Chapter Seven

“And if I don’t want to play your games? What would happen then?” I cocked my eyebrow and shifted my weight forward, challenging him.

“Then I guess that I would need to force it out of you. I can be very persuasive, you know?” He veered forward and I placed a hard hand on his chest, stopping him in his tracks.

“Yeah, that won’t be necessary”

Holding his hands up, he took a step back and lifted his head. “Is that so?”

Shifting uncomfortably, I looked at the man before me, cocking an eyebrow. “I cracked it” He straightened up and held out his hands to me, his figure still casting a shadow over me. “Yep” My lips pulled together, somewhat timid to tell him the answer. He always seemed to be one step ahead.

“Well...” He drew his words out and leant on the wall opposite me, bringing his foot up to support himself authoritatively. “Spit it out then”

“Name…that’s the answer. Right?” My lips turned upwards with satisfaction that I had proved him wrong.

He looked at me for a moment, raising his eyebrows before bursting into a fit of laughter. “Oh my god! It’s too easy!!” His hand slapped down onto his knee and I rose up from the bed, anger bubbling within me.

“What the hell is so funny you asshole?! I got it right. I played your stupid game, so give me my prize. What the hell is your name?!” My face was inches from his own as I veered up onto my tiptoes.

“My dear” He leaned down to me, making me cower back and sit down on the bed again. “I don’t give praise to cheaters”

My heart fell into my stomach. “What?”

“You—” His finger pointed at my chest. “Cheated.”

I shook my head. “Did not”

“Really? Because I came across a very talkative blonde with the perkiest tits who wouldn’t stop going on about how some newbie had asked her for the answer to a riddle in the bathroom…” He paused and then shook his head, laughing. “A bathroom, really?”

My arms folded over my chest angrily. “You planted her there, didn’t you?”

He came away from the wall, stalking over to me. “I’ve told you before—” His face was inches from my mine, his breath tickling my nose and I could smell the peppermint gum even through his mask. “I am a god.”

Something surging through me, I squared up and met his eyes. “You are a liar and a cheat. You are no god”

His hands gripped my wrist, pulling me up to stand in front of him. “You’ll want to watch your pretty little mouth, Isabella”

“Or what? You’ll stare me down to death?” I spat at him, rage filling his normally brown eyes and I feared that I had just crossed the line. It was only me and him alone in this room—maybe even this hallway. If he suddenly decided to do something, nobody would come to my aid.

He swiftly brought my wrists into the one hand, him being able to hold both of them effortlessly was the least of my problems as his idle hand wrapped firmly around my throat, squeezing gently, teasing me.

“Or maybe I could just kill you?” He cocked his head from side to side like a snake ready to pounce. “That would be fun”

Speaking through a closed throat, my voice came out raspy. I rocked my weight back and forth on my toes. “Where’s the excitement in that?”

Squinting at me, he quickly let me go and my body fell to the floor with a thump as I took in a big gasp of air. “You’re right” His finger wiggled in the air as he turned back round to me. “There’s no excitement there at all”

My hand ran through my hair. “Please no more excitement”

“Get up” He stared down at me and I stood up from the floor, staring up at him and wondering what was going to come out of his mouth next.

“Why don’t you just leave?” I shook my head at him.

“Where’s the fun in that? They don’t call this the Alpha Trials because it's boring, do they?” He rose his eyebrows at me and I looked at him in realization.

“You know about this procedure then? Tell me what happens” My hands gripped at his t-shirt and he quickly pushed me off, making me stumble back.

“You will not touch me” He straightened up his shirt and looked back at me. “And why should I tell you? Why should you get a leg up above everyone else here? Hmm?”

“Because I do not want to become a Luna” I walked over and perched on the edge of the bed. “I just want to know how to get kicked out”

He bent over, sitting down and man sprawling on the chair that sat opposite me. “You want to get kicked out?”

“Yeah, now will you help me or not?”

His eyebrow rose at me quizzically. “You don’t strike me as the bad girl type, wanting to get kicked out seems awfully reckless of the ever so perfect Isabella Short”

“You know nothing about me” My lips pulled into a fine line.

“Oh my dear, I know everything about you” He leant forward onto his knees. “Maybe I’ll share my secrets with you—for a price, of course”

I blew out an exasperated breath. “Let me guess, a game?”

“Somewhat” He nodded and then continued. “An agreement, more like”

“I’m not having sex with you” I narrowed my eyes at him and his eyes screwed up from grinning.

“Oh please, you want me to fuck you so hard and rough you won’t even be able to remember your name at the end of it…but that’s not what this is about”

Swallowing hard, I knew he was right, but I would never let him see that. “So what is this about then?”

“You’re going to be seeing me very soon, in a situation where you cannot ask questions or speak to me directly. All I ask is that you pretend you don’t know who I am” He scanned my face, watching for my reaction.

“And why would I do that? All you’ve done is barge into my personal space and step over lines, why do I owe you anything?”

“Because if you do so, then I will tell you how to be sent home. And you will never need to deal with me or see me again” His head nodded at me and I thought for a moment, choosing my options.

“All right, I’ll do it. But you need to keep up with your end of the bargain.” I crossed my legs, making him look at my crotch. When I met his eyes, I quickly straightened them again, realizing I was in very short shorts.

He coughed and stood up. “Great. I’ll leave you then, or perhaps I’ll pop back in the middle of the night and feel you up in your sleep? Depends on what mood I’m in really”

I grabbed a pillow and chucked it at him, he caught it effortlessly. “You’re a sicko, you know that”

He walked over, handing me back the pillow. “It’s not a bad thing”

Taking it from him, I looked up. “How do I know you’ll keep your word?”

He leant down and clicked his tongue. “Don’t worry, I will” Before turning on his heel and walking over to the door, staring back at me as he unlocked it. “Besides, it’s not like I'm a cheater. They deserve to be punished” My heart beat slightly faster as he turned the door handle and slipped his body through the door, looking me up and down one last time before whispering to me. “And they will be.”