Chapter 13 Chapter 13
Violet
I had felt victorious for a total of five seconds before the slight feeling of guilt even popped up.
I wasn’t a mean or nasty person, I was just flustered and sleep-deprived. I barely knew him and needed his help.
And this was not the way I would get it.
However, Elijah tilted his head to the side a little, studying me.
I could swear I saw his lips twitch, veering towards a smile.
Asshole!
“No, I didn’t” I spat out but that only made that smile grow just a little wider.
“You sure sound like you spent the entire night trying to find out information about me. Maybe that's why I see those little circles under your eyes.”
He tapped his finger on his chin.
“Did anybody tell you that you are annoying?”
A smile finally appeared on his lips. Not a half-hearted one.
But a full smile that lit up his face.
His smile was contagious and it almost made me smile. Almost.
Elijah was so stiff and guarded since I showed up in his cabin but I saw just a real flicker of emotion directed at me.
And I found myself trying to soak in that smile. That warmth.
Like suddenly the darkness clouding the sky vanished and warmth seeped in through the cracks.
When he smiled his eyes crinkled with amusement and a dimple appeared on his left cheek. How had I not noticed it earlier?
His jawline was chiseled to perfection and I caught myself staring at his lips longer than necessary.
Focus Violet. I reminded myself sternly.
I could picture dad trying to meet the alphas who were too scared of going against the majority, and each denial further deepening his frown.
The fate of my pack and the safety of my parents depended on me.
“He said he put the marriage on hold temporarily.” Rain suddenly spoke in my head, reminding me of the words Elijah said to Cassie.
I wasn’t sure if he had been joking and didn’t want to find out why he said that either.
I felt goosebumps prickle up my skin even though the temperature was nowhere chilly.
“Were you putting those thoughts in my head about Elijah?” I asked her though I liked that she was still around.
“Which thoughts exactly?” She asked innocently and I mentally rolled my eyes at her.
I heard her chuckle in my head softly before she went quiet.
I focused my attention back on Elijah.
“You want me to be all sweet and miserable like you? Let people walk all over me? Newsflash, Violet, that will only drive my business and pack to the ground.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Why the hell would you call me miserable?”
“Your eyes, your face, your entire body screams that you are feeling miserable and you are just projecting it on me.”
“Oh really? Why is that?”
He continued to stare down at me.
“Maybe because you waltzed in here expecting me to be swept off my feet with your pure genius and never prepared for the possibility of your idea turning into an utter disaster. The real world hurts, doesn’t it?”
My pulse spiked and his smile didn’t feel so alluring anymore.
“Running a business or a pack is no fairytale, Violet. You might have worked on one single project but trust me, you have no idea what you want in your life or how to get there. Bidding on a project is one thing, but bringing it from a draft to a finished product is a whole new ordeal you and your miserable heart can’t comprehend.”
Before I knew, my hands shot out to grab his collar, jerking him closer.
“Take that back!”
My grip on his shirt tightened and my nails sliced into the fabric of his shirt. But he just wouldn’t shut up.
I had been so consumed by anger that I didn’t realize until now how close I had pulled him.
His breath brushed my cheek; the subtle warmth of it curled around my skin. Beneath the thin fabric, I could feel the steady beat of his heart against my knuckles, a rhythm that didn’t match the calmness of his face.
For a heartbeat, I forgot how to breathe.
Elijah’s eyes dropped briefly to my mouth before finding mine again, unreadable. “Are you going to let go, Violet?”
I swallowed hard. “I—”
His voice dropped, softer. “Or are you planning to strangle me for real?”
It was supposed to sound teasing, but something in his quiet, measured tone sent a rush of heat up my spine.
“You are baiting me” I said and my gaze dipped to those lips again.
They were so damn kissable.
Stop it, Rain!
I forced my hands to unclench, stepping back before I did something truly stupid.
But as I moved, I felt his hand brush lightly against my lower back, steadying me before I could stumble.
The touch was barely there, but it made heat travel in a completely different direction this time.
Down there.
“It was fun but I’ve got no time to waste so off you go.” He dismissed me and I hated the way he could walk away from me.
His calm composure grated on my nerves.
“Waste of time,” I blurted and suddenly it all fell in place.
Elijah blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
I swallowed. “Back at the restaurant that day. You were sitting there alone, looking bored.”
He frowned slightly, confused. “Where are you going with this?”
“You were there for a reason,” I said quickly, the words tumbling out as I pieced them together. “You weren’t just having a drink. You were alone, but you were watching everything such as the entry points, the exits. When the attack happened, you knew exactly where to take me, how to move without causing chaos.”
His eyes narrowed, faintly curious. “Okay…”
“If killing them was your only intention, you wouldn’t have bothered how many tables got smashed or how many bottles were spilled.”
“Wasting alcohol is a crime” He said but I didn’t want to let him affect my train of thought.
“But you took them out while also causing minimal damage to the restaurant. Who does that?”
“A sensible alpha?”
I looked at him, my voice going up a notch.
“You weren’t just protecting me from the rogues,” I continued. “You were protecting your property.”
For the first time since I’d met him, Elijah looked genuinely caught off guard. “My property?”
I crossed my arms. “You own that restaurant, don’t you?”
He leaned back on his chair, one eyebrow lifted. “You deduced that right now?”
He sounded almost impressed, though he didn’t give me the satisfaction of hearing it aloud.
“I made the booking weeks in advance,” I said, warming to my theory. “The place was impossible to reserve. It used to be booked out for nearly a year. Then suddenly I got a table at the last minute. That doesn’t happen unless something’s wrong.”
He was listening now, the flicker of intrigue in his eyes impossible to miss.