In three days
Killian
Once he left, Lucas came back.
“The meeting,” he said.
I gave him a nod, walking towards the parking lot where I once again took another look backward. Only Lucas and I were allowed in the meeting of that council of alphas. The meeting was held once every moon cycle. The deliberation only took place for three days, but those three days would be bad enough.
“What about the human?” I turned to him.
“She has no one to trust here.” He smiled. “For now, let’s get back to the residence,” he said. “And I’ll handle what needs to be handled with her.”
He gave me a nod, and into the car we went, back to the alpha residence.
I found the human in the second study. It was fairly large but not quite as impressive as mine, and while I wanted to give her access to it, I felt so constrained. Nothing in my life had made me feel so constrained as watching her—the constant need to make her my own. It was a constant battle against my beast’s desires and, frankly, secretly, my heart and my mind, logic and following custom.
“I will be away for three days,” I said as I stepped into the room.
Her eyes came up as did her head. Her plum lips were parted like they’d been moistened by something that vaguely smelled like berries. I found myself watching her. She looked much better than the last time I saw her at night. The colour had returned to her face, her hair once again shining slightly, and the radiance was there—along with the anger and complete disdain for my authority.
“Okay,” she said, pausing. “So what? You want me to come outside and lay my clothes on the floor as you walk by?”
I rolled my eyes and walked in. “Your sarcastic nature doesn’t do well for you, human.”
“I have a name, you know,” she interrupted.
“I don’t care,” I said, biting my own words. “You are human. You are alone. Your name doesn’t matter. What matters is what you are designated.”
She squinted her face, her lips pressing together. “You know, I try. I think I try to give you the benefit of the doubt,” she said quickly, her toes curling beneath her. “But every single time you open your mouth and you say something, I just must stand to mention—you are an insufferable prick.”
My eyes widened. “You’re not in your world anymore,” I said, calming myself. My beast was more glad to hear that she was fine—to see that she was fine—but he wanted more. He wanted to peel off that pesky layer of clothes between us until we were both raw, sweaty, and covered in sexual fluids. That’s what he wanted. I felt my member stir in my trousers, aching to grow longer and bury itself in her.
“Yep,” she said with a bitter smile. “Insufferable, emotionless prick. Of course, you only care about yourself. You don’t actually care about me, which is why I’m surprised you’re here to begin with. Why are you telling me this? Be gone for five weeks, and I’m sure it wouldn’t make a difference.”
“It would,” I said. “I will be taking Lucas with me. Protection will be gone. You’ll be alone. But I will speak to Logan.”
Her face faltered. That strong expression she had held was now nothing but fear. Yes, she understood that her life might as well be in danger without me and Lucas to watch her.
“I have a few agents who will keep an eye on you, but Logan and his family—I trust them with my life. I trust them to also look after you. You will not stay here, of course. You will go there and stay there. You will not leave.”
She held up a hand. “Wait, hang on.”
I stopped talking and watched her.
“Lucas is leaving?” She stood to her feet. I felt the pain in my chest. “He didn’t just tell me? You’re going with him? Is it your fault that he has to leave?”
She folded her arms across her chest, the scent of anger in the air.
“No. I have a meeting of the council.”
She raised an eyebrow. “So take someone else. Leave him. Besides, don’t you need someone to look after your crowd of furries when you’re gone?”
I chuckled. Furries. Initially, it pissed me off to hear such a word—so derogative in its meaning—to imply that we were nothing more than animals, or at least people who liked to wear animal skins. It was derogatory. We were more than that. We were beings made of magic, of mythology—not something as pathetic as humans and animal skins.
But now, I found it funny. If she needed a way to cope, she had to have a little humour with her current situation. Her disposition being that she was, after all, surrounded by an unknown factor, her little human mind would find a way to equalize it.
“That's not how it works,” I said. “He will come with me, and he will go to Logan. That is final.”
She shook her head. “You're not my alpha,” she said. “I am my own alpha. You can’t tell me what to do.”
“Then protect yourself.” I felt anger rise within me. But of course, she couldn’t. She was weak. Bones would snap under the lightest pressure, her skin would tear, and she would not heal. She would die from one hit.
“You are weak,” I said. “You cannot protect yourself. My elite guard will always watch Logan and you, but you will not leave his residence.”
She shook her head. “Why can’t I just come with you then?”
I felt myself deflate.
“I’m sure Lucas wouldn’t mind.”
I felt myself deflate even more. “What is it about him?” I took one step closer.
She stood her ground, her arms still folded across her chest in defiance, her eyes unwavering as if she were aware that if she were a wolf, her teeth would be bared.
“He’s my friend,” she said, “the only one to actually care when no one else did—the first to take care. You, who are supposed to be my destined one—” She made an expression and raised her hands to air-quote destined one. “You don’t even care. At most of all, I mean, you say it, but you don’t mean it. I say one thing, and it’s not back. You don’t fucking care.”
She dropped her voice to a lower octave. “That makes you an insufferable prick. So yes, not really—I do care more about Lucas. And the only reason why I want to go is because I know he’ll be able to protect me. I only trust him. Well, maybe Logan too,” she said. “But I think you get my point.”
I saw the fear in her eyes more than I saw the battle she was trying to fight.
“You trust no one here,” I said. “So of course, you don’t want to follow the person you do. Or maybe the reason why you want to come with me,” I said slowly, keeping my eyes hooked on hers, “it’s not just about Lucas. You know I will protect you. My presence here is protection enough. And those who want to harm you wait for the times I’m not here.”
I took another step closer until I was just a few inches from her. I felt her breath on my skin; I could count the lashes framing her eyes. I watched the way her nostrils flared and closed as she breathed and the subtle rise and fall of her chest.
God, she was beautiful.
“You want to come with me because you want me to protect you. It’s not about Lucas.”
She rolled her eyes and looked away, but I could smell the nervousness and see the way she shook slightly.
“Do whatever the fuck you want. Ten days—I wouldn’t give a damn.”
I felt cold within.