Chapter 8

~ELLIE~

I was crazy. I was definitely out of my mind. A few minutes earlier, I could have sworn I wanted to rip Theo's head off for all the frustration I was made to go through for the whole of the day. Fast-forward to the present, and I was hitching a ride with him on the way to a hotel. Celine, who was excited in my head, spared some moments to have a laugh.

'This isn't funny, you know,' I said.

'Maybe not to you,' she piped. 'But to me? Oh, you have no idea. For all the aggressive stunts you tried to pull, look where it got you."

She gave a final laugh before she felt silent. From my side view, I could see the corners of Theo's lips tug upwards even though he tried to focus on the road. The sexy devil was enjoying my plight.

"Having fun?" I glared at him.

"Kind of." He didn't take his eyes off the road. "The banter between you and your wolf is so cute."

I flushed scarlet. I forgot he could hear the voice of my wolf. I made a mental note in my head to query him on that ability later. If I could ever get the chance again. I was still split on the mate thing. It was a case of pleasing my wolf or society. I was inclined, for the most part, to the latter.

I've never experienced my wolf being this excited before in my life. I don't know what she saw in Theo's wolf, but whatever it was, I knew it would be worth her bearing a grudge against me if I stayed away from him. And if there was no solidarity between a werewolf and its inner wolf, that werewolf was as good as a goner.

The fire from within my body had reduced, but not gone. Although the tingling in my loins was still there, I clenched my thighs tighter this time. It was a miracle I had not stained his seat since I entered. The bathroom breaks I had taken during the day annoyed my boss so much that he almost threatened to fire me on the spot.

Almost.

But he didn't understand. The only person who did was the slick monster beside me. To my surprise, I wasn't that mad at him at the moment, and I couldn't fathom why. Was it my desperation to get rid of this torment that put me in this situation? I didn't even know anymore. On a normal day, I would have fought him off and told him to go screw himself, regardless of whether he was my last hope. I was that stubborn. But there was something about him that sent my soul into a frenzy. Those gold eyes of his were, dare I say it, hypnotising.

"So, now that we are on friendlier terms," Theo spoke, rousing me from my inner thoughts. "I would like to know about my little wolf."

"First of all, the name is Ellie." I glared at him. "I told you this earlier, but I guess your brain was being controlled by your third leg for you to listen. Second, we are not on friendlier terms. I'm only doing this so I can finally get rid of your devilish ass and move on with my life. Get that into your thick skull."

The insult was meant to hurt him. I wanted to hurt him so he could at least change his mind. Maybe tell me that he was blogging earlier. Tell me that he was the solution to my situation, but the sex part was a joke. Instead, he laughed, much to my increased annoyance.

"You can lie to me and yourself." He placed a hand on my thigh and squeezed gently. "But you can't lie to your heart."

I gritted my teeth at him but made no attempt to remove his hand from my thigh. Instead, against my will, I slowly spread my legs. Despite keeping his focus on the road, his lips curled into a sly smirk, and he moved his hands upwards and then to my inner thighs, dangerously close to my core. Despite the hard material of my jeans, I could still feel his touch, and it sent a jolt of electricity to the centre between my legs.

Damn it, he was good. If he kept that up, I would release a fountain in his car. I felt the mark of his bite pulse on my neck, and I was overwhelmed. I swallowed, and then a low moan escaped my lips. I quickly clamped my lips shut to cover it, but it was too late. From the widening of his smirk, he must have heard it. I was so lost in the throes of lust that I couldn’t even get mad at him for his smugness.

A strange feeling washed over me, and I wanted nothing more than to tear off his clothes and mount him, regardless of the risk of an accident occurring. Who cares? We will heal later, right?

Theo suddenly pulled his hand away and returned it to the steering wheel. I glanced at him in shock and then anger. Not anger for touching me. But anger for not finishing the job. I was so close.

"See what I mean?" He smiled, exposing a set of perfect white teeth. "You so want me."

"Fuck you!" I sneered at him.

"Oh, you will." He burst into laughter. "Soon."

I huffed and leaned back into his seat, folding my arms and glaring at the road ahead of us. That was the outward demeanour I wanted to keep. As for what I felt within, he had stirred up something within me, and I was struggling not to at least touch myself right there. Theo's wicked grin didn't help at all. He knew what he was doing. This alpha wolf was a sadistic monster.

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The surprise never left me, even when I entered the room and sat on the bed while Theo made a call at the table nearby. I nodded in approval as I surveyed the room.

Theo may have been a devious ass, but he sure had good taste. The hotel I was presently in was five-star and the classiest in the city. By the way, most of the staff and workers were cordial with Theo; I was guessing he frequented the place. Speaking of the devil,.

