She halts in the living room but keeps her back to me. “Oh yeah,” she grumbles, jerking around to face me. She nods toward the front door and crosses her arms over her chest. “Then let me go.”
I don’t know what’s come over me but hearing her say that I’m keeping her prisoner feels wrong. It’s not what I want. It may be the worst decision I’ve ever made, but I step out of the way, giving her full access to the door.
“Leave. If that’s what you want, I won’t stop you.”
Kara’s eyes double in size as she stares at the door. If she makes a run for it, I won’t step in her way. Heart pounding, I watch her, knowing she’s contemplating her next move. Her muscles tense, and I wait for her to run, but that’s not what she does. Instead, she huffs and turns her back on me.
“Goodnight, Chase.” Her shoulders slump as if defeated and she trudges upstairs.
The second she’s safely behind her bedroom door, I breathe a sigh of relief. Leaning against the wall, I rub a hand over my chest. I don’t want her to go, but in feeling this way, it makes me a traitor to my pack and the royals. I’m falling for the enemy, but in all honesty, I’ve desired her long before tonight. There was a reason I needed to be her jailor.
It was so I could be close to her.
13
KARA
Why didn’t I just leave? I had an opening right in front of me and I didn’t take it. All night, I paced the bedroom floor, wondering if I should test Chase and walk out of the house. Would he stop me? Was it a test to see what I would do? Either way, I think it was smart to stay. I can’t leave yet, not until I speak to Evangeline. I may be impatient but I’m not an idiot. I have to bide my time.
Sliding the curtains back, I look outside and the sun beams into the room. Tonight, there will be a full moon. My gut clenches, and a longing I hadn’t felt in a long time tightens in my chest. It seems like an eternity since I’ve let my wolf take over, letting her run free. I miss the smell of the earth as I race along its floor. And I yearn to feel the magic take over my body. I try to conjure up the memories of what it’s like, but I always come up blank. It’s as if the bracelet took away everything.
A knock raps on the door, and the moment I hear Chase murmur my name, my heart speeds up. Stop it, Kara. What the hell is wrong with me? The butterflies in my stomach are back and I hate myself for it.
“Can I help you?” I call out.
Chase clears his throat. “I was wondering if you wanted to ride with me up to the winery.”
I march over to the door and jerk it open. Chase’s eyes are the first thing I see. They’re the color of the ocean with specks of silver. It takes every ounce of strength I have to keep myself from staring down at his body, all masculine and firm in his blue polo shirt and gray slacks.
“For what? To gloat?”
It’s so much easier to be angry and lash out than to show weakness. Last night, I broke down and Chase saw a side of me I never wanted him to see. I can’t let that happen again, even if a part of me does feel like I can trust him.
“No,” Chase replies, and I can see the truth in his eyes. He has a way of looking at me that makes me doubt everything. Chase is an alpha, a sexy and respectful one at that. I’ve never met anyone like him before. The last time I put my trust in an alpha, my heart got broken. It’s something that took over two hundred years to mend. Chase steps forward and leans against the doorframe. “I want your opinion on some things at the winery.”
“Why?” I snap. “I’m the competition.”
Chase shrugs, and a hint of a smirk spreads across his lips. “True, but I admire your brutal honesty.”
If he wants it, he’ll get it. “Fine. I’ll go with you.” He moves out of the way, and I head downstairs with him right behind me. “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself in to,” I tell him, glancing at him over my shoulder.
His shoulders shake. “I’m a big boy, Kara. I can handle your criticism.”
We’ll see about that.
“Won’t you have guests at the winery today?” I wonder.
Chase opens the door. “The winery is closed on Wednesdays. We have it all to ourselves.”
A spark of excitement bubbles in my chest, but I snuff it out quick. I just hope I don’t have to deal with the mongrels in his pack.
When we get outside, he goes straight to the passenger side and opens the door for me. “Do you do that for everyone?” I ask.
He winks and moves to his side. “Only for beautiful women.”
Rolling my eyes, I slide in and shut the door. “Does chivalry actually work for you?”
Grinning, Chase closes his door and his sports car rumbles to life. “It hasn’t let me down yet.”
No wonder women fawn all over him. I’ve seen it not only with the women in his pack but with humans at the restaurant. Every time he’d walk by eyes would follow his every move. He’s probably had more lovers in his short thirty-something years than I have in over two hundred. My stomach burns with the thought but more so because it bothers me that others look at him. Why do I care?
Chase’s arm brushes against mine, and I hold my breath, hoping like hell my heart doesn’t give me away. Goosebumps fan out over my skin and I’m thankful my arms are covered by my sweater. It’s been so long since I’ve been touched by someone like Chase. I didn’t realize how much I yearned for that physical connection. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed being with someone.
When we get to the winery and restaurant, I stifle back a groan when I see who pulls into the parking lot right before us. Sierra. Dressed in skinny jeans and a bright yellow top, she gets out of her convertible and beams at Chase. I want to take her down more than anything, but unfortunately, I can’t which only adds fuel to the fire.
“Hey, Chase,” she calls out, waving her hand in the air.
Chase is already out of the car and walking over to her by the time I get out and shut my door. I may not have my strength, but I refuse to let her think she’s above me, so I stand beside Chase, loving the fact that she tries her hardest to ignore me. Her hand brushes down Chase’s arm, very slow and seductive, and it makes me want to rip off her fingers, one by one.
“Are you running with me tonight?” she asks him.
I want to hear the word no from Chase’s lips but that’s not what comes out.
“Of course,” he says. “It’s the full moon.”
Gritting my teeth, I keep my mouth shut, especially when Sierra glowers smugly at me. She knows I can’t shift into my wolf. I always look forward to the full moon, loving the way the energy and magic takes over my body, but right now I feel nothing. My wolf is lost to me, wandering around in some deep, dark pit she can’t find herself out of. It makes my stomach tighten in knots when I think about it.
Sierra bites her lip and smiles at Chase again. “I’ll see you tonight then.” She glares at me once more before heading into the bistro.
The last place I want to go is inside of the restaurant, so when Chase leads us to the winery building next door, I breathe a sigh of relief. No one else is in there which makes it even better.