40

Nel shoved past Colsin, still squeezing the front of her towel closed. She’d never been in a room, naked, with another guy before but even still, she would not back down from her mate’s aggressive confrontation. “Give me a break Col! You’ve got it all wrong. It was nothing like that!”

“Then what exactly is it like then?” He turned to face her with his arms crossed. The young alpha was trying hard not to let his mind linger on the fact that his mate was standing there clothed in nothing but a towel.

Standing there, Nel sucked her teeth and leaned against the door of her room, rolling her eyes at her mate. Self-consciously, folding her arms, Nel considered whether she should tell Colsin what it was that Liam had confided in her about. No, it wasn’t her place, but it would placate him, she’d hoped.

“Your silence makes me believe that there is far more to this rendezvous between you two than you’re letting on!”

His voice was loud and aggressive. “You’re being loud. How about lowering your voice a bit? Or do you want everyone to know that you’re in the outcast’s room?” Nel retorted irksomely.

“Stop playing games with me, Red!” he growled angrily. “You know I don’t care about what anyone thinks concerning the people I spend my time with.”

“Does it look like I’m playing games with you?” Nel asked irately. “I don’t know you, so how would I know what you truly care about?”

“It sure as hell seems like you’re playing games!” Colsin took another step toward Nel and then another until he was barely inches away from her. Searching her eyes, Colsin knew by her uncomfortable shifty gaze that something important happened. “You’re hiding something from me…and it’s to do with him.” He lifted his arm over Neliyah’s head, caging her between him and her door, the only thing separating Colsin from Nel’s naked form was the towel between them.

“Colsin-” It was hard speaking sensibly when he was so close to her.

“What? You intimidated? Flushed?” he pressed as he saw her cheeks tint slightly.

Colsin’s hand moved slowly down the wall until the palm of his hand landed right next to Nel’s head. “Does my nearness bother you?” His swirling blue eyes bore into Neliyah.

For a moment Nel began to think that this conversation quickly shifted into something else. She glanced at his hand as it lingered next to her face, the scent of his natural musk and a hint of smokey sandalwood scrambling her senses.

“Colsin, don’t…”

“Don’t what?” Colsin pressed, moving ever closer. “Tell me something, Red,” he said. “Did he touch you…like this?” In a quick motion he wrapped his hand around Neliyah’s waist and pulled her into him.

Nel gasped, her hand shifting from her towel to her mate’s chest. “Colsi-” Her words were cut off before they left her lips, her eyes taking in every inch of his masculine and young features.

He really was a breathtakingly attractive alpha; strong jawline, a five o’clock shadow, and his swarthy dark hair. His cerulean eyes only ignited how attractive he was. His large frame towering over Nel only made it harder to concentrate.

Colsin dipped his head into her neck and inhaled deeply, past the scent of the strawberry and cream body wash she’d used, the young alpha inhaled the scent that marked her as his mate, Jasmine, sweet vanilla, and a hint of lemon.

“He means to mark you, you know,” he whispered into Nel’s neck. His incisors grew out as he struggled to keep himself from marking her then and there. “What happened between you two?” he asked as he tried hard not to lose himself.

“That…that’s none of your business…Colsin.” Nel struggled to say as his nearness forced a sharp moan from her lips, a warmth pooling between her legs, his nearness provoking physical reactions that both confused and scared Nel.

He pulled away from her. “None of my…none of my business. You know that’s not true. So, stop lying to me.”

“I’m not lying to you,” said Nel. “I’m just not sure that you have a right to every single thing that happens in my life.”

He scoffed. “Why do I get the sense that you’re trying to protect him?” he said sarcastically. There was a hint of bitter amusement in his voice. “I mean, what…he a Lycan too?!” When she didn’t say anything, his eyes narrowed into slits. “He is…isn’t he?”

“No, I-that’s not…”

“Then what is it then? Huh? Are you protecting a Lycan?”

Nel couldn’t help but feel that there was a hint of disgust in his voice as he made this accusation. Where her eyes were once rooted to the floor, the tone of his voice and the remark that he made, forced Nel to search his gaze now.

Did he feel that way about her? Was he just being tolerable of her because she was his mate? Whatever his reasoning, it was enough confirmation for Nel to decide for sure that he couldn’t know. At least not from her. But there was something else that she did mean to discuss with him.

“The disgust in your eyes,” she murmured. “In your voice…”

Colsin shifted his eyes to the floor and immediately Nel dipped her head and followed his stare. She was not going to allow him not to face her. When Colsin realized that she would not relent he looked at her.

“The repulsion,” she said under her breath. “Is that how you feel about me? Am I disgusting to you because of what I am?”

