Chapter 13 Chapter 13
Stetson pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew she’d have questions but didn’t know she’d have the guts to say it.
“You don’t get to ask questions Zarlia. Answer mine first”.
Zarlia swallowed, was it the way he called her by her first name in an authoritative tone or how close they were that made her suddenly have goosebumps. His hands firmly gripped the desk behind her like a vice as his eyes narrowed at her.
She just didn’t get it, one moment he’s pulling her in and the next, he’s pushing her away.
“Oh, come on, it was just a stupid joke. You don’t have to be so uptight”, the sound of his fist slamming the desk made her shut up, his eyes pinning her to a spot.
“You joke about things you don’t understand”, his hot breath touched her lips. It sounded like a soft warning.
“Then make me understand” she muttered
She didn’t understand anything, why he bit her? What he really is? Why it had to be her? And why he warned her about Stacy. Questions keep popping up every time she sees him and it was becoming unbearable.
“I don’t owe you that”, he murmured.
Werewolves have been kept from humans for decades, ever since the massacre. As if not getting a mate wasn’t good enough, now he’s gotten a human. For centuries his clan had hated humans and—
“Tell her”, Asher voice was faint yet loud enough to disrupt his thoughts.
There was a frown on Zarlia’s face. Not only that, he noticed she was wearing lipstick today, plus he never seemed to take note of the small birthmark above her left eyelid, the freckles on her cheeks and nose bridge. Everything about her drew him in and found himself leaning closer.
Zarlia swallowed, his eyes following the movement of her throat hungrily.
“M…Mr. West” Zarlia’s breath hitched, hips pressed painfully against the desk behind her. He was leaning closer and she had no space to retreat.
“Stetson”, he corrected softly, his hand lifting as if on its own. His fingers brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek, lingering there longer than he should have. His thumb traced the curve of her jaw, slow, deliberate—and the heat in her chest spread like a wildfire.
Her pulse was erratic. Every inch of her screamed to move, but she couldn’t. not when his gaze was locked on her lips like a starved man.
The air between them shifted, heavy, electric.
She parted her lips and his eyes instantly zeroed at them as he leaned in just close enough to—
Knock. Knock.
The sound cracked the moment apart.
Stetson froze, his hand still hovering near her face before he pulled it back as if it burned.
The door opened slightly, and Luke stepped in, his browns lifting for a second at the sight of them—Zarlia’s flushed face, Stetson standing to close—but he quickly masked his surprise with professional calm.
“Sorry to interrupt”, he cleared his throat, acting cool, though his eyes flickered between them. “Zarlia, you need to go. Mr. Vale’s waiting—the investor’s already there”.
She immediately grabbed her notebook, avoiding Stetson’s eyes completely, and brushed past Luke, her perfume lingering long after she was gone.
The door clicked shut, leaving the two men in silence.
Luke crossed his arms. “You want to tell me what that was about?”
Stetson stayed quiet; his jaw tight.
“Mr. West”, Luke pressed, frowning. “She’s a human employee, not—”
“She’s my mate”, Stetson finally, the words landing heavy between them.
Luke was his closest friend, he was one of those people he could rely on, though he was from a different clan, he never once betrayed him. He knew Luke had hunches but never asked, the sleepless nights and the suppression ring got him curious but he didn’t want to ask until Stetson felt comfortable telling him what was going on.
“Your what?”, Luke blinked.
“My mate”, he repeated, his tone low, resigned.
Luke stared at him, confusion and disbelief twisting his features. “That’s not possible. Is she… is she a wolf?”
“No”. Stetson voice was rough. “She’s human”
For a long moment, neither spoke. The weight of what he’d hung thick in the room. Luke exhaled slowly. “Then you’re in bigger trouble than I thought”.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The meeting was over in a blink of an eye and Zarlia was on her way back to the office, her mind still hovering on what had happened that morning.
Had Stetson really intended to kiss her or did he just use it to distract her from asking more questions. Well either way it worked.
She stared lazily outside the window, her fingers digging into her thigh as she drummed her heels against the car floor.
The thought of Stetson kissing her made her flush. She couldn’t remember mush from the night they slept together, not like she was trying to remember. She didn’t just get why he was hiding everything from her when it’s obviously clear she’ll be involved in it later on.
Suddenly her phone started ringing, light flashing against the seat cushion where it laid next to Mr. Vale who was busy with a document.
“Who is it dear? It must be important since it’s ringing throughout the meeting with the investors”, his voice was calm, collected. Not taking his eyes off the documents on his lap, a pair of glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.
“I apologize”, Zarlia quickly checked her phone and froze at the sight of the caller id.
She never thought Romero would call her after they broke up, this early too. What happened to Letisha? What did he want to tell her? She didn’t know what he wanted to say and she didn’t want to—not now, not ever.
She turned her phone off and took a deep breath.
“Bad relatives?” came Mr. Vale’s voice with a little humor, putting the files aside as he turned to her clearly interested.
“No, my…uhm… ex-boyfriend”, she gave and awkward smile and his brows shut up in genuine surprise.
“And why was he calling?”, his voiced was laced in curiosity which made her feel a bit relieved. Zarlia never imagined telling anyone about Romero talks less of a co worker but he seems interested for some reason.
“I don’t know. We broke up the night he cheated on me with a woman I hate. I thought I’d never hear from him again…until today that is”, she bit her lips, holding her phone tightly.
“Don’t waste time on the past dear. Like my wife always says, focus on what’s ahead and in your case, that ahead is Mr. West”, he smiled and Zarlia’s face immediately turned red.
Did he know everything? About that night? About who Stetson was? Her mind raced with thoughts. She wasn’t going to make the same mistake of thinking the workers knew what was going on.
“W… what do you mean sir?”, her cheeks burned as the driver tried to hide his chuckle.
“Isn’t it pretty obvious that the boss is interested in you Miss Shaw?”, the driver’s words only made her even more lost. Stetson? Interested? She wasn’t sure about how Stetson felt about her.
“In all my years of working at the Stets empire, the boss has always hated women around him, we all concluded that he was gay maybe—until you came into the picture. He kept a woman as his secretary, worse one that knows nothing about the job”
She scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment. How did he know that, she nodded like Luke had instructed and took notes but she was still caught.
“My guess is that Mr. West just wanted to keep you close to him. He is a very complicated man so please we’re rooting for you”
She wanted to reply but the car suddenly stopped, they had arrived at the company. Mr. Vale loosened his tie as they stepped out of the car.
“You did well today Miss Shaw”, he said, offering her a smile that was a little too kind for comfort. “Can I drop you off when you’re done here?”
She hesitated. “Oh—uh… sure, thank you, sir”
She went inside. Her mind still befogged as she got into the elevator. She didn’t know if she should confront Stetson again, she didn’t know if she wanted to ask just to get answers or just to see how’d he react this time.
She swallowed, touching the bitemark on her neck. She stood at Stetson’s door, collecting her thoughts before knocking. No one responded so she went in to drop the report and summary of the meeting on his desk before leaving.
She got her things from her office and headed towards the elevator. But when she came back out, her heart stopped.
Stetson was there.