469- The Moonlit Lesson
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
"I caught your scent through the forest and thought I'd better investigate."
I tilted my head to the side.
"You caught my scent? And how is that possible?"
He could be the best tracking wolf in the world, he wouldn't be able to smell me from his house, not with so many others around.
"I don't know how it's possible, I only know that I went out to get some air on my balcony and caught your scent blowing in from the forest." He licked his lips. "Now, can you explain to me what the hell you're doing out here alone, at this hour?"
"I decided to take a walk," I stated, lifting my chin belligerently. "Why? Am I forbidden from doing that too?"
He rolled his blue eyes, the gray ring around his irises even more pronounced.
"You're not forbidden from doing anything." I arched an eyebrow. He huffed. "As long as you don't put your life at risk," he added quickly. "So, yes, you can go out for some air, I just don't know if it's an exceptional idea, especially considering there are people after you."
I reached for the waistband of my silk pajama shorts and pulled out the dagger, showing it to him.
"I'm prepared."
He narrowed his gaze at me and lifted his lips in a biting smile.
"So violent, always."
I sighed in irritation. I stepped forward, bumping my shoulder against his on purpose. I walked away, continuing my night stroll, not letting him bother me.
"I have the answer to your question," he commented after a while.
I threw my head back to the sky and begged for patience.
"May I know why you're following me? I don't remember inviting you to join me."
He was right behind me, I could feel his presence at my back. His steps were silent as a predator's—he knew how to camouflage himself well, how to walk without being noticed.
"The answer is very simple: survival instinct."
I stopped walking and turned to face him.
"What are you talking about, for the love of the gods?"
He ran a hand through his hair. I tried not to look at the bicep that flexed with the movement, and failed miserably.
"I'm talking about you trying to find an answer for your behavior, for your interest in me."
"I have no interest in you!" I cut in, too quickly.
He smiled, smug.
"Of course you don't." He shook his head slowly. "Your wolf is smart. Females look for strong males of the species, males who can protect and sire pups, and your wolf recognizes me as one. It's instinct."
I opened my mouth, in shock.
I couldn't believe I was actually acting like an animal. Now I was wandering around looking for strong, virile males? Heavens! I had to leave Eldoria before I completely lost myself. How could I go back to living among humans after all this?
"I hope you're wrong."
"There's another option."
"And what would that be?" I looked at him, eager for any answer that was a little more... normal.
"Predestined mates."
I rubbed my forehead and closed my eyes.
"I don't know which one I find more absurd."
He shrugged.
"You asked for answers, and I gave them to you. Now, if you don't believe me, that's not my problem."
I spun on my heels and resumed walking through the forest, moving further and further away from Eldoria. I wanted time and space to think. For a moment, Anton made no sound, though he continued following closely behind.
I wrapped my arms around my body.
"Do you have a fetish for following girls through the forest?"
His husky laugh made my hairs stand on end.
"I have all kinds of fetishes involving you, but I think you're not ready for that conversation yet."
"You're so perverted and conceited."
I tilted my neck to one side and then the other, stretching my spine. His presence, the derisive way he spoke... he had made me hot, aroused.
In a second, moving faster than the wind, he was standing right in front of me. His eyes glowed, one gold and the other emerald green. He inhaled, flaring his nostrils.
"You know I can smell your arousal, don't you?" he whispered, leaning in and rubbing the tip of his nose against my neck.
The dampness in the fabric of my panties started to bother me. My pussy clenched and I shivered. Something ignited inside me. A low purr rumbled from my chest.
He laughed, his breath blowing against my skin.
"It seems your wolf is eager to be fucked by me, just as I am eager to fuck her." He lifted his face to meet my eyes. "All that's missing is your agreement, for it to happen, Little Beast."
My throat went instantly dry.
He was so... damn shirtless. Looking at all those muscles didn't help at all in controlling my body's involuntary reactions.
His scent, intoxicating, addictive, exciting. Everything in me, every cell, every reaction, pulled me toward him, dragged me to Anton like a magnet. I wanted to jump into that idiot's lap and lose myself completely, until nothing remained, until we became one. And I didn't even know what that would mean—I only knew I needed it as much as one needs air to survive.
I held my breath.
I pressed my palm against his chest, felt his racing heart, beating as fast as a bird's wings. Going against everything I felt, my muscles rigid with tension, I pushed him back. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with fresh air and diluting his scent from my nostrils.
"Stop following me," I panted, still too impacted.
He confused my head, scrambled my thoughts by being so close to me, offering me something I wanted too much but couldn't accept.
He smiled and reached out, touching the curve of my neck with his palm.
"You're too young, but you'll still understand that there's no escaping this," he whispered, his eyes still glowing, showing the beast was lurking.
"You talk as if you were much older."
He shook his head.
"I talk as someone who was raised among our people. I know how to see the truth, I know how to deal with my instincts, and because I'm different, just like my brothers, I learned to handle my beast. I can see things and that makes me much more experienced than you. For this reason, I'll let time do its work," he said, then took a step back, moving away from me.
I chewed my cheeks and let out a ragged sigh. I couldn't tear my eyes from his—the glow, the wolf... everything seemed to pull me. I felt my own pulse in the brown of my eyes, it was my beast emerging, beating against the surface. Anton smiled at me, analyzing me.
I couldn't tell if it was him or the wolf. It seemed to be both, but I wasn't sure.