Ella groaned, turning onto her side and blinking her eyes open to a dimly lit room, well furnished in steal greys and blues.
She licked her lips, her mouth dry, head dizzy but overall, she felt warm, snug as a bug in a rug warm. The peace and serenity she felt was instantly interrupted by the sound of a slight snore and an arm wrapped around her waist beneath the blankets. She bolted upright, tripping forward and crashing to the ground with a thump.
“Ow!” She cried, gripping her exposed knee, she wasn't in her jeans anymore, just her underwear and the fancy shirt she'd been wearing at the party.
Her eyes went wide as he, the arm around her waist seconds before, woke, rubbing his forehead.
Her throat swelled as she remembered the night before, but what she didn't remember was going to a room with a boy!
“Oh my god, I drank too much..” she breathed, searching like mad for her clothes. Panic and disgust got to her as she crawled across the clean floors, not finding anything and especially not her jeans.
“Morning, babe.”
She stopped to stare at the shirtless stranger, as he sat up in bed. “I am not your babe!” She had her death sneer in motion but he found it funny.
“Why are you crawling on the floor?”
“I'm looking for my pants.” She hissed, continuing to search, while attempting to pull her shirt down her hips.
“Oh, yeah, those are in laundry.”
Her eyes darted around for a hamper or pile of clothes. “Where?”
“Rosa is washing them for you. You puked on them.”
“Who!” She swung around on her hands and knees.
His brow perked, “I guess, you don't remember much of last night?”
“I don't remember anything and that means, this was rape.”
“Rape?” He swung the quilts off his lap and stepped out of bed, in just his underwear. “I always thought rape had something to do with forced intercourse and that, definitely did not happen.”
She watched him, her eyes focusing on his tighter boxers and muscled abdomen, her heart did a sputter. “Uh-er-you-ah-ugh..”
“Don't hurt yourself.” He smirked, strutting to his dresser. “Want to borrow a pair of sweatpants?”
“No,” she snapped.
He pulled on a pair of jeans and she had to stop herself from staring at him do so. “So, you want to have breakfast in your underwear?”
She shot up to her feet, waving her finger at him. “I'm not having breakfast with you, I don't even know who you are!”
He turned to her, his jeans not done up. “Yes, you do, Daniella.” His words froze her core and she didn't move, as she remembered all the details of the night before.
“I got sick, I passed out.”
“No, you got dizzy and ran away.” He pointed out. “Why? I'm still trying to piece that together.”
Ella wrinkled her nose. “What are you trying to piece together?”
“Because, instead of running, arms out and falling to your knees in happiness; you locked yourself in the office and blacked out, away from me.. your mate.”
She almost fell to her knees, but in the worst possible way and then he was there, in front of her, grabbing her from falling.
She looked up to him, almost growling from his sudden touching.
“Don't pass out again,” he chuckled.
She pulled out of his arms. “I want my jeans.”
“I told you, they're getting washed.” He droned, not interested in much more conversation about her jeans. Walking back to his dresser, he pulled on a shirt.
She watched him, lifting her chin in a particular way to get a better angle of his smooth muscled back. It almost made her want to puke, she wasn't attracted to egotistical males that threw huge frat parties and looked like they lived in the gym.
He threw her a pair of sweatpants. “Come on, we got some stuff to talk about. Unless you want to get straight to it?” He winked at her.
Her eyes narrowed into another death glare. “I don't think so...” She searched her head for his name and came up blank.
“Was there more to that sentence?”
“I can't remember your name,” she admitted. “But it's not like, I want to know anyway.”
“Ah.” He smiled. “It's Braxton Hall.”
“Well, Braxton, I don't think we're going to be doing that ever.”
“Did you miss the whole mate part of this thing? And unless you're planning on rejecting me, causing yourself a world of pain because of it – literally, physical pain, I suggest you don't quite write that little part off just yet.”
Ella bit her lip, holding back her flaring want to cause him physical pain. “You're arrogant.” She got the sweatpants on as fast as she could. “And I can't believe you slept in that bed with me!”
“Where else was I going to sleep?”
“On the floor!” She exploded.
“Oh, yeah, no, I don't do,” With air quotations included, “floors.” He kept his annoying smile.
She rolled her eyes and shoved past him towards the door. “I'm leaving.”
“Whoa, there, cowgirl.” He grabbed her arm.
“What did you just call me!” She shot around to him.
“Well, isn't that what you are?”
“No!” She initially argued, but lost it a bit as he waited for further explanation. “Well, I grew up on a ranch but--”
He laughed.
“What is your problem!”
“Nothing.” He held up his hands. “You and me, we need to figure this out and you can't just run off. I told you, it'll suck and not in a good way.”
“You're a douche,” Ella said. “And I don't want to work anything out with you. Cheri told me, your an alpha son. Of course, you want to mate.”
Braxton went to speak but she cut him off.
“I'm not stupid.” Thinking about her mother, it wasn't that she thought her mother stupid, she just wouldn't let it happen to her.
“Daniella--”
“It's Ella!” She reached for the doorknob.
