HannasHaven Read Online Free Page A

side.
    He didn’t.
    “There you go again, deluding yourself into thinking I won’t
bite.” His voice was thick with dark promise.
    Her jaw dropped.
    Marcus crooked his finger. “Come here, Hanna.”
    She shook her head and took a step back.
    “Hanna. Here. Now.”
    “No way.”
    He simply stared at her. She tried valiantly to hold his
stare but couldn’t handle more than a few seconds before her gaze dropped and
she moved toward him.
    Marcus didn’t let his satisfaction show. As she drew close,
he scooped her up, setting her down on his lap. He ignored the warning voice
inside his head that told him this was a damn stupid idea.
    “Marcus!” She shoved at his hands ineffectively. Damn it, he
didn’t like how weak she felt. How fragile.
    He let his wolf brush against hers playfully.
    “Oh.”
    Over the past few weeks he’d rarely sensed her wolf. She
hadn’t joined him on any of his runs. Wolves were pack animals, they were
tactile. Sure, some were more reserved or solitary. But they still needed other
pack members to keep them grounded, sane. They needed some interaction with
other wolves. But Hanna’s wolf felt starved, weak.
    Marcus sat back and held her, his wolf rubbing against hers
contentedly.
    “Hanna.”
    “What?” She looked up at him and it was too much. He leaned
down and kissed her sinful lips. They were plump and lush, the bottom lip a tad
larger than the top. He brushed his mouth against hers. Once, twice, listening
closely as her breath grew faster.
    The he took her bottom lip between his teeth and bit down
firmly, careful not to break the skin.
    “Ow, she complained. “What was that for?” Her eyes were
dazed with lust. Interesting.
    “Behave yourself.”
    Her brows drew together. “Behave? What part of ‘I am not a
dog’ don’t you understand?”
    “Oh believe me, honey, I know you’re not a dog. However, you
are going to talk to me. I know you’re scared, but snapping at me isn’t going
to help matters.”
    Hanna glared at him but couldn’t hold his gaze for long.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
    He ran his hand up and down her arm, content to just hold
her. “Tell me something, did you love Dan?”
    “I cared for him,” she replied, her body language screaming back
off .
    “Not the same thing. You didn’t love him. I’ve seen
werewolves who have lost their mates, they were devastated. One nearly starved
himself to death. Another went feral. I’m sure you were grateful to him. From what
little you’ve said, it sounds like life with your pack was pretty horrible, and
Dan provided you with a way to gain your freedom. But why did you mate him if
you didn’t love him? Did he force you?” His hand grasped her arm tightly,
waiting for her reply.
    “He didn’t force me,” she told him, pulling her arm free.
“Does this really matter?”
    He hadn’t asked her until now because he hadn’t wanted to
push her too far, too fast. Now, though, her answers had become much more
important. He wanted to know. He had to know.
    Marcus raised his eyebrows, giving her a firm look. She
wrinkled her nose at him and he had to bite his cheek to stop from smiling.
    She stared at her hands as she spoke. “I didn’t mate Dan. We
were never mates.”
    Marcus gaped at her in shock. “What? But you said…” He
trailed off, thinking back. Had she ever told him that Dan was her mate?
    “No, I didn’t. You all thought he was and I just never
disagreed.”
    “We thought the two of you were mated because that’s what he
told us. I’m very good at detecting lies.”
    She stared right into his eyes, her face pale but her voice
was steady. “Dan was a gambler. His success relied on his ability to bluff and
lie. Besides, I think he almost believed that I was his mate. He wanted me to
be his mate. But I just couldn’t. I know I should have told you, but I was
scared that none of you would help me if you knew the truth. You promised Dan
you’d look after his mate. That’s not