438- A Promise of Vengeance
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
I shook my head, rejecting the possibility that Anton was the only recollection I had. He wasn't worthy of the merit. No way.
He laughed.
"I can show you how wrong you are, and I would take great pleasure in it, but out of respect for your... vulnerable situation, I won't do that."
I snorted.
"Oh wow, how chivalrous of you."
"That's my surname."
"Now let me go—being this close to you disgusts me." I pursed my lips in a grimace.
Anton stood still behind me, completely inert. Then he moved unexpectedly, brushing his beard against my cheek. I went rigid, without reaction. My breathing wavered.
"Disgust, is it?" he murmured, the bristles prickling my facial skin. "I know how to sniff out a good lie, Thalyndra. Just as I know how females react to me."
"I'm not like the ones you're used to," I said between gasps.
"And why not?"
My ears perked up.
"Because I'm much more interested in humans," I lied, trying to believe it.
"Mmm-hmm..." he pondered, rubbing his beard up and down against my skin, making me shiver even more. His fingers on my waist made idle circles.
He was provoking me, trying to prove the opposite of what I claimed. I closed my eyes and tried to stay firm, ignoring him. He was nothing, just an attractive, arrogant lupine, like most probably were.
He kissed the curve of my neck.
A purr escaped through my lips, parting them.
Anton laughed and I wanted to die. He said he would prove me wrong, and he succeeded.
I needed to leave as soon as possible; my beast didn't react well being near others of the same species. Having deprived myself of interacting with wolves for so long had harmed me—I didn't even know how to act with dignity around them. Around him.
If I went around purring for every wolf that touched me, I'd be seen as a bitch in heat who didn't know how to behave.
Heavens, my situation only tended to get worse with each passing moment. Anton gently set me down on the floor.
I moved away from him, staggering forward, desperate to rid myself of the warm touch that caused strange sensations in me and even left me dizzy. I turned to face him. The wound on his chest had already healed—except for the bloodstain covering the white skin, there was no trace that he had been struck moments before.
"Can we talk like civilized people? Are you calmer now? Can you sit down to enjoy your lovely breakfast?" he inquired, stringing one question after another.
My stomach growled. I sighed, blinking slowly, momentarily giving up on engaging in a confrontation with him. If I was really going to run away, I needed to be fed.
Ignoring him, I walked to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
Anton circled around, stopping in front of me. He placed his hands on the tabletop and leaned in.
"Now let's talk about your parents' murderers and the fact that I'm going to kill them," he said, surprising me.
"You're going to do what?" I asked, confused about what I'd just heard.
His eyes flicked toward the food on the table before returning to me.
"Help yourself! You're starving and need to eat something, then we can talk."
I'd already heard about how bossy alphas tended to be; I just had no idea how much. Anton was already irritating by nature, but when he acted with authority, it got worse.
I filled my plate with eggs and bacon and poured a cup of coffee.
I glanced down, only then noticing I wasn't wearing the same clothes as before. It was one of the changes of clothes I'd packed in my bag before setting fire to my house.
My heart slowed, then went back to pounding frantically. My muscles tensed, and my breath caught.
"What is this I'm wearing?" I asked, my voice calmer than I actually felt.
His laugh irritated me.
He reached out and grabbed the cup he'd set at the end of the table, then pulled out a chair and sat across from me, taking a sip of coffee.
"I'm guessing it's one of your own outfits, no?"
I clenched my teeth.
"Yes, but I don't recall the moment I got changed into it."
He rolled his eyes.
"You were covered in your parents' blood." He raised a finger pointedly. "And a bit of mine too, since you're an extremely violent female."
"So?" I cut in.
"So it was necessary to change your clothes so you could continue your beauty sleep."
"My induced sleep, you mean?"
We weren't going to skip over the fact that he'd knocked me out and kidnapped me.
"Yes, your induced sleep," he agreed, sounding bored.
I crossed my hands on the table and leaned forward.
"There's still the crucial part I don't remember waking up for—getting changed during my kidnapping."
"It wasn't a kidnapping."
I arched an eyebrow.
"Is that so? And being dragged off while asleep, by force, against my will, to a place I never wanted to go—what would you call that?" I bellowed, trying to keep my patience and failing miserably.
"A precaution," he simply answered.
"A precaution?" I snapped.
"Yes, when the female who needs rescuing is this stubborn, some drastic measures have to be taken as a precaution. In the end, I was right—you're safe, and we're all fine and happy."
I closed my eyes, uncrossed my hands, and rubbed my temples.
"No, I am not happy at all, you idiot!" I shouted, opening my eyes again and glaring at him. "I have no idea where I am, my parents are dead, and I'm stuck here with you, without even knowing how I ended up in different clothes."
He straightened up, leaning back against the chair. He dragged his eyes up to mine, and I noticed, for the first time, a glimmer of pity lighting them. Heavens, that was even worse. He felt sorry for me, and I didn't want to be the target of that feeling.
"You're in Eldoria, at my parents' house, Edric and Lunara," he answered my first question, letting out a heavy sigh. "Your father asked mine for help, said the Merchants had found him but he didn't know how, so I went to you, but as you well know, I didn't make it in time. I brought you here because you were entrusted to the leader."
"Against my will," I cut in.
"Yes, against your will. I'm the firstborn, and I'll be the future leader—I can't fail my people, much less leave a mission I was assigned unfinished. But I failed. I didn't make it in time to save your parents, so I'm going to kill every damned male who was present at the murder."
I blinked, stunned, my lips parting.
"What?"
He shook his head, silencing me.