CHAPTER 2 - SLUGGISH PACE

-NIA’S POV-

Those words were like a hard blow behind the knees. I buckled forward and loomed over the desk. My left palm slammed down on the hard surface to not fall flat.

“Stop being such a pain in my ass.” Dalton gritted with a glare hoarding disgust. Not even the mate bond could calm the storm in his blue orbs.

I stared at him in shock and perplexity. I breathed heavily as dread began crawling down my spine.

“This is not you.” I countered, staring hard into his eyes to fight the gripping fear. I swallowed my panic and added, “It’s like you are someone else these days.”

He blinked himself back to reality and released my hand. He sighed in exasperation and dragged both hands down his handsome face. Then he sank down in his large chair, watching me with a tinge of remorse as his features softened.

I straightened, despite the tremors going through my body, and hugged myself. Dalton realized how mortified I was and came by my side. He turned me to face him and cupped my face.

“I’m just overworked.” His voice was gentle and he kissed my forehead.

The mate bond took domination. I threw myself onto him. He returned the hug and I melted into him with a willing heart to erase what just happened.

Then my hands snaked his neck and we kissed. A new, warm chill ran down my spine and my eyes fluttered closed. The kiss was slow and passionate, like there was no rush in the world. Lust crept into our veins.

One of his hands stayed on the small of my back while the other coasted down to my thigh. It went under the trench coat and ran right up, going around to cup my ass and exploring the fact that I had no underwear on.

Almost immediately, he growled.

Sparks flew everywhere. I tilted my head and tasted his sweet lips slowly. I opened my mouth and closed my lips over his. He sighed contently and I parted my lips to welcome his hot tongue which flickered over mine. He kissed me hungrily. A rough growl reverberated from his chest as his lips worked on my neck, kissing and biting certain places. My moans and hot breaths filled the air.

His skillful hands snuck between us and yanked open the coat. They traveled inside, fondling my round breasts and lower regions.

His lips sucked and canines grazed the crook of my neck, lingering on the area where he would mark me for life. His touch became more aggressive. He was losing control. His wolf was pushing through and beckoning to mine for an expression of his devotion.

I grabbed his nape, reveling in the heat of our intimacy. Then his canines began pressing into my skin. My wolf yipped inside my head. Our mate was finally going to mark us.

“Oh, baby.” I moaned when he lifted my right leg, keeping it elevated. While the other hand slipped over my ass, journeying south to where my sweet wetness awaited his thick rod.

My body stiffened as his canines sank further into my neck and his fingers slipped inside my core until he was knuckle-deep. I gasped as tingling pleasure spiraled and my insides contracted around his digits. He groaned when my hand found the hard, straining cock in his black trousers. His chest heaved, raggedly.

Just as I thought that I would die from how much I wanted him, the trilling ring of his cell phone killed the mood. Dalton stopped and lifted his head. My eyes snapped open to find his dilated orbs gradually changing to their natural blue. He ripped himself off me and sauntered to the desk to pick up the vibrating mobile from beside the laptop.

“Hey, Dad,” he greeted the man on the line, sitting and leaning back in his chair.

I wanted him so badly that I decided to be naughty. I walked over to him and knelt before him, unbuckling his belt.

“What?” Dalton jolted forward and grabbed my hand harshly while speaking to his father. “Now?”

When I tried to pull away, he shoved me off him. I fell backwards on my buttocks. My brows rose in a surprised arc.

“Dalton!” I griped with a faint wobble, getting up.

“It’s nobody important.” He controlled his tone while he glared at me. “Yeah, I’m in the office.”

He hummed and hung up. Then he lurched out of his chair.

Vehemently, he grabbed my arms. “My father’s on his way up. Hurry and leave.” He dragged me towards the door. “Don’t ever come here again. I absolutely hate impromptu visits.”

“Wait, I―.” I did not see why I had to leave.

Dalton glanced at me to see that the trench coat was still open and revealing my assets. He growled disapprovingly and halted, trying to close the open ends.

“Cover yourself.” He snapped with impatience and paced the floor.

My trembling fingers began buttoning from the top. A few buttons were missing. “I’m your mate, Dalton. One day they’ll have to know about me. Our fathers are friends. What’s there to hide?”

He paused and snickered, then he clutched my cheeks. His hard nails began piercing my skin. “There are other she-wolves that I could take as my Luna. They are much prettier, smarter and stronger. My social reputation is at risk, especially with a weakling like you who doesn’t know anything about loyalty.”

“You’re ashamed of me.” I squeezed out, despite my stinging jaws as I smelled my blood. The shocking realization had a nasty effect on my agonizing heart.

Finally, he spoke his heart.

“I didn't say that.” He dropped his hand and I rubbed my red, injured cheek. “You have no right to feel that way. You're just too sensitive.” Anger laced his voice and he scoffed. “You can’t do anything right, Nia. My father will come through the elevator any minute now and you’re still here.”

“You’re acting like we’re cheating or having an affair,” I grumbled and resumed fumbling with the buttons on my coat.

“If you loved me you wouldn’t do this shit.” His voice remained dark and he paced again. “You would understand but you have to make everything about you.”

“I have done much more for you than anyone else.” I defended, trying to control my breathing and the hurt in my voice.

“So?”

I froze for a second in disbelief at his ungrateful attitude. “I gave you financial backing when you and Chase were reckless to cause damage to Rhomboyd Pack and incurred that five hundred thousand debt. The same debt that you didn’t want your father to know about and couldn’t use our pack’s fund to repay. It was my father who helped you and kept your secret.” My hands gesticulated with emphasis. “Dad and I worked our asses off to get the Silver Springs, Vauxhall and Muscadine Packs to let go of their umbrage and rejoin the Alliance group while you took all the credit. We didn’t tattle on you so that your father could find you worthy to take over and not give the Alpha Title to your half-brother.”

