“Maverick,” Lark's voice interrupted our battle of wills. Her hand went to his arm but he shook her hold free.

“She needs to learn,” he said through gritted teeth. I could feel the anger coming off him in waves. It burdened my shoulders like weights and I struggled to stand tall.

“Take it easy,” Sebastian said, on the other side of Maverick with his hand on his shoulder. His grip hard. “She doesn’t understand. Remember she hasn’t grown up in a pack and doesn’t understand our ways.”

Maverick’s chest rose and fell quickly with each hard breath as I lowered my shoulders. The weight becoming unbearable. I glanced up to see his eyes had turned to amber slits and I knew I was staring at his wolf.

I breathed hard, unable to look away. I was transfixed. He looked powerful and dangerous.

“You’re hurting her,” Lark urged Maverick.

In an instant, his eyes changed back to his human ones and I felt the pressure that had been bearing down on me vanish.

Maverick moved from their hold to place his hands on my shoulders. “Victoria.”

I moved back, shrugging out of his hold. “What did you do to me?”

None of what had just transpired made any sense. How had he done that to me?

Lark and Sebastian flanked him as I took another step back.

“You can’t go against an Alpha Victoria, even if you’re my mate. You have to obey,” he explained.

I rolled my shoulders, they ached slightly. It was crazy that he had been able to do that.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked, he made a move to close the distance between us but I put my hand out to him.

“Don’t touch me.”

His eye hardened and his jaw tensed but I was still angry and feeling betrayed that he had the power to physically override me.

“Don’t Victoria. You need to understand.” He tried to argue with me but I wasn’t having any of it.

“No.” I shook my head, with another step back. Needing to escape, I turned had walked out of the kitchen. I had no idea where I was going but I was too angry to hear anything Maverick had to say to me.

I hesitated, trying to decide where to go so I could have space from him. Feeling claustrophobic I made the choice to go outside. I took a deep breath out in the open air. It did nothing to the betrayal I felt on a level with Maverick.

His footsteps followed me.

“Go away.” I crossed my arms.

“I can’t,” he said. I refused to turn to face him.

“You don’t have to talk to me but I can’t leave you. You’re my responsibility and right now you’re vulnerable.”

I frowned. My anger forced me to turn and glare at him. “But you had no problem doing that in there.” I didn’t know how to describe what he had been able to do to me when his wolf had begun to surface.

“You have to understand Victoria-“

“No,” I hissed. “No. You don’t do that to me. Ever.”

Our eyes held. I would not back down.

“I have spent my life having people tell me what to do, I’m not going to allow you to do that too.”

“How much do you know about wolves?”

“Really? You’re going to talk to me about wolves.” I was astounded.

“We are similar to wolves. Look at it any way you want to but in a pack there is one leader. One wolf in charge. And that’s me.”

I glared at him resentfully.

“It is what it is and there is no changing it. You can’t disobey me if I won’t allow it.”

He could effectively override my free will and that scared me. It didn’t matter what connection we had, I wasn’t prepared for that in any way.

“I cannot allow you to go against me. No matter what. Do you understand?”

I refused to acknowledge him. He was asking me to agree to something impossible.

“It would undermine my authority and I can’t have that. It would lead to discontent in my pack. There is a hierarchy for a reason.”

And there it was. His pack. Not our pack. His words spoke volumes.

“Then I don’t want this.” I drew the line.

Maybe he was used to people rolling over and submitting but I wouldn’t. No matter how much he meant to me. It would start with one thing and then another. Before ling I would be a shadow of my former self unable to hold my own with him.

“I can’t do this Mav.” I swallowed. “I can’t and I won’t lose the control I’ve finally have. I won’t give it up for anything, including you.”

He stared at me deeply. “The decisions I make are to keep you safe.” It was like he excused everything because it was in my best interests.

“So you’re going to keep me wrapped up in bubble wrap locked in a room somewhere.” I pointed back at the house.

He half smiled. “Not just any room…my room.”

I glared daggers at him. If he was closer I might have physically lashed out at him.

He reached out to touch me. I tried to resist him but I felt his touch spread through me suffocating my anger. I wanted to hold onto it and set myself free but I was helpless. The power of our connection was too strong to resist.

He gathered me close. Even though the intensity of my anger was gone, the memory of the betrayal I felt made me push against him.

“Stop it Maverick.” My tone was firm, even when it lacked anger.

He sighed. “I don’t want you to be angry with me.”

“I’m still upset about it.” I looked back at the house I didn’t want to go back into.

“You need to rest and none of this is helping.”

He was right but I didn’t want to do anything he suggested.

“I need to get back to working on those leads.” He released me.

“So go back inside.” I looked in the direction of the house’s front door as I crossed my arms protectively.

His eyes held mine. “I need you with me. I can’t concentrate if I’m worrying about you.”

I refused to say anything. I was still working through what had just happened.

“You need time to adjust to our ways.”

I doubted that would make any difference to how I felt. It was who I was. To feel safe I needed to know I had complete control and that included the choices I made for myself.

“I’m never going to be one of those girls who is content to let you take over. It’s got nothing to do with learning your ways. I’m not a doormat and I’ll never be.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want you to be a doormat. I love that you’re fiercely independent, I love that you stand up to me. I know you’ve had a rough past and I love you for who you are.”

Love. That’s the only part of his declaration that stuck with me.

“Love?” I swallowed, feeling nervous and unsettled that he could feel so intensely for me, so quickly.

No one had ever told me they loved me. No one.

He nodded. “I love you, completely.”

I, in turn, had never loved anyone. Was what I felt for him love? It was an intense connection that took over completely, leaving room for little else.

“How do you know that?”

“It’s the moment I thought I would lose you made me realize the extent of what I feel for you. You might not feel the same way about me yet. It’ll come with time.”

Was it the link between us or was something else driving his confidence?

It was impossible to stay upset with him after he had declared he loved me.

“Come back inside with me Victoria.” He held his hand out for me.

I studied him, torn between wanting control over my life and what I felt for him. Even if I wasn’t sure exactly what to call it, it was intense and it made holding my own against him more difficult.

“I’ll go back in with you but don’t think you’ve won this argument. I’m tired. That’s all,” I explained.

“Fine,” he said.

I put my hand in his and allowed him to lead me back inside.