*Hazel*
He keeps staring me down, waiting for an answer.
I squirm in his arms hoping that he’ll let me down, but nope, still cuddling me snuggly in his muscular arms.
“No, of course I don’t think you are bad; but you just can’t be hero material,” I try to mediate.
“So, according to you, werewolves can’t be heroes?” he asks, raising an eyebrow, and looking impossibly even sexier.
“Well, no, they can’t.”
“Ouch, you really hurt my heart, and practically destroyed all my childhood fantasies!” he whines, faking real heartbreak.
I nearly laugh out loud at his funny display, but I catch myself before I fall into his trap.
He juggles me in his arms for another few steps, until we reach the entrance to the construction site, there he crouches down holding me again in his lap, he slips my shoes on, and then gets up and at the same time puts me back on my feet.
His hand on my lower back keeps me steady until I get my bearings back, and the warmth his arms left on my back and legs still lingers like a cozy blanket. It feels just too intimate, and I am sure he got the wrong message. I should have kept my distance, let him know that I dislike werewolves and that I can never be his mate; instead, I let him run all over me, and get too close to me, far too close.
I move a few feet away from him, and the motion doesn’t go unnoticed. Good.
“Thank you for your time Alpha O’Brien, I’ve gathered enough information to start working on the project, so now I’ll leave you to your endeavors,” I say, directly turning my back on him, and start walking towards the nearest bus stop.
He’s in front of me in a flash, scaring me half to death.
“Actually, it’s Derek for you, and it is nearly lunchtime, I wanted to treat you to lunch; this way we can further discuss the project.”
He has his poker face on, and I can’t really make out what he’s thinking, but his tone is quite insistent.
“Thank you, although I don’t think that’s necessary, I have enough information already, and I really need to get started.”
I try to bypass him, but he gets again in my way, blocking my path.
“I insist. Also, you can’t walk by yourself in this area, it’s too dangerous; I’ll give you a ride back.”
“I really need to go, I’ll be fine on my own,” I say curtly, hoping he’ll get the hint. I don’t want to be impolite, but he’s being too insistent, it shows he has a hidden agenda, and that scares me.
He ponders me for a few moments with his customary frown in place, displease rolls off him creating a menacing cloud around him, like an aura.
“Why can’t you just give me a chance?” he asks, in an angry tone.
“Because I’ve already told you, I am human, I can’t be your mate. Plus, I can’t be with a werewolf, I dislike your kind, not you in particular, but werewolves in general. We can never be. Let’s just keep our relationship professional, shall we?”
His frown deepens, but he doesn’t comment on my words, he leans toward me and takes a whiff of my hair.
“You still smell like my mate. Yesterday you kissed me, just now you let me carry you in my arms, I can still feel the warmth of your body on my chest. And now, you tell me that you dislike my kind and that you want nothing to do with me. Do you see how all this just doesn’t add up? I have a pull on you, it’s the mate bond bringing us together. Don’t fight it, just embrace it.”
He's completely delusional, but I am guilty of leading him on, I should have been clear from the start.
“There is no pull. I am sorry for confusing you with my inconsistent behavior, that’s just me being me. No mate bond influencing my moves. Please, just try to move on and find someone right for you; because I am not the one.”
I start walking away, and this time, he doesn’t stop me, he doesn’t even move, and for a fraction of a second, I kind of feel guilty. Though I am happy I was brave enough to put it all out there, yesterday I was just too scared, and let him do practically whatever he wanted. I need to toughen up, stand up for myself.
It’s a two km walk to the nearest subway station, so I decide to walk there instead of waiting for the bus. This area seems quite deserted, I just hope it’s not as dangerous as the Alpha said.
I am not even half the way when I start feeling followed, but I just put it down to my paranoia. Not long after though, I hear footsteps behind me. It might just be another passerby directed to the subway station, no need to freak out.
At the next cross, a man appears from the intersecting street and walks right up to me. He’s smiling, but his long unkempt hair and his dirty clothes tell me that he can’t be trusted.
“Hey, what time is it, babe?” he asks me, while getting closer.
Not answering would be rude but stop walking to check my phone would just be stupid. So, I gave him an answer without slowing down my quick pace.
“Around twelve. Bye.”
He catches up with me and starts walking beside me.
“What’s the hurry? We could grab lunch together.”
“No, thank you; I’m busy.”
“Playing hard to get, uh?”
I don’t like his tone one bit; it’s becoming threatening and unpleasant. I speed up my pace, hoping he’ll leave me be, instead he grabs me by my arm, and spins me around to face him.
“I like playing, and my friends do too,” he says, with an ugly smirk. And sure enough, looking down the direction I came from, I see two tall guys leisurely strolling this way; they must be the owners of the footsteps I’ve heard before.
Oh, no. I should’ve listened to the Alpha, I should have accepted his car ride. Better a neck bite than what these buddies are planning on doing to me.
Toughen up. Yes, I can get myself out of this situation.
Before the two other guys can reach us, I pull hard on my wrist, and successfully free it from the dirty guy’s grasp, then I am about to sprint into a run, when an arm circles my waist, and I am lifted from the ground and tuck into dirty man’s side.
I kick him, punch him and scream with all the power I have, but he doesn’t even flinch. My panic reaches volcanic levels, when suddenly all the lampposts in the surrounding burst into a rain of glass shards. This distraction makes dirty man loosen his grip for a moment, and I take my chance to get free from his hold and flee. I manage a few steps before a deafening roar resonates through the streets.