Chapter 16 I want you.
CATHERINE
“So, what’s your plan, Catherine? Do you intend to stay here with him?” Damon’s voice was a whisper in the stillness as he turned to me.
I took a step back, surprised by the question.
“Why would you ask that?” I managed to voice out. “Whatever I decide isn’t any of your business, Damon.”
His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he’d simply drop the subject. But then he leaned closer.
“Because if you stay, you’re only putting yourself in harm’s way. I’ve seen what happens to those close to him—”
“Stop,” I cut him off, a tremor in my voice. I didn’t want to hear this, didn’t want his warnings clouding my already tangled feelings. “I said it’s not your concern.”
His eyes hardened, and his expression twisted into something almost bitter.
“You’re so stubborn,” he hissed. “You really think you can handle being his mate? Do you think you’re safe here, Catherine?”
I lifted my chin, refusing to give ground. “I’m not afraid of him.”
“Then you’re a fool. Besides, that's all lies. You and I know how much you're scared of Kane” he spat, stepping even closer until I could feel his anger radiating. “Do you know what happened to the last one who thought she wasn’t afraid of him? She...”
“Enough, Damon!” I was shouting now, feeling frustrated. “You don’t know me, and you don’t know what I can handle. You think you know everything, but you don’t.”
His face darkened, then his tone turned ice-cold. For a moment, I couldn't help but think if he was behind the notes I received earlier.
“Fine. Stay here, Catherine. Die here, for all I care.” The words were bitter, harsh, and they struck deep.
He turned abruptly, stalking away without another word, and the silence that settled afterward felt deafening.
I stood there, rooted to the spot with his words still ringing in my ears and my heart racing as if I’d been running for no good reason.
As I watched him disappear into the shadows, an unfamiliar ache settled in my chest, a hollow, lonely feeling that made no sense. Damon’s anger shouldn’t matter to me. And yet…
I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to ease the strange sensation, but it was there still, taunting me with questions I didn’t want to answer.
Was this… was he...could he be my true mate?
I shook my head, trying to dispel the thought. It was ridiculous. Damon was Kane’s Beta, his right hand.
He was hardly even a friend, let alone someone I could see as… No, I refused to entertain the idea. And yet, as I remained there, the lonely ache persisted.
“Catherine,” Kane's voice disrupted my thoughts. “You’ll have breakfast with me tomorrow morning.”
I turned, meeting his icy blue eyes with a defiant lift of my chin. “I won’t.”
His gaze darkened, and in a heartbeat, he was in front of me. His hands pressed against the wall on either side of my head, caging me in with his heat. My back hit the wall as he leaned in.
“It wasn’t a request.”
I swallowed on nothing, struggling to keep self normal.
“I don’t take orders from you, Kane. I’m not here to play the submissive mate in some fairy tale you’ve created.”
His eyes flared gold, his wolf surfacing in a flash of restrained power. He moved impossibly closer, until I could feel the heat of his body, the power radiating from him in waves.
“Maybe not, but you’ll be having breakfast with me, Catherine. Whether you like it or not.”
My resolve wavered under the intensity of his gaze. I should have looked away, pushed him back, anything, but instead, I found myself captivated by the heat in his eyes and the undeniable pull between us.
My heart melted, and all that was left was the maddening awareness of his nearness.
He seemed to notice the shift and his eyes dropped to his mouth.
“You defy me at every turn… and yet, I can’t bring myself to hate it.” he whispered hoarsely.
For a moment, neither of us moved. I was trapped, unable to look away from him as my heart raced in a way that both thrilled and terrified me.
“Tell me to stop,” he murmured, his breath warm against my skin.
I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I knew I should, I knew that whatever was building between us was dangerous, that it would only end in ruin.
But my voice was gone, my willpower to lash at him already crumbled under his intent stare.
In that brief, dangerous pause, his lips met mine. It was fierce and searing. It was a kiss that stole the breath from my lungs and left me clinging to him as his hands came to grip my waist as if he couldn’t bear to let go.
I pressed closer, my own hands reaching up to clutch his shoulders, pulling him to me in a way that felt reckless and desperate.
His heat was overwhelming and his mouth demanding which sent a thrill through me which I’d never felt before.
His fingers tightened on my waist, pulling me flush against him, and I let out a soft gasp, feeling my own restraint slipping away.
For a brief, dangerous moment, I lost myself, feeling his every touch, every breath, every heartbeat. It was overwhelming and consuming.
But just as suddenly as it had begun, Kane wrenched himself back, breathing heavily, his eyes wild with something that mirrored the heat blazing inside me. He was clearly fighting an inner battle as his hands dropped to his sides.
“We… this isn’t...” He clenched his fists, shutting his eyes tight for a moment before he finally spoke roughly and strained. “You should get some sleep, Catherine.”
I opened my mouth to protest, to demand why he’d started something he wouldn’t finish, but the words died on my tongue.
I could see the turmoil in his eyes, the conflict he was wrestling with as he forced himself to take a step back, distancing himself.
He heaved a sigh, his eyes locking onto mine one last time before he turned and walked away, leaving me pressed against the wall, breathless and shaken.
I stared after him, my mind swirling with confusion, desire, and frustration. Every nerve in my body seemed to hum with the memory of his touch, and yet there was an emptiness around me and in me.
As his footsteps faded down the hall, I was left in a maddening dilemma. Whatever this was between us, whatever pull kept drawing me toward him, it terrified me.
And yet, as I finally pushed myself away from the wall and made my way back to my room, all I could think about was the warmth of his touch, the fierceness of his kiss, and the undeniable fact that part of me didn’t want to resist him at all.
Part of me wanted him in every way, shamefully.