But even then, I couldn’t erase the memories. The touch of a man who was not my mate. The ghost of his breath on my skin. The whispered words I wasn’t supposed to hear.
By the time I emerged from the bathroom, my hair still damp, Benedict was waiting for me. His eyes dragged over me, dark with something unreadable.
"Felicia..."
I ignored him and reached for my clothes. Before I could react, his arms wrapped around me from behind, his grip unyielding.
"Let me go." My voice was sharp, warning him.
"Don’t push me away," he whispered into my ear. "We can fix this. We can start over. We can have a child—"
Rage flooded my veins. I shoved him back with all the strength I had. "Are you insane?"
His face twisted with frustration. "You always wanted a pup, didn’t you? We can still—"
"Not with you."
The words struck him like a blade. His body went rigid.
Then, something in him snapped.
He lunged. I barely had time to react before he pinned me down, his weight crushing against me.
"Say that again," he growled, his breath hot against my skin.
I met his gaze without fear. "I would rather die than carry your child."
His expression darkened. And then his lips crashed onto mine in a desperate, punishing kiss.
I fought. Clawed. Bit. I was no weak she-wolf, and I would never let him take what wasn’t his.
Even if it meant tearing him apart.
I froze in place, my entire body going rigid as his grip tightened around my waist. My wolf snarled in protest, but it wasn’t strong enough to break free from him.
The scent of another woman still clung to him. The memory of him with her last night—her lips on his, the way he held her—made my stomach churn with disgust.
“Let go,” I ground out, my voice sharp, laced with fury.
My struggles were meaningless. Alpha Benedict was built like stone, and my attempts to free myself were as futile as an ant trying to topple a tree. His grip only tightened, pulling me closer.
The robe I had wrapped around myself after my shower loosened with my movements, slipping from my shoulders. I saw the shift in his gaze, the hunger darkening his eyes. My pulse quickened in warning.
I felt the change in him, the heat radiating from his body pressing into mine. The evidence of his desire was impossible to ignore, and it sent a fresh wave of anger surging through me.