Theo had taken his blazer off earlier, revealing an inner white shirt that hugged his muscles. I felt steam all over my body as it rippled with his movements. His back had the perfect width, and I imagined the V shape of his torso if he pulled that shirt off. I quickly shook my head to get rid of the thoughts. That was the heat talking.

'Keep telling yourself that,' Celine echoed in my head, and then I fell silent again. I rolled my eyes.

Theo finished the call and put the landline in place. He walked over and sat beside me on the bed, so close that our knees were practically touching. I swallowed a lump in my throat.

"That was room service." Theo nodded towards the land line. "They'll get us something to eat."

"I'm not hungry," I scoffed.

At that moment, my stomach rumbled. I turned beet red in embarrassment as his chuckle rang in my ears.

"You're just too stubborn for your own good," Theo said, shaking his head. "I guess that's a trait I find attractive about you."

"Really?" I said it dryly. "And not my body?"

"Hey, I find the whole of you attractive. Not just your body."

"You could have fooled me." I pointed to the mark on my neck.

"Wow, you're still bearing a grudge about that?" Theo sighed. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry I did that to you. My actions were over the top. Yes, I was hurt that you spurned my advances, but that was no excuse."

I blinked slowly, trying to take it in. Theo just apologised. An Alpha just apologised. To the lowest-ranking wolf in the pack, for that matter. I hoped I wasn't dreaming. I glanced at him to be sure it wasn't a joke. Instead of the usually sly demeanour on his face, I saw true sincerity. I couldn't help but smile warmly at him.

"So what happens to the mark if I don't spend the night with you?" I asked. "Will I die or something?"

"By the goddess, no!" His eyes widened in alarm. "I would never put you in that situation. You won't die. You'll just be consumed by the feeling forever. Well, until you come for the cure, me."

My mouth fell open. "That sounds almost as good as dying."

"Don't be melodramatic." Theo chuckled.

Despite the growing heat I was feeling again, I stuck out my tongue at him.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Theo said.

The door opened, and a young man entered with a tray containing two large covered bowls.

"Your order, sir." He bowed courteously.

Theo approached him with his card and swiped it at the small machine the man produced. There was a small ping sound, and the man nodded. He bowed again and left the room.

"Don't be shy," Theo called from the table as he pulled out a chair. "Come and dig in."

My stomach rumbled again, as if to push me to answer his call. I approached the table and pulled one of the covers off the plate. I swooned on the spot, and my mouth watered. Two large turkey wings, the tail of a roasted fish, and french fries at the side, dressed with ketchup.

'Eat!' Celine barked in my head.

'You don't need to tell me twice,' I answered. 'And stop being sassy.'

I saw Theo chuckle again as he took a bite. No doubt, he heard me and my wolf. I shook my head, sat down, and dug into my food.

Midway through my meal, I felt Theo's eyes on me, but I didn't look up. I didn't want to be lost in those golden eyes and have a piece of bone stuck in my throat. Why did the moon goddess have to pair me with someone so devilishly gorgeous? And the Alpha, no less. Against my will, I raised my head and caught his stare. The corners of his lips curled up in a foxy smile.

"What." My voice came out in a squeak.

"You have a cute nose," he said.

That comment was so out of context and random. But the way it sounded coming from him made me squirm in my seat. I felt a twinge of pink dust on my cheeks, and I focused on my meal.

"You're silly," I muttered, holding back the smile that tried to break out on my face.

There were no further conversations between us, and we continued with our meal. I was the first to finish, and I made my way to the bathroom to wash my hands and mouth. I gawked in awe as I stepped in.

The bathroom was as large as my living room. It had a shower at the end that was spacious enough for two people. There was even a jacuzzi at the opposite end. I shook my head and proceeded to wash my hands and face in the sink.

Thoughts flowed in my head, and they all ended in one. I was going to have sex with my Alpha. Something that was meant to serve as a cure. It was so hilarious and somewhat hot. This was a lot to stomach. I could deny it all I wanted, but I was looking forward to it.

Heat flowed towards my groin, and I turned red. I didn't know what to expect. Was it going to be gentle? Or would it be rough?

I didn't know how long I was lost in thought until I felt Theo slowly and suddenly bump into me from behind. I jolted in shock and spun around to meet his eyes.

"T. Theo," I stuttered.

He didn't respond. His golden orbs focused on me as he traced his finger along my jaw. They reached down to the mark on my neck, and he touched it. That touch sent a jolt to my groyne, and I quickly opened my eyes in shock. Why the heck did that happen? It was like the mark was a button controlling my body.

My thighs clenched again, warmed by the heat my core emanated. I felt my eyes glow, and I bit my lower lip. The next words that came out of his mouth, echoing in his deep voice, made my knees buckle.

"Strip."