But the man before me was Luke Anderson. He was an alpha. The son of a High Priest. They were the pillars of virtue. It couldn’t be sinful… unless… unless it was because I’d broken him.
Oh lord.
I’dcorruptedhim. I’d tricked him into intimacy that we should never engage in before bonding.
“Get up.” The words blitzed past my shock, and I thought he might have said them twice.
I staggered to my feet, shaking, eyes still squeezed shut.
My fear was embarrassing. I should understand what was happening, but I didn’t, and shame was a vicious monster, clawing its way through my heart.
I heard the sound of his zipper for the second time as he did up his pants.
Relief flooded my chest.
That was good.
It was over.
He was done.
I still didn’t know what was going on and I needed to clear my head.
All I could think of was seizing the blankets from my bed and crawling beneath them. I wanted to cry, but that would be stupid.
He was going, though, right?
Then I could… I could figure this all out.
But he hadn’t moved.
His scent was still like a rising storm.
Finally, I jumped as his hand closed around my chin. I felt him take a step closer, and I flinched back. My eyes flickered open for just a second. I saw Luke with chestnut brown hair, paleskin, and hazel eyes. They were wild right now, though, pupils blown.
I shut my eyes again, breath catching.
His fingers gripped my hair all of a sudden, and then he leaned close, lips brushing my neck.
Okay.
That was all, then he would go.
Why was I so scared?
My heart felt like it was trying to smash my ribs open as he pressed his lips to my neck again, free hand finding the collar of my dress. I bit back a whimper, instinctively gripping his hand as if to hold him still, adjusting my wrist to crush the neckline of my dress against my skin. I didn’t push him away, I didn’t want to upset him, but my grip dug in as if it would stop everything.
Please stop.
My terrified thought never made it past my lips.
I couldn’t say that to him. I couldn’t tell him what to do. I didn’t even know why he was doing it. I was just afraid. I wanted him to stop whatever was happening.
If he left now, everything would be okay, and this twisted thing inside my chest would go away.
I could cry on my own and not embarrass myself.
None of it mattered, though, because it was at that moment that the door to my room burst open, and Head Sister Matilda came striding in.