CHAPTER 24 – BE MINE

CHAPTER 24 – BE MINE
Sloane P.O.V

“I’ve done nothing; I’ve just come through the door and she’s slapped me,” Nathan whines outraged, sounding like a wronged kid, pointing at his red cheek.
“You definitely must have said or done something to deserve a slap!” gran Sondra retorts, making Nathan huff in annoyance.
“I did not. If you don’t believe me, ask her to tell you what I said then,” he suggests, crossing his arms over his chest, and staring at me expectantly.
“What did he say to make you angry, honey?” gran Sondra coaxes, and the words he’s just spoken replay in my mind, “haven’t I pleasured you enough last night?”, there’s no fucking away I’m going to repeat those words for her to hear. And he knew that, he put me up to it, bastard.
Instead of answering her question, I dry my cheeks with the back of my hand, and straighten, before replying, “I think I should go home now. Thank you infinitely for your help,” then directed only at gran Sondra, “it’s been a pleasure to meet you.”
They both look perplexed, but let me take the few steps to the entrance door, which is still open, and I pass through, ready to shift to my wolf and get the hell out of here.
But of course, Nathan had to go and stop me, again.
He strides through the entrance and towards me, when he reaches me, he crouches down and loads me on his shoulders, cavemen style, then starts walking toward the forest.
“Put me down!” I order, lacing my Alpha command in it, but to my astonishment the command doesn’t stick and fades away like water under the sun.
“Stop throwing commands around, it’s degrading, especially considering that I’m your mate, ergo your equal. I’m not letting you go until you tell me what’s going through that twisted mind of yours,” he replies angrily, fueling my own anger.
“You are the one with a twisted mind. You only think with your crotch!” I bellow back.
He suddenly stops in his tracks, making my head bounce. He then puts me down gently on my feet, holding me by my waist.
“Is it because of what happened yesterday?” he asks looking uncertain, “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to do anything against your will, you just looked restless and delirious, and then grandma told me to take care of you, and I…”
I slowly shake my head no.
“That’s not the problem,” I say.
“Then what is it?” he asks, sounding frustrated.
I bit my lower lip, pondering a moment how to word it out, without sounding like a teenage virgin afraid of giving it away.
“The problem is that before yesterday evening you didn’t want me as your mate, and now that we did some of that stuff, you are all smiles and romantic talk, so, adding both things together, it looks like you want to be with me just to have sex with me.” There, I said it, and Goddess is embarrassing.
His frustrated expression changes to hurt, as he unconsciously takes a step away from me. Then his expression turns to a stony one, and I know before he opens his mouth that I’ve read the situation wrong. 
“If that’s what you think of me, then there’s nothing more to say between us. So much for risking everything to save your ass yesterday. I guess I was right in the beginning, this bond is a punishment of the Goddess, meant to show me just what I’m worth.” 
As soon as he finishes talking, he turns around and starts striding in the way we have come from.
Goddess, what have I done? And how do I fix it?
“Nathan, wait!” I shouted while running behind him.
“No, thanks. I think I’ve heard enough,” he replies sarcastically.
I finally reach him, and hug his waist from behind, making him stop.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that; I shouldn’t even have thought that. It’s just that everything is so confusing; waking up in your home half naked, not knowing how I got there, and then your 360º change of attitude, it threw me off. Until yesterday, you were completely against becoming my mate, and now you are all for it, anyone would find it suspicious.”
He exhales, and my hopes of him forgiving me rise a few percentage points.
“Actually, yesterday at the ball, I had already made up my mind about us; one week without seeing you or hearing you had done the trick, I felt completely and utterly miserable. But then, you chose Axel over me, just to keep up appearances, and I got angry.”
Slowly, he turns around in my arms, and places his thick arms around me, holding me firmly, while his face shows an expression of fragility I’ve never seen before on him.
 “Tell me, little devil, are you ready to go all the way with me, or were you just all talk?” Although his words are meant to sound nonchalant, the anticipation in his gaze and the fast beating of his heart give him immediately away. He’s nervous; but I’m not, I’m actually bursting with happiness, because I’ve been waiting for this moment since the first day I’ve laid eyes on him. 
“It depends…” I reply, purposely sounding doubtful.
“It depends on what?” he asks suspiciously.
I smirk, seeing how I’ve got him all riled up.
“It depends on whether you are open to reconsidering your nickname for me. I’m definitely not a devil, more an angel maybe, or a kittycat?” I suggest deliberately making doe eyes.
He surprises me by laughing a deep hearty contagious laugh, which brings a genuine smile to my face.
“No, that’s not up for bargain, you are a little devil, through and through,” he smirks, and then his gaze trails the length of my body, making goosebumps rise on my skin, “even your body is devilishly sexy, made to sin.”
He licks his lips, making my focus zero in on them. I lean forward wanting a taste of him, I’m inches away from kissing those shiny soft lips, when he stops me placing one lone finger on my lips.
“No so fast, little devil, you still haven’t replied to my answer properly,” he says huskily, my closeness having an effect on him.
“Yes.”
“Yes is too vague.”
“Yes, I’m ready to go all the way with you, and no I’m not just all talk,” I reply cheekily, making him smile a lopsided one.
“Can I kiss you now?” I ask him playfully, but I don’t need to wait for his answer, because he closes the distance between us, and presses his soft lips against mine, igniting a dance of tingles and butterflies which make me immediately lightheaded. His tongue traces my lips expertly, and I bite lightly his lower lip, making him murmur a “devil”, which I counter with squeezing his ass, making him chuckle.
This newfound playfulness between us, the serenity of knowing that our love is reciprocated, that there are no more obstacles to our love is making my heart sore so high in the sky, I’m afraid it will never be able to come down again.
Nathan deepens the kiss, and my mind turns to mush, completely absorbed in the tantalizing sensation of our lips brushing and our tongues stroking each other, while our hands explore trying to burn to memory every shape and feel.
At one point, Nathan moves back just enough to let us breathe a few ragged breaths, and then starts kissing me again, mumbling between kisses.
“I love you, my mate, my beautiful mate.”
This man, if I thought he was drop dead gorgeous before, now that he’s opened his heart to me, no words can describe how much my heart and body crave for him, how much I want to make him mine completely. 
“Mark me,” I breathe out without thinking, completely lost in him, in us. But honestly, I do want him to mark me, I want it badly.
He freezes, his lips turned immobile in the kiss he was leading so sensually, and then to my dismay he moves back to look at me, cradling my face in his hands.
“I can’t,” he says apologetically, looking frustrated.
And my world comes crashing down around me, my heart reduced to crumbs under the weight of the wreckage.
My facial expression must have reflected my internal agony, because he immediately panics and starts to explain,
“No, let me explain, I want to mark you, and I will mark you, but I want to do things right by you; I need to ask for your hand first, we can’t just rush it, you are an Alpha, people have great expectations for you.”
His words both reassure me and stun me, they show that he’s thought about it long and thoroughly, this decision he’s taken is not something he’s thought overnight, he must have been musing on it for a while already.
I smile at him and nod in agreement, great expectations indeed, especially my father; will he agree to this union? I guess there’s only one way to find out.