When lunch ended, Dylan insisted on driving me home. “I can drop Sophia at the magazine office first, then take you back to Sterling’s place.”
“That’s really not necessary,” I protested, my voice sharper than intended. “I can call Raymond.”
“I insist, Dylan said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “It would be my pleasure.”
Sophia looked at me pleadingly. “Please? I have to get back to work, and this way we get a few more minutes together.”
Put that way, I couldn’t refuse without seeming rude. “Alright, thank you,” I agreed reluctantly, my shoulders
tensing.
Dylan’s car was an expensive European model, sleek and black with leather interior. He helped Sophia into the passenger seat with exaggerated courtesy, then opened the back door for me with a slight bow.
The drive to the magazine office was filled with Sophia’s animated chatter about an upcoming feature she was editing. Dylan kept one hand on her knee, nodding at appropriate intervals, while his eyes repeatedly found mine in
the rearview mirror. Each time our gazes met, I felt a chill run down my spine.
When we arrived at the magazine’s building, he got out to open Sophia’s door and gave her a lingering kiss goodbye. “I’ll call you tonight, beautiful.”
Sophia waved to me. “Thanks for lunch! We should double–date next time you, me, Dylan, and Dominic!”
The thought of Dominic and Dylan at the same table made my stomach twist. Something told me Dominic wouldn’t appreciate the way Dylan had been looking at me.
As soon as Sophia disappeared into the building, the atmosphere in the car changed. Dylan slid back into the driver’s seat and instead of pulling away from the curb, he turned to look at me.
‘Finally alone,” he said, his smile taking on a predatory edge.
I pressed myself against the door, putting as much distance between us as possible. My heartbeat accelerated, thudding painfully in my chest. “We should go. I don’t want to keep you.”
He chuckled and pulled into traffic, but instead of heading toward Dominic’s neighborhood, he turned onto a quieter, less direct route.
“This isn’t the way to Dominic’s,” I pointed out, gripping my phone in my pocket so hard my knuckles turned white.
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Dylan glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “I thought we could take the scenic route. Get to know each other better. His voice dropped lower. “I’ve been curious about you, Rebecca. The human who caught Sterling’s eye.”
The way he said ‘human‘ made it sound like a fascinating oddity. I stiffened, my breathing becoming shallow. “There’s nothing to be curious about. And I’d prefer if you took me straight home.”
He ignored my request, turning onto an even quieter street lined with trees. “You and I have something in common, you know. We both prefer to cross species lines in our relationships.”
“I don’t think Sophia knows what you are,” I said carefully, trying to keep my voice from trembling.
His laugh was cold. “She doesn’t need to know everything. Just like you don’t need to understand all of Sterling’s
world.”
He pulled the car over to the curb in a secluded spot, and my heart pounded violently against my ribs. I reached for the door handle, but he engaged the central locking system with a click that echoed in the quiet car.
“What are you doing?” I demanded, my voice higher than normal despite my efforts to appear calm.
Dylan turned in his seat to face me fully. “I’m just curious about you. About your relationship with Sterling. It’s unusual, you know he’s never marked a female wolf before. I didn’t think he had any interest in mates at all, and
then suddenly he’s with a human?”
–
His eyes tracked over me assessingly. I felt naked under his scrutiny, violated. “You smell like him. But not
completely. He hasn’t completed the mating bond, has he?”
I wrapped my arms around myself, as if that could shield me from his intrusive gaze. “My relationship with Dominic is none of your business.”
We drove in tense silence until we reached the entrance to Dominic’s gated community. Instead of dropping me at the house, Dylan pulled over just outside the gates.
“This is far enough,” I said, reaching for the door handle again, only to find it still locked. My palms were slick with
sweat.
Dylan turned to face me again. “I find you intriguing, Rebecca. As a Beta, I can sense things about you that even you don’t know yet.” His hand shot out and grabbed my wrist again, harder this time. I winced at the pressure. “I just want to understand what Sterling sees in you… what makes you special enough for an Alpha to choose a human…”
I struggled against his grip, panic rising in my throat. “Let me go! This is insane – you’re dating my best friend!”
“Relationships are complicated in our world,” he said, leaning closer, I could smell his cologne now, too strong, making me nauseous. “I can smell his scent all over you, but not in your blood. He hasn’t claimed you fully. Why is that, I wonder?”
Before I could respond, my door was suddenly yanked open with such force it nearly came off its hinges. Dylan’s grip on my wrist broke as I was startled by the sudden movement.
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Dominic stood there, his tall frame blocking the light, eyes blazing with golden fire. The air around him seemed to crackle with barely contained rage.
“Take your hands off her, he growled, each word precisely enunciated despite the obvious anger. “Now.”
Relief flooded through me so intensely I felt lightheaded. My body sagged against the seat.
Dylan immediately released me, his expression shifting from predatory confidence to thinly veiled fear. “Sterling! Just having a friendly chat with Rebecca. No harm intended.”
Dominic reached in and gently but firmly pulled me from the car, positioning me behind him. I gripped the back of his jacket, needing the contact, the security of his presence.
“I can smell your intentions,” Dominic said, his voice dangerously quiet. “You dare touch what’s mine?”
Dylan raised his hands in a placating gesture. “A misunderstanding, truly. Rebecca and I were just getting acquainted as friends. Her best friend Sophia is my girlfriend-”
“Get out of my territory,” Dominic cut him off, his Alpha presence filling the space between them. “If I see you near her again, I won’t be so lenient.”
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