what just happened between us, I will never put you in that position.”
A coward would accept that and say nothing, but Joel needed things clear between them even if it hurt them both.
He wished things had been different, but he wouldn’t have missed fucking her for the world. The best sex I’ve ever had, and now I have to hurt her . “I’m sorry, Ellie. I won’t sponsor your entry into the Tundra Toughs anymore. Not after… You know, because of what we just did. I mean… Well… Damn it. We need to face facts. My father’s desperate to retire and spend the next few centuries doting on my mother. I can’t introduce a woman I’ve bedded into the pack. I still haven’t taken a wife, but when I do, I can’t flaunt my indiscretions under her nose. I know I shouldn’t have… Look, Ellie, I’m sorry, but…”
Words failed him. Ellie’s smile turned so brittle he thought her cheeks would splinter. She blinked hard, then backed away to fasten her clothes. They dressed in silence that stretched out too long.
Finally she
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