Chapter 11

Scarlett's POV

Franklin's gaze didn't stray from mine , and neither did mine stray from his. It was like we were both searching for answers in each other's eyes. I swallowed hard, taking in the knowledge that I had two mates. One is a jerk, and one is a beast.

Who could be so unlucky in the world to have such a terrible combination? I could tell that he was thinking about something, but I couldn't say what exactly he was thinking about.

I coughed, and he shifted back, giving me space since it was clearly needed. It was not until then that I realized that I was barely breathing the whole time. I held my throat close and tried to calm myself down, but nothing worked. I was, in a way, stuck with him.

“You can reject me.” Franklin said with a sincere and calm tone, although it still reverberated through the room and shook me. “No hard feelings.” He shrugged, raising the table he had overturned.

“And what will become of me?” I asked, and he shrugged again.

“Maybe I'll finally do what you've been asking for .” He chuckled dryly.

“Kill me?”

“Yeah, that.”

“So, how about we do something else that doesn't involve me losing my life?” I asked, moving over to the other side of the table, hoping to get calmer. I grabbed a cup, and I poured myself a huge amount of water, gulped it, and released a sigh of relief.

“What is it that you want to talk about?” Franklin said, taking slow and loud steps away from the room. I was surprised that he was leaving me all alone when I could just make a run for it.

The temptation to shift into my wolf almost overwhelmed me, but I remained strong.

“Can you be honest with me?” I asked, and he looked taken aback. His face furrowed into a frown.

“What do you mean by honest?” He asked, pouring hot water into a cup.

“Exactly what I just said. I can ask a question, and you'll respond with an answer.” I said, hoping that this wouldn't lead to my demise.

“Does it go both ways?” Franklin asked, walking back into the room with a cup of hot coffee.

“It does.” I managed to say. Franklin dropped the cup right in front of me.

He slightly nudged with his head, “drink.”

I took the cup of coffee, and I took a sip. It was surprisingly good.

“So, you can go first.” I said, but his forehead wrinkled, “I mean, you can ask me a question first.”

“What sort of bonding is this, if I may ask?” Franklin asked.

“I don't know, but let's say question bonding.” I muttered .

“Okay so…”

“You asked your question already, now it's my turn.” I said, and he chuckled.

He nodded at me, giving me permission. He is scary, but somehow , I'm warming to him.

“You didn't eat me because I'm your mate, right? And you already knew that since the time in the woods?” I asked, taking several sips of the coffee, while Franklin took his time to respond.

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “In this position, every sense I have is heightened, so that should explain what you believe is going on.”

“Why were you chased?” Franklin asked out of the blue. “Oh, I knew you weren't telling the truth, I just didn’t want to push it.”

“Oh damn…” I whispered, holding my thighs tight.

“Don't worry, I'm a forgiving person sometimes.” Franklin said, and my eyes widened. He was totally unpredictable.

I took the cup , and I drained the cup.

“Damn! Do you make coffees this good?” I asked.

Franklin looked at me with his right brow raised.

“I'm a man of several talents.” Franklin shrugged.

“I'm a girl in a guy's school, and I'd probably have to first start with that.” I said. “My mom and step dad wanted me to marry me off to an old rugged bastard…”

Franklin growled as I said that. His protective side was showing, and he was visibly fighting it, but the growl escaped.

“So,” I continued, making sure it was fine by him, and he was all cool, “so, my best friend came up with an idea to get me out of the dilemma, and I escaped to the guys’ school.”

“And then, the boy I was staying with didn't want anyone in his room, and that was probably their way of scaring me, or better still, getting rid of me.” I shrugged, but Franklin was calm. He wasn't growling or making the scary sounds. He was just calm.

“Do you want them dead?” Franklin asked, and I shook my head.

There was silence for a while, and I just played with the mug. I restructured my question several times, and in several ways.

“So…” I said, fiddling with my fingers. “There's no way I'd ask this question that would sound the way I want it to.”

“You want to know why I'm like this?” Franklin asked, looking straight at me. I nodded calmly and gently, like it'd reduce whatever reaction comes from him.

“The answers are simple.” Franklin said, giving the energy that made me see that he'd never repeat his words. I swallowed hard, looking at his furry neck and the huge Adam's apple that visibly hung out. “I once had the ability to shift, like every normal wolf, and then, I woke up as a beast one day, with no ability to shift back to my normal state.”

“And no, I don't remember where I'm from, and yes, I've been finding a cure, but I haven't gotten one.” Franklin growled. “And no, I don't think I deserve a mate because I am a beast, and yes, I eat humans.”

“Franklin, I wasn't trying to…”

“Get inside now…” Franklin snapped, slamming his hand on the table he had just raised. I shook on the chair I sat on. I hurriedly stood up and headed towards the room where he just brought me out of.

“No, the other room opposite it.” Franklin growled, and I ran inside, crying profusely.