Chapter 26

"Lawrence, stop. You are hurting me," I say, trying to free myself from his tight grip on my hand.

Unfortunately, Lawrence caught me walking around the forest. You see, curiosity killed the cat, and here I am, the cat that has been caught.

I was on my way back to the mansion when I heard someone calling for help, so I went into the forest to see what was going on. But, unfortunately, Lawrence came running towards me before I could find out what was happening.

"No. Were you trying to run away from me?" he asks coldly. Like I can run away without anything or anywhere to go.

"Someone was calling for help. So I was just trying to help," I say.

"Okay, enough of this. You are not leaving my side again, " he says, crossing his hands over his chest, making his muscles bulge.

He drags me to his office with everyone giving us a curious look before forcing me into a seat.

"You know, I feel like slapping you right now," I say with a scowl.

He chuckled. "The feeling is mutual."

"Smart-ass jerk," I say with a scoff.

I keep glaring at him while he chooses to ignore me, going through pack work.

This really is boring. I get up and walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

I twirl around to see him giving me a questioning look.

"I am going to do something fun because being here with you is very boring," I retort.

"You're being disrespectful," he says with a sigh.

He walks towards me, pulling me by my hands then placing me on his lap as he takes a seat.

"Let go," I say. I try to wriggle out of his lap, the keyword being tried.

"You better stop doing that before I do something we both would regret," he says huskily.

I gulp, biting my cheek as I feel his erection poking me.

He laughed hard, looking at my blushing cheeks. I punch him playfully on his arm to stop him from laughing.

"Don't blame me for laughing. You look cute when you blush," he says, grinning.

We go on laughing and chatting. Well, he does the laughing and making fun of me while I keep blushing. I am actually scared I will explode from the heat on my face.

~~~~~~~~~

"Kate, sweetheart, " Lillian yells, hugging me tightly while I sit on the couch with Lawrence in the movie room. What got this girl yelling so much?

"What's going on ?" I ask, confused.

"We are having a bonfire tonight! " she yells loudly, releasing me from her tight grip.

I cringe at her voice. This girl is planning on making me go deaf.

"Yeah, I know. Anderson told me this pack always has one," I say.

"This one is different. We get to do our own thing," she says slowly, making it seem like she is talking to a 5-year-old.

"And that is?" I ask with raised eyebrows. She never stops to amuse me.

"You don't seem to get it. We always do boring things like asking Lawrence questions on park stuff or dancing to a slow boring song," she says with a dramatic sigh, "but this time we get to do whatever we want. Like we get to choose our own music and talk to anyone," she says, smiling widely.

"Anderson, your mate is a weirdo," I say, glancing up at Anderson, who is talking to Jack.

"Tell me about it. What I go through because of love," he says, massaging his forehead.

"Very funny, Anderson," she says, glaring at him.

Anderson gulps, looking at Lillian with pleading eyes.

"I was only joking, babe," he says, pulling her closer to him.

"Can you stop your PDA now!" Levi yells, throwing a pillow at them.

"Shut up, Levi," Lillian says, glaring playfully at him.

I watch silently before feeling a tap on my shoulder.

"Come with me," Lawrence says, pulling me up.

"Where are we going to now," I say, whining tiredly.

I really need to sleep because I feel so stressed out.

"To my room, because you look so pale and tired," he says casually, like it is so obvious.

"You can't get your hands off her just for a few minutes," Jack says with a wink.

"Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself, Jack, " he says, slapping him playfully while Jack groans from the pain.

We walk to his room. Actually, he carries me because I refuse to go with him, saying I prefer sleeping in my room.

Immediately when I am put on the bed, my eyes close lazily and welcome sleep. Falling asleep immediately without any thoughts is becoming my thing.

~~~~~~~

"Kate, come here," Lawrence says with a smile.

I walk towards him. I can only see his face because we are covered in darkness.

"You look beautiful," he says, holding my hands in his before placing a sweet kiss on my lips.

"Thank you," I say, grinning widely. Getting a compliment from him is a first.

"I want you to see something," he says, pulling me by my hands.

"Here, see, " he says, pointing towards a direction, but all I can see is fire everywhere, making me confused.

"What this ?" I ask, pointing at the fire that continues to get closer to us.

He ignores me and pushes me in the direction of the fire. I scream as the heat burnt my skin.

I wake up breathing heavily. I look around the room, not seeing Lawrence anywhere in the room.

I run my hand over my face, feeling scared and disoriented, before making my way into the bathroom to wet my face. Then, I leave the room in search of Lawrence.

I walk to his office and see he's not there.

"Where has he gone to?" I ask nobody in particular.

