Chapter 24
“How the fuck did we kiss. It must have been you that forced that kiss on me. How is it even possible?” I was yelling in her face as if it made a difference and everything coming out of my mouth was utter bullshit anyway. Vera’s green pools of deception - this is what I called them now for she was a traitor to me, was folding white towels neatly and smoothing them over with her slender fingers. The urge was to pick one of her wretched towels up and throw them all out into the main hall. I wanted her to pay attention to me and all in the same instance I wanted to merge with her in ways that were unfathomable to me. I was with Gina. She would do, but this... not a chance in Moon Goddess hell would this work. Vera-ragdoll-Hunter was not to be my mate. Straining muscles in my arms wanted to reach out and grab her by the throat, but I unfurled my fists soothing the raging river in my limbs.
I didn’t want to admit that her wolf was incredibly stunning and that I wanted to mount her and do all kinds of nasty things to body. Forget all of that. The fact that the little scrawny rag doll of a human named Vera Hunter who I despised was my mate was a fucking travesty. There was no way in hell I could temper my emotions for this.
Vera blinked back at me with her long lashes and sweet emerald pools for eyes further infuriating me more. “Wh-what? What are you talking about?”
Opening my eyes wide as I blocked her in the corner of the laundry room cognizant of the fact her little lover boys were probably waiting in the wings to rescue her I stared her down. Her chest rose and fell as I drew closer and the rage simmering under my shirt changed to the highest order of lust. I wanted her and the need was undeniable. I found my hand reaching into her hair and I couldn’t stop it, but Vera managed that part for me by slapping my hand away.
“Sorry,” I mumbled under my breath not wanting to step any closer to her, but in the same breath wanting to be a part of her mystical wolf aura. She was doing it for me, but this bullshit union had to be undone. I would find a way because their was no way I was going to mate with the punching bag. “The kiss and everything. Threw me for a loop.”
" You and me both, trust me I had no intentions of kissing you back. You came for me, so don’t make it like I was the one that kissed you. I didn’t initiate the contact with you,” she folded in fury as her jade eyes flickered. “You’re one of the nastiest wolves I’ve ever met in my life.” I hated how deliciously green her eyes were, the mixture of jade and gold was too mesmerizing for words and one could lose themselves inside them. I wanted to swim in them which is one of the reasons I pulled my gaze back abruptly as I tugged at the bottom of my shirt.
I left her hanging with my response, I would deny her the satisfaction. “Say nothing to no-one about this you here? Otherwise I will rip you limb from limb and cook up your bones and make a broth out of them.” I added extra sauce on the snarl, but she recovered from being scared and pushed a flat palm on my chest.
“Get out Reily. You’re making a fool out of yourself. Piss off and go train and find your wicked girlfriend Gina. That’s more your lane and the type you’re suited to.” She turned her back to me and I longed to yank her long, silken raven colored ponytail to expose her swan like neck and bite it. Instead I retracted my fingers forming a fist and eased back out of the space with great difficulty.
“Shit and balls. Vera Hunter. What a joke, my life is ruined,” I hissed through gritted teeth as I pivoted away from her before I lost my ever loving mind and started kissing her. The imprint of her luscious lips were still on my mind and I was finding it hard to deal with. Vera was hot, and not a mild hot, she was a bonafide 12 if there was such a scale. Her curves combined with her newly toned muscles and that long hair, and sharp, refined features. Oh, and that mouth what a treat it was to taste her and feel her heart drumming in her chest. My cock started to start its own party as I willed it down and kept walking out to the training ground. I shoulder bumped Clive on the way past.
“Watch it! What the hell is your problem?” He frowned as I launched my middle finger rocket at him and kept on storming out to the field. I was going to need to run for several hours to clam up my feelings for Vera. So this how it felt to want a mate, and what a hellish existence for me with someone who I wanted to box into the ground on the daily. I had to cook up a plan. I couldn’t let there be an us. I had to end her once and for all. Struggling against probably wasn’t the best idea so I would have to come up with something else.
As I waited for other parts of my training team to show up I made a decision. I would make her fall in love with me. I would do it. I would make a big song and dance about our love and convince everyone and day by day, inch by inch I would destroy every fiber of her life. I would strip her of all this confidence she had now. I would own her and put a stop to her whole existence. She would have to be killed, so first things first I would have to get her to earn my trust.
A dummy stood in front of me and parts of it were in tatters from the battering it had taken from wolves in training. It was about to get another battering as I unleashed a flurry of quick light jabs as sweat flew from my forehead. I had to work off this aggression otherwise I was liable to rip someone’s head right off its shoulders. I practiced my defensive moves and focused intently for the next few minutes only drawing back when a crowd of new recruits surrounded me. I sucked in air as I paced away from the dummy staring down at my hands. Dammit. I forgot to put my wraps on properly and one of my knuckles had a small split in it from punching the dummy so hard.
One of the young pups clapped. “Wow, you must be training for a mission because the way you’re kicking that dummies ass I would swear it was a real person. That’s amazing work Reily.”
“Shut up and leave me alone,” I growled as I swept the dripping sweat from my brow allowing the excess to shake onto the grass.
