(Quinn's perspective)
Cale's smirk widened as he opened the car door for me. "Shall we?"
His voice was smooth, too smooth, like a blade wrapped in silk. I hesitated for the briefest moment before stepping into the car. The air inside was stifling, heavy with an unspoken tension that clung to my skin like a second layer.
It didn't help that Cale sat impossibly close, his thigh brushing against mine. His hand rested on my leg, a gesture that felt more like possession than affection. The pressure of his touch made my stomach churn, but I knew better than to flinch. Subtlety was my only weapon right now, so I shifted my leg slightly, pretending to adjust to the bumps in the road.
His fingers tightened. Not painfully, but firmly enough to send a message: Don't even think about it.
The forty-five-minute drive felt like forty-five hours. Every second stretched into an eternity, every glance from him a reminder of the precarious line I was walking. By the time we arrived, I practically launched myself out of the car, though I tried to mask it as a graceful exit.
Freedom. Or so I thought.
"Quinn," Cale called, his voice calm but laced with something that made me stop dead in my tracks. I closed my eyes briefly, inhaling deeply before turning to face him.
He stood there, composed and commanding, with that unnerving smirk tugging at his lips. "I'd like to speak to you in the living room. Please."
Please? Since when did Cale use words like please? Something was off, and it set every nerve in my body on edge. I followed him, my steps deliberate, my mind racing. What game was he playing now?
Inside, he gestured for Derek and Kimmy to stay outside before closing the double doors behind us. The click of the latch sounded louder than it should have, like a gavel sealing my fate.
Cale walked to the window, his hands sliding into his pockets as he stared out at nothing. The silence was unbearable, the weight of unspoken words pressing down on me. I stood in the middle of the room, hugging my arms, a barrier between us that felt far too thin.
Finally, he spoke. "I've realized something recently." His tone was measured, almost thoughtful. "I can punish you and punish you, and it won't help. I've made you intolerable to pain. I've made you the perfect warrior, the perfect wolf, the perfect Luna. Perfect for any king."
I swallowed hard, my throat dry as sandpaper. Where was this going?
"No matter what I do to you, you just keep coming back stronger." He turned then, his eyes locking onto mine. "You are an incredible woman, Quinn Wayne."
If my heart hadn't been hammering so violently in my chest, I might have laughed. Was that... a compliment? From Cale?
He continued, his voice steady but carrying an edge I couldn't quite place. "Did you know that when you're mated with someone, and you mark each other, you can feel everything they feel? You can find them anywhere, and the connection is unbreakable. You end up loving that person... no matter what."
I didn't move, didn't breathe. The room seemed to shrink around me as his words sunk in.
"And..." he paused, his gaze piercing through me, "you can even feel severe pain if they kiss someone else. Torture, if they sleep with someone else."
A lump formed in my throat, but I forced it down, refusing to let him see me falter. I had a sinking feeling I knew where this conversation was heading, and I didn't like it one bit.
"I've also realized," he said, his voice dropping an octave, "that it was a mistake to let you and Luca near each other. I was naive to think it would torture you. Instead, you two are becoming... close." He practically spat the last word, his jaw tightening. "Too close for my liking."
My blood ran cold.
"From now on, you will no longer attend meetings with Luca," he declared, his tone final. "This is Casey's wedding, and she will handle the planning with a few girls from the pack. Luca can meet Casey to make their connection more tolerable."
Panic clawed at my chest. This wasn't just bad; this was catastrophic.
He took a step closer, his movements deliberate. "Furthermore," he added, "I realize that the way I've been treating you isn't helping our cause. So, I want us to spend more time together. To build our relationship."
Relationship? What relationship? My stomach churned at the thought.
"I will no longer force you to bed me," he said, his tone almost... conciliatory. "In fact, I will let you come to me when you're ready."
It took every ounce of self-control not to react, not to let my relief show. Trust me, Cale, I'll never be ready.
He studied my face intently, searching for any hint of rebellion. I gave him nothing.
Then, in a move that caught me completely off guard, he stepped forward, cupped my face in his hands, and pressed a brief, tender kiss to my lips.
It took everything in me not to recoil, not to let the revulsion show on my face. When he pulled back, his eyes bore into mine, and for the first time, I saw something unsettling: sincerity.
And then he dropped the bombshell.
"Before the wedding," he said, his voice low and deliberate, "I want us to mark each other. To accept each other as mates so that you will be mine... forever."
I froze, the air leaving my lungs.
"And," he continued, his tone taking on a dangerous edge, "after that, it will be time for you to start breeding my pups."