Enraging the Alpha

Ch. 3: Sabotage

JEWEL

The goddess liked to give me things and then take them away. She fated my mother to a murderer, so I could be born into a broken world, then orphaned. Then she gave me Huck, my only constant, who I'd loved since I was a little girl, and fated him to a mountain wolf so he would leave me too.

That day outside the bar, as Huck told me goodbye and went off to fight for a stranger, I saw the monstrous man winning fight after fight in the square. He was skilled—for a low wolf. He was large, strong, mine. My wolf had recognized his scent the minute he made it into town, but I hadn't allowed myself to acknowledge that he was my mate. I'd stood in the alley, just out of view, watching as Huck and he fought for a spot protecting the future luna.

In the end, the goddess took both of them.

Now, she'd given him back so I could watch him die.

I sat on the ground beside him, cursing the moon for shining so brightly. Everyone else was asleep, and I should have been too. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. The white sheet I'd used to cover him had gathered low on his waist, and silver light gave depth to shadow, carving out his physique, highlighting his perfection.

My mouth watered, and I swallowed hard. I'd been around men my whole life. I'd been propositioned by most of them. If I'd wanted a mate, I could have had my pick, and there were plenty of fine specimens to choose from. I'd never given any the time of day, but none had held a candle to him.

Dark hair formed a trail up his stomach, spreading out across his chest. It coated his forearms, leaving his shoulders and biceps untouched, so smooth, strangely unblemished. Every man I'd ever known had scars, but he had none. Or, at least, he hadn't before someone shot him.

I chewed my lip and cast a cursory glance around. Then, finding no one in sight, I let temptation win and scooted closer. I was only checking his temperature. That was all. He'd had several fevers over the past week, and last night's had been the worst.

"Aria. Aria. Aria!" He'd thrashed back and forth as if he were being torn apart from inside, and I'd been helpless to stop it. How could I fight an enemy I couldn't see?

How could I be a woman I wasn't?

Who was Aria? Whoever she was, I hated her. Was he already mated to another? My lips pursed, throat dried. Like mother, like daughter, the goddess really did have an excellent sense of humor.

He was quiet tonight. His fever had broken this morning. So far, it hadn't returned. I pressed a palm against his face as if checking to ensure I was right. A zing shot through me at the contact, and my wolf expanded, urging me closer. With no one around to witness, I gave into her. After all, this would probably be the last time I ever got the chance. Whether he died or woke up either way, it would be over.

"You really are beautiful," I whispered, drinking in his features. He had a full mouth, a straight nose, high cheekbones, and thick brows. Dark stubble covered his square jaw, prickly against the pads of my fingers. Only then did I realize what I was doing, tracing every line of his face as if committing it to memory.

Stop this, I told myself.

Myself didn't listen. My gaze fixed on his mouth. I could steal one kiss now, and he would never need to know. No. Even my wolf knew how wrong that would be.

Then his eyes opened and met mine, freezing me in place.

For the longest time, neither of us moved. We didn't speak. I just hovered as if suspended in time, my fingertips glued to his jaw, our faces incredibly close.

Too close.

My lips parted, but no words emerged. What could I say to a man I didn't know but somehow valued above all others? How could I tell him it didn't matter?