“Alrighty then. Let’s go fellas. Let’s hit the track for a warm up run.” I watched as three of the new wolves ran to the entryway of the woodland track. I regretted talking to them like that but I was officially on heat and hating my life.
“Arrgghh!” I placed my hands behind my head as I paced over the round oval thinking up plots of how to get Vera Hunter out of my mind, my heart and my soul. I must have completed three or four laps before I arrived at a solid plan of how I was going to take over her life, one by one.
I had to convince her - step one. There would need to be an apology to her for telling her I wanted to cook up her bones, that’s not something a mate said to their beloved. It would be easy to make her fall in love with me, I was good at playing the heartstrings of women especially when I wanted sex. I had a whole treasure chest of alluring words to draw upon to make her love me.
I grinned deviously as I stopped running and let my mind still. Oh yeah. I was going to make Vera Hunter love me, and she was going to like it. I was going to woo the pants off her. It wouldn’t hurt to screw the help would it? Not such a big deal, then I could dominate her in a number of ways.
Dumb girl. She wasn’t about to know what hit her. I faced my sweaty face to the clear blue sky as the salty sweat helped sticker my hair to face. Shit in Mount Hunter was about to get wild and a little dirty. Just my style...
I found her in the mess hall later that afternoon. I wanted to give her the rest of the day to cool off from our earlier conversation. I didn’t want her to cool off completely I wanted her to have Reily on the brain. She would eat, sleep and dream of me. Anytime she went anywhere I would be right in her shadow. She was bent over the bench and dusting it revealing her perky ass and instantly my dick lifted. Silently, I groaned as I watched her hips wiggling as she attempted to get the last dust particles in the corner of the bench. I closed my eyes wishing her round, and high ass away from my vision.
Coughing to get her to stand back up I cleared my throat waiting for her to turn around. She whipped her ponytail around as her mouth formed a perfect o shape. I gulped down the tight knot in my larnyx as I regarded her body. Her clothes were getting tighter and she was looking better and better. I wanted to be inside her, but all in sweet time. I figured Gina would give me a pass as it was all for her benefit in the end if she wanted to stay with me.
“Hey, I’m sorry to interrupt. I feel like I didn’t properly explain myself in the laundry room... or for the kiss and I wanted to talk to you about it.” I treaded lightly and lowered my guard all the way down. If I wanted her to open up to me I had to appear open and vulnerable as well.
Vera stopped and put down the duster she had in her hand. She sneezed as I backed out of the spray. “Sorry! I’m dusting and I have allergies I think.”
“Maybe you should get someone else to do the dusting. Don’t the new wolves have to do cleaning duties in the mess hall? I can put a couple on the list to make things easier in here for you,” I smiled sweetly as I offered her a sickly, sweet side with a wide smile to pacify her.
“No, that’s alright.” She cast her eyes down as she pulled a tissue out of her pocket and blew her nose.
“You should let me help you.” I pleaded with her and I was even making myself sick, but I pressed on with the charade.
“Why are you trying to help me Reily? This must be a prank or something,” she muttered.
“No. It’s not a prank, I’ve got myself together now. I kissed you because I had to,” I confessed and at this point I wasn’t lying to her. This part was true, just the twisted version of what I was about to do with the truth was the problem. “I wanted you Vera.” I pierced her eyes with mine as I closed the gap between us licking my lips. I could feel her heartbeat and I wanted to put my hand on her breast to feel it, but I resisted the urge.
“I don’t get what you’re talking about Reily.” Her voice was wavy and she seemed to be in pain as I drew near. I knew what it was. I knew it was the mate bond attracting us together and she was having a hard time fighting it like I was.
My gaze darkened as the pace of her breath quickened and she ran her tongue around her lips. Stop doing that. I need you to stop doing that. My head was firing with all kinds of demands yet they weren’t announced out loud. The hunter in me wanted to pin her lithe body to the wall and lift her legs to wrap around me. I wanted to grind against her and breathe heavily into her small ears that suited her. Again, I gulped down my red hot desires struggling to keep a hold on myself. The bond was beyond strong and every moment was a battle to remain composed.
Vera looked as scared as I felt on the inside, but still I held a wide smile of betrayal on my face.
“I’m talking about what you already know and feel Vera. We are mates. You and I are meant to be,” I let my voice sing to her in a warm melodic tone hoping I gave none of my sinister plans away.
“We are not. Maybe it’s hormones or something, but that’s not possible we’re mates. You don’t even like me.” I saw every inflection as she tried to deny the overload of rampant sensations flooding through her. If I was feeling them then she was feeling them.
“I understand your hesitation, but it’s safe to love now Vera. I would never harm you. Please forgive me for my wicked wolf ways. I’m a little thick like that sometimes. I wish no harm to you.” I held up both palms and instead of backing her into the wall and sticking my leg between her knees like I desperately wanted to I leaned against the bench and clasped my hands in front of myself, one to hide my growing erection and two to let her know I could be placid and would wait.
I would hunt her.
Silently.
Daily.
Until she yielded to me and I had her wrapped around my little finger.