Dominic's POV
I woke up and everything in my body ached, but I was alive. I don't know how, but I was. I was alive and in a particularly soft bed. I caught the scent before I even opened my eyes—it was cinnamon, bay leaf, and pine; it smelled like the forest, it smelled like home.
That scent cradled me, and I felt completely warm, forgetting the pain. But when I opened my eyes, the shock nearly took my life in a single gasp. I wheezed and almost fell out of bed; if it weren't for his strong arm, covered in war scars, I would have been sprawled on the floor. He caught me by the arm and pulled me back toward his chest.
I was no longer wearing the clothes I had fled in, and I certainly wasn't home. A deep flush rushed to my face when I realized I was in a man's shirt, about ten sizes too big for me, covering me down to mid-thigh.
I jumped out of bed and pressed myself against the wall, putting distance between me and this man whose face I hadn't even seen yet. I growled, speaking threateningly: 'Who are you? Where are my clothes?'
The man propped himself up on his elbows, giving me a defiant look-over, and my heart nearly skipped a beat. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. His sharp jawline, full lips, stubble, and long, wavy hair falling over his face gave him a natural, disheveled, and perfect look—like a painting. But there was something in his gaze; his gray eyes looked like a stormy sea, pulling me into the depths. I found myself taking a step toward him, completely mesmerized, until he burst into laughter.
One minute he was raising his eyebrows at me in surprise, and the next he was laughing as if he couldn't help himself. What the hell was this moron laughing at?
'What are you laughing at, anyway? Are you crazy?' I asked when my indignation hit an unbearable limit.
'A pup like you, who has no wolf, is putting her hands on her hips and challenging me—the Alpha of a pack you barely know?' he said, still amused by the situation.
'I know exactly which pack this is and who you are, but you have no right to do whatever you did to me. I'm not yours,' I said, ending the sentence with a growl. At that, the Alpha, who had been lying down, suddenly stood up and walked toward me. He slammed his arm against the wall above my head, forcing me to look painfully upward to face him. But the closer he got, the more I could see the details of his perfect anatomy: the muscles, the golden skin, the scar running across his left eye that gave him an electrifying look. His scent made me go weak against that wall until he broke the silence.
'If you know who I am and where you are, you shouldn't be speaking to me in that tone; you know I've slit many throats for much less.' His tone was biting, a clear warning that I wouldn't survive another offense. 'Besides, I don't think it's polite to accuse someone who saved your life of something so cowardly. I have people who warm my bed and beg me for it; I don't need to do anything against a broken, unconscious wolf.'
'I'm not a pup, and you're not my Alpha.' His growl filled the entire room and sent an uncontrollable shiver down my spine. Bravery was very different from stupidity. Since he seemed ready to end me right there, I looked down, baring my neck in a submissive gesture, and didn't look at him again until he stepped away and went back to bed.
'It's barely dawn. Get back in bed and sleep,' he said after lying down. His tone was firm but calmer. I didn't move. Even if he wasn't going to do anything, my attraction to him was beyond logic, and I couldn't stay for hours beside him in a bed. 'I said get back in bed. That was an order, not a request.' He spoke again when I remained still, and the growl at the end of his sentence made my legs move quickly to obey him before he came to get me himself.
I hopped onto the bed and lay as far away from him as possible, staring at the ceiling, barely breathing. He had his eyes closed, one hand behind his head and the other on his chest. He seemed calm, almost asleep—at least, that's how it looked.
'Pup, why didn't you use your wolf form to escape? It would have been faster and smarter on your part. Even if you're weak, you don't seem stupid to me.' His comment about my weakness made me huff in indignation, but he didn't move, so I answered.
'I don't have a wolf.' I didn't want to talk, so I just answered to end the conversation. Besides, he already thought I was weak, and it was better that way.
'Of course you do. You might have fooled your pack of idiots, but I can feel your wolf. Are you hiding it, or did you not know it existed?' I didn't answer; I couldn't. 'Interesting that a wolf like you almost made Nathaniel literally lose his head. He's becoming reckless, or maybe you're more than you seem. Either way, none of that interests me much. I'm going to negotiate your return to him for a good price.