I lick my lips to wet them, and his gaze snaps to my mouth. Fates, I may actually be blushing. I've had attention from males my entire life and never had this reaction. Shifting my hips to relieve the tickle between them, I answer, "I go to the University of Arizona, in Tucson. I'm getting a degree in commercial art."
He tilts his head to the side as if I've said the most fascinating thing on Earth. "An artist. Claro que si."
"What does that mean?"
He smiles, shifting his attention to my other wrist. "Yes, of course. I should have known a wolf as beautiful as you would only put more beauty into the world."
I roll my eyes.
"What kind of art do you produce?"
I nibble my lip. "Right now I'm really into watercolors with black ink outlines."
"Like landscapes?"
I don't know why it embarrasses me to say what I've been drawing. I say it, anyway. "Fairies."
He cocks his head, studying me. I wait for him to scoff, but instead he asks, "Why fairies?"
"Um." I flush. No one's ever asked me this much about my art before. Not even my folks. "When I was little, I had a nanny. Well, an older wolf who watched me in the afternoon sometimes. She always told me if I took a nap when she wanted me to, good fairies would come and fill my life with magic. I, um, remember trying to draw them." I rush to finish my lame story, but he doesn't interrupt or look bored. "Later, when she got sick, I made her little cards decorated with fairies. Somehow, I never grew out of it."
"I would very much like to see your fairies, Sedona."
His intense gaze makes my heart flutter. I look away. "I don't really show them to anyone," I mumble.
"Why not?"
"My professors would think it's dumb. My folks think that art is just a phase I'm going through. Something cute for me to occupy my time with until I'm mated. It's like they sent me for the 1950s Mrs. degree."
Carlos clucked. "They should be proud of you, and leave you to your art."
"Yeah. My dad and brother just care about keeping me safe and protected. The rest doesn't matter so much."
"But only you can live your life. You should be free to make your choices."
I snort. "I've never been free. They're... dominant." I remember just in time not to mention that Dad and Garrett are both alphas. "Don't dominant wolves like making decisions for others?"
"An alpha should be a leader, yes." Carlos nods. He caught what I didn't say, and I should be worried, but all I can think is smart wolf. "He should oversee the good of the pack, protect the weak, and keep them safe. But he should also know what his members care about, what makes them tick. That is leadership."
I swallow hard. This is dangerous territory. At least Carlos doesn't seem to think all women should be tied to their beds for an alpha asshole to ravish and breed. Or he does, and he's talking a good game to manipulate me. I'm just not sure.
"What about you?" I redirect the conversation. "Where did you go to school?"
"Stanford for undergrad, Harvard for my MBA."
Wow. Okay, he is a smart wolf. No wonder he didn't want to come back to his pack. A spark of anger on his behalf kindles in my chest. He should be able to choose his own future, not be shackled to this crazy pack.
But a more pressing and disturbing thought pushes its way to the forefront of my mind. "Carlos? I have to pee."
~.~
Carlos
My wolf loves the way Sedona looks up at me and spills her problem, like I'm the guy who will know how to fix it.
And then I'm enraged. There's a toilet in the room, but my female is chained to a bed. Yes, I called her my female. I know I can't keep her, but in this moment, she's under my protection. She's naked and vulnerable and-mine. My wolf snaps his teeth with that assertion. Down, boy.
I stomp to the door and pound on it again. "Give me the keys to her cuffs. Now."
I hear low voices murmuring behind the door, then Don Jose makes an offer, "The keys for the clothing."
Fuck. Me.
Anger has the cords in my neck standing out, but I'm impotent to act. I grit my teeth and turn to Sedona. "They say they will trade the keys for the scraps of clothing."
Her nostrils flare, lower jaw juts out at a stubborn angle. "Right. Because they're hoping for sexy time. How sexy will it be when I wet the bed?"
I can't hold back the bark of laughter that comes flying out. It surprises me-I honestly can't remember the last time I laughed. It's been years. Probably since before my father died.
Sedona's lips turn up into a wry grimace and I get lost in the cerulean blue of her eyes. And then, because there's no fucking way I'm letting my female be humiliated by wetting the bed, I make the decision for her. I march over and snatch my shirt from her body.
"Hey," she protests, but her nipples bead up.
"Your freedom is worth my discomfort," I tell her, dropping my boxers to the floor.
"Your discomfort?" Disbelief crowds her tone.
"Yes, muñeca. I'm the one who has to fight my instincts."
She blushes like an innocent, and I wonder how much sexual experience she has. She's mature, but still young.
It doesn't matter. She shouldn't be locked up with a wolf like me.
I gather up the other scraps littered around the room and give the delivery door a sharp kick. It slides back and I stuff the items through. Juanito's hand appears with the key. His wrist is still marked with red imprints from my fingers and guilt slams through me.