I decide to see Ma instead. I walk into her room to find her talking with Elder Mathias.

Her room is beautifully painted grey and decorated with wooden furniture.

"Kate, dear, what are you doing here?" Ma asks, staring at me warily.

"See you at the bonfire," Elder Mathias says, leaving the room after patting me on the back.

"Ma, I am having nightmares again," I say, taking a seat on her bed.

"It's okay, dear." She holds my hand tightly, assuring me that everything is alright.

"Is something going on between you and Elder Mathias?" I ask suspiciously, trying to brighten the mood.

She glances at me then back to her hands. She always does this when she is nervous.

"Nothing. He just needs my help on something," she says, putting strands of hair behind her ear.

"Ma, do you like him?" I ask with a smirk.

She looks at me in surprise before smiling.

"Are you trying to set us up on a surprise date?" she asks suspiciously with a smirk.

"Yeah, I see he is great for you," I say sincerely.

She stares at me for a few minutes, contemplating my words before clearing her throat and looking away.

"Okay, let go to the bonfire," I say, getting up to leave and trying to fix the awkward situation.

We decide to go outside where the bonfire is.

The place is arranged to perfection and better than the Alpha's bonfire arrangement.

I sit on the stone chairs placed around the fire, enjoying the scent of cinnamon and pine coming from the fire.

"Take this," I glance up to see Lawrence giving me a plate of something filled with chopped beef and pork and a glass of orange juice.

"What is this?" I ask, pointing at the plate in his hand.

"Tamales. A Mexican dish you will love," he says, taking a seat before cutting a piece of the food, urging me to take a bite.

I take a bite filled with the sweet taste of corn.

"It's so delicious," I say, taking the plate from him.

"Hey, take it easy," he says in amusement.

"Why don't we play a game?" he suggests suddenly.

"A game ?" I ask with a raised eyebrow before sipping from the glass of orange juice.

"We both ask each other questions," he says.

"Okay, you go first," I say.

This is not a bad idea. I am curious to know more about the cold-hearted Alpha King.

"What do you usually love doing?" he asks.

"Um, reading," I reply casually.

He chuckles.

"Reading? Reading about what?" he asks with a smirk.

"It's my turn now. Are the rumors about you true," I ask curiously, going directly to the question on my mind since the first day I met him.

"Depending on what you are talking about," he says with a blank face.

"The rumors of you killing and destroying other packs, " I say cautiously.

"Going straight to the point, are we?" he laughs, amused. "Yes, they are all true, but I do all this for a reason." 

"Katie, what are you doing here? Let's have some fun," Becca yells, coming towards me and putting an end to our little game.

"Katie, seriously?" I ask with amusement, pushing the unwanted memories away.

"That's what I am calling you from now on," she says smugly.

"Are you drunk?" I ask, looking at her warily.

"Come, let's go," she laughs, ignoring my question. I give Lawrence my empty plate and glass with a little thank you before Becca pulls me away.

She takes me to where Lillian, Anderson, and Ethan are laughing with some other pack members.

"Where were you, Kate?" she asks angrily.

"The last time I remember, it was none of your business where I went," I say harshly.

What is she getting angry for no reason? This is one of the reasons I don't keep friends that act as if they own you.

"I was looking for you, and you don't get to talk to me like that," she says growling.

"I was with Lawrence over there," I say, pointing towards the fire. "Please, don't keep a watch on me if you don't want to get on my nerves," I say as a warning.

"You're acting like a bitch," she says, glaring at me.

"Look, the full moon is out," Becca says, breaking the tension between us.

I feel a burning sensation on my skin as the full moon rises.

"I am going inside," I say, getting their attention.

"Why? The full moon just came out," Becca says with a frown.

"I can't stand under the full moon. It makes me hot," I say casually.

I bid them goodbye before going into the mansion.

Lawrence POV:

I walk towards Lillian and Anderson as the full moon comes into view.

"Where is Kate?" I ask Lillian warily, seeing she is angry.

"She's inside. She said the moon makes her feel hot or something," she says, focusing her attention on the rising moon.

"Anderson, let everyone run in groups and keep a watchful eye against any danger," I say, leaving without waiting for his reply.

I search for her in her room, but she isn't there. So lastly, I check my room and see her curled up on my bed.

I rush to her side.

"Are you in pain?" I ask, feeling the hotness of her body.

She nods her head, saying nothing. I run into the bathroom and wet a piece of cloth in cold water before placing it on her forehead and giving her a glass of water to drink.

She gulps down the water before giving the glass back to me.

I place her on the bed, covering her with blankets before kissing her forehead as she sleeps.