CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Estella wobbled precariously. She held her breath as she struggled to maintain her balance. At last, she paused. She breathed heavily to get her bearings.

"I hate you, Dexter," she muttered.

She adjusted the clutch under her right arm and hobbled to the door. Dr. Shelby, who finally discharged her after two days of Brian's insistence, looked on in concern.

"You alright now?" He asked her.

"Yeah," Estella replied. "I am now."

As she hobbled out of the door, she bumped into a solid chest. She looked up to see Brian frowning down at her.

"What are you doing out here?" Brian asked in an icy tone. Estella huffed, a little annoyed from her recent struggle with her clutch.

"Big question," she snapped at him, "wonder who insisted the doctor discharged me so I would get used to him?"

The frown on Brian's face dissolved a little. "Let me rephrase that question. What are you doing out here, alone?" Brian asked. "You should have some help using that clutch till you have gotten used to them."

"Oh," Estella said. The sarcasm she had been brewing melted away. Her heart felt warm and fuzzy at his care. "I can manage quite well on my own."

"Can you?" Brian asked noncommittally.

Before Estella could reply, he had already swept her up into his arms in a princess carry.

Estella didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. She didn't like that he took her as weak. But she felt good at the way he obviously cared enough to carry her. She settled for just settling into his arms.

He smelt delicious anyway. And it felt good. The male presence was very comforting, and made her feel safe. She took in a big whiff of air.

Tangerine. Cedar. Vanilla. And…

"What is fucking wrong with you?!"

Brian's angry voice startled Estella from her preoccupation of separating all the different scents that made his scent so delicious.

She blushed scarlet. She was about to say, "Not my fault you smell so delicious," when she realised that the question was not directed at her.

It was directed at Dr. Shelby, who was cowering before her. Well, before Brian, technically. But then, Brian was carrying her so it did look that way.

"Nothing sir," said the poor doctor, who had no idea why Brian was so vexed on a fine morning. When his soulmate would be moving in with him.

"Why did you let her leave alone?" Brian barked at the doctor.

The doctor took in the clutch in Brian's hand, and Estella in his palms, and realized what he was so vexed at.

"I'm sorry, sir," he bent his head in submission.

___

"Fuck!" Estella gaped the moment she alighted from the car in what looked like a garage.

"You're clothed," Brian replied mischievously.

Estella ignored him. Ever since they got in his car, Brian had been doing his best to embarrass her. For no reason. He just suddenly seemed to have an 'embarrass Estella' fetish.

"Fuck!" Estella whispered again, taking in the amazing fragrance that pervaded the atmosphere.

"Is that an air freshener?" Estella turned to Brian and asked.

"Yep," Brian shrugged.

"Wow," there was awe in her voice, "How much is it worth?"

"Dunno. Shelby and Vivian brewed it from some herbs. They have both got a talent for that sort of thing," Brian shrugged again.

"That's amaz —" Estella paused abruptly. "Who's Vivian?" she asked suspiciously.

"Sister to my beta," Brian replied after a moment's pause. Like before, he didn't want to lie to his mate, but he wasn't sure she could take it yet. She isn't so strong after all.

Estella found she didn't like the mention of another female, for whatever reason. Of course, she knew the right reason.

But they were just merely fated mates as of yet. They haven't even claimed each other yet, much less bonded.

She pushed back the totally unmerited (in her opinion) sentiment and commented, "that's an amazing talent! Can I learn it?"

"Perhaps," Brian shrugged again. "You have to get well first, don't you?"

Estella agreed with him. Right then, a part of what he had said registered with her.

"Your beta? You're an alpha?" Estella asked.

Brian nodded.

Estella suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. Another alpha? She busied herself with looking around the garage. She nodded in appreciation. If the garage was anything to go by, the handsome man beside her wasn't just handsome.

Her guess was further confirmed when they took an escalator out of the garage. Who the hell has an escalator in their garage? Unless it was deep underground. And this wasn't.

When the escalator doors opened, she was facing a very lavish hallway. It was lined with shaded bulbs on both sides of the wall, near the ceiling. The shades were light blue in color, giving the light in the corridor a kind of blue hue that seemed dreamy.

After they passed what was obviously an invaluable antique, the kind that are kept in showcases to be admired by guests, just used as a decoration in the hallway, Estella just had to ask,

"Shit. How did you get so rich?"

Brian grinned. "I have a nice business acumen," he boasted.

"Oh, come on! You don't even look that old. No matter how much acumen you have, you haven't lived long enough —"

"I'm a lycan," Brian interrupted her. "We generally live longer than humans, and werewolves."

It was time for Estella to gape again. "You…you're a lycan?" She stammered.

Brian nodded, raising an eyebrow at her sudden discomfort.

"You have anything against that?" He asked.

Estella shook her head. "No." Not unless you count that you could easily kill me before I even knew. And you're so damn powerful I don't see how the goddess could have seen me as a fit mate. And my wolf is suppressed. She added silently to herself. Of course, she didn't say it out loud.

Unconsciously, she added a little space between Brian and her. She was suddenly a little scared.

But she guessed she should have known. His aura in the hospital had seemed a little too powerful. But she had simply thought it was the poison messing with her senses.

Now, she knew she was right. The poison was indeed messing with her senses. She should have perceived a much stronger aura of authority.

Much, much, more stronger than she was feeling now.

Estella felt cold. An alpha's son had rejected her because she was weak. And now, a lycan?