Making her his

Acantha reached for Theo's hand nervously and tried to pull him behind her small frame like that would do anything. The act would have been funny to Ghod if he wasn't so angry.

Theo was still staring down at her with confusion etched deeply on his face when his ear suddenly twitched, and he raised his head. Their eyes met, and he broke into a smile, completely oblivious to the tension stretching in the air.

"I hope training wasn't so boring without me today," he teased good-naturedly, but Ghod glowered.

The confused look crossed Theo's expression again, and he tried to remove his hand from Acantha's, but she wouldn't let him.

He had only been good at sensing the atmosphere once it was almost too late. "Look at me," Ghod ordered calmly when Acantha's eyes refused to meet his.

"You seem upset," Theo began, but Ghod silenced him with a raised finger, his eyes still focused on his wife.

"Come here," Ghod ordered again, and this time, Acantha swallowed before slowly unwrapping her hand from around Theo's and stepping a bit to the side.

"Can you take three deep breaths first?" she muttered in a low, steady voice, her question raising Ghod's brow curiously.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because it might help you remove some of the anger; you seem more brute than man right now," she replied.

He glared at her through narrowed eyes, completely unsure whether to throttle her or sweep her into his arms and kiss her senselessly.

"Perhaps it's time I get going," Theo stated as he stepped back.

"Perhaps?" Ghod mocked. "You are terrible at picking up moods!"

Theo's expression hardened, and he bowed slightly before facing Acantha.

"Don't let him win," he whispered, knowing the Alpha could hear him.

Ghod waited until Theo had begun walking away before reaching forward and hurling Acantha towards him.

"You don't have to drag me along; I can walk perfectly at a respectable pace!" she snapped as she clawed at his fingers wrapped around her arm.

"There was nothing respectable about you, my wife, cackling like a witch at another man's joke,"

Ghod drawled as he continued to pull her along, completely unaffected by her attempts to break away from his tight grasp.

"So, you are jealous because you aren't funny?" she prodded viciously, no longer caring about angering him further.

"I'm jealous because I just saw you with another man," Ghod replied, his voice still surprisingly calm.

"Theo isn't… another man," Acantha stuttered. "He's your best friend!"

"It doesn't change anything."

"Well, at least you admitted you were jealous."

He ignored her. Completely out of other options, Acantha did the only other thing she thought would work. She put all her weight down, and as soon as Ghod's step faltered, she plopped down to the ground.

"What are you doing?" he queried with frustration.

"I'm putting my foot down," she replied, then pursed her lips stubbornly. "I can't just let you drag me into the house like a naughty child; it is embarrassing."

"Get up, Acantha," he replied, trying to hurl her to her feet again.

"No! You can go in, and I'll meet you later," she protested curtly.

He glanced around, noting the intentional focus with which some of the house helpers were doing their duties. They were paying attention to them, but his wife was too stubborn to consider that.

"Acantha…" he started, but she threw her face to the side in protest.

"Very well then."

Her heart soared gladly when he dropped her hand, but the relief was quickly dismissed when he leaned down and scooped her into his arms like she weighed nothing.

"What are you doing!?"

He ignored her and merely began to cover the rest of the distance to the house.

"If you don't put me down, I'm going to scream."

"Do whatever you want."

Acantha was about to snap back but then paused, slowly took in his jaw's hard set, and quickly kept her mouth shut.

****

Ghod strode into the main hallway, his heart beating at a fast tempo that had nothing to do with the exertion of holding her.

Their fiery banter fueled the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the exhilarating press of her body against his, and perhaps the way she was studying him with a mix of wariness and fascination.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked as he carefully began to ascend the stairs.

"Stop asking foolish questions," he drawled, then kicked the bedroom door open and walked inside.

"Why are you so upset with me?" she tried again as he tossed her gently onto the bed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Are you going to talk to me?" she pressed on in muted anger, but he just began to pace around the room, further increasing her rage.

"I should leave the room."

He knew this…but he just couldn't. His desire was eating him up, so much that his hand quivered visibly as he reached down and pulled off his boots.

Acantha could smell something aside from his anger, which excited her.

"Ghod?" she muttered as she exited the bed and approached him slowly.

"To the abyss with it!" he growled.

He reached for her, his lips crashing down to hers. Immediately, their chests collided. He trembled with the need to claim her, make her his in every sense of the word, and that need to fuel his actions as his hands travelled over her body with a quickness that left Acantha breathless.

She let out a whimper when she heard the sharp ripping sound of her dress before he pulled it down to her waist, leaving her chest and stomach completely bare.

"Ghod…"

She bit back her next words, a harsh moan falling from her lips when his mouth covered a nipple as he began to back her towards the dressing table.

Ghod raised his head, and she breathed at the piercing glow of his eyes. He studied her, pulling back slightly to take in all of her.

"Mine," he growled before leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to her chest.

Acantha could feel what was about to come and welcomed it wholly. She let out a loud, throaty cry of surrender when the sharp tips of his teeth pierced her flesh, branding her as his. He looked up again and their eyes met as she felt a delicious fluttering in her chest.

"Mine," she heard his voice whisper before he captured her lips again.