Robbing the Alpha

Ch. 15: Make Him Love You

BROOKE

Huck had always given me butterflies, but now he gave me bees. A vibration. Anticipation. When midnight came, he was all business, leading the way down the hall without so much as a hello. Was he as eager as I was? My body ignited as images of our last encounter flashed through my mind. He seemed larger somehow. Darker. More. Perhaps that was simply gravity intensified by proximity. We'd gotten closer than we'd ever been, and now everything was magnified. His scent. His presence.

But once inside the forgotten room, he shut the door and immediately set to work filling a duffle bag.

I bit back my disappointment and focused on the present. "What happened to the rucksack?" I asked.

"Jewel has it."

"Oh." Déjà vu washed over me. "How did that go?"

Huck zipped the bag and hoisted it over his shoulder, turning to me. "We need to talk."

"Okay."

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the desk—the same desk he'd stretched me across the night before. "I need you to do some things for me."

My eyes trailed over him: wide shoulders, thick arms, long, lean, and powerful. I licked my lips. "Okay."

A soft growl slid from his throat, and he shook his head slowly. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you want to take risks neither of us can afford. It's too dangerous. Your mother made that perfectly clear."

"You heard that?" She hadn't said anything we didn't both already know, but hearing him side with her was like a kick to the ribs. This was it, the end before the start. Why now? Was it really Mother's warning or something more—something blonde? "Is that the only reason?"

"Isn't that reason enough?"

I bristled. I shouldn't have been irritated but I was. "You're the one who instigates it. Not me."

His lips curved. Even his fangs seemed sharper. "I know a nightgown that would disagree with you."

My skin flushed.

"I need you to go back to the good girl you were in the beginning. And if I lose focus...redirect me."

"And if I lose focus?"

"Then I'm a dead man."

I swallowed. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew he was right. I wanted him for longer than impatience could get me. "Okay."

"Good." His jaw twitched, and he focused on his feet. "And you need to make Titan love you."

It took a moment for his words to register. It was one thing to hear it from Mother, but he was my mate. How could he say that? "He wants me dead."

"Change his mind."

My mouth fell open. "Is that what you want?"

"I want you safe!"

I stepped back as if he'd struck me, and inside, my heart was cracking, breaking apart when it had only just started to be whole. "So that's it? We just give up?"

"We aren't giving up." He closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath. "We just need time, Brooke. I need time to take back what's mine," he said, his tone deliberately calm. "It will be a lot easier if we aren't actively under attack. I know you're capable of doing this." His jaw twitched, and he looked at me. "A part of me feels like you've already succeeded."

I was capable. I'd been training for this moment my whole life, but he didn't know what he was asking for. If my interactions at breakfast bothered him, he wouldn't stand a chance against my best. "It wouldn't be easy to watch," I warned. "Are you capable of controlling your wolf?"