Robbing the Alpha

Ch. 18: Unsafe

HUCK

Brooke opted to walk the three blocks to the club, and I was fine with watching her do it—left, right, left, right, moving to the rhythm of a distant beat. Hmmm. She had no idea what she did to me. Each time she passed beneath a streetlight, I'd get a better glimpse of her ass, barely covered by the sequined rag she claimed was a dress. She had a lot of nerve shaming mountain wolves for nudity, and her nerve was one of the sexiest things about her.

I growled softly, and the little minx must have heard, because her hip swishing intensified. "Are you teasing me again, Your Grace?"

She didn't miss a step. "Of course not."

I hummed. Goddess help me. I wanted to be mad at her, but it was impossible. Deep down, I knew she didn't want him; the moon wouldn't allow it. But then she dressed like this...

"I take back what I said. You can give less effort."

"Can I?" She glanced at me over her shoulder. "I suppose next you'll tell me not to kiss him back."

My eyes narrowed. "When did I say that?"

"That's what started this, isn't it? You just hated that I stopped him. Well next time—"

I tugged her into an alley, pressing her against the cool, brick wall. "You'll what?"

A vicious smile curved her mouth, and her eyes danced as if they were standing atop my grave. "I'll put in effort."

I growled and reached around, grabbing that delicious ass she liked to wave in front of me.

She gasped.

"Watching you slap him is among the top three greatest moments of my life," I rumbled.

"What are the other two?"

"Number two was meeting you." I touched her face, unable to help myself. Her cheek, her jaw, her bottom lip. "Number one hasn't happened yet."

Her throat worked, chest heaved, eyes closed. Want. I chewed my lip, then lowered her to her feet. She deserved better than a quickie in an alley, and she was dangerously close to getting just that. "We should go."

She sighed, nodded, and resumed her role of leading the way. It didn't take long before flashes of color shone from the building ahead. The closer we got, the more my mood soured. The club doors stood open, granting a glimpse of the bodies upon bodies gyrating as a collective. She looked way too good to go in there. What exactly did he plan to do with her? Not that. I'd never fucking keep it together.

Brooke bypassed the line, gave the bouncer Titan's name, and he waved us through without saying a word. I grimaced as we entered the chaos. The music was so loud, I could barely hear myself think, and my thoughts were roaring. I stepped in close to her back, doing my best to shield her.

Brooke shot a warning look back at me. He could be watching us now; I shouldn't stand so close. But, in this instance, I didn't give a single shit. I placed my hand on her shoulder—so small, so soft, so fragile.

Her stern expression melted away, and for a rare moment, her composure slipped, and I saw the truth. She was nervous, and she hated it here as much as I did. I craned my neck, searching for an island amidst the sea of flesh. Tables and booths created a semblance of calm on the far-left side of the room.

Reaching it was like walking honey through a bear cave. Eyes lingered, and more than a few tried to pull her into a dance. Thankfully, a sneer was all it took for them to back down, and we made it from tile to carpet without complication.

Brooke stood on her tiptoes and scanned the room, searching for Titan. The fact that he wasn't waiting said too much. She wasn't safe here.

What if that was the point?