Chapter 13
Kai POV
I stood under the cold shower, the third I was taking since Celeste had texted me she was coming with my mate – by the way, her name was Lily.
Now I was in the shower for the third time, another futile attempt to quell my raging hard-on and the lust flowing through my veins. My wolf Hud, paced restlessly, still driven wild by the lingering scent of our mate.
“Enough, Hud!” I growled, “We will not act like animals in heat. I know you want her as much as I do but she deserves better than that, don’t you think? And we should work on making her trust us first before any other thing p>
As I stepped out of the shower, my phone rang. I sighed recognizing my mother’s ringtone. I answered, already knowing what this call would be about.
“Kai, darling,” her voice came from the other end. “I’ve arranged the most delightful dinner for you tomorrow evening. Her name is Chloe and she’s the daughter of one of my distant cousins. She’s beautiful and the type of woman I know you’ll like. And she’s crazy about you so you don’t have to worry about if she’s into you p>
“Mother,” I cut in, my tone firm but respectful. “We’ve discussed this. I am not interested in arranged matches, especially not with distant relatives or anyone at all. If I want a mate, it’ll be someone of my choosing. Someone I feel a connection with… someone that is my fated mate p>
“But darling,” my mom argued “I already told you that the fated mate thing is cliché. Look at me and your dad. We weren’t fated mates but we went on to have the best marriage. You just need a woman who will love you despite your flaws and the bloodline p>
“That is exactly why this is a bad idea,” I interrupted her. “Have you forgotten the health issues that have plagued our family for years because of keeping it in the family not to talk of many other royal families. So, No, I’ll pass p>
My mother huffed with disappointment. “You can’t put this off forever, Kai. The pack needs an heir p>
“And we’ll have one,” I assured her, thinking of Lily. “Just not like this, Trust me, mother p>
After ending the call, I dressed in my best suit, feeling stupid that I was overdressed but it was to prove to Lily that I was the kind of man she needed in her life and also something in me that wanted to make a good, lasting impression. To show her that I wasn’t the monster she seemed to think I was.
At first, I paced my study, trying to come up with the best words to speak to her, I heard their footsteps coming towards me. I quickly went to sit behind my desk, I didn’t trust myself to not grab her and kiss her senseless. As soon as she entered the room, with Celeste behind her, all I could see was her.
I was hit with a wave of her intoxicating scent. Every cell in my body screamed to close the distance between us, to wrap her in my arms, to mark her and never let go. I gripped the arms of my chair tightly, forcing myself to remain seated as I fought with every ounce of self-control I had.
“Kai!” Celeste snapped me out of my lustful reverie as she raised an eyebrow, eyeing my clothes with amusement in her eyes but she said nothing. “This is Lily Stone from Golden Moon Pack and the person you saved from the rogues last night. Lily this is my brother and the Alpha of the Royal Hunters pack, Alpha Kai Ryker. I’ll leave you both to catch up p>
Celeste bowed slightly and turned to leave but Lily’s hands shot out, gripping her arm tightly. The fear in Lily’s eyes was unmistakable and it made Hud, my wolf whine with displeasure.
“It’s alright, Lily,” Celeste said softly. “You’re safe here. I promise,”. With a gentle squeeze of Lily’s hand, she disentangled herself and left the room, closing the door behind her.
I frowned, hurt by Lily’s obvious reluctance to be alone with me. Hud had begun to prance about, berating me for my cold demeanour.
“This is your fault,” it accused growling. “You’ve spent so much time being the tough, unapproachable Alpha that now our mate fears us. When I was telling you to tone down a bit, you thought I was being funny p>
“Silence, Hud!” I hushed him, cutting off every communication with it. I needed to focus on Lily now.
Standing slowly, careful not to make any sudden movement, I approached her. She kept her eyes fixed firmly on the floor, refusing to meet my gaze. This close, I was struck by how small she seemed compared to me. The top of her head barely reached my shoulders. She was petite without being short and her delicate frame awakened a fierce protectiveness in me. All I wanted was to gather her in my arms and shield her from the world.
But as the second ticked by she showed no sign of acknowledging my presence, or maybe trying to say something or feel the same way I do about her or something…I knew the mate bond was like a magnet, no matter how much you try to hide it, It’ll keep pushing you towards your fated mate.
A seed of suspicion began to grow in my mind as I stared at her. Wondering why she wasn’t responding to me. Shouldn’t she feel the mate bond too?
“Lily,” I said softly, trying to keep my voice gentle and non-threatening. “Please look at me. I promise you have nothing to fear here p>
Slowly, hesitantly, she raised her eyes to meet mine and my breath caught in my throat. Up close, her beauty was even more striking. But it was the emotions swirling in those deep green eyes that captivated me. fear – yes but also curiosity, confusion and something else. Something that gave me hope.
“Do you know why you’re here, Lily?” I asked, fighting the urge to reach out and touch her.
She shook her head slightly. “I…I’m not sure. Celeste said you wanted to see me but she trailed off, biting her lips nervously, driving me crazy. It should be me biting those lips.
“But you’re afraid of what I might want,” I finished for her. When she nodded, I sighed. “I’m sorry for frightening you earlier. That was never my intention p>
“What?” her eyes flew to mine. “Really p>