Kasan’s POV
… A person who could change expressions instantly…
Everyone who knew me personally has always described me in such a way, but today, it wasn’t me who changed emotions within the span of a second…. it was Clara.
And I had no idea whether it forebode something unfavourable or not.
Appalled and confused, my fingers loosened their hold on her waist and slowly slid off her almost unblemished skin.
She wasn’t glaring at me like she’d been doing before but I had no faith that anything would be much different than last time.
When Kenley told me she wanted to leave, I wasn’t surprised…. more like disappointed.
It’s funny how we hadn’t spent much time together yet I expected that she’d stay.
Ludicrous.
The air gave off an ominous vibe, like shit was bout to go down, but unlike what I’d have imagined, a tender smile broke out unto her face.
This sudden change in the atmosphere…. what could it mean?
“I thought you said I had to be a good girl to get stuff? Right now it looks like you’d even kill yourself if I asked. Should a mafia dude be acting this way?” Her eyes flickered down to the hands hanging at my side. Broadening her smile, she reached for my hand and lightly grazed the tips of my fingers before guiding it back to her waist.
“The necklace…” She said, “Your gift ain’t really a gift when it initially belonged to me, but I’ll keep it since you kept it with you for so long.”
The words ‘initially belonged to me’ completely stole my attention in seconds.
My hand twitched, fingers immediately letting go of her waist, but before it could fall, she quickly rooted it in place with her own petite one that barely compared to mine when it came to size.
“And this creepy werewolf mate thing, let’s not call it that, but rather I’ll think of it as you being madly obsessed with me. Though it shouldn’t, that does make me feel a bit better.”
I blinked.
I don’t think I’d ever felt this astonished and utterly confused before. And the fact that I couldn’t tell what she was thinking annoyed the heck out of me.
But despite not knowing what suddenly brought her to this conclusion nor what she knew about the necklace, a foolish sense of relief still washed over me.
“What’s with this new attitude? And the necklace?” My fingers instinctively gripped her waist tighter, pulling her flush against me and completely rendering her unable to move freely. My other hand found her chin, gently grasping the flesh as I stared into her eyes, uncertainty swarming my features. “What are you plotting? You’re mistaken if you think I’ll let y–”
“I’m guessing you’re the werewolf I met back in the woods? I’m only giving you a teeny chance since you saved me back then.”
At that, my chest begun to throb more than ever.
She remembers?! All this time I’ve been pondering she remembered? How? When?!
The necklace… it has to be the necklace. But she said I saved her…?
… she’s the one who saved me.
“How did you—”
“You think I wouldn’t recognize my own necklace? And stop squishing me!” She smacked my fingers away from her chin and wiggled, attempting to relieve herself from being sandwiched between the wall and my body.
“But bear in mind… if you werewolves make a single wrong move, I’m running away the first chance I get whether it be you, your wolf buddies, your dad, the bitch that shot me or my own brother. Besides, I’m not staying here for free… You said you’d give me whatever I want, I’m holding you to that. And on another note, I’ve been wondering…. if I wasn’t your mate, would you want me to stay?”
Confusion sunk deeper into my being the further into the conversation we got. I can’t seem to wrap my head around everything she’s been saying.
Is she messing with me?
“I’m asking if you’re with me because I’m your mate?” She frowned, seeming to find displeasure in repeating. “Liking me because I’m your mate sounds a bit insufficient, ridiculous even. What about me? As in ME, mate and all that shit aside. Better yet, is it possible to change your mate? Like choose someone else?” She stared expectantly up at me, her frown deepening the longer I delayed a reply.
What did she even want me to say?
In this age, most werewolves have nothing to live for if not their mates. Some say it’s instant love at first sight. Some say the bond is what made them grow closer together. Some say they’d rather reject their destined mate than letting them mess with their feelings.
However… Am I even apart of any of those categories?
“I wouldn’t want a mate if it wasn’t you.”
The room went silent, but the frown on her face had quickly dissolved and was instantly replaced with a lopsided grin that beared nothing but smug.
Then… am I to take this as her accepting me?
Staying because I apparently saved her?
