Seducing a Wolf: Moonbound Series, Book Five by Krystal Shannan, Camryn Rhys Page B

confusion, he forced himself to show some restraint.
    Alex ran his thumbs across her cheeks, trying to dry the tears. “I’m sorry. I just can’t…I can’t control myself around you,” he growled.
    “Then maybe we shouldn’t be around each other anymore.”
    He took a long step back, ignoring the clench around his heart when those words landed. He counted three breaths and met her eyes again. “I need you to understand, we are hunting a monster. When Maggie and I came up with this plan, we assumed we would have to capture you, too.”
    “I’m not sure that’s as comforting as you intend it to be.” She crossed her arms and the suit coat bunched just enough that he could see the curves of her body beneath, much as she’d tried to hide them.
    He missed the other Julianna. The one who wasn’t hiding from anyone.
    “I knew as soon as you mentioned your father, you didn’t have anything to do with the reason we’d come here.”
    The elevator dinged and just behind her, a whoosh sounded. Julianna whirled around and stood in front of Alex with a wide gait. She didn’t have a gun or any protection, and he put one hand on her waist.
    The doors slid apart to reveal Andrea, Dani, Hannah, and Donovan, all in their hotel uniforms again.
    The Texas wolf frowned and held up a pile of folded blue clothing. “Where’s Niko?”
    Alex pointed to the open door of the security room. “In with Maggie.”
    All three of the women gave him the up-and-down as they filed past, and Donovan did his best to avoid all eye contact.
    Alex waved them off. The judgey looks were starting to piss him off.
    He wasn’t Rain.
    Only, he had been forgoing the mission when it suited him, to answer the call of the magick. He was exactly like Rain. Maybe they had a right to be pissed at him. But the ugly truth was, the magick was irresistible. No way he could have done anything other than what he had done.
    His gaze wandered across Julianna’s face, down her body. She was so damn beautiful, even all severe and neutral, like this. Flat out gorgeous.
    He couldn’t live his life without her. He had to make her his.
    Alex grabbed her shoulder and whirled her around to face him. “You and I belong together, Julianna. I know you feel it, too.”
    Her eyebrows pinched together. “Please, don’t.” She tried to shake his hands off, but he had too tight a grip on her. “I can’t take any more of this today.”
    “Your father has been haunting you all your life. I want you to be free of him.” He tried to recall the words of the spell he taught his students. “ Chun tú Geallaim mo chroí— ”
    Andrea’s voice cut the air. “Alex. Get the hell in here.”
    He rounded on her. “Dammit, Andrea, I was trying—”
    Maggie burst through the door, her eyes wide and frightened. “Don’t you dare bond with her, Alex.”
    Julianna wrestled out of his grip. “ What exactly does that mean?”
    But Maggie ignored her and pointed in Alex’s face. “You bond with her, and her father will know it. You think you can hide those tattoos?”
    “Tattoos?” Julianna echoed.
    “I need both of you.” Maggie thumbed back at the security room. “Now.”
    Alex’s skin felt itchy, like something crawled underneath it. The magick. He’d felt it, so strongly, pushing him, then it practically relaxed.
    He grabbed Julianna’s hand and pulled her into the security room. Fuck all of this. First chance he got, he was going to bond with this woman. She was his mate. He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt. He just needed to protect her, to bind her to him, so she would never be under her father’s thumb. Never again.

Chapter Eleven
    A lex waited for Maggie to say she was joking, or to make the candid cameras jump out or something. Instead, she just stared at Julianna and repeated herself.
    “We need you to take us onto the island.” Maggie wasn’t asking, and she wasn’t hedging. It was almost an order.
    “Nope.” Alex stepped between them. “That is