“Don’t talk about that!” Dalton’s bear-like hand slapped across my right cheek.

The brutal impact sent my head left and I staggered sideways but managed not to fall. I stood unblinking in a catatonic stupor.

“Why do you always bring up that shit?” He shouted murderously, jabbing a fist in the air. “I’m the one who rescued you from the life of bullying you went through with your big old ass pointy ears. Where was your father to save you from that?”

Stunned, I placed my hand over my stinging cheek. Tastes of blood came on my tongue. I swallowed the metallic saliva as the hurtful memory of the past resurfaced. I shunned the urge to flinch at the memory.

Although the pack mocked and tormented me, I had planned to leave right after high school to escape it. I stayed because of him. I have cut the tips of my ears off with scissors over and over but they grew back. The last resort was to wear my long blue-black hair down to keep them covered at all times.

My parents weren’t aware of how the pack treated me. That’s because everyone behaved when my parents were around, since my Dad was the former Beta of the pack.

When Dalton and I found out we were mates, I was ready for his rejection. I was shocked when he said he didn’t mind my ears. He promised me safety and that we’d take things slow. It was at such a sluggish pace that I wasn’t marked nor had he told anyone except his Beta and Gamma about us.

“Do you want to go back to that life?” Dalton rasped, pointing at me.

“No,” I whispered glumly and bit my lip. My eyes shimmered with a salty burn.

All those pretty promises were now smeared. He told me I was beautiful and no one would hurt me again. Yet, he had just slapped the life out of me when he had vowed to be good to me. It was a hard punch of betrayal.

“Do you know how they’ll tear you apart when I dump you?” He hissed.

Tears trickled down my cheek. “How can you say that? I gave you my blood and participated in the experiments for the cure for your mother. It’s because of me that she didn’t die from the five silver bullets that pierced her heart when the rogue shot her. It was my blood treatment that healed her body!”

With nostrils flaring, he stormed over to me. I recoiled in fear, but not fast enough because his hand launched and slapped me again. I mewled.

“It’s the price you must pay for being mated to me because I fucking own you.” He lashed, raising his hand again.

I cowered with my hands over my face, choking with sobs. Then nothing happened. I peeked through the cracks of my fingers to find him raging like a barbarian brawler.

His hand froze in the air and his fingers crooked to form a fist. He was deliberating if he wanted to land that punch. Deciding not to do it, he growled in exasperation, “Look what you made me do!”

My heart collapsed with the sad comprehension that my mate was a victimizer. The pain pricked at my chest and I wiped my leaking eyes. I wanted to have a final say. “Until you mark me, I am not yours.”

Dalton pushed his hands in his pockets and his shoulders jerked as he burst out a sinister laugh. “No one will ever love you the way I do. Look how pathetic you are.”

Fury washed over me as a growl of my own ripped from my chest. “I’m not going to stay and take this!”

That swiped the humor out of him. His eyes almost popped out as I stood up for myself. He grabbed my arm, aggressively. “I set the rules in this relationship and you haven’t seen a glimpse of my bad side yet.”

“Screw you.” I stomped on his foot.

His face contorted and he released a throaty growl. My anger was no match for him. His features morphed grotesque and haunting with a wicked gleam. His eyes darkened as black as a bottomless pit as he ground his teeth.

“Sweetheart, you are going to pay for that later.” He dragged me across the room and swung the office door open. He shoved me into the reception area. I stumbled forward.

To his secretaries, he commanded, “Deal with her before my father gets here!”

The door slammed behind me. Christa pressed an intercom button. “Security, we have an emergency on the presidential floor. We have trash to toss out.”

Aisha’s condescending expression grafted with a shark’s grin. “Wrong place, wrong alpha, bitch!”

The two women came at me at the same time. I stood defensively, ready to pounce on them. It was too bad the elevator dinged open. It was not former Alpha Harrison. There were two wrestler-type large and thick security guards who were probably elite warriors.

Aisha and Christa moved aside and folded their arms, smirking triumphantly. I held up my hands in surrender before they could apprehend me. I walked between the two men and got inside the elevator.

When I got home, I paced the living room with a glass of wine, undecided about what to do regarding Dalton.

There was a message from Brooke thanking me for allowing her to use my credit card. It was past 8 p.m. so she had to be home by now. Yet, her phone kept going straight to voicemail. I needed some girl talk to calm me down and to tell her that the advice did not work.

When my mobile vibrated with a buzz in my hand, I stopped near the dining table and held it up to view the screen. It’s a message from Dad.

“Oh, goddess.” I groaned. He was the last person that I wanted to talk to especially because I was feeling down and melancholy.

Chugging down all the wine at once, I placed the glass on the table and opened the message. It was a seven-second video. The text underneath the video read: “He’s not worth it.” A hint of anger churned in my gut.

Watching the clip, four legs were intertwined in a bed. As the camera moved upwards, it revealed a pregnant woman lying on her back and a man’s robust hand rubbed her large tummy. Their faces were not visible and I wondered what game Dad was playing with me until I saw it.

My heart stalled and shattered. A panicking bile rose in my throat and I suddenly felt suffocated. There was no mistaking it when I glimpsed the ring on the man’s right ring finger.

Undeniably, it was the golden Alpha ring with the pack’s insignia that Dalton never took off.

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