His temper rose with each word, the sadness streaming from her made him instantly regret what he’d said and the way he said it.
“You don’t trust me?”
Releasing her hair, he gripped her arms and brought her closer, close enough her body pressed against his then he said, “Olivia, I don’t think
you
understand. I love you so much it hurts. I’ve never been afraid of anything in my life—not even death, but I’m terrified of losing you.”
“I feel the same way, Cain. This is just part of my job.”
“Meeting with alphas in the middle of the night?” he retorted, harshly, the jealousy churning through him leaving him with little control.
She took a deep breath. “Let’s not fight about something that may change either way,” she said, turning away from him.
He grabbed her elbow and spun her around. An inch from her face, he demanded, “Olivia Waden, what the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Her sorrow-filled eyes searched his. “It means once I…we, tell my brother, he may not want me around anyway.”
Shit
. That was what she meant? When she’d mentioned things would change, he’d assumed she meant between him and her. Disgusted with himself, he pulled away from her then released a breath. His control slipped daily, and his precious mate had once again suffered for it. He snapped. He yelled. He cursed
at her
. He manhandled her. He knew this, had known it for a while and there was nothing he could do. The guilt of it was eating him alive. How much more would she take before she realized he didn’t deserve her?
Voice bleak, he said, “It’s horrible falling for a bastard like me, isn’t it? I guess it’s worse knowing he’s your male.”
Her eyes widened then she said, “You aren’t a bastard, but apparently, you
are
a prince.”
The simple comment sparked more guilt. He’d never thought to tell her. He didn’t think it mattered because he was still the same man he’d always been. More importantly, he didn’t want it to matter to her.
“Lucas told me today. He said he assumed I knew. He had me instated as prince more than three hundred and fifty years ago. I had no idea.”
Meeting his eyes, she smiled softly. “I’m proud of you, Cain.”
Proud of him? And he kept hurting her. She was killing him. “I’m sorry to keep hurting you, darling.” His voice filled with remorse. “I’m sorry for being so jealous…I just—”
She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Don’t apologize to me for caring, ever.”
He couldn’t believe it. Even after what he did, she wasn’t mad. She should be. She should throw him out on his ass like he deserved. How much more would she take though? How many more chances would he get?
“I admire you. You fight for what you want. I should be the one apologizing. I’ve been a coward,” she admitted.
He had no idea what she referred to, so he was about to ask. He never got the chance because the next moment she pulled him toward her and crushed her mouth against his.
The kiss, sensual, overpowering, and demanding, making him realize he’d missed her much more than he thought.
And the explanation he wanted to ask for died on his lips, forgotten.
****
Cain’s scent lingered. She only needed to close her eyes and picture his face and it felt as if he was still there. He wasn’t. If he were, his body could have been pressed against hers.
Dreams were dangerous, she knew from experience. She spent months dreaming of him, imagining he was hers and it had gotten her nowhere. Dreaming he was with her would only make her postpone the inevitable—telling her brother.
Today was the day. Her chance to fight for Cain like he fought for her.
Drake was headed to Texas. With no lingering meeting, it was the perfect time to tell her brother. All she needed to do was stop being a coward and confront Landon, admitting once and for all Cain was hers.
Olivia took a hot shower and dressed, then headed down the hall to her brother’s office. She knocked.
“Come in,” Landon said.
She opened the door, and found him seated at his desk. The moment he spotted her, he smiled widely.
“Liv, come in,” he said when she hesitated. “What did you think of Drake?”
“The more on our side the better,” she said, taking a seat.
“I meant what did you think of him as…a man.”
Her cheeks flushed. Instead of answering, she said, “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“I don’t need details, Liv,” he warned. “I prefer not to talk to you about this stuff in general, but—”
“I’m not Drake’s female, Landon,” she interrupted.
“Oh.” He sounded disappointed. “Well, maybe someone from his pack—”
“I found my male,” she blurted.
He straightened. His eyes narrowed as the muscles in his jaw clenched. “What? I thought you said Drake wasn’t—”
“It’s not Drake.” She paused, squared her shoulders and admitted, “It’s Cain.”
“What?” He bellowed so loud she thought he’d shattered her ear drums.
