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“You should buy a girl breakfast before you make her get all sweaty and throw her to the ground.”
He laughs, holding out his hand to help me up. My legs still ache in pain during training, but I’m able to run on them now without keeling over, which is a vast improvement to how I was at the beginning of the week.
My leg buckles, and I stumble right into Scott. He catches me with his lightning-fast reflexes, my hands reaching out instinctively and gripping onto his shirt. Suddenly, I realise how close we are, but neither of us move. Lifting my head, I meet his gaze, taking in his blown pupils.
I won’t deny that there’s an attraction between us, and if it was just that, it would be easy to ignore it. However, it’s more than that, and the longer we spend together, the more I feel something growing. There’s something between us that I don’t have a name for, like a possibility of something to come. It feels like I’m walking on a tightrope, the destination so far away and unlikely as the wind threatens to knock me off, but at the platform on the other side is a beacon of something that could be, if only I’m brave enough to risk the rest of the journey.
Am I ready to risk everything?
I’m so confused. I know that I have more mates waiting for me, the goddess promised me that, so then why am I feeling connections with males whocan’tbe my mates? Syn already had a mate who died, leaving him shattered, and Scott gave up his chance of ever finding his mate.
If all of the werewolves in the country are here for the trials, then shouldn’t I have found my other mates? Unless they are in a different country… No, there has to be a reason why I was brought here, and I believe it was for more than competing in a stupid trial. I feel a pull here, like I’m being called home, and it’s not the town that’s behind it.
I don’t know how long Scott and I have been staring at each other, but I see his eyes suddenly flash to my shoulder where my mate mark sits. Like a bucket of cold water has been thrown over him, his expression shuts down and he steps back, putting distance between us. I can almost feel the walls slamming down around us, like he’s putting up physical barriers.
Frowning, I open my mouth to object, but he beats me to it.
“Do you think you can do the drill again?”
That’s it? He’s just going to ignore the moment we just had? Sure, we’ve never spoken about this, but given how quickly he just shut down, I take it that a conversation would go just as well.
Confused and hurt, I rub absentmindedly at the aching spot on my chest, just below my collarbone. I don’t know what to say, or how to pretend that I’m okay when I’m not. Thankfully, I’m saved from having to answer as the door to the room slams open.
Both of us spin, finding Syn leaning against the now open doorway. He’s attempting to look casual, but I can see straight through his unruffled persona. Something has him riled up, and from the way he’s glaring at me, I’d guess I have something to do with it.
“You’re a difficult female to get a hold of.” He prowls towards me, not even bothering to look at Scott. “I’ve been looking for you since yesterday.”
“I was in my room all night. You could have found me there.”
While true, I know what he’snotsaying, and that’s that he wanted to find mealone. He knows that Joel has practically moved into my room with me, and there’s not a chance in hell that my mate would let Syn walk off with me alone, even just for a couple of minutes. The two of them hate each other too much.
I’m goading him, and I shouldn’t. Perhaps I’m still sore at the fact he ghosted me after the trial, when he stormed out of my hospital room, and hasn’t bothered to speak to me or try to find me since.
Baring his teeth in a snarl, Syn gestures towards the door. “We need to talk. Alone.”
Scott has been watching our exchange in silence, wisely not getting involved, until now. Crossing his arms over his chest, he takes a step forward, placing himself between me and the alpha. “She’s not going anywhere with you.” He says it calmly, but the warning is clear. He doesn’t want to fight the alpha, but to protect me, he will.
This doesn’t go over well with Syn, not in the slightest. Deadly calmness seems to settle over him, and that darkness that I’ve always associated with him seems to ripple around him, like a shadow hugging his form. I’m not certain if anyone else can see it or if it’s only me, but now that I know he has magic, I know what to look for. Honestly, I’m surprised I didn’t notice it before.
Tilting his head to one side with predatory focus, Syn examines Scott, sizing him up and deciding how much of a challenge he’d be. “Stand aside,mutt. This is between Laelia and me.” A lesser wolf would back off with a warning like that. The order behind it practically has me shaking, and it’s not even aimed at me. However, if anything, it only makes Scott more determined, and he raises his chin in defiance.
When the other male doesn’t move, something flickers in Syn’s dark eyes. “Do you really think I would hurt her?”
It takes me a moment, but when I realise what the emotion is, I’m surprised. He’s offended that Scott believes he would ever hurt me. I’ve seen Syn kill without blinking, so I know he’s capable of it, yet if I honestly think about it, I know he wouldn’t willingly hurt me. Of course, Scott doesn’t know Syn like I do, and he can’t feel this connection I have with the other male, so he’s going to go off what he knows, which is the violent alpha who works for the council.
“I know who you work for, and I know they want her dead, which means you can’t be trusted,” Scott replies, his voice staying calm despite what he’s saying, confirming my theory. However, regardless of his outward appearance, he shifts his weight forward to the balls of his feet, ready to defend me if needed.
Oh boy, they are going to fight, and once again, I’m in the centre of it all. Their possessive natures are coming out in full force, but they are acting like overprotective jealous mates, which they aren’t. Frankly, it’s pissing me off. Stepping up so I’m standing beside Scott, I reach out and place a gentle hand on his arm.
“It’s okay. I’ll go with him. We won’t be long,” I assure him while also being firm enough that he knows he can’t change my mind.
I can’t help but notice that Syn’s glaring at where my hand is still on the other male’s arm, and a quiet snarl emits from him. Shit. Removing my hand, I take a small step to the side. I may find this behaviour infuriating, but he’s still an alpha.
Scott must have a death wish, because instead of backing down like any sane submissive wolf would, he steps forward like he’s an alpha, jabbing his hand towards Syn to prove his point. “He’s practically losing control as we speak, Laelia! If he shifts and you’re alone, he could tear you apart.”
He could tear me apart at any time, whether Scott’s there or not, but I hold that thought, since it’s not helpful in my quest to get him off my back. Frustrated, I turn on him, placing my hands on my hips.
“I’m not some helpless damsel.”
