THERON
What was I thinking? Probably, I wasn't thinking straight at all, or I wouldn't have had Sienna sit to my right. That was the Luna's future seat! It was always left vacant and... I only realized what I'd done afterward, when she pointed out that she could serve herself.
["You're just falling for her, that's what this is,"] Fenrir said in my mind, casually. ["There's no use resisting. She's ours, Theron. You feel it just like I do!"]
Damn it. I could feel that Sienna got to me in a different way, but I didn't want her to be my fated one. I didn't even want her to be my Chosen one, damn it! If she were, I'd end up destroying her. Not by choice, but because of the curse running through my veins. And that wasn't fair. Fuck, it wasn't fair!
["She wants us. She just… seems scared. When we first met her, she smelled like another male."]
Yeah, I remembered that. She hadn't been marked, but his scent was there, lingering on her skin. I was furious when I smelled it, because it was 'tainting' Sienna's natural scent. Thank the Moon it faded over time.
Whoever it was, they had a relationship—and it wasn't a good one. Sienna's reaction in the office, the first time I put my hands on her, on top of that desk. Hell, if it hadn't been for the way she panicked, I would've risked kissing her. No, I wasn't in the habit of doing that, but… Sienna, as I've said before, threw me off balance.
I returned to the office after Alma took her to her room. I saw the look on Alma's face—how surprised she was that I put a female on the second floor. That was my floor. Only the most honored guests or family could stay there. And never had a female stepped into that place, except for my mother.
I wanted to convince myself that I'd put Sienna there just to keep an eye on her, in terms of control, but that was a lie. I had to start admitting, at least to myself, that I wanted her close because… because I wanted her close to me. And, though it was hard to say, I wanted to be sure she wouldn't be with another male. At least not sleeping with one.
["She could still sleep with him,"] Fenrir growled, and I clenched my fists on top of the desk.
["Then she'll be forbidden from spending the night outside!"]
Would that stop her from having a relationship? No. The other male, whoever he was, could meet her at any other time. And she wasn't a prisoner. She hadn't done anything wrong, after all—she only entered our territory because she was running away.
Which, by the way, was still a problem. Why was she running? Had she committed a crime and they were hunting her down? Or was she the victim?
From what I could see in Sienna, she had a sharp tongue and a bold attitude, but she wasn't evil. No, she didn't seem bad at all. But appearances could be deceiving, and I wouldn't lower my guard completely. Not until I had answers. By the way, the pack bordering ours was the Nightveil Pack. There hadn't been any alerts from them about a fugitive. Maybe it had nothing to do with the Alpha. I waited to see if they would reach out, but that didn't happen during the time Sienna was with us.
Why didn't I just ask her directly? Because if she was being hunted by someone from within, without the Alpha's knowledge, it was dangerous not just for Sienna but for the Alpha himself. I was watching. He could be pretending not to care, too.
Alpha Adrian Voss. I didn't know him personally, but I'd heard he had been seriously injured and bedridden. Then, apparently, he had a mate who took care of him. That's what I heard. But if that were true, how come he only claimed her as his mate years later? It made no sense at all. No male waits years to claim a female. We, werewolves, are territorial. Alphas, even more so.
I would meet him, and his female too, at the upcoming event. I didn't usually attend, but this year would be different. Alpha Adrian had confirmed his presence, and I wanted to look him in the eye. I wanted to feel what kind of person he was, and the female who had taken care of him and now sat in the Luna's seat—Vivianna Lorne. No, Voss now.
I went back to my work, but it was hard to focus. Images of Sienna kept popping into my head, as well as the tingling sensation at my fingertips, as if I couldn't wait to put my hands on her.
["When her wolf awakens, you'll see she's ours,"] Fenrir repeated, and I rolled my eyes. Sienna was already a grown woman. If she had a wolf, it would've surfaced by now. You can sense the presence of a wolf in a werewolf. She didn't have one.
["If she's ours, we'll reject her."] I shut my mind and locked Fenrir out. I couldn't argue about that right now. I needed to finish my work!
Around five in the afternoon—and having done less than half of my usual output—I stood and went to my room to take a shower. I smelled Sienna as I passed her door. I inhaled deeply. She was deliciously tempting. My canines wanted to elongate, and I picked up the pace.
I stepped under the shower, and again, there she was. How would she look with her hair wet, legs wrapped around me, while I took her right there against the wall? I shook my head. I was being a pervert. Shit, I was a pervert! I wasn't the type to sleep around, but I had desires. Desires I controlled very well. Until Sienna showed up!
Drying my hair, I opened the wardrobe.
["Let's go for a walk. Sienna doesn't know the pack yet…"]
["I'm not her babysitter. Or her tour guide,"] I replied to Fenrir, grabbing a comfortable pair of pants. I'd have to head down for dinner soon anyway.
["Ah… well, someone will probably show her around. Maybe Corbin. That smile he gave her at the lunch table… I'm sure he'd love to take her out and show her everything,"]
Before I realized it, I was standing in front of Sienna's door.