Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After her parents were murdered by thugs, Vera experienced trauma that made it difficult for her to cope with sudden disappearances or desertion.

I saw the way Derrick's face twisted at what I said; he didn't appear to like it.

„You want to leave me?“ He asked, and my heart began to beat erratically. I knew I needed to move away from him immediately, even if I wasn't sure what I wanted in the long term.

"I want to go back to my apartment; this has been a lot and I just need a little space to think about all of it.“ I spoke softly and gently while observing his hands firmly grasping the chair's arms.

He appeared to be trying to reach out and seize me, and I knew that, if he did, his claws would pierce my skin.

I was about to have to face the trauma I had buried deep down again, and he was about to become his wolf. He wasn't seeing things the way I was, even though what I was asking of him was very reasonable.

"No, this is your home now–if you need space, I'm sure my packhouse can accommodate you.“ I stared at him in shock, as his words seemed irrevocable. I struggled to pull myself together as I got out of the chair.

As I moved between the narrow spaces between our legs, he hissed menacingly. His black, menacing eyes regarded me like the predator he was. He appeared to be nearly ready to attack me.

"I'll return tomorrow…"

" Kylie, you're not going anywhere.“ He got to his feet as well, gritting his teeth. His towering stature cast a shadow over me, and his strength seeped into my pores. His body was becoming so overcome with possessiveness that he was losing his ability to think clearly.

I walked cautiously a few steps in the direction of the door.

"Before I became your partner, I had a life.“ I can't just have my job and my responsibilities taken away from me. I promised to return tomorrow. This time, my voice wasn't shy; Rather, it was confident and insistent. I needed him to listen to me, but he was being too much of a wolf to comprehend what I was saying.

"Kylie, this is how things are.“ I am your king and alpha in addition to being your mate; Why can't you obey me? " It seemed from his words that he was someone quite different. He didn't appear to realize how much the Alpha-tone he had adopted toward me was hurting me, but it didn't lose its force.

I straightened my shoulders and scowled at him, refusing to bow to his words or his demands.

"Disobey you?" I questioned incredulously, casting a search for something akin in his stare, but all I saw was the wolf's dominance in his eyes.“ "Derrick, I'm heading out. I believe that both of us may benefit from some time to consider what has been said.“ I stepped closer to the door, but then stopped dead in my tracks, as I heard his snarl again.

"I said you're not leaving, Kylie.“ I should have paid attention to his tone because it seemed threatening. But I had no idea how to get rid of his demands – they were like termites crawling all over my body – other than by leaving this place.

"I'm not leaving you–I am leaving this house.“

"It feels like the same thing, so take one more step away from me and I'll have to take matters in my own hands.“ Taking just one more step would allow me to pass through the door.

When I ignored him, I came to see that his threats had not been unfounded.

Derrick lunged at me, snatching my legs and tossing me onto his shoulder. My hands went involuntarily for the shirt he was wearing, and squeezed against the back of my thighs. Before I could even grasp what he was doing, he began to move.

"Derrick put me down!“ I thudded at his back, shouting at him, but he took me back to the bedroom we had shared earlier.

Before I could jump to the door, he put me back on the ground and moved to defend it.

"Kylie, I can't have just an hour of your day.“ I desire each and every one of them. I will not let you leave this packhouse without my approval. I'll take necessary measures, even if it means keeping you locked in this room until you realize it.“ The longer I looked at his foolish face, the more a fierce urge began to grow in my chest. I assumed that my panic episode upon his rescue of me from one of his cells would be sufficient evidence to him that I detested being confined, but it seemed as though he had entirely forgotten my condition upon his discovery.

The way he'd gripped me had left my chest heaving, and I wanted to rip at his face. Before I could get a chance to say anything, though, his hand moved to the door.

"I have been caged before, this isn't going to end well for you.“ Though he was unaware of the full scope of my pain, the remarks seemed menacing. I had spent years sequestered in chambers. I had been tied, strung up and drugged out, and now it felt like my own mate wants to do the same to me too.

"Please don't lock me in here.“ My wrath dissipated, and the desperation seeped into my system as I comprehended my dilemma. If he hadn't cared about my remarks before, what made me assume that he would care about them now?

I felt fragile as I gazed at him and his gaze softened, but his mind was already set.

"We will talk about this in the morning, try and get some rest.“ He left me like that, and I bounded for the door as soon as he shut it behind him. I thudded at the wood as I heard the twist of the key in the lock. I began to worry, as the feeling of being confined discolored the oxygen in the air.

I needed to get out of here, I couldn't allow him to do this to me. I was always been skilled at thinking up escape strategies. It was the first thing my brain did every time I found myself in an enclosed area. I turned around the room as the wild plan grew in my thoughts.

If the door wasn't an option, there was always a window you could hurl yourself out of, and there were three big windows that stretched the length of the back wall. I glanced about desperately to find something that would break through them – something that was able to shatter the glass in one shot.

The loudness of it was going to draw attention and I needed to be swift if I was going to get away.

My gaze focused onto the armchair in the corner of the room and I moved towards it. With a deep breath, I snatched up a chair and tossed it against the window. The glass pieces sprayed everywhere, and I was surprised by the sheer force of it before I jumped, transforming into my wolf on the way down. The loud shattering sound was still booming in my ears, as the bits continued to split, embedding into my fur and onto the grass on the ground below.