I narrow my eyes at the monster in front of me. “Is this your room?”
He blinks once. Slowly. Then — he rolls his eyes.
He rolls. His eyes. At me.
“I knew it!” I say, the horror crawling up my throat. “You brought me to your room! You — You had sex with her in this bed, didn’t you?!”
My voice cracks. I start breathing faster.
“I need to get out of here. I need to leave.”
I make the mistake of moving again.
He lunges — not to attack, but to stop me. One massive clawed hand lands on my shoulder. I freeze. His talons graze skin. A single flex, and I’m ribbons. Tiny ribbons.
He leans in. Close. Too close. His snout hovers in front of my nose. I can feel the heat of his breath. The weight of his gaze.
And then… he sniffs.
He gestures with his head. A small flick toward the room.
I frown. “You want me to… smell something?”
He growls.
“I swear, if you’re making me sniff your dirty secrets—”
But his claws are still on me, and my survival instinct sayscooperate.
So I inhale.
And it’s clean. Just clean. And…also familiar. It smells like Draven. Like smoke and fire and the edge of something dark.
Nothing else.
I deflate slightly, my pulse slowing. The lycan pulls back. Just a little.
“Maaattte.”
I go completely still.
He speaks? HE SPEAKS?! No lycan or wolf can speak!
The sound is rough, broken. A growl laced with something deeper. Something that rumbles in my bones. My eyes widen. “You… what?”
He stares at me, unwavering.
“I am not your mate,” I snap, arms crossed over my chest.
He rolls his eyes. Again.
I gasp. “Stop doing that! It’s rude!”
He huffs again and brings his snout even closer.
“Maaaattteee,” he repeats, softer this time. Almost like… a plea.
Something shivers down my spine.
