You Rejected Me. Remember?

Astrea

No. I must have heard him wrong. My stupid mind must be playing tricks on me again.

I shook my head. I must have heard him wrong. He could possibly have said that it was me, right? Furrowing my eyebrows, “what?” I asked him.

He seemed to relax. After running his tongue over his lips, he held me at his arm’s length and looked into my eyes.

“It’s you. I mean, I love you. You are the girl of my dreams. I have been loving you for a long time. I just didn’t realise it until I had to stay away from you,” he inhaled, gazing deeply into my eyes.

“I want you as my mate, Astrea,” he pursed his lips. “But… I…”

“Is that why you chose me when Lana dared you the other day?” staring blankly at him, I cut him in.

I was seriously affected by his unexpected confession. My limbs were numb yet my heart was soaring with emotions.

Did he love me? Was I the girl of his dreams?

He timidly nodded his head in response to my question. His eyes looked rather grim as he rested his warm hand behind my ear, and traced his thumb on my cheek. He didn’t say anything as he studied my features. Most probably, he was weeping inside. I could see it in his eyes.

I felt my heart soften. My tense muscles relaxed. How could he love me so much? How could we both feel so deeply for each other when we weren’t mates?

It wasn’t fair.

“Just hug him!” Ash suddenly exclaimed in my head.

I gulped. “But…”

“I don’t care about anything else at the moment, Astrea. Can’t you see that he is hurting? Maybe that was the exact reason why he didn’t want to say anything. He knew that you would break his heart,” Ash pointed out.

“Besides, I don’t see why we shouldn’t. You love him. I feel comfortable around him. He loves us. He is a great guy and don’t get me started on that awesome body.”

Ash’s statement made me chuckle internally.

I narrowed my eyes.

“Come on Astrea. We got this. I don’t think our mate will be as awesome as him. At least tell him about how you feel,” Ash urged.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” I asked her.

“I know that it is a great idea.”

The sound of his humourless chuckle interrupted the internal conversation I was having with my wolf.

“I… I’m sorry Rea. I just couldn’t stop myself from falling for you. I… I know I crossed my boundary. I shouldn’t have…” he addressed me with the nickname he had given me years ago. Rea. I loved it when he called me that. It was a special name since he was the only one who called me that.

But this time, he looked so depressed. My lips parted. Perhaps I took too long to reply to him.

“Just say it, crazy human! Or else I’m taking over your body!” Ash threatened.

I felt his trip loosen as he took a step back.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“No, wait!” I gasped, grabbing his arm.

“No. I knew this would happen. I… I guess this is my life…”

“Leo!” I grabbed him hard enough to make him look at me.

“I feel the same,” I blurted out. “I… I have been trying to suppress my feelings for the same reason. Plus, I didn’t know that you felt like that. I thought you would think that I was being crazy.” My face heated up.

“I… I really like you, Leo. I like you more than a friend.” I whispered, trying to hide my flushed cheeks.

He silently scanned my face and then let out a humourless chuckle.

Shaking his head, “you are just saying that because you don’t want to make me feel bad,” he mumbled.

I frowned. “No. I mean it. Ash is threatening me to take over my body and tell you everything if I don’t confess my feelings,” I paused as our eyes made contact.

Astrea

No. I must have heard him wrong. My stupid mind must be playing tricks on me again.

My heart raced when he smiled. A glimmer of hope made his eyes twinkle.

“Really?” He choked. “Do you really mean that? Because if you are fooling around, I… I think I will die of a broken heart.” He told me. My eyes glossed.

Did he love me that much? After gulping the lump in my throat, I touched his earlobe and smiled.

I always loved playing with his ears. Back in the pack, he used to push me away constantly when I did, but I loved irritating him. However, this time, he didn’t push me away. He didn’t seem to care that I was teasing his ears.

Smiling, “I would never lie to you Leo. I cannot do that and you know it,” I whispered, as I fiddled with his earlobe.

He visibly relaxed before his smile widened. He was quick to wrap his hands around me and take me in a crushing hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me up and swung me around.

“Yes,” he cheered and I giggled. I could feel Ash jumping for joy and the elation of my heart. Every organ of my body seemed to celebrate. Never in my life had I felt so satisfied. My giggles didn’t cease. Everything seemed like unicorns and rainbows at the moment. There was nothing for us to worry about. It felt as though life was perfect. Perhaps this was what being in love felt like.

But then he stopped abruptly and slowly placed me on my feet.

Gazing deeply into my eyes with a deep frown on his face, “but your mate…”

I placed my forefinger on his lips.

“Shhh. Please don’t ruin this moment,” I requested.

“I want to enjoy my time with you without any stress. I have never felt like this towards anyone other than you,” I told him truthfully.

