<h4>Chapter 20: Dangerous Game</h4>


    <strong>Kane’s POV:</strong>


    <i>Goddess, what have you given me as a mate?</i>


    When she stomped out of the dining room, visibly fuming, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d finally lost my sanity. Who in his right mind wouldn’t keep his mate close, especially after yesterday’s rogue attack deep within pack territory? The security here was obviouslycking, and leaving her in an unsafe ce wasn’t an option. But when the car arrived and she wouldn’te down, I had to do what an alpha does—I went to get her.


    Of course, she’d made herself scarce. First thought? Maybe she’d locked herself in the bathroom. Nope. Closet? Still nothing. Then I noticed the open window and thought, <i>no way.</i> But apparently, my "mature, level-headed" mate had actually escaped through the window—<i>or so I thought</i>.


    Turns out, the brat was hiding under the bed. Under the bed! Was she serious? Did she think we were ying some kind of twisted game of hide and seek? And to top it all off, she had the audacity to sneeze just before I left the room. I’d smelled her lingering scent earlier but assumed it was just because she slept here, not that she was literally lying right under my feet.


    By the time I yanked her out, she wasughing. <i>Laughing</i>, after making me practically wrestle her out from under the bed because she was holding onto the bedpost like her life depended on it. And she was actuallyughing in my face. Was she insane? That would at least exin her outrageous behavior.


    After all that, she finally acted like she was surrendering, and like a fool, I let her go—only for her to call me a "stupid jerk" and dive out the window<i>.</i>


    <i>This woman will be the death of me</i>. I’ve survived battles, assassination attempts, and rogue attacks, but it’s my own stubborn mate who just might take me down. <i>And No it wouldn’t be of poison but stupid anger.</i>


    Not one to be made a fool of, I jumped right out the window after her. By the time Inded, she’d already shifted into her sleek white wolf and was bolting for the forest. Fine. She wanted to run? Then I’d chase her down the old-fashioned way—on foot, no shifting.


    She might’ve thought she was fast, but her speed was nothing against mine. Either her wolf wasn’t as quick as she thought, or those intense morning runs had really paid off for me. Within moments, I could see her white form darting between the trees, ncing back now and then, probably thinking she’d lost me.<i></i>


    <i>Not a chance, little mate.</i>


    <strong>Elena’s POV:</strong>


    That damn alpha was right on my heels, his footsteps pounding behind me, getting closer with every second. I risked a quick nce over my shoulder and nearly stumbled—he looked furious, his gaze locked on me like a predator closing in on his prey. Oh, boy... I was so dead.


    Before I knew it, heunched himself at me, tackling me mid-sprint. We tumbled down together, rolling through leaves and dirt until wended with him pinning me beneath his weight. His hands gripped my shoulders firmly, and his fierce eyes zed with frustration.


    "Shift," hemanded, his voiceced with that undeniable Alpha tone. Even though he wasn’t <i>my</i> Alpha, the power in his voice shot through me, reaching my wolf, Zena. She hesitated, but that bond—the pull of a mate—forced her to obey, and I shifted back to my human form, bare and vulnerable beneath him.


    "Don’t... don’t look at me! Release me at once" I sputtered, my cheeks zing with embarrassment. I squirmed, trying to turn away or hide, but he held me in ce, his hands firm on my arms.


    "I’m not making the same mistake twice," he said, his voice low and unyielding. "You’re not running away from me again."


    Fury burned through me, hot and searing, as he held me pinned down,pletely naked beneath him. The nerve! The <i>absolute gall</i> of this arrogant, overbearing jerk! I could feel the mate bond buzzing between us, pulling me to him in ways that made my skin flush and my heart pound, but that only made me angrier. This was <i>my</i> life—my decisions, my freedom. And here he was, barging in, taking over, holding me down like I was some helpless pup.


    "Get off me, you arrogant, insufferable brute!" I spat, my cheeks ming. "Do you even know the meaning of the word <i>privacy</i>?"


    He didn’t budge, just stared down at me with that infuriating, smug expression. I could see the heat in his eyes as he looked over me, his gaze shamelessly taking in every inch, making me feel exposed in more ways than one. My wolf, Zena, was restless, torn between defiance and the maddening pull of his presence, but I was <i>not</i> giving in.


    Finally, he pulled back just enough to strip off his shirt, then tossed it at me. "Put this on," he ordered, his tone making it clear there was no room for argument.


    I red at him, seething as I yanked his shirt over my head, the fabric falling around me like a cloak. It smelled like him—earthy, warm, infuriatingly intoxicating—and that only made me hate it more. "Could you at least <i>turn around</i> while I—"


    "No," he cut me off, his voice low and unyielding. He crossed his arms, his gaze still fixed on me. "You lost that privilege the moment you jumped out the window and decided to y games, little mate."


    I clenched my fists, feeling my anger boil over. "You... you tyrannical caveman! You think you can just waltz into my life and control everything? I don’t need a dictator—I need you to back off!"


    He arched an eyebrow, his gaze darkening. "Calling me names won’t change the fact that you <i>will</i> being back with me, Elena. One way or another."


    I threw my hands up, growling in frustration. "You are absolutely the <i>most</i> diabolical, egotistical, self-righteous alpha I have ever met!"


    He smirked, a glint of amusement in his eyes as he took a step closer, invading my space yet again. "I’ve been called worse. And trust me, Elena, if you keep testing me, you’ll find out just how <i>diabolical</i> I can be."