I don’t like the idea, but I’m content nonetheless. If she had insisted on leaving, I don’t want to imagine how disastrous it would’ve been. Knowing her, she’d had to be kept like a prisoner.
I’m glad it didn’t need to get to that.
“What about the others?” She piped up. “Where are their mates?”
“Some have none… some do, most of which are humans who’d rather stay with their family than come anywhere near here and others who simply don’t want to mingle with danger. I honestly don’t care about their personal lives as long as it doesn’t hinder my goals.”
“I see.” She nodded, “So did you catch the guy that shot me? I’ll make it my duty to pay him back tenfold for the shit he did.”
“He’s dead,” I scowled. It irks me to remember that he regrettably got away with an easy death.
“I didn’t get much out of him except the fact that they possess scent sprays. I’m pretty sure he isn’t the real threat. Did you happen to see anyone else that day?”
“Scent spray?”
“It hides the wearer’s scent so we can’t smell them.”
“Oh…”
She squirmed against me once more and I reluctantly eased off her a bit, but didn’t remove my hands from her waist.
It feels incredibly good to finally be so close to her, to touch her shimmering skin and sniff her intoxicating scent.
“I don’t think I saw anyone else but whatever you’re gonna do, I can help you. I may not be a scary werewolf but I’m just as good with a gun as you are. Any objections and I won’t be so open-minded about all this shit.”
Her expression said there was absolutely no room for argument, but I suppose it doesn’t matter as long as she’s under my gaze.
After this strike, I’m sure he knows that things have gotten serious. I’ve never battled it out with him directly nor did I have any intention of taking him out but….
… the fact that his target is now my mate changes things.
And as for the spy….
Hell will break lose once I find that traitor. Wolves and humans…. we’re different in so many ways. One would expect a human to switch sides without a care in the world but for a wolf to betray their pack?… it’s unforgivable. I’ll rip every bone through their flesh and hang hi—-
“So do y’all shift and kill or stick to gunfights? I feel bad for your shitty Father, I mean you can’t even die. I get why he’s set on killing me.”
“It’s not that I can’t die.” I clarified, “I’m just hard to kill. And technically, you’re better off than I am. You’ve got alot of shields waiting for the moment you’re in danger.”
“Shields?” She laughed, her white teeth dazzling across her face as she crossed her arms between us. The mere sight seemed to have just sucked the last bit of stress from my being.
“You’re talking about your pack, right?”
“Yeah.”
Without much thought, I dipped my head into her neck and rubbed the tip of my nose over the skin. I took breaths after breaths, wanting nothing more than to emerse myself in her scent now that I had the chance. The light friction between our skin had her body becoming stiff against mine and her breath coming out in puffs as it hit against the exposed bit of my back.
It wasn’t nearly my intention to arose anything sensual but … I missed this side of her.
My tongue creeped out of my mouth, drawing a wet trail across her skin and over to the mark at the crook. My lips latched on without delay, sucking on the soft flesh.
Almost immediately, a muffled moan graced my awaiting ears and my lower region instantly jerked to life, poking the inside of her thigh.
And along with a raging erection, the urge to re-sink my canines into her neck stirred my insides.
That… was my cue to halt.
Our dispute had already caused quite the havoc. Doing anything of that sort now wouldn’t work in my favor… unfortunately.
Reluctantly, I pulled back, releasing my hold on her hips and guiding a hand upwards to run through my hair in frustration.
“We should head downstairs. There are still a few who haven’t seen you.”
I did not miss the annoyance that painted her face nor the piercing glare was shot my way.
“I’m not gonna lie… it is a bit weird knowing you’re an ugly, furry animal and all…. but I can stomach it if that’s why you’re hesitating.” Without the slightest hesitation, her hands reached for me and settled atop my shoulders as she re-closed the space between us.
“That’s not–”
“By the way…” She cut me off, her gaze abruptly darting away from my face and over my shoulder to stare at something behind me. “I saw something fascinating in the drawer a few days ago and I’d be super-duper happy if I got to try it on you. You said you’d do anything I asked, right? So… how about… handcuffs?”