Chapter 4- The Kiss

Sage moved forward, bending his body towards her and levering his shoulders off the leather-padded backrest and seat. "And what exactly would someone like me fail to comprehend, doctor?"

Sophie clenched her teeth and tilted her head. Her wolf growled, but it didn't take away the sense of being trapped or the nerve-racking impact of his testosterone aura. She would have accepted the opportunity to crawl out of her skin if it had been provided at the time.

"Duty," she said, her jaws clenched.

Sage's mockingly sardonic laugh was delivered from his throat. "Of course, obligation. Duty! And all of this contributes to my brother being the alpha that he is." His languid handclap exacerbated her rage.

"What is funny about that?" Sophie raised her brow.

His pupils dilated. "I'm sorry," he muttered, sounding far from sorry. "Was I supposed to be inspired by your sacrifice? Oh, I don't think it's amusing, dear; I think it's awful that you're so thrilled about martyrdom. Being a saint. I'd blame indoctrination, but I believe you have always been a good daddy's little girl, yeah?"

The breath hissed as it left her lungs. "Unlike some, I have grown up and do not regard myself as a saint!" she sighed. "This is what the moon goddess has in store for me—to be someone who can unite our pack." Her voice trembled; she was shivering inside and out from the tremendous surge of emotions his words had evoked.

It was a reality of life—or at least her life—that she had little choice over many things, but this was one time she didn't have to accept it—or him!

"You may scorn the notion of responsibility and service, but I'd rather be a nice girl than a narcissistic, thrill-seeking, mindless waste of space," she says. "Is there ever a time in your life when you didn't prioritize yourself and your pleasure before anything else?"

She probably imagined a flicker of what appeared to be appreciation before his head dipped to one side as he appeared to evaluate her query.

"Probably not," he conceded. "But I will never be a pawn."

"Well, even if we wanted it, being a narcissistic waster is not a luxury we can all afford."

"You enjoy your moral high ground, and I hope that in a few years, when you are sporting the title Master Luna, you will still believe it was worth the things you gave up."

"I'm not giving up anything."

"How about your job? Being a pack doctor is essential; why did you waste time, effort, and money studying to become a physician when you had no plans of ever employing that skill?"

"Why the hell do you care?" she asked.

"I don't."

Her eyes fell. "I have to do it because Landon's luna is my destiny; he is my mate."

"Do you love him?"

She halted. "Um–"

"I don't need to know," he sighed. "It's none of my business anyway because my instructions are to deliver you to the Pack Boundary Council building. Where our patrol officer could check your paper out from your own pack."

"I'm not a package, I'm a person!"

"Of course, with feelings—where have my manners gone?" Sage drew in closer, and her nostrils flared as the manly, warm aroma of his flesh, blended with a faint perfume, filled them.

"Be at ease. Feel free to cry on my shoulder, doctor."

"I don't need a shoulder, and if I did—"

"I'm only the spare," he said, exaggerating his groan as Sophie fell back heavily. "I completely understand. You're preserving yourself for the man in charge. For the future Master Alpha. Why am I not surprised?"

What was wrong with this man? Sophie couldn't make out who he was. He was a jerk one moment, and then he appeared, um, well... God, she was going insane thinking about Landon's younger brother. "What a mess," she thought to herself.

Her hands clenched into fists as she looked at him with burning eyes. "You are a really horrible beta, you know that, right?"

"And you are a very attractive doctor," he said, his countenance contemptuous. "Wait, are you?" He stroked her chin and turned her face toward him. "You are blushing!"

"I'm not blushing," Sophie realised, a possibility that would explain his wild demeanour and the dangerous glint in his eyes. "Are you drunk? "

"Not for at least a couple hours," he said, raising his voice to reach the man behind the wheel. "Carlo, when did we leave?"

"I believe it was five a.m., sir," the tattooed guy said in a refined tone.

"Really? Oh, well, I'm totally sober... well, maybe not totally," he conceded. "Oh, here we are." The car drew up outside the Pack Patrol boundary building.

"Oh, and Landon sent his love, as well as this."

As the gentle, sensual exploration increased, he leaned over, and the acute shock that had held her frozen as his lips touched hers faded into something else. Sophie wasn't sure how her arms ended up around Sage's neck, but they did, and she was kissing him back as if he were spring and she'd spent the previous week in the drought. She'd never felt or anticipated anything like the quick burst of scorching yearning inside her. It was some sort of magical sensation that she never felt from her mate, Landon.

A need, a desire that became stronger as she felt a tremor sweep through his slender frame and his tongue brush against her wide lips. As he kneaded his fingers into her hair, she groaned into his mouth and pressed her body against his. She was on fire, overwhelmed with an intense want to...what?

Fortunately, the kiss came to an end almost as quickly as it had begun.

She shivered, her eyes wide, drawing in air in little laborious breaths as he leaned back in his seat, his captivating blue gaze burning. Colour streaks that are hot and black, emphasising the features of his high cheekbones.

"How could you?!"

It was startling to hear her open palm make contact with Sage's cheek.

"Come one, don't smack the courier, dear, I'm just the messenger," he said, raising his palm to his cheek.

"You are heinous!"

Sophie shivered as she coughed and almost fell out of the car as the door was opened by someone wearing Robinson Inforcer's uniform.

She could hear his laughter as she walked stiffly up the tiny set of building steps.

"Asshole," she whispered absentmindedly to herself, as if her thoughts weren't her own anymore. How could she have been so dumb as to respond to his kiss?

"I heard that, sweet!" exclaimed Sage before saying goodbye with a laugh.