Jocelyn raced into the office. Olivia felt the heat of her eyes on her, but didn’t bother to turn her way. She was too busy watching Landon as he stood, and walked around the desk. Eyes glowing with anger, he stopped inches from her, towering over her.
She stood to face him, and repeated, “Cain is my male. I love him and he loves me and we’re mating and getting married.”
“Over my dead body!” he roared. “You’re a princess! The sister of an alpha! He’s a demon and a warrior! You need a man who will take care of you, not leave you every night to fight Malums!”
“He’s a prince, brother of the king,” she pointed out.
His face fully flushed with anger, he corrected, “Adopted brother. And he’s not a werewolf, Olivia.”
“So the new rules apply to everyone but me?” Her voice rose with each word despite her attempts to shield her fury.
“That’s different!”
“Landon, calm down,” Jocelyn cut in. “You’re not resolving anything by screaming.”
“Please explain how it’s different. I’m all ears,” Olivia asked.
“You
are
the princess of this pack. You
cannot
leave your home. This is your home, and
he
is no longer welcome here.”
What?
That didn’t make any sense. What if Drake had been her male? Did that mean he, as alpha of his pack in Texas, was expected to drop it all to move in with her? “If Joce didn’t live here, would this be your home?”
“What are you insinuating?” he demanded.
“My home is with him,” she replied, evenly.
He shot back, “You won’t survive a day living in the city. You wouldn’t survive a day living on another plane! Where will you shift and run? You plan to shift in front of all those demons? So they can all stare at you?”
“Cain would never allow anyone to stare at me just as you’d never allow anyone to stare at Jocelyn, and we haven’t decided where we’ll live yet.”
“You didn’t think it was important to discuss it?” Landon screamed again.
He had a point, a good point. She and Cain hadn’t thought to discuss those matters, because they’d been focusing on telling her brother first. “My biggest concern was you and with reason,” she snapped, losing her cool.
Fisting his palms, he turned from her, saying, “Cain? Cain! I can’t believe this shit! Right under my damned nose!” He took several steps, running his hands through his hair in frustration.
“Nothing happened right under your nose. Cain only recently told me I was his.”
The next moment, he stood an inch from her, facing her. “When?”
“After I left, he went after me.”
His eyes widened, almost to the point she thought they’d pop out of their sockets. “But you’ve known him for months!”
“Five months. We were just friends until I took the trip,” she informed.
“He’s
lying
! You aren’t his. No immortal could wait five months.”
No, Cain wouldn’t lie. Cain loved her. She knew it, and still, a part of her, that insecure part of her felt her brother had made a valid point because Cain also said she was beautiful, and she knew she wasn’t. Even so, she said, “You waited three.”
Eyes fully engulfed in yellow, he reminded her. “And it nearly killed me.”
That was true, too. She couldn’t help but wonder what if Landon was right. What if Cain
wasn’t
hers? Shaking her head, she pushed the thought away.
He’s mine. I’m his,
she chanted. Still, her voice shook when she said, “Because you denied her. Cain never denied me. He waited for me to—”
He slammed his fists against the desktop. The sound of the wood cracking resounded around the room. “Is that what he said? It’s a cute story, but I don’t believe it. He’s saying you’re his to get you in bed!”
On cue, her face flamed, a blush so deep she felt it as it trailed down her neck and chest.
He didn’t miss a beat. His glowing eyes widened, his pulse spiking with his anger.
“You had sex!” he accused.
She jumped, startled. Embarrassed, shocked and angry, she couldn’t prevent tears from welling in her eyes. She hated to show weakness, especially now, especially in front of Landon who was always so strong. No wonder he treated her like a child. She couldn’t even hold back a couple of petty tears.
“You’re lucky he didn’t mark you!”
Toughen up
, she thought then took a deep breath. “He didn’t mark me because he didn’t want you to find out that way, but I guess I should’ve let him because there’s no way you’d ever take this well.”
As if he hadn’t heard a word she’d said, he yelled, “He’s a fucking coward for sending you to tell me!”
“He didn’t
send
me. He doesn’t pretend to
own
me. I told him I’d wait for him,” she said. “I broke my word because I didn’t want you to—”
“Kill him?” he finished for her.
