His Arrogant Human Mate novel Chapter 56

He nodded, guiding me towards the bathroom. "I understand. You need a break and after dinner, the night is yours to do whatever you wish. Just... please stay inside."

I agreed without any fuss. I felt like I owed it to him somewhat, but it wasn't like I was sacrificing anything. After that pervert messed with me, all I wanted was the little comfort that this place had for me. It wasn't much, but it was better than all that pain and the assault that man was forcing on me.

Dominic stayed just outside the bathroom door while I undressed, and wouldn't come in until I gave him the clear. I started the shower before undressing so it would be up to the right temperature by the time I got in. The dial was turned almost all the way to the left, the hottest setting. If it could go further, I would.

My skin crawled, it felt dirty and slimy after that guy had his hands and mouth all over me. Only the hottest water could rid me of his presence. And the hotter, the better. The more it scorched my skin, the better I would feel afterward.

The air in the bathroom became muggy within seconds, fogging the mirrors before I could begin to take my clothes off. I found myself leaning over the sink, my eyes closing tightly as I took a deep, steadying breath.

When had I gone so wrong?

I hadn't ever been a sweet angel. At least since my parents' deaths. I didn't remember much from before then though. Even though I hadn't been the good girl in a long time, I was at least nice. I wasn't suffering from chronic bitch disorder. But looking at myself now, part of my brain didn't recognize the girl I was glaring at. My physical appearance was almost exactly the same, but it was obvious I had lost weight and wasn't sleeping as well. Granted, I was still recovering from my body rejecting the mark, but that wasn't the worst part.

I didn't recognize what I was becoming, my personality. My eyes seemed to belong to a different person. Someone guarded and miserable and angry. Permanently fired up.

"Cara? Caroline, you alright?" Dominic called, knocking on the door.

"Yeah, yeah," I replied with a sigh. "Almost there. Just another minute."

It was only one night, right? If I just got over with the sex, we could go back to taking it slow later. It'd make almost everyone happy, content for the moment. Everyone except me. In this scenario, how much did what I want matter anyways?

A hand curled around my hip, bringing me back to earth. Dominic was standing over me, blocking the entrance to the dining room where the meeting was to be held. "Sugar, your mind is in a dark place right now. What are you thinking about?"

"Just the meeting and the ceremony," I replied vaguely.

Dom examined my face closely, a line creasing in his forehead. He was concerned about what I wasn't saying, what I was leaving out. "I'm asking you to trust me on this one, Caroline. Okay? Let me handle everything. All I need is your faith in me, sugar, and we will survive this night."

Dominic sat close to my side, holding my hand securely in my lap as he spoke with the organizers. They didn't include me much, which wasn't a big problem with me. The ceremony was beyond my expertise. I hadn't ever seen one before, not even in the old pack I lived in.