In Reach?

Mira’s POV

I stand there looking into his eyes, seeing them glaze over. Shit! He’s pissed. He’s struggling to control his wolf.

“I read about it.” I practically blurt out.

“What do you mean? Where?” He’s not letting loose with his hold on me.

“I read about it in some books in the library.” It’s not like I’m lying. “I was trying to learn more about wolves and their ‘culture’ and stuff.” I look down, not wanting to see if he’s going to let this go.

“What books?”

I look up and he seems curious. “There are books in the library. They’re quite old. But one mentioned about funerals for wolves, and I thought that I should do it for Katy.”

He loosens his grip on me and huffs out a breath. "I suggest you stop reading those books. Practices of the 'old ways' were stopped generations ago, because it's so closely related to magic. Don't do it if you don't want to gain extra unnecessary attention."

He turns and gestures for me to walk ahead. “Let’s get back to the house. It’s getting late and I’m sure you must be hungry. But I expect you to see me later tonight in the library.” He raises a brow as if assuring me that it’s going to happen.

I nod and we walk to the house in silence. It’s nice out, with just the light of the moonlight guiding us through the woods.

At dinner things just seem far worse. Aiden chatters on about the ‘pyre’ I basically made for Katy and how cool the accurately blowing wind made it look. Noah just keeps on giving me skeptical looks, and I’m not sure if it’s for Aiden’s story or for me.

I sit there in uncomfortable silence, and really missing my dinner mate, -Katy. Dimples seems to be conversing with the woman about something funny. Those dimples say it all. They must be close friends, or perhaps related.

Noah and Mason are still babysitting Aubrey on the far end of the table. They could at least have let her sit by me. But she looks too lost in her plate I doubt she would have kept me company anyways. She has a deep bothered look on her face, making her body seem tense. She must have been really shocked by today’s events. And seeing Katy’s body like that, I can just imagine what she is feeling. Not that I know how close they were exactly. But that incessant fiddling with her fingers is not a good sign.

After dinner I go up to my room for a shower. It’s been a long day, and Dimples is waiting for me to talk about..... the books?

I walk into the library wearing a knee-length, cotton night dress with a silk gown. I can’t believe these people got me an entire cupboard of new clothes. I really wonder if they are planning to ever let me go or if they’re simply just that rich.

He’s not here, yet. I’ll go sit in one of the chairs at the fire place.

He’s taking quite a while to get here. Did he forget that he asked me to meet him here? I’m starting to get too comfortable in this chair.

I walk to the huge window facing the garden. The view is beautiful, the moon is barely shining and I can see so many stars, it makes me smile a little. I never got to see such typical and natural beauty back in the city. I know if I stay here for too long, I might just not want to leave.

The door swings open and I here heavy footsteps. Dimples is standing in the middle of the room with unsteady breathing and a glass of what seems like bourbon in his hands. He’s swaying a bit in his stance though. Wait! Is he drunk?

He downs his drink and walks to the desk on the other side of the room to put the glass down. I can hear him breathing heavily, and I can see the way his back is slowly rising and lowering from it. He doesn’t seem angry though, it’s more like he’s troubled. He looks lost in his own mind, and I can probably bet that he doesn’t even know I’m here.

I take slow steps towards him, his back still facing me as he’s leaning over the desk. But I stop, just a few steps away from him. I just realized; I shouldn’t sneak up on a ‘predator’. They have killer reflex instincts, pun intended.

“Is everything alright?”

His shoulders tighten as he hears my voice. He turns around and looks at me with confusion on his face. “Is everything alright? Really? Does it seem like everything is fine around here?”

Wow, he has a sarcastic bone. “Well, you look very stressed out. I was just……” I don’t even know how to finish this sentence. Do I really want to say that I am worried? He probably won’t even believe me.

“You just what?” He approaches me slowly, and I try to mirror his by walking backwards. “Do you have any idea of the amount of trouble this pack has faced in the last week? And so far there is only one common denominator, and that is you.” His steps are too big compared to mine and he has managed to block me between him and a book-shelf behind me.

“Why are you so convinced that I’m up to something, that I’m a danger to you guys?” He is too big compared to me. He’s towering over me. There is no way for me to seem challenging in this. All I can do is look him straight in the eye and try to not blink as I say this.

“People die around you.” He grabs my arms again. I’m still looking into his sad eyes and yet again they’re not in sync with his angry face.

But what he says is true. People die around me. I’ve grown up in a world where people kill and others die because of the simplest things. Crime isn’t exactly a rare commodity in the city, and people die all the time, especially at the houses I grew up in. Which is why I never bothered getting close to people. The only person in my life is Alex, but that’s only because he refused to leave.

