“Who wants to see me? Olive?” he asked, his eyes still red.
“Yes, Olive. She’s in Dolly’s room,” Jake answered. Wayne exhaled and ran his fingers through his hair again.
“She… She hates me, ” he muttered and began to walk in circles, with his fists balled tight.
“No, she doesn’t. You’re her f\*cking mate, Wayne! She’s attracted to you so just return that attraction. What’s stopping you?”
“I don’t know, Jake! It’s just hard.”
Jake sighed and telepathically informed Dolly that he was bringing Wayne to see Olive. Dolly approved.
“Come on, let’s go see your mate,” Jake said and began to walk away with Crusoe.
“Wait, I’ll go alone,” Wayne objected and walked into the elevator alone. It closed and few minutes later, he walked into the hallway which contained his sisters’ rooms. He knocked lightly on Dolly’s.
“Come in,” Dolly’s voice answered from within. He opened the door and stepped in gently. The first person his eyes caught sight of was his mate, sitting in the bed with a plate in her hand, and pizza moving up towards her lips. He stopped in his tracks as he watched her. Her face looked up and met his gaze. She dropped the pizza immediately.
“Go on. Eat,” he said in a calm, deep voice and she obliged. Wayne looked to his sister.
“How is she? The poison?”
“Extracted. Thankfully, it wasn’t much. Or it’d have taken a whole day to get it all out.”
“I’m sorry I did that. I just… lost control,” he sincerely apologized while sitting down opposite the bed, on Dolly’s sofa. Dolly crossed her arms and stared at her brother intently.
‘Something’s going on within you, Wayne,’ she said to him through their mind link.
‘Even I don’t know what it is. It’s like I’m being torn apart by my own hands,’ he replied while still gazing at his mate eating pizza peacefully.
‘You like her. Terry told me about the way you reacted when you found out about her. You wanted her. But why are you suddenly acting like you don’t?’
‘Trust me, I do. I just don’t know why I act like I don’t. I didn’t like the way Jericho held her hand earlier,’ Wayne’s finger twirled his locks as he continued to stare at the overly cute and hungry Olive.
Dolly began to pace around with her index finger tapping her lips and her arm supporting her elbow up.
‘Something doesn’t want you to have a mate. It’s fighting you to turn against her,’ she stated. Wayne’s face furrowed into a frown. He knew what she was talking about. But he couldn’t let that happen, right? He had taken full control already. Why was it resurfacing again?
‘You know what? I’m leaving you both. Just don’t try to kill her again. If you feel like you’re getting out of control, leave the room immediately and call me,’ Dolly said firmly and he nodded. She turned to Olive with a smile.
“Hey, I’ll be going to get a few things from the healers for you. Just something to strengthen your immune system. Be back in a jiffy,” she announced. Olive nodded with a smile even though she knew Dolly was purposely leaving her and the Alpha to be together. She had noticed how they were communicating but decided to act like she didn’t know.
She was not part of the pack yet, so she couldn’t access their mind links. She therefore couldn’t communicate with them. Except if they were both outside their pack territory, only then they could mind link. That too wouldn’t even be a strong connection.
“How do you feel?” Alpha Knight asked after Dolly had left.
“Pretty good,” she replied and licked her fingers slowly. He trailed the way her tongue moved up and down her tender fingers and he felt a strange constriction in his throat. He gulped down and chided himself inwardly, for being seduced by a lady licking her fingers. He got on his feet and walked to the table where he picked the box of pizza. He came to her side of the bed and sat down facing her. He placed another slice of pizza on her plate then looked at her.
“Eat up,” he ordered and she picked it and took a bite. She didn’t know why, but she was extremely hungry. As he watched her, he remembered Jake’s words. He badly wanted to show her he cared. Considering what she had gone through at The Vrek Cult, he wanted to let her know that her safety was now his concern.
“Olive?”
“Hmm.” She looked up at him while licking her lips.
“Is there something you would like to do? To pass time?” he asked.
“I… No. Not really.”
“What was your hobby back at the cult?”
She slowly dropped her pizza in her plate and kept it on her lap.
“Well, I used to spar with the boys,” she answered.
He chuckled softly and placed the pizza box at the end of the bed.
“Are you good?” he asked. He hadn’t seen her in action before, and Cynthia kept saying she was a weakling after she was caught. Plus, he knew the cult wanted her dead, which was why they sent her and not a troupe to attack him.
He thought Olive was truly a weakling. But then, he remembered how she had beaten his men up. And how she was fighting Cynthia. His eyes lit up at her.
“I wouldn’t say I’m good, but I’m not bad,” she answered and he nodded with a smirk.
“I’ll arrange for a match then. I wanna see you fight.”
Olive frowned. Which mate would love to see his partner get into trouble?
Suddenly, her eyes fell and she felt her heart getting heavy. She had realized that she actually wasn’t anything to Alpha Knight, really. They were mates, but that was just by nature. He didn’t look at her with longing and desire. She wasn’t anything special to him aside that title only.
She exhaled and bit her lips nervously. He noticed her countenance immediately and he stared at her lowered face.
“Anything the matter?” he asked. She looked up at him.
“Actually, there is something I would like to do,” she said.
“Let’s hear it,” he replied curtly.
“Promise me that you’ll let me do it,” she begged. He nodded.
“I promise,” he obliged.
She bit her lips nervously for some seconds as she stared at the rock-hard stern face of his. He looked tired and was lazily pushing away strands of messy, brown hair from his face.
“Alpha Knight, I want to go on evening strolls and drives for one full week… with you only,” she said and Alpha Wayne’s eyes jerked towards her in an amused glance. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair worriedly. Yes, he was worried. He didn’t know why she suggested that, but he knew her request was dangerous. And only he knew why.