Chapter 50: The Lycan King's View of Things

Ares:

When I saw her standing there, staring at the house, her eyes wandering along the length of the house.

Something was on her mind, and I had no idea what it was. What is she thinking? I asked myself as I stood there in the distance, desperate to know what was on her mind.

I didn’t make myself known just yet as I shamelessly took that time to admire how beautiful she was. And the sweet scent that seemed to change into something ever sweeter whenever she was near.

The black distressed pants she wore hugged at her thick thighs and a plump backside. She wore a leather jacket that covered the mid-drift shirt that she wore.

When her hands shifted, and she began to rub her palms against her thigh in what seemed anxiety and frustration, I snapped out of the trance she had me in.

Yes, the little inhuman had me in a trance, and I was not afraid to admit it. Not to myself, at least.

I was significantly older than her, but she wasn’t a child. I noticed how beautiful a young woman she was before she was reborn into an inhuman. Being one only seemed to enhance her assets and relinquish the hint of guilt that I felt for being attracted to her in the first place.

I had decided that I had procrastinated for long enough. I could tell that she was ready to leave and chose that moment to make my presence known.

I could tell that she wasn’t happy when she heard my voice.

On approach, I noticed the subtle change in her countenance. She was aware of me before she saw me. Even if she didn’t realize it, I could see it in the subtle shiver that vibrated through her small shoulders.

“You look like you’re up to no good.”

When I said this, I watched her shoulders drop. Her head moved to the side momentarily. I could tell that she was contemplating dashing off into the night. Admittedly, I was glad that she didn’t.

I approached.

She turned around, and her perfect brow furrowed subtly in frustration.

“What are you doing here?” she asked me.

She knew why I was there. I didn’t have to read her mind to know that. We were on the same page; the little inhuman just didn’t want to talk about the reason itself. She was very closed off, this one. Even more in this more barbaric form she had taken. She’d be a hard one to crack.

I approached her and subtly inhaled the scent of sweet wild flowers, vanilla, and a hint of citrus. Mmm.

I had to stifle the arousing groan that threatened to escape me as I said, “You seem surprised that I am, pequenina. We need to talk. You know that,” I said, calling her out on feigning ignorance.

I could tell that she didn’t want to talk. She tried to walk past me. “We already spoke,” she hissed frustratedly.

“And I am not done with you.” I tried hard to check my temper, but the little inhuman knew how to press my buttons.

She was already prepared for my attempt to stop her. I admit that I made a habit of grabbing. I wasn’t good at stopping someone any other way, and I had done this to her a few times.

As I grabbed her wrist and started to pull her into me, the little inhuman moved blindingly quick, and before I knew it, the tip of her knife was at my throat.

Her movement was swift and graceful. She hadn’t missed a step since being a human. She only improved on her quick action.

The stinging point of her blade pricked against the carotid of my neck, a sliver of blood trickling down the barely visible wound that she had caused. Her swift aggression was quite arousing if I’m being honest.

The sudden excitement that jolted through my body at her quick-thinking reflexes caught me off guard. There was something about a woman who knew her way around a weapon and a fight caused an aching tightness down south that was hard to contain.

“I said. I was done talking to you.” She finally spoke to me and there was venom in her voice. But there was a reason why she didn’t just run away. Maybe part of her was curious as to what I had to say.

Cursed, that I couldn’t read her mind anymore.

I looked down at her, sort of amused by her spit-fire demeanor and silent curiosity. What was her angle? I wonder.

One thing for certain was that the little human was blatantly bold. “That new power of yours has given you a lot of confidence. Too much,” I added. Though I found her confidence, alluring, and amusing, I also found it frustrating.

I didn’t like prolonging the inevitable and I didn’t know what me and this little inhuman’s situation would result in. This was not ideal for me.

With my hand still gripped tightly around her wrist, I added in slight irritation, “I daresay, it’s bordering on arrogance.”

Her expression changed into something even angrier than before. Her irritated expression turned into a scowl.

“You really think that this power is why I am confident enough to attack you?” She growled mockingly. A bitter amusement fell across her otherwise perfect expression. “Maybe you forgot what my rose was before this accursed form took place!” She snarled.

