Sara’s POV
I’m too shocked to react at first. That gives Christian enough time to settle me comfortably on his lap, straddling him with my knees resting on the couch on either side of his thighs.
Enough time to move one hand to the back of my head and into my hair to hold me in place as his mouth ravishes mine. His other hand sneaks around my waist, wasting no time getting under my sweater and gripping my bare skin.
My body runs hot and cold all at once. Hot with a sudden flood of sensations that I badly wish would disappear as soon as they appear.
For a moment, it feels like the most natural thing to do is return his kisses, his embrace, his passion. And I almost do.
But then the chilling realisation that this is Christian Rivers, the same guy who made it clear in so many words that he isn’t interested in mating me, sinks.
It doesn’t matter that his attitude towards me has changed in the past few days. That’s not because of me. It’s because of his competition with Levi. The hate and rage in his eyes and the disgust in his words when he found out we are fated to each other are still fresh in my mind.
Heaven knows what deprecating remarks he’ll make if I let him seduce me like this.
Much to Edna’s chagrin, I place my hands on his shoulders and push. But he only holds me tighter, his lips getting more insistent. I hit his shoulders repeatedly, but he ignores my protests. So I bite down on his lip.
He pulls away with a curse.
I jump out of his lap and stumble backwards, rubbing the back of my hand over my lips. “What do you think you are doing?”
I’m breathless and flusheda mixture of both arousal and indignation. I fervently hope he thinks it’s the latter.
He swipes his thumb across his bottom lip. “So you bite,” he comments, not sounding angry at all at my assault. “Kinky.”
I fold my hands into fists at my sides and aim my best glare at him. “Don’t you dare do that again.”
“Why, have you already chosen Levi?” There is a mocking undertone to his voice. As if it would be ridiculous if I had.
“That’s none of your business.”
He rises, and suddenly, I’m faced with his half-naked glory. I can hardly stop my eyes from going on a trip. Across his broad shoulders. Up and down his lean, muscled torso. Down to where his jeans hang dangerously low on his hips.
I snap my eyes back to his face when I realise I’ve been staring too openly. The smirk on his lips suggest that my ogling didn’t go unnoticed.
He walks towards me. “A stubborn girl like you would never be happy with a control-freak like Levi.”
“But I would with you?”
“You would have better chances.”
“You don’t even want me as your mate, so what’s all this about?” I want to hear it from his own mouth. The same way he told me he didn’t want me. I want to know what kind of reason he’ll give for suddenly being interested.
“I might not have wanted you at first, but I do now.”
“Why?”
“I’ve never wanted a mate. It took a while to get used to the idea.”
I suppress a most unladylike snort. Right. I’m supposed to believe that Mr Ice Prince here suddenly warmed up to the idea of love.
He takes a few more steps until he is standing right in front of me. “If you let me, I can show you exactly why I’m the right choice for you.”
Why would a werewolf of Christian’s status waste his time proving himself to an Omega like me? Shouldn’t he be like Eddie, telling me I should be grateful that he is even considering accepting me as his mate?
I’m not sure how he intends to show me he is the right choice. But even if he could win me over, I can bet my life the ending would be like the one between Eddie and the she-wolf he was fighting over. Christian’s sole focus is to one-up Levi. I’ll be the biggest fool to become a willing participant in their struggle for dominance.
“No, thanks.”
He lifts an eyebrow. “I can see how you managed to make an enemy of the Alpha King.”
“Can’t take no for an answer, too?”
He leans forward. I fight the urge to step back as he bends his head and brings his lips next to my ear. “Trust me, once you have a taste of this…” My eyes pop when he takes my hand and presses it to his stomach muscles. I try to pull back instantly, but he presses his hand on top of mine to keep me in place. “No will be the last word on your mind.”
I swallow hard, speechless. I want to tell him something like ‘keep dreaming’, but my throat fails me.
He releases my hand, steps back, and then walks around me and towards his room. I hear the door to his room close.
I retreat into my bedroom, wishing I had never left.
***
When I leave my room again, it’s out of absolute necessityI’m starving.
I close the door behind me and scan the scene. There is only one person in the living room. Kai, sitting on one of the couches and using his phone.
He looks up from his phone when I show up. “Did you skip classes today? I didn’t see you anywhere on campus.”
“I wasn’t feeling well,” I say and head towards the kitchenette. I check inside the refrigerator and find a container of chicken rice. I put it in the microwave and wait.
I’m still standing in the kitchen when the balcony door opens. Christian walks into the living room. Our eyes meet for a short moment before I look away.
“Babe,” a feminine voice calls out a second later, and my eyes are pulled back across the room.
My immediate assumption is that Kai has finally gone back to his old ways and brought one of his lovers around. To my consternation, the owner of the voice emerges from the balcony and goes after Christian.
She is tall and slender, wearing black leather pants and a red crop top.
I look on as she catches up to him and hooks an arm around his. When he takes a seat on the armchair, she crawls onto his lap.
“You need to go home,” she says, wrapping her hands around his neck and staring down at his face. “If your father knows you’ve been injured and didn’t report it, you’ll be in trouble.”
Who is she? I’ve never seen her around campus. I’ve never seen Christian with any girl before.
“I’m fine.” He wraps a hand around her bare midriff. “Much better now that you are here.”
I get a bitter taste in my mouth. And an urge to cross the room and disrupt their little cosy setting. Isn’t this nice? So it’s okay for him to parade around with some girl, but the moment another guy looks at me, he is quick to take offence?
His other hand reaches for her short afro, where he sinks his fingers before pulling her head back to expose her neck. His eyes rise to mineso he hasn’t forgotten I’m in the roomand then he nuzzles her neck.
She giggles and throws her head back.
The microwave beeps, and I turn away to get my rice. My stomach is all sorts of queasy, I’m not sure I want to eat this anymore.
“If you want to eat my food, you’ll need to pay the price.”
The sudden voice so close to my ear startles me so much that I almost drop the container in my hands. I turn my head to find Kai standing behind me. When did he get here?
I place the food on the counter. “It didn’t have your name on it, how was I supposed to know?”
“Now you do,” he says. “Ready to pay?”
Annoyed, I step away. “Whatever, keep it.” I’m not in the mood to play his mind games right now.
“You didn’t even hear what the price was.”
“Should I take a wild guess?” I ask sarcastically.
“I was going to ask you to come with me to tonight’s party. But it’s fine if you’d rather sit around and keep the lovers company.”
“Party?”
“In the jungle. It’s always fun. Interested?”
“The jungle? The forest?”
“The one and only.”
“But it’s restricted.”
He arches a single eyebrow. “And?”
“There are rogues.”
“I’d say they’re not stupid enough to attack a large group of pack werewolves. Which is probably why there has never been an attack at any of the parties.”
I nibble on my lip. Am I actually considering accompanying Kai to a party?
Feminine laughter fills the room, and I fight the urge to snicker.
Yes, I am.
Going to this party with Kai is much better than remaining here with those two. I might actually have funsomething I haven’t had an inch of since setting foot in North Academy.
“Okay, I’ll come with you.”