Page 74 of Monster. Me.

Lost in heated thoughts, I open the door, step inside, and stop dead in my tracks.

Rupert is sitting on my bed, staring at the television, but the moment I enter, his gaze shifts to me with an odd, intense attentiveness.

I didn't prepare what I was going to tell him, after all, I've been gone for quite a while. Still, I decide not to justify myself. I want to head toward the bathroom, but… he suddenly jumps to his feet and grabs my arm.

"Wait…"

I freeze, barely tolerating his touch.

His eyes lock onto mine.

"You fucked him?"

I stiffen. Wow, I wasn't expecting that directness.

"We may be taking regular blockers, but that doesn't mean I can't smell slick and semen. And his pheromones all over you! Come on."

What the fuck?

A hundred different responses instantly race through my head. Should I explain myself? Should I apologize for something?

Hell no. No fucking way am I explaining myself, especially not to him.

"I can believe you'd know something about that. You're quite the connoisseur, aren't you? Especially when it comes to other people's cum."

Rupert's jaw tightens; he slightly tilts his upper body toward me, and his nostrils flare; his pupils grow bigger.

For the first time since we met, his energy changes. It turns aggressive, sharp, and intense.

"That's exactly why I never wanted to touch you. Because I knew there was a real piece of work hiding underneath all that pretty façade."

With a quick twist, he spins me around until my back is pressed against the wall.

I could easily break free, but for some reason, I wait to see what happens next, what Rupert will say, how he'll act… whether he'll dare become even more outrageous. Him, of all people!

Let's see how it goes.

He presses himself against me, and I feel his furious breath against my ear, his entire body pinned to mine while my cheek rests against the wall.

He is sniffing around my neck, and I realize that if Fenn’s pheromones are indeed covering me, he may have a certain reaction, but I decide to wait a bit longer.

"From the moment I walked into this room, I knew this was a mistake," he continues, still sniffing. "But maybe there's still something worth salvaging here. You see, as you've already pointed out, I have certain… specific needs when it comes to sex."

I almost laugh at his claim that there's ‘still something to salvage’, but then I feel him pulling something from his pocket.

Unfortunately, I react too late… disregarding the danger.

My arrogance and the belief that I could get out of any situation because I’m stronger, or at least faster than the average alpha, turn out to be my downfall.

I feel an object press against the strip of bare skin between my T-shirt and my pants, and a violent electric shock tears through my body…

My spine snaps tight like a bowstring, and I almost collapse to the ground before Rupert catches me.

With one short shove, he throws me toward the bed, and in the next jerk, he rips my pants off.

What the hell?!

To my frustration, the current is still vibrating in my muscles. All I can manage is a long, pathetic whimper, and that's it. The shock dose I took was seriously heavy.