Accursed form? Was that really what she thought of herself? Cursed?

It made sense. She never did get the chance to live her life before death. Her freedom came with a price. Her death, and an apparent need to feed incessantly.

Before I could respond with a sympathetic remark to her plight, she had the knife repositioned, its serrated blade pressed against the length of my neck.

She was pushing it.

“Release me,” she growled at me.

Release her? That was the last thing on my mind to do. In fact, I wanted to do the exact opposite. Something about her nearness made me want to hold onto her even longer.

I would like to have said as much among other things. It was the mating bond influencing my feelings. I knew that.

“Is it?" My lycan murmured in the back of my thoughts. My lycan murmured in the back of my thoughts.My lycan murmured in the back of my thoughts.

He was referring to the feelings that I had long before the goddess moon shoved the burden of mating bond in my face.

My grip loosened as I was forced to recollect my feelings before the little inhuman’s return. How lost I was without her being near.

I chalked it up to guilt. Guilt of not trusting my gut instinct to not let her out of my sight that day. Part of me knew that she would flake out. That she would run off while everyone’s back was turned.

As I stood there now, I realized that maybe there was more to it than that. I wouldn’t force that topic of conversation though. She wasn’t prepared for it. And as I stood before her in that moment, I wasn’t so sure that I was either.

“I am not going to force you, little inhuman,” I said to her. “But you, as well, as I know why we need talk.”

Of course, I wouldn’t forcer her as I just realized that I wasn’t prepared for this reality either. Did not mean that I would run away from the responsibility of having the conversation.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said.

So, she’s still trying to play that game. Trying to feign ignorance, though it is blatantly obvious at this point that we both are well aware of our situation.

I was tired of this game.

“You want to play that way?” I was no longer hiding my aggravation at this point, and I certainly wasn’t going to bite my tongue. “Somehow…I expected…more of you than the character that you are displaying right now.”

Immaturity was very unattractive.

There was a hint of frustration in her eyes, but I wasn’t exactly sure that it was completely to do with me. She knew that she was being immature, and she knew that the old her…the human her of the past would have detested the way that she was acting right now.

Still her pride wouldn’t dare leave her insecurity open but for so long. The softened expression immediately turned into a leer.

“What? You expect me to fawn over you and cater to your every whim like I did before? When I was human? When I was beneath you?” She snatched away from my loosened grip. “Well, I’m not going to, alpha. And that is something that you, my father, my mother, and my sister will have to get used to,” she said as she backed away from me and then started to walk away.

Since she wanted to be a child, I decided that I would spell it out for her. That I would address the reality of our situation. She didn’t have to talk about it but I would certainly force her to bear in mind.

“You are my mate, Valene Wade.”

My words stopped her in her tracks. It seemed she wasn’t prepared for the blunt addressing of our…conundrum.

“No amount of running away is going to change that.” The sooner she realized this, the better off we both would be.

By the slight tilt of her head, and the subtle side glance of her glimmering gaze, I knew that I had reached a part of that human. That sensible, beautiful but deadly young woman that I’d knew for a brief time over two years ago.

Unable to see clearly what was going on in that mind of hers, I had to do something that I hadn’t had to do in a long time. If ever.

I had to wonder…what was she thinking about? Did she even care enough to have this conversation?

What was most curious to me, however, was why she seemed to hate me so. What had I done to awaken such anger, and bitter resentment toward me?

“Your mind never was easy to read, little inhuman,” I let slip before I could think better of it. “But now it is impossible to read.”

I wagered that even she could not make full sense of what was going on in that intriguing mind of hers. I could see the hint of loss in her side-ways glance.

There seemed to be something on that mind that she wanted to confess could not. Maybe not.

“Good,” she finally said, and then continued walking away. “Good evening, alpha.”

As she turned her back on me and walked away, I decided not to stop her this time. It would hardly solve anything. Even one as powerful as I knew when to pick my battles, and I got the feeling…dealing with this little spitfire, that I’d be picking a losing one if I continued on this path with her.

I watched her saunter off into the darkness, and flurry of mixed emotions ignited through my body, desire and complete and utter discontent.

We will have our day pequenina. One way or another. We will talk about this.