So, what is he, Liam, planning on doing to me now? This change in character isn’t the first I experienced it. Is he going to lock me up in the cell again? I don’t what to say anything.

“Your presence here is nothing but a curse to us.” He releases me roughly and paces a few steps backwards, running his fingers through his hair. “Are you going to try and kill us off one by one? Is that it?”

Is he serious? “I told you I have nothing to do with that. All I want is to go back.”

“So that’s it? Is this how you get your way? Make me do what you say or else you’ll kill more people? You know I can just lock you up in the dungeons again.”

And there it is. Can the two of us never have a conversation where he doesn’t suspect or threaten me?

“Of course, I know that! I’m not lying to you, I’m not a killer.” At this point I know I’m talking to a brick wall.

“I swear to the goddess that if you’re lying, better yet, if I find out that you have any part to play in any of this, whether or not you’re oblivious to it, I will make your life a living hell. My pack is a mess right now, and you seem to be the closest and reasonable cause for it all. You will pay.”

“You know what, I’m sick and tired of your mood swings.” I’m starting to breathe heavily as I walk closer to him. “One day you’re chilled and the next you’re throwing threats at me.” I stop right in front of him, even more annoyed that I still have to look up to him. “If you are really convinced that I’m the one that’s the cause of everything going wrong in your pack, that I’m the reason your pack members are dead, then why waste any more time?”

We’re both standing in the middle of the room, but we’re next to the desk he placed his glass on, and I know there is a letter opener on it as well. I reach out for it as I say, “Just kill me then.” I hold it out to him and he seems to be getting angrier. “Don’t be a coward about it. You already know what you want, right?” I walk closer to coerce him to take it. I know I'm too much of a coward to try it myself.

I hear a sudden growl as he puts a tight grip on my hand holding the knife, and pulls me against his chest. “Is your life just a toy to you, or is this whole thing just a game to you?” I can feel his breath on my face.

“I don’t like to play losing games.” I try to use my other hand to get his grip off.

But he twists me and pushes my body against the desk, that I’m practically sitting on it. I hear the knife drop onto the floor. A slight gasp of shock leaves my mouth. “Then you should know to not challenge me like this.” His eyes glow gold as he gives a smirk.

He’s enjoying this? No, he’s wolf is enjoying this.

“Oh, I see. You must be the type to enjoy torturing your victims before you kill them.” I try to give him a disgusted glare, but those dimples are making it very difficult.

“Oh, my torturing will have you begging me. For what, I don’t know, yet. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” He smiles again.

This is bad. Either he’s wolf is a sadist or just a pervert, but I’m afraid to find out which. Our bodies are too close, and with me sitting on the desk he’s basically between my legs. I try to push him off of me.

I hear another growl, but deeper as he yanks me even closer to him. The sudden movement has my body frozen in his hold, especially with his face at my nape. I can feel his breath on my neck, and it’s sending tingling sparks through the rest of my body. This has to be a wolf thing, but why does it only happen when I’m around him? My body is feeling numb and I need some form of stability to hold onto before I slip off this desk. So, with my hands already between our chests, I grip onto his shirt. That’s when his other arm snakes around my waist and pulls me closer to him. The sparks are intensifying and his scent is making me pull him closer to me as well.

I don’t really understand this situation, but I don’t feel like I want to end it. We’re both just holding onto each other for dear life though our bloods are boiling from anger of each other.

He slowly pulls his head back that our lips are barely an inch away from each other. I can still smell a hint of whiskey on his breathe and his eyes are no longer glowing. Whatever this is, it should stop. But his lips crash on mine before I could even think this through. But, damn, he tastes so good, I don’t want to stop him just yet. I return the kiss, with just as much force.

His hand that was holding mine, is now on the back of my neck as he tries to deepen the kiss. I try to gasp for air, but he uses this to push his tongue into my mouth. My hands move to the back of his neck as I try to get a better taste of him and return the favour of this tongue-play we got going on.

The hand that was around my waist is now gliding up my thigh and pulling up the night dress. He stops when he gets to my ass and gives it a firm grip, making me moan in his mouth.

But, as if awoken by the sound, he suddenly pulls away and walks backwards as he looks at me on the desk. “Shit.” He runs his hand through his hair again. “This never should have happened.” He says as he walks straight out of the room.

I’m still so flustered with what just happened, I’m still sitting on the desk trying to understand why he is the one storming out of here as if I forced my mouth on him. If anything, he’s the one that caught me off guard when he kissed me. That asshole! The way this man makes my blood boil, right before and after such an intense moment. He’s making me prone to mood-swings as well now.