He grabbed her waist from behind and pulled her against him. “That's not fair to accuse me of.”
She struggled against him. “Let me go.”
He growled. “You can't just leave.”
“I don't want to be here!”
“Daniella, stop, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just asking to be heard out--”
“I'm not going to hear out anything!”
He actually growled, a sound so deep it cut through to her wolf and she whimpered from it.
Her pulse increased as his grip on her tightened.
His nose ran the length of her neck and though she wanted away, her wolf wasn't fighting, she wanted him. She wanted to submit to him. Submit to her mate.
His arms dropped, his body stepping away and making her shiver. “Guess you better go.”
She swallowed.
“If you really want to.”
She took the leave. Running out of the house, before she had time to even think through her actions in full. Outside, she squinted to the bright sun, not knowing which direction to go in.
“Are you lost?”
She tensed, turning towards him, her bare feet cold on the damp pavement. “Did I have shoes last night?”
He smiled. “Yeah, they're in my room.”
“Oh.” She huffed. “Can you go get them?”
“Why don't you come inside, Daniella? Have some breakfast?”
“No, just go get my shoes.” She held firm.
“Is it a family trait?”
Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what he was talking about. “What?”
“Is it a family trait to be so stubborn?” He laughed, turning and walking to the front door.
“What would you know about my family!” She shouted at him.
He grabbed the door knob and looked over his shoulder. “I was just taking a stab in the dark, Daniella.”
“It's Ella!” She stormed toward him. “My name is Ella!”
“I'm pretty sure your name is Daniella.”
“What did you do, do a background check on me!”
He paused. “Not exactly.”
She stared at him. “You looked up personal information about me?”
“I asked Cheri, alright?”
Ella snorted. “Uh-huh, where is she? She just left me!”
“Respectively,” Braxton said in a level, calm voice, “with your mate. She knew you were safe.”
“Ugh, why did this have to happen!” She rubbed her face with all the left over makeup still present.
“Why are you so upset about this?”
“Uh,” Ella paused, “Because I just wanted to go to school.”
“You can still go to school.”
“I don't want to be tied down.”
“I see.” He swung the door open of the house. “Coming in?”
“I'm waiting here.”
He sighed. “Don't you want your jeans? They're probably almost done in the wash.”
“You can give them to me later.”
He smiled. “You're agreeing to let me see you later?”
She had no idea how he did it, but he was very good at twisting everything around to suit him. “No, I'm not! You can leave them in a bag on the doorstep or something.”
“I'll go get your shoes.” He turned and disappeared into the house.
She grumbled, crossing her arms, she was freezing. Maine was chilly and damp, and standing in a breezy tank top and no shoes really chilled her to the bone.
“Alright.” He was back, holding out her pair of high-heels.
She stared at them, not understanding why she'd made such poor clothing choices.
He dangled them in the front of her. “Daniella?”
She whipped them from him/ “Thanks.” Slipping them on, she walked down the porch to the cement sidewalk, wobbly legged and shivering. Not knowing which direction to go in, she paused. “Do you know which way I should go?” She waited for an answer as he laughed.
“I'll drive you back, you'll be walking forever and there's a storm coming in.”
Cold and her feet already sore, she gave up, knowing going back inside was the smarter choice. “Fine.”
“Great, come back in, wait for your jeans and I'll take you back to your dorm.”
Slowly, she turned back towards the house and looked up to him on the porch, smiling. He'd won, she'd let the arrogant ass, win. Walking the steps, she brushed past him back into the warmth of the house.
“It's so cold out there.” She rubbed at the goosebumps prickled along her lean arms.
“It's almost October.” He noted from behind her as he closed the door. “Bit colder than where you're from, right?”
She shrugged, slipping out of her shoes, “We get ice storms sometimes and a bit of snow.”
“Wait till you see our snow.” He took her elbow and led her down the hall so fast she hardly had time to think it through, “White Christmas, it's nice.”
“I'll be home for Christmas,” she clarified for him, so he wouldn't get any weird ideas.
He smiled and let her go as he walked into the big open kitchen, complete with oak cupboards and stainless steel appliances.
“For having a party last night, this place is sure clean.”
Braxton opened the fridge. “They cleaned it this morning.”
“They?”
“The other guys, but I would think mostly Rosa. She's our maid.”
“You have a maid?”
Braxton shrugged. “None of us have mates.”
Ella put a hand on her hip. “You think girls are maids?”
He tapped his fingers against the door of the fridge and then brought out a carton of eggs. “That's not what I meant. We're guys, we're a bit messy, we need someone to keep us in check.”
“Uh-huh.” Ella just wanted to scream pig at him. “So where are my jeans?”
“Do you like sunny-side-up?”
She huffed, “I don't want breakfast, I already said that.”
He went about finding a frying pan. “You gotta be a bit hungry. You passed out at like ten, last night.”
She shook her head in reply. “I'm not.”
“Okay.” He put the pan to the gas stove and flipped it on. “Well, I'm starving, so, I'm eating.”