“I didn’t want the two of you to fight, and I didn’t want to affect our alliance with the demons, not to mention the Guardians.”
“You’re
not
his!” Landon screamed.
“That’s enough, Landon,” Jocelyn interrupted. Both of them turned to look at her. “Everyone knows Olivia is Cain’s mate.”
Relief swelled inside her, that doubt gone because Jocelyn knew, because everyone knew. Cain was
hers
.
Taking a step toward his female, Landon asked, “What do you mean
everyone
?”
“I mean everyone…but you,” Jocelyn said.
“So he’s been going around talking about
my
sister? I bet he’s told all his friends how—”
“No, Landon. He didn’t tell anyone, not even me, but demons are empaths. As for the rest of us, it was pretty obvious.” Jocelyn sighed. “I mean, it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. He came here every day with some lame excuse.”
Eyes blazing, Landon said through gritted teeth, “I thought he was here to see
you
!” He had a point there, too. Jocelyn and Cain were friends, and Landon, all alpha male possessive, had made it clear he didn’t like it.
“Yeah, he came to see me, but spent all his time with Liv,” Jocelyn shot back, sardonically.
“Damn bastard! Wait till I get my hands on him!” Landon rushed out of the room.
Olivia couldn’t do anything, but race after him.
Chapter 27
Cain’s fist connected with the dummy, blood pouring from his blistered fists, staining it red. He didn’t feel it. All he felt was rage. As long as he’d been at it, hours, that rage hadn’t ebbed.
No wonder. He was disappointed in himself and that, he realized, turned to anger quickly.
She said she wasn’t upset, but she deserved better than he’d been to her. She deserved much more than a demon mate who took out his frustration on her just because he’d lost all semblance of control.
Because he was so angry, he’d done the only thing that had come to mind, train. It often appeased him. Today, though, it wasn’t working.
He heard the elevator doors part, and cursed. He wanted to be alone, so he could stew in his foul mood. That’s where his mind was when he sensed it. The rage surrounding him doubled.
Turning, he spotted Landon barging through. Olivia trailed behind him, panic and fear streaming from her. Before he could stop himself, he took several steps toward her with one thought on his mind—soothing her. He cringed, and halted mid-stride when he remembered he couldn’t. Then he noticed Jocelyn merely steps behind Olivia; she, too, was worried.
“You!” Landon bellowed, taking menacing steps in his direction.
Cain crossed his arms over his chest, nonchalantly trying his hardest to hide the anger simmering inside. “How may I be of service?” His voice dripped with sarcasm.
“You are
not
fated for my sister!”
Eyes widening, he glanced in Olivia’s direction, her eyes pleading. For what? He didn’t know. He couldn’t read her mind not until he claimed her. What did she want? Not to fight her brother? Not to be angry with her?
“We aren’t mated yet, but she is my fated,” he replied.
“Hell! Fuck! No!” Landon roared.
Moments later, Lucas holding Jenna materialized near him followed by Benjamin and Jacob.
Noticing, Cain kept his gaze on Landon. “You learned the hard way. Who we are destined for is out of our control.” He spared another glance at Olivia, realizing then her eyes were red rimmed. She’d been crying. His chest ached then, hating he hadn’t been there to comfort her. Gaze snapping back to Landon, he said, “If I got to choose, I’d still choose her.”
“This stops here! Whatever is going on between the two of you, stops now! She is
my
sister. I choose for her, and you aren’t it!” Landon screamed, his eyes burning golden with anger.
“At least attempt to control your temper around my mate and your pregnant female,” he shot back. He knew it would infuriate Landon more, but he didn’t have it in him to care.
“She is not your mate! She’s my sister!”
“She
is
my mate and your sister,” Cain fired.
Landon’s hands began to shake, quivering from his anger and need to shift. “You aren’t even man enough to tell me yourself. You send her. You aren’t worthy of her.”
Landon was right about one thing: he wasn’t worthy of all Olivia’s innocence and beauty. That wasn’t his fault. The fates had fucked up. Because they did, it meant she was
his
, and because she was his, he’d never let her go.