Page 58 of The Denver Alpha
“It doesn’t have to be!” she rushes out, trying to move toward me again. “We were good together, we still can be. I can give you what you need…”
“No, you can’t,” I growl, catching her hands before they can land on my chest and using my grip on them to steer her back toward the door. Realizing too late how stupid it was to let her in.
How would it look if Juliet saw Tayla coming out of my bedroom? She’d assume the worst, and I wouldn’t blame her. It was a mistake to let Tayla in, one I won’t be making again.
With each backwards step, I can see the her panic ratcheting up, reaching a peak when I shove her against the closed door and reach for the handle. She knows her time’s up. She knows it’s over, and she’s powerless to change the outcome.
“I’m not just talking about sex!” Tayla blurts, grabbing a fistful of my shirt in desperation. “I’m talking about what you really need.”
That gives me pause. I slowly raise a brow. “Which is?”
“An heir.”
I freeze, every muscle in my body tensing as my heart ceases to beat for a moment.
Tayla takes it as an opportunity to continue. “Just hear me out,” she says, raising a hand. “You’re getting older, and you know what the pack’s been saying. If something happened to you, we’re in danger of losing everything we’ve built here. You need an heir, Alpha, and I could give that to you. We wouldn’t even have to be together, not officially, but I’d always have a secure position in the pack as the mother of your children and I’d get to live a cushy life in the packhouse. And the pressure would be off of you because you’d have a legacy to leave behind.” She grins triumphantly. “It’s a win-win!”
“Get out,” I growl, the threat of violence evident in my tone. My skin’s on fire and I’m practically trembling from the effort it takes to restrain my temper. I feel like a volcano about to erupt; a grenade with the pin pulled, moments from exploding.
Her smile drops. “But…”
“I said get thefuckout, Tayla!”
She startles at my outburst, visibly shuddering in response to the alpha command beneath my tone that leaves her with no choice but to comply. Her jaw goes slack, her eyes rounded, and I can smell the fear rolling off her. The realization has sunk in that she’s crossed a line, and she’s right to be afraid of me right now. Tayla spins around in a panic, fumbling for the door handle.
I shove her out as soon as she gets the door open, slamming it so hard behind her that the walls rattle. Then I pound my fists against the door, leaning my forearms onto it and drawing heavy breaths in an effort to calm down.
If Gavin Holley’s threats earlier had me standing on the edge of a metaphorical cliff, Tayla’s offer just shoved me off of it. I have no choice but to head out to the forest, shift to my wolf form, and try to run off my aggression.
That night, I dream of bright orange flames, of smoke choking my lungs. Of being trapped by fire with no way out.
23
“I’m still waiting for the play-by-play,” Shay teases, kicking her feet and splashing me from her perch on the edge of the pool.
I pull myself partially out of the water to fold my arms on the warm concrete beside her, heaving a sigh. “You already got it. The date was great, but we just came back here after and went our separate ways. It was super anticlimactic.”
Shay grins, waggling her brows. “You mean anti-climax-tic?”
I giggle, pushing off from the wall and splashing water up at her.
So obviously, Shay knows all about Cole and me. I was going to go crazy if I didn’t confide in someone soon, and I couldn’t drop a bomb like that on Quinn and expect her to keep it from my brother, so Shay was the next best option. Plus, the girl isn’t stupid- she knew something was going on between us, so I basically just filled in the blanks for her. She’s been so supportive and insightful that now in hindsight, I wish I’d told her sooner.
“What’s with the slow play, anyway?” Shay asks. “Both of you seem like horndogs, I’m honestly shocked you haven’t been going at it already. Did you guys agree to take it slow or something since you still have your v-card?”
“No, and he doesn’t know that,” I say, shooting her a pointed look. Because yeah, I let her in on that little tidbit, too, but swore her to secrecy. “Though I’m wondering if someone tipped him off or something. He sorta tried to ask me last night and I straight up denied it.”
Shay blinks down at me in befuddlement. “What? Why?”
I shrug, pushing away from the wall of the pool and swimming out in front of her to tread water. “Because I’d actually like to get laid rather than scaring the guy off.”
“Eh, maybe he’d be into it,” she replies with a dismissive wave. “A lot of guys have a virgin kink. Knowing they’re the first one up in there and all that.”
“Considering he’s got such a big fucking problem with my age, I kinda doubt it,” I mutter.
Shay furrows her brow, shaking her head. “I still don’t get that. He’s never once acted weird about the age gap between Sam and me.”
I trace my fingertips over the surface of the water. “Maybe he only cares when he’s the one involved.”