Chapter 2

The ears were real. The silence was totally fake.

This sneaky bastard had played me for three whole months.

Pinned against the wall, my brain was short-circuiting. I could only repeat one thing. "You can talk?!"

Neo's wolf ears twitched, and the faintest hint of a smile tugged at his lips. "Yeah."

"Then why haven't you said anything before?!" I was so mad I wanted to bite him.

"Observation period," he answered concisely, his breath ghosting over my neck. "Bureau regulations state that matched couples have a three-month adjustment phase.

"We are supposed to minimize communication to prevent verbal conflicts from ruining the bond."

"So you just pretended to be mute?"

"I was not pretending," he corrected me. "I was reducing unnecessary communication."

"And now?" I glared at him. "The observation period is over?"

"It is over." His fingers brushed against the lace strap on my shoulder. "Today is exactly day ninety-one."

Goosebumps prickled across my skin.

Logic screamed at me to push him away, but my body absolutely refused to listen.

Especially when his fingertips traced my collarbone, sending a violent shiver down my spine. My legs went so weak I could barely stand.

"Rhea Jax," he suddenly said, using my full name.

"What?" I blurted, nerves shot.

"You just said a government-issued mate shouldn't go to waste." His grayish-blue eyes locked onto me like a wolf cornering its prey. "Did you mean it?"

My throat went dry.

Was it too late to take it back?

Obviously, it was.

Because he had already dipped his head and kissed me.

It was not a gentle, testing kiss.

It was completely feral and intensely demanding.

Our teeth clashed, and my lip stung for a second, but then his tongue parted my lips and took absolute control.

I let out a soft noise, my fingers automatically tangling in his damp hair.

His wolf ears brushed against my cheek. They were incredibly soft, and the sensation was bizarrely amazing.

By the time he finally pulled back, I was practically hanging off him, panting like I had just sprinted a mile.

"Breathe," he chuckled low in his chest.

"You are cheating," I mumbled, my oxygen-deprived brain struggling to form sentences. "Who kisses that aggressively?"

"We haven't even started." He scooped me up into his arms and walked toward the ridiculously large bed.

He tossed me onto the soft mattress and ripped off his towel with one hand.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Isn't it a little late to close your eyes?" His voice was laced with pure amusement.

"I am not looking at you!" I argued stubbornly, squeezing them even tighter.

I heard the rustle of fabric, followed by the crisp sound of tearing lace.

My eyes snapped open. "I just bought that!"

"I will buy you ten more." He settled over me, his body heat absolutely scorching.

Everything after that was a chaotic, burning blur.

I only remember the electric feeling of his ears brushing against the crook of my neck.

I remember the suppressed growl he let out when he bit my shoulder.

I remember him chanting my name over and over again. "Rhea, Rhea..." His voice wrecked and raspy.

At three in the morning, I lay paralyzed on the bed, too exhausted to lift a single finger.

Neo held me from behind, his chin resting on top of my head, his wolf ears periodically flicking against my face.

"So..." My voice was entirely hoarse. "Were you really just following the rules by staying quiet all this time?"

"Promise."

"Then what do you actually think of me?" I couldn't help but ask. "You watched me for three months. You must have some kind of opinion."

He paused for a few seconds.

"Your cooking is terrible," Neo said bluntly.

I stayed silent.

"You stay up too late," he added.

Still silent.

"You are skittish and scare too easily."

I curled my hands into fists.

"But," he pivoted, his arms tightening around my waist, "you always burrow into my chest when you sleep.

"You look adorable when you are half-awake in the mornings.

"Whenever I came home injured from a mission, you would complain the entire time while carefully bandaging my wounds.

"And you look way better wearing my button-down shirts than you do in that black lace thing."

My face went up in flames. "I never wore your shirts!"

"Last month, when your laundry didn't dry in time, you grabbed one from my closet." He completely exposed me. "You wore it all day. Did you really think I didn't know?"

I buried my face in the pillow and played dead.

"Rhea," he called out again.

"What?" I mumbled, still buried in the pillow.

"The observation period is over," he said softly. "Starting today, I am going to properly fulfill my duties as your mate."

My heart skipped a beat.

"So?" I whispered.

"So we are going to the Bonding Agency tomorrow to upgrade our temporary status to a permanent union." He pressed a kiss to the tip of my ear. "Any objections?"

"No."

"Good girl."

I had a dream that night.

In the dream, I was still the same cowardly Rhea Jax, fuming quietly at Neo's broad back.

But this time, he turned around. Silver hair, gray eyes, wolf ears standing tall.

He looked at me and said, "I am waiting for you to jump me."