Chapter 4 chapter 4

Amber

I stirred in my bed as the bright sleep killer shone through my windows, directly into my eyes.

I hated when that happened.

Groaning, I pulled the sheets over my head and shoved my face under the pillow, but it was pointless. Sleep had completely left me. I should’ve known better than to try and steal a few extra hours.

There was no rest for the wicked, after all.

“Awful, ain’t it?”

“Aaah!” I screamed, bolting upright as a deep male voice cut through the silence. On impulse, I grabbed the dagger from my nightstand and hurled it toward the sound.

My eyes landed on none other than Mr. Dream Invader himself—Drew, the freaking alpha rogue.

He caught the dagger between his fingers with irritating ease, his other hand propped lazily on the window frame as if it were the most comfortable seat in the world.

“What the hell are you doing in my room?” I snapped, furious that he managed to scare me—and even more pissed that he caught my dagger instead of letting it plunge deep into his chest.

It dawned on me then that he had opened my curtains on purpose. He had woken me on purpose.

Narrowing my eyes, I pointed an accusing finger at him. “I thought I told you to leave.”

His smirk only widened. With a chuckle, he hopped from the window, still twirling the dagger between his fingers. I watched, seething, as he casually placed it back on my nightstand before turning to face me.

“Good morning.”

“Oh, fuck this,” I spat, stomping toward my closet. I yanked open my crate and pulled out my longest silver dagger. He was getting on my last nerve.

“You won’t kill me.” He sang the words as he flopped onto my bed. My freaking bed! The audacity.

I had had enough of his bullshit, and I hadn’t even known him for twenty-four hours.

“First you invade my ball,” I rambled, screwing a sound suppressor onto my wolfsbane-coated silver bullets. Deadly to werewolves—even me.

I had to be careful with my weapons since I was a wolf too. But I knew how to handle them.

“Then you almost killed my groom,” I continued, closing the crate and shoving it to the back of the closet. “Then you ruin my sleep and act like you have some damn right to be in my room!”

I raised the gun, and he arched an eyebrow, as if daring me.

“Then you have the gall to act like you know me.”

And with that, I fired.

The bullet struck his shoulder, and he let out a sharp hiss, rolling off my bed. His eyes went wide.

“Fuck, that hurts,” he groaned, gripping his shoulder.

Who’s smirking now?

Slowly, I strode toward him, gun aimed at his face. Wolfsbane would weaken him long enough for me to finish him—just like all the others.

Wolfsbane alone wouldn’t kill him. Only a silver dagger to the heart could end us. Or being terribly injured in wolf form.

“And you dare say I won’t kill you?” I lowered my voice, pressing the dagger against his chest. His gaze flickered to it briefly before locking onto mine, entirely unfazed.

Despite the pain, despite the blood dripping onto my carpet, he still smirked. “So do it.” He smiled through the agony as if he had won.

I hated it. I pressed the dagger harder against his skin, but I couldn’t force myself to plunge it in. I couldn’t understand why.

Frustration surged through me. I ran my hands through my hair, shaking off the sudden wave of guilt that settled in my chest. I shouldn’t feel guilty—I shouldn’t care.

But I did.

Spinning around, I found him yanking the bullet from his shoulder, wincing as it finally came loose. His blood trickled onto the dark carpet, and when he met my gaze again, his eyes burned with something unreadable.

“What did you do to me?” I demanded. I wanted to know why I was so weak to him. I was never weak to anyone. Ever. “Was it whatever you did to Nathan?”

“You mean compulsion?” He chuckled, shuffling up from the floor. “No. I can’t compel you. No one can.”

I wanted to ask why, but I was too busy focusing on the fact that I couldn’t bring myself to kill him.

I would figure out his strange and seemingly impossible power later.

“So why do you have so much power over me?” I demanded, my anger bubbling again.

“I told you,” he said, pressing a rag to his wound.

“If you dare say we are mates—”

I had thought it over last night. There was no way we were mates. My wolf must’ve been confused. Whatever I felt for him must have been because I was sex-deprived or something. Drew was attractive and radiated power. It had been a while since I met someone who matched my strength. Naturally, my body must have reacted.

But there was no way we were mates.

A rogue? I could never love a rogue. Not after what happened to my siblings—to my family because of them.

And now, he was their Alpha. Which meant those rogues were under his command.

My grief surged back, fueling my rage. I raised the gun to his head, but my hand trembled.

Damn him!

“We. Are. Mates,” he gritted out, looking more than annoyed. “I won’t fucking prove it, but you’ll have to accept it sooner or later.”

I scoffed. “Okay. Pretend we actually are mates—”

“Which we are.”

“—Why did you just seek me out now?”

His gaze flickered to the door. “I told you last night. Because I didn’t want to accept you. You’re a murderer.”

I almost scoffed. “Yet you stalked me all my life.”

“I’m trapped, okay?” he snapped. “The minute you came into existence, I couldn’t leave this damn island. I figured I’d just suffer through it until you died or married. I try to keep my rogues away from you, but they’re rogues. They’re reckless by nature. Some still like to linger around town. I can’t save everyone.” He turned away, looking frustrated. “It was a perfect plan. But then I heard about the ball. That you were going to get married—take another mate—and I…I couldn’t stay away, okay? Don’t you see? I can’t stay away from you. And now that you’ve touched me, I’m even more fucking trapped.”

Gee, he was acting like it was my fault.

“So, if you don’t want me, just leave,” I shot back, feeling like a petty teen. I couldn’t believe I was even listening to his twisted reasoning.

“Did you not hear what I just said?” His eyes blazed, and the edge in his voice revealed a slight accent. It sounded Irish. And undeniably sexy.

Wait, what?

Shaking my head, I decided to end this conversation once and for all.

“Get out of my room and get out of my life. I don’t know who or what you are. But since I can’t kill you, you need to leave me the hell alone. Am I clear?”

I didn’t wait for a response as I stormed toward my attached bathroom.

Peeking through the door, I saw him still standing there. Stubborn ass.

“Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“Yes.”

“So why are you still here?”

“Because that Duke is downstairs,” he gritted out, his expression darkening.

Shit.

Drew was going to try and kill him again.