Unlikely Mates
Chapter 8

Kira

Rowan irritates the shit out of me. We have been here for four days, and he has been nothing but attentive. Why can’t he be an a*ssh0le? No. Instead, he caters to my every need, and it’s driving me up the wall. I want him to prove that he’s the bad guy in my story, and he just isn’t doing that.

“Good morning.” Rowan smiles over a mug of steaming coffee when I emerge from the bathroom.

“Morning,” I grumble as the scent of bacon assaults my senses. He made breakfast, again.

It’s like some built-in need that he has. He constantly wants to feed me, asks me if I need anything, and tries to make sure I’m comfortable. He is forever in my personal space, and his scent has invaded not just every corner of the little cabin, but my mind as well.

I slept horribly, dreaming again of Rowan chasing me in the woods and hunting me down. My s****l frustration has hit a ten, and I’m raring for a fight.

“Would you stop already?” I snarl at him.

“Stop what?” Rowan asks, seeming genuinely confused.

“All of this.” I gesture toward him and then the food-laden table. “Stop trying to feed me, comfort me, make me happy.”

“But—”

I cut him off harshly. “No buts. I’m not happy. I don’t want to be mated to you, and I’m not ecstatic to be here either.” Turning, I stomp toward the door leading out onto the shitty little porch. I need to get away from him. But Rowan has other plans, gripping my wrist, pulling me back against his solid chest, and banding an arm around my middle.

“Woman.” He growls in my ear. “Do I look like I’m doing backflips here? This isn’t easy for me either.”

I push at the arm holding me to him with everything I have, but he won’t budge.

“Don’t you think I would have liked to replace a mate who is more agreeable?” he asks.

Jealousy swims through my veins, but I don’t reply. This is exactly what I needed from him. If he proves that he’s the a*ssh0le I think he is, I can end this mating and move on with my life. Consequences be damned.

“But I don’t want another female, I want you,” he whispers into my ear. “And if you want to know the truth, I’ve always wanted you.”

Those words are my tipping point. I’ve always wanted to belong to him. I’ve been in love with him for longer than I can remember. But it’s not the truth, and all the walls I had built up to keep my emotions in check come tumbling down.

He couldn’t hurt me more if he hit me.

Rowan

Kira’s entire body locks up with my whispered admission.

“Let me go,” she says so softly that I almost miss it.

I release my hold, fearing that I may have finally pushed her too far this time. I watch her closely as she turns to face me.

“Don’t be cruel, Rowan,” she says meekly, tears brimming in her eyes. “I know that as alpha, you’re used to getting whatever you want, and you want this mating, but don’t start lying to me.”

“Kira.” I step closer to her, cupping her face in my palms. “I have never, and I will never, lie to you.”

She watches me skeptically.

“I saw you. Every day, I watched your every move. I saw and heard what the others said and did.” I frown, remembering all those times I should have done something. “But it’s easier to fall in with the crowd. It’s so much more convenient to just follow the path laid out than to go against what everyone wants.”

“Rowan—”

“No, Kira. The truth is I was too weak to do anything to help you out of your misery when I should have. I was being young and dumb, falling into the bed of any girl who would let me instead of being a man.” I release her face and turn away.

“If there was any reason you should end our mating”—I take a deep breath—“it’s because I don’t deserve you. I never did anything to be worthy of you. But don’t for a second think I haven’t always wanted you.”

Before I step over the threshold, I turn back toward her. “But you can believe I will do everything in my power to prove that I’m worthy now. I don’t want to lose you.”

With that, I leave her alone in the cabin.