40. Sexy When Angry

Kiran felt his territoriality like a tangible thing. It seemed to live on his spine. It seemed to have strong little fingers that tightened around the knobs to make him freeze in place—and send irritation through every synapse in his body. It snarled, *You’re mine. Mine, mine. Fuck anyone who tries to even look at you*.
Most Omegas would kill to have him think about them like that. Kiran knew Seff would not.
He mirrored her bared teeth, but the effect of aggression was twofold. He was an *Alpha*. Their presence alone was terrifying. On instinct, she shrunk but held her ground. *Very impressive*, purred his possessiveness. *She’s strong.*
“I’m sorry, what?” he growled.
Seff lifted her chin. “You heard me. I want to see Hawthorn Henbane. I don’t care where, I just want him to know I’m not an ass like you are for not getting or answering his letters! Imagine, Kiran,” she said, voice cracking suddenly, “if Aster was somewhere else, writing to you, telling you how much she misses you, but—”
Kiran held up a hand, shaking his head. “I get the point.” He did, he hated to admit. There were a few wolves he could imagine in Seff’s situation. Guilt was also a tangible beast. *“The closer you want me, the more your actions push me away.”* Godsdamnit she was right. Seff belonged to him, he wanted to keep her for himself, but if he didn’t let her see the damn Magnolia male, she would widen the distance they’d closed together. “Fine,” he grumbled. “But it is a* final goodbye*. You belong to the Sun, not the Magnolia.”
Her mind flew through the consequences of the condition. It only her hurt more, which hurt *him*, but it had to be done.
Seff looked at him when resolve hardened her gaze. “Fine.”
“Great.”
They stared at each other for a moment. He just wanted to kiss her, godsdamnit. She had so many questions. Now he did—like, *Just how lonely are you?*
But she only whispered, dropping her glare and volume, “Why did you hide these?” She picked an envelope and simply held it, as if waiting for her own name written on it would come to life. “Why even from Hyacinth? *When*?”
The guilt dug its claws into his gut, forcing out the truth. “Jealousy, as you have so painfully pointed out. Worried,” he said after a moment of hesitation, struggling with the word as much as he would have if he was forced to say *sorry*, “because they would keep your heart rooted there, with them, instead of here. With me. I feared you would constantly be living a half-life. Your soul split. I want you whole, Seff—you deserve to be whole.”
Seff’s heart ached—Kiran could hear and see it as clear as day. She wanted to yell and scream and weep all because of him. She was angry…but she didn’t want to be. The internal war played out on her face; she wasn’t good at controlling her expressions. Zinnia had been an expert in that. Another difference between them. Why was the list growing?
Still she managed to demand, “But I won’t get a choice *where* I want to make myself whole, will I?”
Kiran’s jaw clenched. She just had to make this difficult, didn’t she? Keep shoving him to a crossroads where he had to decide: make her happy or pursue his own ambitions, damn her opinion over his? Alphas were selfish. Why would be want to share her with anyone else?
He didn’t miss the spark of realization in her eyes. *She’s smart*, crooned the possessiveness again. She knew the power she had over him. He was immortal; he knew the meanings behind so many facial expressions. She meant to use it against him if it came to it.
“If I let you,” Kiran began slowly, where would you choose? The Keep, with me, or the College, where you live in monotony by yourself?”
Seff threw up her hands. “There you go again! You selfish bastard! Do you think I’d prefer to be *targeted* over living a quiet life? How could you assume it’s monotonous? And why, because you thrive on attention and drama?”
*Hmm, good points*, Kiran mused. If she had this Hawthorn bastard to fuck, surely she wasn’t by herself, and if he was good at fucking, surely her sex life wasn’t monotonous. Also yes, he did.
He also couldn’t deny that being a target wasn’t ideal. Plenty of wolves wanted him dead. Now they wanted Seff hurt or worse because of him. That didn’t sit well.
Seff was nearly panting with anger but narrowed her eyes when he didn’t answer. “Aren’t you going to snap at me?”
She was sexy when she was angry. Kiran didn't feel like arguing anymore. She wanted to see the Magnolia Alpha? Done. She wanted her letters actually sent? Done. Next topic now.
Kiran’s mouth curved into his shit-eating grin. “I feel it safer to keep my opulent lips closed.” His gaze roved up and down her body. She’d been cleansed of blood and she still smelled like sugar underneath the iron stench. “Unless you want them to taste you?”
Seff scoffed and she turned her back to him, dropping the envelope back on the desk. “Don’t do that.”
Her white hair was mussed and had flecks of blood staining the strands; it fell to her small but very acceptably-sized ass. “Do what?” he purred, getting hard.
“Act…like that…to get out of a serious situation. It’s a really shitty excuse.”
He made another rumbling noise in his chest, one he knew made any wolf weak at the knees. Slowly he approached; she didn’t object when he placed his hands on her hips. He braced himself for her to rip away or bite, but she didn’t move. Kiran leaned in but didn’t press himself to her just yet. In her ear, he whispered, “Maybe you like the drama, because of how often your heart picks up.”
Her heart was already irregular. At his words, the organ jolted against her ribcage.
Kiran’s fingers squeezed and he took her earlobe gently between his teeth. She swallowed hard. “Don’t think I missed that look in your eyes, my Seff,” he hummed. She bit her lower lip that he wanted to kiss so bad. “Thinking of taking advantage of me? How devious.”
His hands slowly roamed up, over her belly and toward her breasts. Slowly, waiting for an adverse reaction. But she didn’t stop him.
“No matter the Keep or the Castle, you have to survive. One way or another you have to fend for yourself. That is what being a werewolf means. What being an Omega means. Supported by your pack—but instinct has to keep you alive.”
“I don’t want to *survive*,” Seff whispered, and her hands went to cover his to guide them back down to the place between her legs. Kiran thought he’d go mad on the spot. “I want to *live*.”
He just wanted to fuck her. Enough talking already! Fine. At least he liked the sound of his voice—of *her* voice, and theirs intertwining together. “In monotony or in *adventure*? You defied me,” he said low in her ear, making her shiver. “Tricked me, to sneak out of my harem, to have an affair with my immortal enemy? Don’t tell me you didn’t get a thrill from breaking the rules.”
He did it to rile her up, get her mind into a frenzy so she’d stop thinking about words and focus on *action*. Again, her pounding heart betrayed her. Just like her hands releasing his so they could massage the inside of her thighs.
“What would you do if I said yes?” Seff she breathed.
Kiran’s grin put the devil’s to shame. “I’ll thrill you all night long, little she-wolf.”