upsetting Tera?â
âEverything is fine, Xandie,â Tera said softly but I could tell by the set of her mouth that she was upset.
âWho is this man?â I asked without preamble.
She started to brush my question off, but after a close look at my face I think she knew that she wouldnât be able to dismiss me easily this time.
âThis is Connor,â she said simply. The man said nothing but continued to stare down at me intently. I pointedly ignored his gaze.
Was I supposed to know who that was? âWhoâs Connor?â
Tera took a deep breath. âConnor is our pack leader; the leader of this entire territory.â
âLike an elected official?â
âIâm your alpha,â he said succinctly.
Somehow he made it seem way more personal than just being the pack leader. âI donât have an alpha,â I said, glaring up at him fiercely.
âYou do and I will be obeyed by you in all things,â Connor said, pinning me in place with his piercing blue eyes.
âGood luck with that,â I said blithely before breaking my eyes from his gaze. âWhat did he say that upset you so much?â
âHe wants me to bring you to the compound tonight. I told him I didnât think you were ready.â She shrugged. âHe said it wasnât my decision.â
I backed up a step and glared at them both. âThatâs terribly arrogant. What if I donât want to go?â
Connor stepped up to me until he was close enough for his body heat to wrap around me, and he tilted my face up to his with one long finger. âIâm afraid itâs not your decision to make either, little wolf. Tera will bring you to the compound tonight.â
âNo. Iâm not going,â I said adamantly.
âYou do not want to fight me on this, Alexandria, youâll lose. We can either do this the easy way and you can obey me or we can do it the hard way and you will still obey, but sitting will be decidedly more difficult for you.â
I gasped in outrage and tried to ignore the flood in my panties and the way my clit suddenly stood at attention because of his words. âHow dare you threaten me!â
âYou will find Iâll dare a lot when it comes to you, little wolf,â he said with an impudent grin as he leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose before exiting the store. I stared after him with my mouth agape.
I looked at Tera. âHe⦠I⦠heâ¦â For once I was at a complete loss.
She patted my shoulder in commiseration. âConnor can have that effect on people. Probably you more than others.â
âWhy me more than others?â I asked with a frown.
Tera blinked. âUmmm⦠well⦠youâre a new wolf and heâs the strongest wolf in our pack, in this area, maybe the entire country. I know Iâve never met a wolf with more power. Heâs the lead alpha male. Donât get me wrong, I like Connor and heâs a good leader. I just donât always agree with him.â
I growled in frustration. Life was a lot easier before this whole werewolf thing started.
âLetâs go home. I really donât feel much like shopping anymore.â
She nodded in agreement. âMe either, but before we go to the compound tonight, there are a few things I need to tell you.â
Something told me I wasnât going to like what she had to say.
Â
* * *
Â
The first clue of exactly what she had to tell me was when she suggested I just leave all my new clothes in the car.
I didnât argue with her as we made our way back up to my apartment, but the minute we walked in the door, I rounded on her.
âSpill the beans; I canât stand the wait anymore.â
Tera curled up in the chair and a half, wrapping her arms around her knees and resting her chin on top of them, and watched me until I was settled comfortably on the couch.
âYou are Connorâs mate,â she said
Learning to Kill: Stories