Watching him made her anxious, she didn't even know the guy and she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. His hands cracked four eggs into the frying pan and though the task was mindless and simple, Braxton seemed focused on it. He tapped the granite countertops as his eggs fried.
“Mr. Hall.”
Ella snapped her eyes off him to the middle-aged woman standing next to her, how she hadn't noticed the lady's presence weirded her out – she'd been that distracted by her mate.
Braxton looked up, his longer bangs sweeping across his forehead. “Morning, Rosa.”
“I think, I've got everything cleaned up and the jeans you wanted washed, they are in the dryer now.”
Braxton nodded. “Thank you.”
“Have a nice day.”
Ella watched her leave. “That's your maid?”
“Good guess,” Braxton answered, slipping some bread into the toaster.
The scent of breakfast caught her senses and her mouth watered.
“Sure, you're not hungry?” He asked once more.
“Do you think I'm hungry?” She wanted to know how much of a grasp he had on her.
He smirked. “Yep, I do, babe.”
“I'm not your babe!” she exclaimed.
“Fine.” He gave into her. “Not my babe, yet.”
Ella boiled, charging toward him. “I won't ever be-” But he stepped right in the front of her, accepting her challenge.
“Why do seem to hate me?”
“I don't even know you! You're acting like I'm yours, I'm no one's!”
“Ah.” He crossed her arms across his muscled chest. “Even if you don't know anything about me, I still didn't expect you to be so hostile.”
“What can I say?” She snapped, “you make it super easy for me to do.”
He smiled, looking to his eggs and back to her. “Thing is, I don't think it has anything to do with me. There must be something you're not saying, I mean, there must be a reason, you're not jumping me, begging me to mate you.”
“You are so full of yourself!”
He gave her a full hearted laugh. “I always figured, when I met her, she'd at least be into me.”
“You're into yourself enough for the both of us.. that's clear.”
Braxton sighed, “Daniella.”
“It's Ella!” She paused, smelling a faint burning. “Your eggs!” Reaching out, she grabbed the pan and removed it from the heat, flipping off the stove.
“I don't think they were burning.”
“No, they were,” she corrected, looking them over. “Grab a plate.”
He did as she said and handed it to her.
She took a spatula from the canister holding other cooking utensils and dished out his food for him.
“I like your actual name, why shorten it?”
“Because that's what everyone calls me and they always have.”
He came up beside her, putting his hand to the counters and leaning into her side. “Daniella is prettier than Ella, you're not a little girl anymore.”
She stiffened. “Don't people call you Brax or anything?”
“Sure, but I like Braxton.”
“So..” Turning towards him, she stepped back to gain some space between them. “If you don't like Brax, I guess that's what I'll call you, till you start calling me; Ella.”
“You drive a hard bargain.” He tapped the counters and she slapped her hand down on his.
“Why do you tap everything!”
He looked to their hands. “I didn't realize I did.” His fingers moved, creeping the spaces between hers.
She whipped her hand up before he figured out her body liked his touch. “You do, so stop it. It's annoying.”
He took his plate from the granite and put a hand to her shoulder, pushing her over to the kitchen table.
She sat in compliance, hoping it would stop him from touching and being close to her. He dropped the eggs in front of her.
“Do you like butter on your toast?”
“I don't want any, Braxton!” She spun in her chair and her mouth almost met his.
He smiled. “What happened to Brax?”
She turned, looking down at the food as he walked across the kitchen and got the toast.
“Tell me about your pack.”
She tensed at his new demand.
He walked over to the table, toast in his hands and sat down right next to her. “Daniella?”
“Argh!” She grabbed a piece of toast from him and shoved it in her mouth. “I'm from the pack Forenone, outside of Silvertun, Texas.”
“And you came all the way to Maine, because?”
She ate more to avoid answering.
“Alright.” He brought the plate of eggs towards him and cut into one with a fork, taking a bite. “Who are your parents then?”
She stiffened in the chair. “Who are your parents?”
He smiled, “ Azalea and Gale Hall. My father is Alpha of Crest.” He was proud about that and it made her upset, the last thing she'd ever wanted was an alpha as a mate.
“Whatever.”
He took another mouthful of egg and stared at her while doing so. “Cheri told me.”
“Told you what?”
“That you're alpha blooded on both sides. Was your father an alpha?”
“It's none of your business.”
He sighed. “You don't want to tell me anything?”
“I'm not telling a stranger my life story.”
He leaned toward her, putting his hand atop her hand. “Since when is a mate considered a stranger?”
She shook him off and shot to her feet. “Take me back to my dorm, now!”
“Are you okay?”
“No..” Her bottom lip quivered. “I mean, I'm fine, I just need to go back to my dorm. Please, I don't even care about my jeans.”
“Okay.” He dropped his fork to the plate and stood. “But I need your phone number.”
She clenched her jaw. “You are so pushy.”
He shrugged a shoulder as she held out her hand.
“Give me your cell phone.”
“Oh.” He patted his pant pocket. “One second, it's up in my room.” He left the kitchen and it gave her enough time to go over her options and she opted for running. Literally, she ran out of the house and down the road as fast as she could, away from her mate.