“You know better than that.” He wouldn’t be so near to her if he was. Or maybe it was because they were mates. Either way, he wouldn’t tell her of his unsurety.

Still, when she said this, it only occurred to Colsin then that his choice of words and the way in which he said them would probably offend her.

“As I said before…I don’t know anything.”

“Listen, Red, I-”

“It’s Neliyah!” She hissed, pushing past Colsin again. She went to her drawer and pulled out a pair of shorts and a tank top. “My name is Neliyah Larken,” she looked at him with visible irritation. “Did you even know…my name before now?”

“Listen, Re-”He thought better of calling her the nickname he had become accustomed to. “I knew-know your name. You know that I know your name.”

Nel scoffed, so tired of going around in circles with him. “I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” When she turned her back on him, something in Colsin snapped and he immediately yanked her by the wrist, whipping her around so forcefully, Nel’s grip loosened on her towel, and it started to slip.

Colsin noticed this and though he wanted badly to let it fall, he released her quickly so that she could catch it. She barely caught it before opened to reveal the beginning mounds of her breast.

His eyes lingered as he imagined how good she looked with the towel off. As he exhaled again, a moan escaped his throat before he could think to control himself.

“Can you please stop staring,” she whispered as a shiver went up her back, one that had been racing throughout the most sensitive parts of her body since Colsin pinned her to the door. She hated not having control over he body.

“I can’t help it,” Colsin readily replied. “You are technically mine,” said the alpha. His dark eyes did not shift. “It’s hard to turn it off.”

“Not for me!” She grabbed her shorts and walked away when yet again, Colsin grabbed Nel.

“Will you stop it!” Nel snapped. “What do you want from me, Colsin? I’m here! Isn’t that enough? I have not run! I have not tried to kill you again! Is this not enough?!”

“No! No, it’s not enough!” growled Colsin.

“Then what else do you want from me? What do you want?!”

“I want to know that I can trust you not to go whoring around with some loser behind my back-”

Nel slapped Colsin across the face. “You! You are the one who can’t keep your dick in your pants! You are the one who has a girlfriend and you, Colsin Stone are the one who betrayed me!”

“You betrayed me first!”

“No,” she scoffed. “I didn’t.” She relinquished a defeated sigh. She didn’t owe Colsin an explanation. Deep down that was an unwavering feeling, but she knew that she would have not one inkling of peace until she explained what happened. “I was on my way home, and he showed up, grabbed me, and kissed me. Then he left. I would never betray you. Not knowingly.”

Deep down Colsin knew that she was telling the truth but was too prideful to admit to it, so instead he deflected. “And why should I believe whether you’re telling the truth?”

“Because I have no reason to lie, and I don’t owe you anymore than you owe me!” she stepped toward him. “You knowingly went into a bedroom and had sex with someone to physically hurt me.” Her eyes enlarged and dilated. “To literally hurt….me! I mean, god! I’m a prisoner in this place because of you! One guy shows a hint of interest, and you go ape! I…” instead continuing on her rant, Nel stopped and laughed, shaking her head. “I’m done having this conversation with you. Can you please just…leave.”

Yeesh, she’s good with pulling that guilt card out, Colsin said to himself. “Listen, Red, I-”

Nel disappeared into the bathroom and changed. Then she came back out with a pair of shorts and a tank top.

“I was spending the day with my mom today, Colsin,” Nel finally said. “As soon as I left school, I went to the diner because I just…I just wanted to spend time with my mother outside of cleaning up after you and everyone else in this place-and you know what-how about you guys start wiping the freaking toilet down when you’re done! Geeze you can literally aim and actively refuse to hit the bullseye!” she hissed. “And don’t get me started on these females! I-I just…”

Nel took a deep breath and shook her head, realizing that she was getting off topic. Nel’s eyes wandered toward the ceiling, and she cut her eyes before turning around to face her mate.

“I left her and headed here. On the way back, Liam blind-sided me. Just like he did the night that he kissed me.”

“Ah,” was all Colsin could think to say.

“Tell me something, Colsin Stone,” started Nel. “Did you feel any sort of betrayal while I was gone?”

“No,” he said. “A gut feeling though.”

“A gut feeling?”

“Yes, a gut feeling, and I was right.”

“A gut feeling.” He was so out done “Well, you were only half right. We talked, but nothing else. I came here and was met with an angry and egotistical wolf.” She shrugged. “Now, can you leave now? Because I’m tired.”

“We’re not done here.”

“Yes…we are,” she opened the door to her room.

“No…” Colsin headed toward the door. “We’re not. Goodnight, Red.” He walked out of the room and immediately, Nel slammed the door in his face.