Chapter 6 Secret Behind His Desire

"I want you."

Irene stared at Arnold, unsure how to respond.

"You don't even know me."

"I know enough."

A faint smile touched his lips.

Irene didn't smile back. Only minutes ago, she had walked away from Eugene with this man. Now, the Lycan Alpha wanted her to return to the celebration as his partner, yet his words sounded like he wanted something more.

"This isn't funny."

"I'm not joking."

His calm answer unsettled her more than a laugh would have.

Irene crossed her arms, keeping a little distance between them.

"Why choose me? You could ask anyone else."

"But I didn't."

"That's not an answer."

Arnold said nothing.

Beyond him, people moved along the lantern-lit paths. Music filled the air, mixed with laughter and the calls of vendors. The celebration continued as if nothing had happened.

They were still close enough to the gathering for Irene to return whenever she wanted. She reminded herself of that.

Arnold might appear relaxed, but she couldn't forget who he was.

He was the Lycan Alpha. His father had been killed by Eugene during the war. And Arnold had approached her after hearing rumors about her troubled relationship with Eugene.

Those facts were too important to ignore.

"Is this about Eugene?" she asked.

Arnold's smile faded slightly.

"Why would you think that?"

"Because I can't think of another reason you'd approach me."

"Perhaps you haven't given me enough credit."

"Then give me a reason to trust you."

For the first time, Arnold didn't answer with a smile.

Irene waited, but he offered nothing.

She had spent the past week receiving answers that explained nothing. She wasn't going to let another man keep her guessing.

"What exactly do you want from me?"

"I want you to return to the celebration with me."

"As your partner?"

"Yes."

"And when I asked if you wanted me to pretend, you said you didn't want a pretend partner."

"I remember."

"Then stop talking as if you're asking me to take a walk through the garden."

Arnold studied her face.

"You know who I am," he said.

"That's part of the problem."

His gaze sharpened.

"Explain."

"You're the Lycan Alpha. You came here for peace discussions. So why are you spending your evening asking me to be your woman?"

"Would you rather I asked someone else?"

"I'd rather you answered my question."

A faint smile returned to his lips.

Irene folded her arms more tightly.

He seemed to find her resistance interesting. She couldn't decide whether that made him less threatening or simply harder to understand.

"I've heard about you," he said.

"The rumors. You've already told me."

"They're difficult to miss."

Irene looked away.

People were calling her the rejected mate of Hellfire's future Alpha, even though neither she nor Eugene had formally broken their bond.

She could still feel it.

That was what made the rumors so painful. Strangers spoke as if her relationship had already ended, while she was still struggling to understand what remained between them.

"I don't want to discuss what people are saying."

"Then you should know they're watching."

Irene glanced toward the nearest path.

Two people stood beside a stall, looking in their direction. When one noticed her watching, they quickly turned back toward the vendor.

Her stomach tightened.

She couldn't know what they were discussing, but she could imagine what would happen if people began making assumptions about her and Arnold.

Arnold followed her gaze.

"They saw you leave with me."

"You knew they would."

"Of course."

"And you still took my hand."

"You came with me."

"Because I wanted to get away from Eugene."

"I helped you do that."

"Yes, and I thanked you. That doesn't mean I agreed to anything else."

Arnold watched her in silence.

For once, Irene felt she had said something he couldn't easily turn into another playful exchange.

Then he asked, "Do you wish you'd stayed with him?"

"No."

The answer came without hesitation.

She didn't regret leaving Eugene at the stall. She had told him she didn't want to talk, yet he had continued approaching her.

But escaping Eugene didn't mean she was willing to accept Arnold's invitation.

"I could have left on my own," she added.

"Perhaps."

"I could have."

His mouth curved slightly.

"You're determined to make that clear."

"Because you keep acting as if leaving with you means more than it does."

"I've been called worse things than helpful."

"I'm sure you have."

The words slipped out before Irene could stop them.

Arnold's smile widened.

For one brief moment, she almost smiled too.

The reaction surprised her. She had spent the past week struggling to tolerate even the thought of another conversation with Eugene. Yet here she was, exchanging sharp remarks with a stranger beneath the lanterns.

But a moment of amusement didn't mean she trusted Arnold.

She let her arms fall to her sides.

"This is a bad idea."

"Which part?"

"Going back with you as your partner."

"Why?"

"People already think they know what happened between Eugene and me. If I arrive beside you, they'll invent another story."

"Would that bother you?"

"Yes."

Arnold studied her face.

Irene glanced toward the celebration.

She had only wanted to leave her room and enjoy the evening without being forced to speak to Eugene. That had been difficult enough.

Now she imagined entering beside the Lycan Alpha. People would turn to look at them. Eugene would see them. His parents might see them too.

The evening would become something she had never intended.

"Something is already happening between us," Arnold said.

Irene looked back at him.

"We're talking."

"That's a beginning."

"Of a conversation."

He stepped closer.

Irene moved back.

Arnold stopped.

"You came here with me," he said.

"To hear what you wanted. Now I have."

"And?"

"I haven't agreed to anything."

"You haven't refused, either."

Irene held his gaze.

"That doesn't mean yes."

Arnold fell silent.

Beneath her skin, Irene's wolf stirred uneasily. Standing near Arnold made her strangely aware of him, but she couldn't tell why.

Perhaps it was his size. Perhaps it was the way he watched her without looking away. Or perhaps it was the danger she associated with his name.

Whatever the reason, she wouldn't mistake that unfamiliar feeling for trust.

"I'm not asking you to decide your future tonight," Arnold said.

"You're asking me to stand beside you in front of everyone. That will mean something to the people watching."

"And what would it mean to you?"

Irene opened her mouth, then stopped.

She hadn't expected him to ask that.

Part of her wanted Eugene to see that she could walk away from him. She could admit that much to herself.

At the stall, she had felt Eugene's distress through their bond. For once, she hadn't rushed to comfort him.

But if she stood beside Arnold just to provoke Eugene, she would still be allowing Eugene to control her choices.

She had come out for herself.

She needed to remember that.

"I don't know you well enough for it to mean anything," she said.

"Then get to know me."

"While everyone decides we're together?"

"You care a great deal about what they think."

"I care about what I'm agreeing to."

Arnold's expression grew serious.

Irene drew a slow breath.

Their packs had only recently stopped fighting. She didn't know whether a personal dispute could affect the peace discussions, but she had no desire to become part of a conflict between their leaders.

Especially when Eugene had killed Arnold's father.

She looked directly at him.

"If this is about revenge, I won't be part of it."

Arnold's expression didn't change.

Music drifted through the silence between them.

Irene wished she could read his face as easily as she had once believed she could read Eugene's.

"Is that why you chose me?" she asked.

Arnold still didn't answer.

His silence made her decision easier.

She didn't need to stay until he finally decided to explain himself. She had spent enough time waiting for men to tell her what they meant.

"I'm going home."

She turned toward the path.

Then Arnold caught her hand.

"Wait."

Irene stopped and looked down at his fingers around hers before raising her eyes to his face.

"What?"

He didn't answer.

The faint amusement was gone. For the first time since they had met, Arnold looked completely serious.

Irene kept her body turned toward the path.

She had already told him she was leaving. His request alone wouldn't change her mind.

Still, something in his expression made her pause.

His hand remained around hers.

And as she looked into his dark eyes, a troubling thought crossed her mind.

What if asking her to be his partner tonight was only the beginning of what Arnold wanted?