His smile faltered. “And when he shows up, you will leave me,” he stated.

Shaking my head, I placed my head on his chest and sighed. The rhythmic sound of his heart beating was like music to my ears.

“I don’t want to leave you, Leo. Now that I know that you also feel the same, I will not leave you. I will cherish every moment we have together,” I promised. Once again, his grip tightened around me.

“I love you, Rea,” he mumbled as he placed a k**s on my hair. Smiling in contentment, I pressed my head against his chest.

Was it too soon to say that I love him too?

I wondered.

“But since we aren’t fated mates, I don’t know how our parents will take this,” he added. I stiffened in his arms. Biting my lower l*p, I frowned.

He had a point. Now what?

I took a step back and looked at his face. Was I ready to defy my parents and his to be with him if they objected against this relationship? Maybe.

“Well, what do you think we should do?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t want them to be disappointed in you. You are the future alpha. You have a huge responsibility on your shoulders.”

“And I want you to help me with that. I want you to be my partner. I can’t think of a better person than you to help me handle our pack,” I firmly responded.

He chuckled and brushed away some messy hair strands off my face.

“Perhaps we should focus on our training and the tasks that follow. The kingdom might be in danger because of that guy named Calvin. So first we must clear that,” he said.

I nodded my head in agreement.

“So our duties first,” I asserted. “And from tomorrow onwards, I will be extremely busy. I would barely have time for anything else.”

“Exactly. I will join you guys later, when my lycan shows up. Maybe then we will meet more often?”

I nodded. It was time to go back to our own rooms, but I didn’t feel like going. I wanted to stay with him for the whole night.

“Let’s go. You must rest well,” he said, and kissed my forehead. Smiling, I closed my eyes. His lips felt so right on my skin and I craved for more. Touching his cheek, I moved my face. Our lips were mere millimeters away. I felt my anxiety rise as we breathed the same air. One corner of my lips stretched a little.

If we were going to part and wait till the threat called Calvin was sorted out, I would rather seal it with a k**s. I stood on tiptoe and crashed my lips on his. As expected, he responded well.

This wasn’t our first, but this time, it was real. This time it wasn’t a dare and we both meant it. I poured my emotions into the k**s and it felt great when he responded just as fiercely. I loved him. There was no doubt about that. Perhaps, if I let him mark me, we would be like fated mates, and finding my mate wouldn’t matter anymore. As long as I knew, that was how things worked for the lycans. When they completed the mating, they would become chosen mates, and then, they would share a bond similar to the mate bond.

It might work…

Our lips fondled each other until our lungs starved for air. Our lips parted. Gasping for breath, we chuckled as he rested his forehead on mine. I felt him squeeze the side of my waist. Though I wouldn’t have stopped him, he didn’t go beyond caressing my back and holding my waist. Oh, how I wished that we were soulmates. It would have saved us from a lot of trouble.

Chuckling, “now I wish I had said what I had in mind sooner,” I said.

He laughed. “What were you thinking when Xander told you that I liked someone?” His eyes twinkled as he spoke.

“That my worst fears were coming true. I thought I would play matchmaker and slowly drift away from you. But… I don’t know,” my cheeks flushed and I quickly buried my face in his chest. He held me and rocked my body in his arms. His embrace felt like home. I felt safe in his arms. I inhaled his scent and the corner of my lips twitched upwards. I loved his fragrance. It made me feel so good.

If only…. I frowned. I should stop thinking too much and talk to him about claiming me before my mate showed up. Then, we would be chosen mates. I honestly didn’t want to find my mate anymore. I just wanted to be with Leo.

“I don’t want to let go, Rea. I could stay with you for the whole night,” he sighed. “But we must leave now. Before the Queen sends someone to shoo us away again. And I think we should keep this a secret for now.”

I looked at him and reluctantly stepped back. I also didn’t want to leave, but he was right. We should keep ‘us’ a secret for now. If the grown-ups find out, it might result in a lot of drama.

“But Xander?”

“He is cool,” he shrugged. “See you later, Rea,” taking a step away from me, he murmured

Beaming, I nodded.

“Yes, later,” I agreed.

The talk about mating and marking would have to

wait. I watched him take brisk steps away from me. It would have been cool if he had walked me back to my room, but that was okay. Because now I know that he was mine… sort of.

A smile was constant on my face as I collected my phone to leave. Just then I noticed that Sarah had left her phone on the sofa.

“Oh, I better take this,” I mumbled to myself. I walked towards the exit after putting both phones into the pocket of my jeans to go back to my room. However, as soon as I stepped out of the game room, a hand grabbed mine and pulled me to the side.

“You sneaky bítch!” A familiar female voice squealed.